Reading AS-i data via PROFIBUS DP

[jonajona]

Hello, I have what I think should be a really easy application to build, but I have some questions about the approach I should follow.

I have an ASI IO SV DIO 4/3 AB to which I want to be able to configure it's address, read digital input status and write status to digital outputs.

This device uses AS-i network to comunicate to an AS-i Master which at the same time has a PROFIBUS port to communicate with a PROFIBUS Master.

I am completely new to working with AS-i and PROFIBUS, and I have been looking around for a way to communicate to the AS-i device from a PC.

Right now, I have an AS-i 3.0 PROFIBUS Gateway (similar) as a Master for the ASI IO, and of course I am able to see the digital IN status and write to the digital OUTs, but all this is done manually through the front panel.

I've looking around for a solution, and I've found a PCI card from COMSOFT that it's supposed to have the ability to communicate to PROFIBUS slaves, though it sounds great for my application, I don't fully understand it's functionality.

Can I use it as a real time master, let's say, to be able to read those DIs and write to the DOs in the AS-i device, from LabVIEW code?

[Miro_T]

PCI Profibus card will allow LabVIEW to "act" as either Profibus Master or Slave depending how you set it up. You will be able to read and write profibus channels/  IOs via LabVIEW.

I'm not sure how your AS-I Profibus gateway works but I am assuming it is able to send or receive profibus commands and interpret them into AS-i protocol. If that’s the case then you will use Profibus card to send whatever command is necessary for your gateway to "translate" it into an AS-i protocol. You should refer to your gateway manual if that is the case. 

Just FYI, NI does sell AS-i master which means you can skip whole profibus conversion and do AS-I protocol directly in LabVIEW. However, this module only works with compactRIO platform so you will have to get cRIO in order to use it.