PROFINET Development


Project Planning

Planning a development roadmap for a PROFINET project is critical for a smooth process and on-time product release.  There are four basic steps (and partners) you’ll need to work with to complete the project.  The first and last, joining PI and applying for a product certificate, are pretty straightforward transactions.  Everything in between is where the interesting stuff happens and […]


PROFINET Development: First Steps

We need to put PROFINET on our device.  Where do we start? This is a question we field nearly every week, and this section gives you the background, resources, and contacts to get up and moving with your PROFINET project. There are a lot of resources out there explaining the process of developing a PROFINET product.  In addition to PROFINET […]


PROFINET Implementation Types

We’re going to put PROFINET on our product.  How should we go about it? Once you’ve figured out what PROFINET features you need to implement on your product, the next question is how to implement those features.  There are four options, three of which are viable: Drop an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) on your PCB to handle your PROFINET […]


The PROFINET Certification Process

PROFINET certification can be an intimidating process, but it doesn’t have to be.  Knowing what you’re getting into before you complete the test application not only sets expectations, but it also puts you in a position to streamline the process. Step 1: Choose a Test Lab PI Test Labs operate as independent and accredited institutions. They aren’t part of the […]


Designing Alarms for PROFINET Devices

Editor’s note: This article is an excerpt from the PROFINET Developer Workshop offered by the PROFI Interface Center.  For more information on this or other advanced topics, contact them at [email protected]. Alarms, Diagnostics, Errors… these terms get thrown around a lot when people discuss how to communicate when bad things happen on the network.  But what do they really mean? […]


Benefits and Requirements for DCP Signal / Flash LED

There is a common feature available on every PROFINET device that is commonly overlooked and sometimes misunderstood.  This is known as the DCP signal service or the ‘flash LED’ function in the engineering tool.  In this article, we will cover the benefit of this service and clarify the requirements for product developers. DCP Signal Service Nowadays, devices usually have some […]


PROFINET Tools – PROFINET Commander

PROFINET Commander is one of many PROFINET tools available that provide value to a variety of users interested in interacting with PROFINET devices. For automation product developers, it provides the ability to quickly test a new device or system under development. Meanwhile, vendor salespeople can demonstrate a product without extra hardware. End-user engineers can configure a device to check before employing […]


Getting started with PROFINET Commander

PROFINET Commander is a software utility that allows for simple setup of a PROFINET device or network without PLC logic.   It can act both as a PROFINET IO controller and IO supervisor on a Windows PC.  This allows reading and writing of device IO data, parameters, and access to data record objects. Additional functions are assignments of the device name […]