The war is over and we have won. The war of handheld communication devices loose in the wilds of a plant, that is. Remember only a few years ago–like maybe two–when there was much angst in the media (except from me) about bringing handheld mobile communication into the plant? Now vendors are tripping all over themselves bringing out cool new toys to help maintenance, operations, and engineering do their jobs.
Here is a new tool from ABB. ABB has taken the next step with its Field Information Manager – the first FDI based Device Management tool in the market, with the introduction of its Field Information Manager 1.1 Handheld Edition. This easy-to-use software is now available for sale. The Handheld Edition makes it possible for the user to do configuration, parametrization and diagnosis of the HART instruments in many locations – in the field, at the back of the panel / junction box or in the instrumentation laboratory.
The Field Information Manager is designed to help users be more efficient in the configuration and management of their smart devices. Users do not need to invest in proprietary handheld terminal hardware; this eliminates the extra expense of proprietary hardware and significantly reduces lifecycle maintenance costs. The Field Information Manager can be installed on any Windows tablet / laptop / computer, thereby multiple instrumentation programs can be installed on a single machine. It is very quick to install and saves time for instrument and service technicians. Users can get started in less than three minutes, and can download all needed packages and files at www.abb.com/fieldinfo at any time.
Production technology vendors are really getting wise to the modern world about online stores. Field Information Manager Store and Print device configuration allows easy transfer of parameters from one device to another and eliminates manual recording of parameters.
Other key features of the Field Information Manager Handheld Edition include: Interoperability based on FDI components Online and offline parametrization Documentation of parameters and settings Novel concepts for ease of use and navigation with touch support ABB instrumentation FDI Device Packages ready to download Generic HART Device Package for all HART devices Supports installed base – DD/EDD files Visit www.abb.com/fieldinfo to learn more.
