 |
AS-INTERFACE OVERVIEW |
 |
| |
AS-Interface – The Why and How of AS-I |
|
| Page 3 of 3 | first page |« previous page | next page » | last page | home |
|
How to implement AS-Interface quickly & effectively |
| |
Once you've made a decision to add AS-Interface connectivity you have a number of ways to proceed. The choices vary in time-to-market, supportability, resource requirements and price. |
| |
|
| |
1. Use an off-the-shelf Serial Gateway |
| |
An off-the-shelf serial gateway is the least economical approach with the fastest time-to-market. To implement a serial gateway your product must support a common serial communication protocol such as Modbus, DF/1 or even dumb ASCII. Data from your product will transfer to the gateway at serial baud rates (1200-19200).
Other than time-to-market (typically a week or two), there are few real advantages to this approach and many negatives. Gateways require an additional footprint, they can be costly, they are generally overkill for a simple device and the gateway vendor appears as the AS-Interface device owner. This option is only attractive if you expect low volume requests for AS-Interface connectivity. |
| |
|
| |
2. Use an AS-Interface PCB |
| |
If your device uses standard signals, an AS-Interface PCB that accepts your signals and places them on the bus is an alternative solution for quick time-to-market projects. Built to your exact footprint and I/O requirements a custom solution is relatively fast and requires almost none of your resources. Custom solutions offer you the latest in capabilities while giving you absolute control of your development, network presentation and implementation. This approach is great for medium volume applications (i.e. a few hundred units per year). Real Time Automation, Inc. supplies PCBs of this kind. The advantages to this approach are relative low cost and tightly system operation. Disadvantages include the cost of one-time tooling and NRE. |
| |
|
| |
3. Do-It-Yourself |
| |
The most costly, lengthy and risky approach is to form an internal effort to build it yourself. While this is admittedly what you’d expect to hear from a company whose business is selling custom networking hardware and software, the facts still speak for themselves. Like most bus implementations there are nuances to the AS-Interface specification that are not readily discernable. For example, the specification provides some very ambiguous language describing how to pick the device ID. |
|
Your best customer, the Guinea Pig |
| |
Anyone who has practiced engineering for any length of time has a healthy respect for Murphy’s Law. On the subject of networking, Murphy’s Law states that when you roll out a new network design, the odds are that you’ll have the opportunity to demonstrate your proficiency. You’ll demonstrate it onsite, in front of your biggest and most important customer as they wait impatiently for their network to return to life. |
| |
|
| |
Just a few more things to think about before you take the leap |
| |
Another important consideration is testing and certification. Do you have the tools and resources to test, troubleshoot and certify your AS-Interface implementation? A key to selecting a vendor to get “AS-Interface in 30 days” is to make sure that your vendor has all the right tools and can assist you with troubleshooting, locating adequate test tools and the certifying your device.
|
| |
|
| |
» You must consider documentation. There are standard documentation formats for network devices. Your customers will expect your products to follow these standards. To get to market in 30 days, documentation issues need to be addressed early in the process.
» You must consider certification. Many customers simply will not purchase products unless they have passed a certification test. It’s not uncommon for products to be sent back to the lab a second or third time before they finally pass. If RTA, Inc. does an AS-Interface implementation for your product, you are guaranteed first time success.
» You must consider Maintenance and Support. There are keys to success for any new technology. There will be inevitable corrections and revisions to the initial specifications. How you deal with these changes matters a great deal.
» Real Time Automation, Inc. Guarantees Your Success.
Few people in the automation have the guts to guarantee anything, but Real Time Automation, Inc. guarantees that your product will be ready for AS-Interface in 30 days or less, or you only pay half.
» What to do next
Select the "I need to AS-Interface enable My Product" under more information and send your basic project requirements in to the AS/I development team. John will be happy to discuss your specific requirements and deadlines, and discuss any aspect of AS-Interface that you may still be unclear about. The RTA, Inc. team looks forward to serving you as you tackle one of the most important new technologies in today’s automation business.
Don’t let a shaky economy, protocol confusion or fear of the unknown keep you from participating in new project opportunities! AS-Interface can be an important part of your product success story. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Page 3 of 3 | first page |« previous page | next page » | last page | home |
 top of page |
|
|
