Other than the change in physical interface are there any other differences between a 4 wire Ethernet Profinet device and an APL Profinet device? I've not seen anything written down outlining a migration path. Well, there are some restrictions on the device that influence the device design. The pow...

Hello PROFIprocess and APL experts. One of my field device makers customers has a lot of experience in process field devices, but so far has not developed PROFIBUS DP, PROFIBUS PA, PROFINET and let alone APL. I can't say more about this company because of obvious confidentiality considerations. In ...

How are the conformance test for certification on data and power applicable to other systems than the UNH test system mentioned in the official specifications? The Physical layer test for APL needs to be tested per hardware platform. The standardization organizations (PI, ODVA, FieldComms) mutually...

How is it possible to build switches with high port counts. So far I see 1- or 2-ports PHYs. Switch-IC with 10Mbit/s support are very rar. Do you have any advice on how to realise APl switches with high port numbers? For a high port count switch a switch IC with RMII or RGMII ports is required, as ...

Webinar_Question wrote: ↑29 Jul 2024, 11:46 Which evolution kit / HW you will prefer to do the PoC?

Well, of course I would prefer one from Analog Devices, the company I work for. But all players in this market have some very good evaluation kits available.

Pls contact your local sales representative.

With APL being ethernet based, do you think customers will be more concerned about cybersecurity? What is the status of PROFINET and cybersecurity? Yes, customers will be more concerned. However, security will be a big issue with every connectivity going forward and to get it right is far easier wi...

Webinar_Question wrote: ↑22 Jul 2024, 08:19 Are there many companies that develop APL devices?

Yes. Just two weeks ago, at ACHEMA trade show, there were a lot of talks about APL and a lot of devices were shown and even more announced. And not only in Europe, but APL is also attractive world-wide.

I see APL needs 2 wire, provide the signal and power, but I see M8 or M12 is 4 poles, why? M8 and M12 are robust, proven and available connector technologies for robust environments. The field engineers know how to assemble them, they are common and rock solid. The popular alternative is to use Scr...

Webinar_Question wrote: ↑22 Jul 2024, 08:20 Which netload class is mandatory for APL devices i.e. category netload class 1 or 2?

A new netload class was introduced, class2@10Mbit. This class applies to APL and 10MBit/s SPE (non-intrinsic safe applications).

Webinar_Question wrote: ↑15 Jul 2024, 11:08 Are there any dedicated tools to trouble shoot APL cables?

There are tools under development by different players. Also, the APL bridges can help big way with cable diagnostics. A good cable diagnostic in a switch can also be used as cable test tool to some extent.

Is the 8ms minimum cycle time just an example or is it a "must-be" for any device? 8ms is the fastest cycle time Profinet allows in a 10Mbit/s segment. That is where the 8ms come from. You do not need to support 8ms if your device does not need it. However, as a CLASS B device it has to s...

Is there a communication between the field device and the APL switch about the delivered power class? Similiar to normal PoE Chips? Not in APL. In contrast to general SPE, APL uses engineered power. Therefore, the switch is configured to provide power statically. This approach was chosen to simplif...

Does APL need a galvanic Isolation on the Data lines and within the power circuitry? E.g. with Isolation Transformers like in standard (PoE) Ethernet Solutions? APL uses inductors– common mode chocks and to couple the DC supply off the APL cable. The data is coupled of the cable using capacitors (c...

Will PA be involved in APL-Profinet stack ? The APL device can be used as PN or PA? The way I read the question is “Is Profibus PA involved in the APL stack and can a single device support both, Profibus PA and Profinet APL. No, you either design a Profibus PA device or you design a Profinet APL de...

Is the coloring of the APL conductors mandatory? Coloring of the connectors is not required. The only requirement is to leave light blue exclusive to cables in intrinsic safe connections. It is a good habit to mark terminals with “+”, “-“, “ground”, even so APL is polarity agnostic. Look at it as a...

Which areas are covered by PI certification testing for APL? Prerequisite is the APL Physical Layer test to make sure the requirements for intrinsic safety are matched. This test is available at different organizations. The cool part is that if you passed this test with either Profinet, ODVA or Fie...

Is the Ethernet APL test a prerequisite for PROFINET certification of APL devices? To clarify - with "APL-Certification" you refer to the APL PHYSICAL LAYER Certification?! Yes, this test is a prerequisite. The APL Physical Layer tests are designed to make sure your implementation is alig...