Despite the growing popularity of industrial Ethernet, PROFIBUS continues to feature prominently in new installations, reflecting its irreplaceable position in the industry.

Therefore, PROFIBUS remains the preferred fieldbus communication solution. With more than 65 million devices using PROFIBUS technology to date, this number is enough to show that it will not disappear from the market anytime soon.

However, the maturity of PROFIBUS does not mean that the process of solving problems has become easier. Many professionals may be more familiar with other industrial networks, or busy with a variety of tasks in workstations running multiple protocols, and have trouble finding the time to guide the team to reduce PROFIBUS downtime. This is a common challenge facing the industry.

To address this challenge, the Anybus Network Diagnostics team has compiled a comprehensive guide drawing on years of industry experience. This guide focuses on common mistakes made by PROFIBUS field technicians and incorporates a variety of practical knowledge and tips. This guide not only provides a quick and practical solution, but also helps you save money in the long term, so that you can better master PROFIBUS, reduce downtime, and effectively control your network system.

Mistake 1: Not stocking the necessary spare parts

 

ProfiHub – PROFIBUS network topology optimization

Be prepared for unplanned downtime

PROFIBUS networks can often experience hardware problems. In fact, hardware failure is one of the main causes of network communication problems. Therefore, it is essential to be prepared for the unexpected and ensure that you always maintain a sufficient stock of essential spare parts, including but not limited to:

coupler
cable
terminator
concentrator
repeater
device
Don’t rely on even the most reliable suppliers to be able to deliver spare parts quickly. This is because lead times can suddenly lengthen, especially in exceptional circumstances such as natural disasters or economic recessions.

Secure the entire link

If you are using a linear Daisy chain topology, it is especially important to have spare parts ready. This configuration is most common in PROFIBUS DP, but can also be found in PROFIBUS PA networks and can be said to be a fail-sensitive network. In other words, when one part of the Daisy chain fails, the entire link will fail.

Rapid troubleshooting

You should also have one or more troubleshooting tools available as a backup to diagnose any connectivity issues. For network technicians, having a device dedicated to assessing the health of an industrial network and detecting faults in a timely manner is essential.

What are the troubleshooting tools?

There are many handy troubleshooting tools on the market, but you should have at least one of the following:

PROFIBUS diagnostic tool
oscilloscope
Network mapping tool
A device with Type 2 host functions
Timely removal of network faults can minimize or even avoid downtime. You will find that troubleshooting tools and adequate spare parts inventory will be more cost effective than network downtime.

Real case

The PROFIBUS network of a warehouse is faulty, resulting in frequent system crashes. Engineers eventually determined that the problem was a broken repeater.

Fortunately, the engineer had always made a habit of carrying spare parts in his car. He quickly ran to his car to get a replacement repeater and replaced the broken one in time.

This timely processing is critical, as it usually takes about 12 hours to get a replacement from the supplier.

Considering that the warehouse’s downtime costs were up to €3,500 / hour, his quick action saved the company around €42,000.

Mistake 2: Flexible cables are paired with fast connectors

 

Flexible cable trends in the Industry 4.0 era

With the development of Industry 4.0, the use of flexible cables in automated manufacturing and process environments is increasing. Continuous motion in automation applications, such as robotics or conveyors, places extreme stress on non-flexible cables, which cannot withstand repeated motion or continuous bending. Flexible cables are ideal when transferring the main power supply to these automated applications. But the question is, what about the connector?

Flexible cable with fast connector

The DB9 connector is one of the most widely used and common fast connectors in PROFIBUS networks, especially in IP20 environments. As the smallest of all D-subminiature connectors, this fast connector is ideal for high-speed transmission. But remember not to mix these or other quick connectors with flexible cables.

Limitations of fast connectors

The problem with fast connectors is that their housing contains insulated displacement blades that can puncture or cut the copper wire in the flexible cable. Damaged stranded wires can overheat, loose wires, and eventually cause network failures. Therefore, if you use flexible cables in your network, make sure you choose a crimp connector rather than a fast connector.

Match cables and connectors correctly

The advantage of crimped connectors is that they do not break or cut the thin copper wire in the flexible cable. A variety of connectors are available on the market, including DB9 connectors with cage clips and screw terminals. Your choice depends largely on whether the cable is flat or round, so you should check the cable specifications first.

Without the use of flexible cables…

Do you prefer to replace cables rather than connectors? Perhaps your application scenario does not mandate the use of flexible cables. In this case, consider replacing the cable with a type that is compatible with the fast connector.

Real case

A food industry company’s network, though well-designed and properly installed, experienced frequent downtime.

While using the mobile monitoring tool for troubleshooting in the field, an engineer discovered that the problem may be related to connectors. As it turned out, the company used quick-connect connectors with flexible cables.

When the company replaced the fast connector with a crimp connector, it no longer experienced any downtime issues. popularity of industrial Ethernet, PROFIBUS continues to feature prominently in new installations, reflecting its irreplaceable position in the industry.

 

Therefore, PROFIBUS remains the preferred fieldbus communication solution. With more than 65 million devices using PROFIBUS technology to date, this number is enough to show that it will not disappear from the market anytime soon.

 

However, the maturity of PROFIBUS does not mean that the process of solving problems has become easier. Many professionals may be more familiar with other industrial networks, or busy with a variety of tasks in workstations running multiple protocols, and have trouble finding the time to guide the team to reduce PROFIBUS downtime. This is a common challenge facing the industry.

 

To address this challenge, the Anybus Network Diagnostics team has compiled a comprehensive guide drawing on years of industry experience. This guide focuses on common mistakes made by PROFIBUS field technicians and incorporates a variety of practical knowledge and tips. This guide not only provides a quick and practical solution, but also helps you save money in the long term, so that you can better master PROFIBUS, reduce downtime, and effectively control your network system.

 

Mistake 1: Not stocking the necessary spare parts

 

 

 

ProfiHub – PROFIBUS network topology optimization

 

Be prepared for unplanned downtime

 

PROFIBUS networks can often experience hardware problems. In fact, hardware failure is one of the main causes of network communication problems. Therefore, it is essential to be prepared for the unexpected and ensure that you always maintain a sufficient stock of essential spare parts, including but not limited to:

 

coupler

cable

terminator

concentrator

repeater

device

Don’t rely on even the most reliable suppliers to be able to deliver spare parts quickly. This is because lead times can suddenly lengthen, especially in exceptional circumstances such as natural disasters or economic recessions.

 

Secure the entire link

 

If you are using a linear Daisy chain topology, it is especially important to have spare parts ready. This configuration is most common in PROFIBUS DP, but can also be found in PROFIBUS PA networks and can be said to be a fail-sensitive network. In other words, when one part of the Daisy chain fails, the entire link will fail.

 

Rapid troubleshooting

 

You should also have one or more troubleshooting tools available as a backup to diagnose any connectivity issues. For network technicians, having a device dedicated to assessing the health of an industrial network and detecting faults in a timely manner is essential.

 

What are the troubleshooting tools?

 

There are many handy troubleshooting tools on the market, but you should have at least one of the following:

 

PROFIBUS diagnostic tool

oscilloscope

Network mapping tool

A device with Type 2 host functions

Timely removal of network faults can minimize or even avoid downtime. You will find that troubleshooting tools and adequate spare parts inventory will be more cost effective than network downtime.

 

Real case

 

The PROFIBUS network of a warehouse is faulty, resulting in frequent system crashes. Engineers eventually determined that the problem was a broken repeater.

 

Fortunately, the engineer had always made a habit of carrying spare parts in his car. He quickly ran to his car to get a replacement repeater and replaced the broken one in time.

 

This timely processing is critical, as it usually takes about 12 hours to get a replacement from the supplier.

 

Considering that the warehouse’s downtime costs were up to €3,500 / hour, his quick action saved the company around €42,000.

 

Mistake 2: Flexible cables are paired with fast connectors

 

 

 

Flexible cable trends in the Industry 4.0 era

 

With the development of Industry 4.0, the use of flexible cables in automated manufacturing and process environments is increasing. Continuous motion in automation applications, such as robotics or conveyors, places extreme stress on non-flexible cables, which cannot withstand repeated motion or continuous bending. Flexible cables are ideal when transferring the main power supply to these automated applications. But the question is, what about the connector?

 

Flexible cable with fast connector

 

The DB9 connector is one of the most widely used and common fast connectors in PROFIBUS networks, especially in IP20 environments. As the smallest of all D-subminiature connectors, this fast connector is ideal for high-speed transmission. But remember not to mix these or other quick connectors with flexible cables.

 

Limitations of fast connectors

 

The problem with fast connectors is that their housing contains insulated displacement blades that can puncture or cut the copper wire in the flexible cable. Damaged stranded wires can overheat, loose wires, and eventually cause network failures. Therefore, if you use flexible cables in your network, make sure you choose a crimp connector rather than a fast connector.

 

Match cables and connectors correctly

 

The advantage of crimped connectors is that they do not break or cut the thin copper wire in the flexible cable. A variety of connectors are available on the market, including DB9 connectors with cage clips and screw terminals. Your choice depends largely on whether the cable is flat or round, so you should check the cable specifications first.

 

Without the use of flexible cables…

 

Do you prefer to replace cables rather than connectors? Perhaps your application scenario does not mandate the use of flexible cables. In this case, consider replacing the cable with a type that is compatible with the fast connector.

 

Real case

 

A food industry company’s network, though well-designed and properly installed, experienced frequent downtime.

 

While using the mobile monitoring tool for troubleshooting in the field, an engineer discovered that the problem may be related to connectors. As it turned out, the company used quick-connect connectors with flexible cables.

 

When the company replaced the fast connector with a crimp connector, it no longer experienced any downtime issues.