FIELDBUSFieldbus is an industrial network systemfor real-time distributed control. It is a wayto connect instruments in a manufacturingplant, for example Power Focus controllers.Fieldbus works on a network structure whichtypically allows daisy-chain, star, ring, branch,and tree network topologies. The fieldbusrequires only one communication point atthe controller level, and allows hundreds ofanalog and digital points to be connected atthe same time. This reduces both the lengthof the cable required and the number ofcables required. Furthermore, since devicesthat communicate through fieldbus require amicroprocessor, multiple points are typicallyprovided by the same device. Some fieldbusdevices now support control schemes suchas PID control on the device side instead offorcing the controller to do the processing.The Power Focus 6000 currently (release 2.1)supports three different fieldbus types:• DeviceNet• EtherNet/IP• ProfiNetIOYou can set up the fieldbus parameters using Tool Talk 2. For a full overviewof how this is done, please see the user guide for Tool Talk 2.In short, the value of using a fieldbus communication is to have a real-timecontrol over multiple controllers in a standardized way in your productionplant.Please note that there are a couple of fieldbus types available in the PowerFocus 4000 that are not yet implemented on the Power Focus 6000 platform