Has anyone used Hart-IP?

ds7891

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I have been scouring the internet over the past few weeks trying to learn about Hart-IP.

Does anyone know, if I have a Hart-IP device, should I be able to communicate with it directly from a PLC?

Or is it only designed for software like PactWare or and OPC server?
 
Furthuremore (somewhat venting...), why is documentation/examples so HARD to find on "sending" hart commands? Even if I use typical hardwired hart devices to hart cards (ex. Mag Meter wired to AB 1734 spectrum card), ya, pulling at PV's is easy! But, why is writing commands back to a device so difficult?

I remember first using a control logix hart card, reached out to AB tech support to see if they had some example (since the documentation supplied might as well never been written), and AB had zero idea what I was even trying to do. Even after I walked them to their manual where it talked about writing commands. They ran it up the food chain, and I never got a response. (That was about 4 years ago)

Then, I had a Point IO project with Hart cards about 2 years ago. I called Spectrum Controls. I pretty much had the vice president of the company on the phone trying to understand "While reading my PV's from the device, I need to send a command to the device to reset the totalizer". They didn't know how. Had to get back to me. About a week later, they responded. They were unsure how to make it work.


I guess my rant is more of a plea for help and/or understanding. My knowledge of the fundamentals of Hart is limited. And the available knowledge on the internet...well, its about as bad a trying to become a Modbus Expert by reading only, and not trial by fire. I can run a 475 Field Communicator as well as my dog snatches frisbee's out of the air! And when it comes to wiring, same deal. But, when it comes to understanding how to write commands from a PLC to a Hart device, forget it.
 
I know it doesn't help you right now, but probably one of the reasons no one has a clue is because HART is a pretty old protocol, and one that seems to be going away.

I honestly can't remember the last time I saw HART being used in a new installation. It was a pretty cool idea for the time, but with everything going Ethernet these days, there's not much advantage anymore.
 
I feel your pain. On various occasions when I have been afflicted with insomnia, I have wasted those middle of the night hours attempting to discern both what HART/IP really is and attempting to figure out how one accesses the vaunted "extended diagnostics" that are never one of the 4 variables that any HART master can access. I have failed to ever find a lucent description with an example for either.

But your plea encouraged me to look again and the spec sheet for the HART server (appears to be an OPC server) might be the ticket
https://tinyurl.com/yby82hs8

The Basic HART server is downloadable for free here:
https://fieldcommgroup.org/hart-server

Web page says 30 day trial, it isn't clear how a basic license is purchased.

Why not download it and see?

FYI, the HART Foundation merged with other protocol foundations to become FieldComm Group a couple years ago. Fieldcomm.org Prior to that there was a public HART forum for users to discuss HART implementation issues. The public forum has disappeared.

The cost of the combined HART protocol tech specs for non-members is prohibitive - almost $1,000.
https://fieldcomm-group.myshopify.com/collections/hart

I'm speculating that formal membership includes a prohibition on sharing copyrighted and proprietary documents/information.
 
I had an interesting day that might be helpful.


There is an application I have where a dozen flow meters are being upgrade to Endress Hauser ProMag400's. Being that this is an existing factory, all conduit and wiring is existing. Hart was my only option, and I need to reset the totalizers for each batch the factory produces. The previous flow meters used a simple 4-20ma output proportional to the flow rate.

I found Phoenix Contact sells a Hart Multiplexer which has an Ethernet gateway on it, and multiple (expandable) channels for Analog Input (& Hart) devices. Think of this thing as a piece of remote IO, which you can add on side modules of different styles.

So I installed the Mux in the panel, removed the 18/2 from the PLC and dropped it onto the Mux. The Mux, has several advantages...

1. Acts a Hart Modem for Management Software (FieldCare, PactWare, Etc.).
2. Acts as a Hart gateway for Modbus PLC's (and their is a Profinet version), converting the Hart PV's to a Modbus map. We all know what Modbus can do :).
3. Today I spent all day with Phoenix Contact getting trained on how to "Send" hart commands from my Modbus PLC through the Mux, to my device(s). YOU CAN RESET TOTALIZERS WITH THIS THING!!

Phoenix has a whole development team working on the Mux, continually expanding the features. Some I found I, I promised not to say! I look forward to using this on future upgrades and new projects.


Get a hold of Phoenix. They have what you need, and its not as hard as you think. They have all the documentation/white papers to help!
 
Last edited:
First ever review of a HART MUX product, anywhere. Thank you.


Does this product have a port for each transmitter or do the transmitters have to run in multidrop loop that severely limits the throughput (because only one query/response can be executed at a time at HART baud rates)?
 
Does this product have a port for each transmitter or do the transmitters have to run in multidrop loop that severely limits the throughput (because only one query/response can be executed at a time at HART baud rates)?

That's the beauty of it! Individual ports (channels) for each device. No Multi-drop required.

That's why I was saying above, this is an upgrade where I pulled the individual 4-20 loops off of the PLC and dropped them on the MUX (i.e. - Star configuration). NO re-wiring in the field. Just had to buy enough Analog Input cards for the MUX.
 
I used a moore industries hart gateway the other day. Pretty much plug and play to pull 4 points out of a Krohne Coriolis meter.
 

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