Software Multiplexer for Easy Connection of Allen-Bradley and Schneider Electric HART Modules to Emerson's AMS Device Manager

Softing Industrial introduces smartLink SW-HT – a HART multiplexer software for accessing configuration and diagnostic data via Emerson's AMS Device Manager or other HART IP-enabled plant asset management applications. Version 1.10 supports Allen-Bradley controllers and remote I/Os in addition to Schneider Electric M580 controllers and drop I/Os.

An increasing number of modern remote IOs are using Ethernet as the connection to the controller. smartLink SW-HT addresses this trend by providing an Ethernet connection to tunnel the HART commands to the remote IOs. smartLink SW-HT provides access from Emerson's AMS Device Manager to HART field devices connected to Allen-Bradley or Schneider Electric M580 controller HART IO modules or remote I/Os. An integrated HART IP server ensures transparent access to configuration and diagnostic data. Users save time and costs as they do not need additional HART multiplexer hardware. The product comes as a Docker container and is deployed with additional virtual machines, making it easy to use under Windows.

smartLink SW-HT scans all configured HART modules for the connected HART devices and maintains a live list of the devices. This eliminates the need to scan the entire AMS Device Manager device tree when a new HART device is added. The application converts the incoming HART IP commands into the Ethernet-based communication used by the Allen-Bradley and Schneider Electric HART modules. Optimized scheduling of the commands is performed to achieve the optimal communication performance.

To access just one HART device, the smartLink SW-HT software can be downloaded free of charge. The costs for additional licenses are scalable and depend on the number of HART devices to be connected. More Information is available on the Product Page.