Foxboro Introduces Two New Controllers for I/A Series Automation System.

Business Editors

FOXBORO, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 30, 2003

New high-performance controllers for rack room and field-mounting, respectively, offer GPS time synchronization for SOE and TDA time stamping with up to one millisecond accuracy

Foxboro Automation Systems, a unit of Invensys, has introduced two new high-performance, optionally redundant/fault-tolerant controllers for Invensys' flagship automation platform - the I/A Series system.

The new I/A Series ZCP270 controller is designed to fit in existing I/A Series mounting structures in rack rooms. The ZCP270 can support up to 120 remote-mounted Fieldbus (I/O) Modules.

The new I/A Series FCP270 field-mounted controller features extra rugged and compact design. It is designed to fit in dedicated slots on field-mounted baseplates adjacent to the Fieldbus (I/O) Modules. These baseplates can be located in sealed enclosures close to the process. Each FCP270 controller can support up to 32 Fieldbus Modules.

Both controllers connect to the high-availability/high-performance (1 Gbps between switches) I/A Series process control network via standard fiber optic 100 Mbps Ethernet. Both controllers utilize Foxboro's well-proven integrated (regulatory, advanced regulatory, logic, sequential) control package.

The new controllers provide users of new and existing I/A Series systems with many important new features. These further enhance the capability of the I/A Series automation platform to handle the largest and most demanding applications, and to do so in a safe and reliable manner.

New controller and related system features include:

-- GPS time stamping, with one millisecond accuracy, is available

for alarm messages, historian values, and new Sequence of

Events (SOE) and Transient Data Analysis (TDA) features.

Discrete SOE data are time-stamped and sent to the workstation

on a change basis. Analog TDA points are time stamped and sent

to the workstation every 10 milliseconds

-- On-line software upgrades in both simplex and

high-availability, redundant/fault-tolerant configurations

-- At least twice the application performance of previous I/A

Series controllers to support even more sophisticated unit or

plantwide control strategies

-- Enhanced support for PLCs and other third-party Ethernet- and

serial-connected devices that communicate via Modbus,

ControlLogix, OPC, or other protocols

-- Enhanced support for Foundation Fieldbus field devices

-- Enhanced support for HART and FoxCom field devices via open

FDT (Field Device Tool) technology

These two new I/A Series controllers continue Foxboro's tradition of providing users with the flexibility to configure the system that best matches their specific applications and plant philosophies. For example, the new ZCP270 rack room controller supports relatively centralized control strategies in a highly secure manner, while the new field-mounted FCP270 controller supports highly distributed field-based control.

For more information, readers should contact their local Invensys representative, call the Invensys Customer Satisfaction Center toll-free at 1-866-746-6477 (508-549-2424 outside of the US or Canada), or visit www.foxboro.com.

Invensys operates in more than 60 countries, with its headquarters in London. For more information, visit www.invensys.com

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