HART Modem and software recommenmdations

We have a few customers that use HART enabled devices from various makers. We probably would not use it very often but would need something that can "talk" to E&H, ABB, Rosemount, Honeywell and possibly others.

I found a couple of threads on the subject and one of them is recent, but thought it might be a good idea to start a new thread to see what you folks recommend for hardware and software for us to have in our tool kit.

So far, I have learned that to get all the functionality, we may need to purchase device "drivers" for each manufacturer but for the basic parameters (most likely all we would need) that most software can read and write those without the extra expense.

Windows Pactware from Vega or Krohne is wide open, no licensing fees or limitations on DTM installation. The E&H version limits installation of DTM's other than E&H unless one buys a license of some sort. Pactware needs a USB HART modem ($300-$500). Not all vendors supply DTMs for Pactware.

The Rosemount 475 is nearly universal @ ~$6K(?), with its annual subscription fee for updates and DD access. There are a handful of devices with DTMs only, without DD's.

Pactware uses DTM files, 475 uses DD files. The files are not interchangeable, even if for the same device. Most (98%) HART devices have DD's but some do not, the remainder use DTMs.

Procomsol has $1,000 Windows software, which I believe uses DD files. It uses a USB HART modem, too. I've never used it but HART is Procomsol's business, so it probably works OK.

If it were me, I'd get Pactware and a USB HART modem and then see what it doesn't cover. The USB HART modem is useable with other devices.

+1 for pactware. Yokogawa also has a free software package available, but that might be limited to Yokogawa devices only..

I was recently looking for a device for a client, but didn't actually purchase one. Personally I use this one, works very well: http://www.smar.com/en/product/hi321-hart-usb-interface-for-ibm-pc-compatibles

Make that +2 to PACTware. Most let you freely download the DTM files for it. We've used it with the USB and RS232 versions of this: https://microflx.com/collections/hart-protocol-modems

We just purchased the E+H Commubox. I've tested it with DeviceCare ("free" FieldCare), and Vega's version of pactware. DeviceCare worked, as expected, to connect to E+H FMU90s that I had.

I could not successfully import the Siemens DTM library into pactware, but I was still able to (slooooooowly) read/write basic parameters to a Sitrans temperature transmitter.

I could not connect to an iTrans2 (gas detection) transmitter as Oldham did not create any DTMs - there are only DDs for this particular transmitter.

More testing to follow as projects reach construction phase.

Siemens PDM

You could use SIMATIC PDM from Siemens. They have a cheap single node license (about 60€). It is limited to only one device per project, but you can have as many projects as you want.

I uses EDD, HART-DD and FF-DD.


Best regards,
Kelkoon

MrAnonEMoose said:

I could not successfully import the Siemens DTM library into pactware, but I was still able to (slooooooowly) read/write basic parameters to a Sitrans temperature transmitter.

Click to expand...

Pactware needs a Sitrans DTM 'driver' in order for Pactware to deal with any of the individual device DTM's.

Did you get that one or get the latest Sitrans DTM installed? (there are rev releases over time, like everything else).

The last time I downloaded it, it was described thusly on the Siemens site.

Kelkoon said:

You could use SIMATIC PDM from Siemens.
I uses EDD, HART-DD and FF-DD.

Click to expand...

In 10 years of using PDM, no one at Siemens has been able to describe how to add a DD to PDM. Siemens released EDDs, yes, but not DD's.

Have you ever added a recently released DD to PDM?

Siemens PDM - single point license
It is relatively inexpensive but is huge installation task.

I find it much more fussy about making a connection than Pactware. I've had PDM fail to successfully upload.download to a device, where Pactware would with the same USB HART modem.

One does not expect support for Pactware, it's freeware.
I do expect support for PDM and support has been dismal.

PDM V6 had a very useable feature, LifeList, that would find and connect to a single device, point-to-point, without the 44 steps of creating a project. It was ripped out of the next version, probably because the Teutons despise 'user friendly'. (I can say that because my last name is Teutonic).

I failed to mention PDM in my first post because I consider PDM a pain. I never know whether it's going to connect. I don't have that same reservation about Pactware. PDM does have a large library of HART devices though. So for less $100 (USD) it has a place in an integrator's toolbox.

Okay, so PactWare is a framework for more than just HART communication, correct?

And then I need DTM (Device Type Manager) for each type of device.

And this combination of software tools should work with most USB-HART modems...

I can see spending a thousand on hardware and software we may only use a couple of times a year, much more than that and we may hold off until there is a pre$$ing need.

On the most recent job, we were trying to figure out the parameters in a flow application with an obsolete ABB DP transmitter connected to an orifice plate with no tag. The ABB folks failed to return my calls but we have a really good contact who reps E&H and he visited the site with us and was able to use his laptop with Fieldcare to obtain the needed information and quoted us E&H parts to replace the ABB stuff. He confirmed that the freeware available from E&H would not talk to the ABB transmitter and that the paid version he used is over $2000.

The replacement parts we quoted to the customer can be configured with the display and buttons, so our need for a HART set up is not urgent.

I don't think we will go the route of a HART communicator at all. We do have a customer who owns one they might loan us in a pinch.

Boy, you gotta love these open protocols...a whole new batch of Akronyms to learn about too.

Pactware is out there because the Europeans (and other instrument manufacturers) felt that Rosemount was deliberately slowing down the approval of their HART DDs through the HART Foundation, which Rosemount founded and subsequently spun off as an 'indepedent' foundation.

With Pactware, other instrument vendors could get to market with their own viable DTM files without waiting for the HART Foundation to dilly-dally, delay approval of DD files, for what is perceived to be competitive reasons.

I'm not sure Rosemount issues any DTM's for use with Pactware.

Anybody know?

I should have looked first.

One can filter the Emerson Rosemount download files for non-Emerson host systems, which does bring up some DTMs

http://tinyurl.com/jhuyon5

I use the ProComSol Bluetooth model. It works great, and has no problem with Pactware.

One of the things that you will have to watch out for is companies that "roll their own" Hart software. Chances are that you will have to use their modem as well.

Drexelbrook is one of these companies that does their own software. I had to buy the ProComSol USB version of the modem just for that device.

For anyone investigating, the Krohne page summarizes (for Krohne products) the collection of device-specific driver files sorted by host device.

http://krohne.com/en/dlc/software/

Emerson's 275 uses a different DD than the 375 than their AMS asset management system.

DTM's (for Pactware) are available for HART, Profibus and Foundation Fieldbus.

danw said:

Pactware needs a Sitrans DTM 'driver' in order for Pactware to deal with any of the individual device DTM's.

Did you get that one or get the latest Sitrans DTM installed? (there are rev releases over time, like everything else).

The last time I downloaded it, it was described thusly on the Siemens site.

Click to expand...

My mistake. The Sitrans V4 driver is for the PS2 Profibus position only. The Sitrans V3 driver is still the reigning driver for the rest of the HART instrumentation.