We are looking at some new equipment at our plant and the supplier is quoting us valves with AS-interface (ASi) control in a ControlLogix package. ASi is a new & foreign concept to me, so I'm looking for some insights. Searching this site, I found some old posts that spoke favorably but none of them were recent.
New/additional communication protocols typically mean increased headaches so I want to prevent as many as possible.
First off, what is actually gained by using ASi as opposed to digital I/O?
I found some info on the web (again, more than a couple years old) regarding ASi cards for the 1756 rack as well as stand alone Ethernet/IP to ASi gateways. Can any one enlighten me as to pros/cons of each?
My main concern is that our plant runs 24/7/365 so if adding/modifying/deleting any nodes require a PLC program download, it becomes a major ordeal. Not sure if this is the case with all, some or none of these type devices.
My other concern is how the system responds to a cable issue. If the valves are all direct wired and a cable gets sliced, I lose one valve. What happens if a branch cable gets sliced with this protocol?
Lastly, if there are any PDFs that you can recommend for understanding ASi better, please advise. Thanks in advance.
New/additional communication protocols typically mean increased headaches so I want to prevent as many as possible.
First off, what is actually gained by using ASi as opposed to digital I/O?
I found some info on the web (again, more than a couple years old) regarding ASi cards for the 1756 rack as well as stand alone Ethernet/IP to ASi gateways. Can any one enlighten me as to pros/cons of each?
My main concern is that our plant runs 24/7/365 so if adding/modifying/deleting any nodes require a PLC program download, it becomes a major ordeal. Not sure if this is the case with all, some or none of these type devices.
My other concern is how the system responds to a cable issue. If the valves are all direct wired and a cable gets sliced, I lose one valve. What happens if a branch cable gets sliced with this protocol?
Lastly, if there are any PDFs that you can recommend for understanding ASi better, please advise. Thanks in advance.