ABB offers a complete PROFIBUS solution, containing engineering software and fieldbus infrastructure hardware. PROFIBUS is an international standardized communication protocol for the manufacturing and process industries. Two different fieldbus types are supported for the Freelance system:
- PROFIBUS DP, with scalable transmission rates up to 12 Mbit/s, optimized for interaction with devices such as remote I/O, drives or motorcontrollers.
- PROFIBUS PA, with a a fix transmission rate of 31.25 kbit/s, designed for connection of bus-powered two-wire field devices such as transmitters and actuators, incl. I.S. applications.
Freelance supports the entire PROFIBUS system architecture by:
- Redundantly connected AC 800F controller at PROFIBUS DP
- Infrastructure and network devices for higher availability
- OPC Server for applications like 800xA Asset Optimization or Operations
A full range of field devices is certified for Freelance and enables seamless implementation. On a continuous basis these device libraries are extended with devices from ABB and third party manufacturers. The Device Integration Center is a service to manage and enhance these libraries.