The DP/AS‑i Link Advanced is a compact router between PROFIBUS (DP slave) and AS‑Interface, with the following features:

• Single and double AS-Interface master (according to AS‑Interface Specification V3.0) for connection of 62 AS‑Interface slaves or 124 AS‑Interface slaves (with a double master)
• Integrated analog value transmission
• Integrated ground-fault monitoring for the AS-Interface cable
• User-friendly local diagnostics and start-up by means of a full graphic display and control keys or through a web interface with a standard browser on the PC screen
• Vertical integration (standard web interface) through Industrial Ethernet
• Supply voltage from the AS‑Interface shaped cable or alternatively with 24 V DC (optional)
• Suitable for AS-i Power24V (from product version 4/firmware version 2.2) and Standard AS-i with 30 V voltage.
• Module exchange without entering the connection parameters (e.g. PROFIBUS address) using C-PLUG (optional)

Design

• Compact plastic enclosure in degree of protection IP20 for standard rail mounting
• Combicon plug-in screw terminals
• Compact design:
  • Pixel graphics display in the front panel for detailed display of the operating state and readiness for operation of all connected AS-Interface slaves
  • 6 pushbuttons for starting up and testing the AS‑Interface line directly on the DP/AS‑i Link Advanced
  • LED indication of the operating state of PROFIBUS DP and AS‑Interface
  • Integrated Ethernet port (RJ45 socket) for user-friendly start-up, diagnostics and testing of DP/AS‑i Link Advanced through a web interface using a standard browser
• Small mounting depth thanks to recessed plug mounting
• Operation without fans and batteries

Functionality

Communication

The DP/AS‑i Link Advanced enables a PROFIBUS DP master to cyclically access the I/O data of all the slaves of a lower-level AS‑Interface segment.

The DP/AS‑i Link Advanced occupies the following address area:

• As a single master: 32 bytes of input data and 32 bytes of output data in which the I/O data of the connected AS‑Interface slaves (standard and A/B slaves) of an AS‑i line is stored.
• As double master, double the number of bytes
• Optional additional I/O bytes for data from analog slaves

The size of the input/output image can be compressed so that only the actually required I/O address area is occupied in the system of the DP master. The integrated evaluation of analog signals is just as easy as access to digital values because the analog process data also lie directly in the I/O address area of the CPU.

PROFIBUS DP-V1 Masters also provide the option of triggering AS-Interface master calls over the acyclic PROFIBUS services (e.g. write parameters, amend addresses, read diagnostic values). Using an operating display in AS‑i Link it is possible to fully commission the lower-level AS‑Interface line even without a CPU.

The DP/AS‑i Link Advanced is equipped with an additional Ethernet port, which enables use of the integrated web server. The web server can be called up with any standard web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer) without additional software. It allows all diagnostics information to be shown on the PC and the bus configuration and, if applicable, any adjustments, to be displayed. Firmware updates are also possible using this port.

The optional C-PLUG supports module replacement without entering the connection parameters (PROFIBUS address etc.), keeping downtimes to a minimum in the event of a fault.

Diagnostics

The following diagnostics is possible using LEDs, the display and control keys, web interface or STEP 7:

• Operating state of the DP/AS‑i Link Advanced
• Status of the link as a PROFIBUS DP slave
• Diagnostics of the AS‑Interface network
• Message frame statistics
• Standard diagnostics pages in the web interface for fast diagnostics access through Ethernet using a standard browser
• For the use of the web interfaces no network settings on the PC are necessary (Zeroconf procedure).
• The reporting of diagnostic events is optionally possible via E-Mail or SNMP Trap. The integrated diagnostic buffer saves the events including time stamp.

Notes on safety

In order to protect plants, systems, machines and networks against cyber threats, it is necessary to implement – and continuously maintain – a holistic, state-of-the-art industrial security concept. Siemens products and solutions only represent one component of such a concept.

For more information on the topic of Industrial Security, see http://www.siemens.com/industrialsecurity.

Configuration

The DP/AS‑i Link Advanced can be configured as follows:

• With STEP 7 (classic) V5.4 or higher, or STEP 7 (TIA Portal) V12 or higher: In the case of STEP 7 configuration, the AS‑Interface configuration can be uploaded in STEP 7. Furthermore, AS‑Interface slaves can also be conveniently configured in HW-Config (slave selection dialog).
• By adopting the ACTUAL configuration of the AS‑Interface on the display
• Alternatively, DP/AS‑i Link Advanced can be integrated into the engineering tool via the PROFIBUS GSD file (e.g. for STEP 7 versions below V5.4 or for non‑Siemens engineering tools).