Will a Profibus tester give you a distance to where your cabling fault may be?

Thanks.

Jim

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Split from How to test profibus network .

Hello Jim, I've only used PROFITRACE by Procentec and I can tell you it is sweet, you can see alot of information that can give you an idea of a damaged wires. 

Voltage levels on nodes graphics and much more stuff really usefull.

This is what I've used and I would recommend it.

Regards.

Hello Jim;

As pointed out by IsaSalimi in your earlier thread, a diagnostic repeater is able to return information on the distance to a reflection point on the bus ( a wire break, or a short-circuit for example) either from the repeater position or to a close node.

See this extract from the Diagnostic Repeater manual:

Diagnostic Repeater for PROFIBUS-DP - Industry Support Siemens

Hope this helps,

Daniel Chartier

Hi Daniel,

Is the Diagnostic Repeater equipment that is still available?  Sorry, but I am using obsolete S7-216 PLC's and it seems much of the information I find can't be used on these old models. 

Thanks,

Jim

Hello Jim;

Are you thinking of usind a Profibus tester with s7-200 PLCs (I include here the S7-200 CPUs you mention)?

The S7-200 can only act as a Profibus-DP slave, with a Profibus extension module (or a S7-215-2DP in the obsolete CPUs) so they cannot be used without a DP master, a S7-300 for example.

What exactly is your goal? Please clarify. You will have to examine the documentation every Profibus tester you are evaluating to see if it supports PPI or MPI, which are the only protocols supported by the S7-200. If your network is built with Profibus cable and connectors, they might work, but this has to be documented.

Hope this helps,

Daniel Chartier

Hi Daniel,

I am learning much from reading various posts about Profibus communication, and am probably using some terminology wrong, but here is the situation I have been dealing with intermittently for a few years.  I have two remotely located 216 PLC's, one set as a PPI Master (Port 1=2 in SMB130) and the second as a slave.  The master sends remote alarms and a watchdog bit to the slave located at the office.  Communication wiring is approximately 1000 feet long, Belden 9316 cable, using  972-0BA12-0XA0 Profibus connectors, both resistors ON.  Speed is at 9.6.  Sometimes sporadically, sometimes frequently I get an alarm from the watchdog bit.  I have two communication cables, have tested with a multi meter and megger on both and all is good.  Will eventually have the problem when switching between cables.  Each end has a B&B Electronics lightning arrestor, model 485HESP.  Belden shield is connected to arrestor case at master PLC only, and both arrestor cases are grounded to respective panels.  There are a few additional alarm wires in the same conduit, along with an unused multicable which is not connected at either end.  None of these are power connectors.  Sorry for the long post.

Thanks.

Jim