This video is sponsored by ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to develop and test wireless instruments and devices
for the most demanding industrial applications?
The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute
helps instrument and device manufacturers
significantly reduce the time, cost, and effort required
to develop and bring ISA100 Wireless products to market.
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Wireless instruments are now ubiquitous and fill many needs in industrial applications.
There is a broad ecosystem of ISA100 Wireless products now on the market.
Some of these are wireless infrastructure products
that form the backbone of modern ISA100 Wireless networks.
These infrastructure devices include independent and integrated gateways,
access points, and protocol adapters.
ISA100 Wireless instrumentation and devices
have been developed for most measurement and control needs,
including pressure, temperature, flow, level, valve positioners,
and digital and analog I/O interfaces.
In addition, many wireless sensors have been developed to support health,
safety, and equipment lifecycle applications,
such as corrosion, vibration, gas monitoring,
pH, and steam trap monitoring.
These sensors have proven to be highly reliable
and have provided valuable data to the operating plant,
resulting in short payback periods and considerable returns on investment.
Traditionally, process automation vendors have been conservative
and somewhat reluctant to adopt new technologies, such as ISA100 Wireless.
However, with the growing portfolio of wireless devices and instruments now available
and over a decade of service history,
the benefits of offering wirelessly connected field instruments are very apparent.
The benefits of offering a wireless connected field instrument are:
Swift return on investment:
wireless instruments have significantly reduced installation costs
as compared to wired devices.
Touch-free maintenance is now possible.
ISA100 Wireless devices are able to be provisioned over the air,
and configuration and upgrades do not require physical access to the instrument.
The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute
(or WCI) testing and certification program
ensures that compliant devices can be installed
in any of the growing numbers of ISA100 Wireless networks across the globe,
with guaranteed interoperability.
Developing and certifying an ISA100 Wireless instrument is a straightforward process
that will allow vendors to join the growing number of
providers of certified ISA100 Wireless devices
in all categories of products listed earlier.
The first step in the development and certification of an ISA100 Wireless product
is to formulate the product requirements and create a field device architecture.
At this step, details such as estimating product battery life
and identifying other project requirements and costs are documented.
New products typically are introduced to fill a perceived need in the industry,
and meticulous product definition,
architecture development, and project planning
can set the stage for successful product development.
The next step is to develop a functional prototype.
The internal anatomy and architecture of a typical ISA100 Wireless field instrument
consist of three elements:
First, A wireless communication module that includes a WCI certified stack.
Second, An application-specific sensor,
capable of measuring the variable of interest for the instrument.
And third, An application processor that collects readings from the sensor
and forwards the data wirelessly via the communication module
The benefits of using a pre certified ISA100 Wireless communication module are many.
First, a pre certified communication module
enables a simplified development process for the instrument,
since it reduces the ISA100 Wireless knowledge required for development
and provides the needed interfaces as part of the package.
This reduces the time to market
because only the sensor or actuator specific functionality
needs to be provided around the wireless module.
The pre certified ISA100 Wireless communication module
also streamlines the WCI certification process
because users need only achieve device certification,
as the stack has already achieved certification.
Once the application processor and source code are complete,
the design should be validated by using the chosen ISA100 Wireless stack
to transmit sensor variables via an ISA100 Wireless Gateway
and then verifying the variables are being reported accurately and correctly.
Next, sensor-specific hardware and firmware
are developed to integrate the wireless module and application processor
with the module firmware.
This is where enclosure types, antenna design, and battery access are determined.
Software system integration is then added to the design.
Software components such as Device Descriptor (or DD) files
and configuration files (or CFs)
are designed and integrated with the hardware and firmware
to allow end-to-end integration testing.
The functional prototype is powered up,
placed into a typical service area, and tested.
Testing includes transmitting variable data
via an ISA100 Wireless Gateway to the controller of choice,
such as a DCS or PLC controller.
Once the prototype has been tested
and the vendor has proven the performance of the device,
it is time to have the device certified by the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute.
This is a four-step process:
Step 1: The vendor joins the ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute (or WCI) as a member.
Step 2: The vendor purchases a Device Test Kit, also known as a DTK.
Step 3: The vendor uses the DTK to run internal certification tests.
Step 4: Once internal certification pre-testing is complete and successful,
the vendor initiates the WCI certification process
in order to obtain the formal WCI compliance certificate.
Step 5: WCI hosts periodic interoperability workshops.
Product developers are encouraged to participate
to validate prototypes and build relationships with experts
within the ISA100 Wireless community.
WCI Compliance does not imply that other required certifications have been met,
such as EMC, ESD, RFI, and safety testing.
As with any industrial field device,
regulatory body testing per the requirements
of the local jurisdictions must be done at this point.
This includes testing to receive a CE, UL, FM, ATEX, or TUV rating
for safety or hazardous location installation,
as well as testing for conformance for ESD, EMI, and RF immunity.
Ready to get started with the design and prototyping
of your own ISA100 Wireless instrument, actuator, gateway, or adapter?
Good news!
The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute
offers a one-day, hands-on training course to kickstart your effort.
The training course includes an introduction to the ISA100 Wireless architecture,
terminology, and development concepts.
The training package also includes the WCI Rapid Development Kit
with two pre certified wireless modules.
As a trainee, you will develop your first functional
ISA100 Wireless field instrument prototype using the RDK.
I hope you enjoyed this video on ISA100 Wireless Device Development and Certification.
If you want to learn more about ISA100 Wireless,
head on over to isa100wci.org.
You can find the link to this website in the video description.
Feel free to let us know in the comments if you have any questions.
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