Newest Addition to HART Test System Supports Testing
for Interoperability
of WirelessHART Devices
Wireless test tool latest update to rigorous HART Device Registration Program
Austin, TX, USA (12 May 2009)—The new Wireless Test System recently released by the HART® Communication Foundation (www.hartcomm.org) is the latest update to the HART Test System. The HART Test System is a set of testing tools that play a key role in ensuring device interoperability of both wired and wireless HART-enabled devices. The new Wireless Test System supports testing of a WirelessHART™ device’s TDMA Data Link Layer and is now available to all Foundation Members.
“The HART Test System is an integral part in the HART Device Registration Program. The system helps to assure the interoperability of wired or wireless devices produced to the HART standard regardless of the device manufacturer,” says Ed Ladd, HCF Director of Technology Programs. “Users can buy with confidence a device that has been HART Registered, knowing it will work with the devices and systems already installed in their plant.”
The HART Test System is a complete testing tool produced on the
Linux operating system that works with wired HART devices or through
WirelessHART gateways that support the standardized HART UDP interface.
With the addition of the Wireless Test System the tools now include
automated testing of the Application Layer, Token Passing Data Link
Layer, TDMA Data Link Layer and analysis software for the verification
of a device’s conformance to the HART Protocol specification.
“The design of the test system allows the Foundation to control
the evolution of the tool and to add components, such as the new
Wireless Test System, as they are made available,” says Ladd.
“The HART Test System allows member companies designing wired
and/or WirelessHART devices
to fully test them for compliance to all revisions of the HART Protocol
standard.
WirelessHART technology is an
evolutionary enhancement to the HART
Communication Protocol, the leading communication technology
for intelligent process measurement and control field devices and
systems with more than 26 million devices installed worldwide. WirelessHART
is backward compatible with currently installed HART devices, is
supported by existing HART tools, and provides an additional capability
to access asset management information in both existing and new
monitoring and control applications.
The HART Communication Foundation is an international, not-for-profit, membership organization supported
by more than 230 companies worldwide. Founded in 1993, the Foundation
is the technology owner, standards setting body and central authority
on the HART Protocol and provides global support for application
of the HART technology. The Foundation establishes and controls
the HART Communication standards including new developments and
technology enhancements that benefit and support the needs of the
industry.