We recently installed Devicenet in the DeltaV systems of a large Waste Solidification Building Project in an effort to monitor our motor starters, as well as some variable speed drives. It was clear to us that most of the Devicenet and the Control systems were “talking” properly as we were getting we were getting very little data. Through a process of trial and error and a couple of weeks of walking the network lines, we finally found a connector where the wiring line was loose (see the white wire in the attached photo). Moreover, there was more than one that was not sufficiently connected. <See photo:>
DeltaV helped in the troubleshooting. If you turn I/O scanning OFF for the device in question (right click from DeltaV Explorer - uncheck the box for I/O scanning enabled), then you will not get data from the device, but you can tell if you are configured corrected. <See drawing 1:>
You will notice that you do not see anything for "Actual". This is indicative of a device with I/O scanning enabled. With I/O scanning off, you would see the actual device type DeltaV found in the field. Also, it is here that you ENSURE you have the "Configured" settings identical. Otherwise, you will not get data when you enable I/O scanning. This is indicative of a device with I/O scanning off, but it's actually talking too. It has reported its exact product name, as well as its revision. You also verify here your input/output byte data sizes. <See Drawing 6:>
I am posting our findings in the Community in an effort to help others more efficiently troubleshoot possible installation issues. I’m also curious to hear about any challenges others have faced when implementing Devicenet or similar network systems into their control system technology?