IDX has been successfully running certified PROFIBUS training for the last half decade and is now starting the IDX Training Academy which will be the umbrella for other fieldbus and device training. Watch this space for future training offerings including PROFINET, MODBUS and device-related training (HMS, Procentec, Softing and Comsoft).
We have been providing a combined PROFIBUS/ASi course for many years but we have decided to give ASi a space of its own. So we are proud to introduce Actuator/Sensor Interface, otherwise known as AS-Interface (ASi), training.
The course will begin with an introduction to AS-Interface: where does it fit and when to choose it. Attendees will have a look at various topology options and network structures. The course then covers how power and data are transmitted and how the controllers and devices interact with each other. The training will cover the features, benefits and limitations of ASi as well as some safety considerations. The attendees will discover how ASi can be incorporated into higher-level network structures such as PROFIBUS.
The attendees will investigate how ASi handles data throughput in terms of speed, delay times, jitter etc. The course then looks at the interoperability of different devices from different vendors. The trainees will take a deeper look into how the ASi device is coupled to sensors and actuators, and at the same time, the trainees will be introduced to how the ASi controller works. The course will cover the transmission phases for controlling data exchange, start-up procedures and addressing.
The trainer will discuss how ASi implements portions of the OSI reference model in terms of its communications system. The focus will be on the physical layer of the OSI model (cable, power, etc), the data link layer (messages, error handling, etc) and the application layer (message traces, different types of message requests/responses, etc).
On the practical side, the IDX Training Academy has developed demonstration boards where attendees will get the opportunity to build a small ASi network, giving them hands-on experience in installing ASi devices. Trainees will also use handheld tools to change device addresses and read and write values. They will also be allowed to get the devices into data exchange through some fault finding.
The course will end with a basic assessment of the material covered during the day and the IDX Training Academy hopes that this will give the attendee the basic know-how and confidence to design, build and troubleshoot ASi networks.
