Video Tutorials Available For Hazardous Area Modbus Displays

BEKA associates have introduced three short video tutorials to assist the development of hazardous area applications using their BA484D and BA488C intrinsically safe serial text displays. These instruments display process variables, text and simple graphics in a hazardous area using either standard screens or a custom screen.

The Modbus protocol allows the BEKA display to be easily interfaced with the vast range of process instrumentation having a Modbus port. Most applications can be satisfied by one of the nine standard display screen formats which include process data, units of measurement and tag identification in a format for one, two, three or four variables with optional bar-graphs or design and create a custom screen.

For application requiring a custom display screen, BEKA protocol enables text to be written anywhere on the screen in five different font sizes, together with lines, boxes and simple bitmap graphics. Free screen writer and instrument simulator software can be downloaded from www.beka.co.uk to assist. These free programs demonstrate the capabilities of the BEKA display plus the associated programming utility will enable application software to be developed without any additional hardware.

The first video: “Modbus RTU displays for hazardous and safe areas” talks through the features and benefits of the BA484D and BA488C with specific emphasis on hazardous area implementations; the second “Tutorial” describes the step by step configuration and the third; “Serial Data Display Pattern Matching” describes the advanced pattern matching features.

Pattern matching enables ASCII data from instruments such as weighing systems and barcode readers which is primarily intended for printing, to be decoded and displayed by the text display. Scripts can also be used, which are a sequence of commands down‑loaded and stored in the serial text displays non-volatile memory that can be executed without intervention from the host.

Both serial text displays have IECEx and ATEX Group II Category 1G (Ex ia IIC T5) certification and are ideal for simple machine and process control applications. Similar certification for North America is also available. The instruments include push- buttons which may be used for returning operator acknowledgements and contacts are provided for external push‑button inputs.

The field mounting BA484D has an IP66 GRP enclosure and has been certified for use in both flammable gases and combustible dusts. The panel mounting BA488C has an IP66 front panel and has been certified for use in flammable gases.