Foxboro P0916AA Field Terminal Assembly

The DIN rail mounted FBMs accommodated by the

baseplate are compact, plug-in modular assemblies

used to interface field devices with the host control

station. The FCMs, having the same form factor as

the FBMs, perform signal interface functions.

For example, FCM10Es are used to interface the

Ethernet trunk Fieldbus with the 2 Mbps module

Fieldbus, and FCM2Fs are used for fiber optic

communications extensions between baseplates. The

FBMs and FCMs plug onto the baseplate by means

of their two, 48-pin connectors, and each is fastened

in place by two screws.

BASEPLATE MOUNTING

The baseplate is available in two basic mounting

configurations — horizontal DIN rail mount or vertical

DIN rail mount. Either of these configurations can be

employed internal to, or external to an enclosure;

however, in all cases the DIN rail must be amply

supported, whether by means of metal braces, a

backplate, or a supporting wall.

In addition to DIN rail mounting of the baseplate, a

mounting kit is available for mounting the baseplate

horizontally in a standard, 483 mm (19 in) rack. The

kit provides a 25.4mm (1 in) mounting depth, to meet

clearance requirements at the front of the 19-inch rack.

The baseplate also provides the necessary connectors for

redundant power, redundant module Fieldbus, and

termination cables.

The FDSI configurator sets up the FBM232 XMLbased port and device

configuration files.

The port configurator allows for easy setup of thecommunication parameters

for each port (such as, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP),

IPaddresses).

The device configurator is not needed forall devices, but when needed it

configures device specific and point specific considerations (such as, scan

rate, address of the data to be transferred, and the amount of data to be

transferred in one transaction).

This FBM is a generic Ethernet hardware module inwhich different software

drivers can be loaded. These drivers configure the FBM to recognize a

particular protocol used by the device. Several of the software drivers are

standard product offerings.

Other custom drivers can be developed to meet specific needs.

These drivers are dynamically downloaded to the FBM232 with software

code specifically designed to interface with the third party device’s protocol. 

The configuration procedures and the software requirements for each driver

are unique to the device(s) being integrated into the system.