# HART Communicator



## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Hart was an English brand of Formula One racing engines back in the 1980's.


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

Cheapest one I've ever seen was like 4 grand. If there's a cheap alternative I wanna know too.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Jlarson said:


> Cheapest one I've ever seen was like 4 grand. If there's a cheap alternative I wanna know too.


Yeah, this was kinda timely. We had a thread the other day about level probes in tanks, and I get a frantic call at 3pm about a level transmitter failed on a small community water tank. They had a spare, but it needed wired and calibrated. I went through the manual calibration (wet calibration at that!), and couldn't help but to think that I'd have been done two hours earlier and with less stress if I had a HART communicator. 

By the way, you get really wet, no matter how fast you are and getting one out and back in, when you have over 200 inches of water column to tend with. A valve might have been a nice feature.


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

MDShunk said:


> By the way, you get really wet, no matter how fast you are and getting one out and back in, when you have over 200 inches of water column to tend with. A valve might have been a nice feature.


:laughing:

I think every water tank I've ever built I just automatically weld a threadolet on at the bottom and put on a stainless ball valve. If we never have to put a pressure transmitter on oh well, it's just an extra drain.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Found one! 345 bucks for USB thing and software.










Might be next on my "things I don't really need but I'm gonna buy anyhow" list.


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## Inphase (May 5, 2012)

We just bought a HART, its a pretty big hit but definitely makes things easiers and quicker.

I'm going to look into what you dug up as well though, something I could carry in my truck and have at the ready. Nice find.

Could you share a link?


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

https://www.microflex-llc.com/p-37-microlink-usb-modem-generic-hart-dtm-software.aspx

Don't know anything about it. Found it recommended on an engineering forum I sometimes post at.


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## Inphase (May 5, 2012)

I'm must be tired...can't figure out if that one comes with the software or if thats extra??

This one looks ok too.

http://www.mactekcorp.com/product3.htm

They're both listed as members on the HART webpage so that's good.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Inphase said:


> I'm must be tired...can't figure out if that one comes with the software or if thats extra??
> 
> This one looks ok too.
> 
> ...


No, the one in my link comes with the software. The USB thingy alone is only 40 dollars or so cheaper, so for the little bit extra, get the software too. Big savings if you buy that way, so it seems. 

I was only setting up a simple level transmitter today, but the communicator will save a TON of time for more complex things like flowmeters.


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## Inphase (May 5, 2012)

Definitely. We just finished a test run for an upcoming polymer injection project, and part of the package was an Endress and Hauser Pro-sonic flow meter. I'm not a big fan of E&H at the best of times, but this one took the cake as far as unfriendly interface and crappy manuals. Toyed with it off and on for a few days using the optically isolated buttons (think thats what they were called) and then brought in the HART, what a difference.


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

I like that I can keep that in my laptop bag. 

Can't do that with the Emerson communicator, for the price of one of those things it needs to live in a pelican and be taken out as little as possible :laughing:

For that price I may get a few.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

Inphase said:


> Definitely. We just finished a test run for an upcoming polymer injection project, and part of the package was an Endress and Hauser Pro-sonic flow meter. I'm not a big fan of E&H at the best of times, but this one took the cake as far as unfriendly interface and crappy manuals. Toyed with it off and on for a few days using the optically isolated buttons (think thats what they were called) and then brought in the HART, what a difference.


Yeah, I've installed, wired, and configured literally hundreds of Endress and Hauser flowmeters. They are top-notch, but unfriendly is right. I've never done a pro-sonic. Only Pro-mass and Pro-mag. Done a bunch of their capacitive level probes too. E&H has their own 4-pin connector on most of their stuff if you want to use their cable and software. It's a little easier than going through the frontpanel UI. Never tried a HART communicator on an E&H. Mostly frontpanel.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

MDShunk said:


> Found one! 345 bucks for USB thing and software.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Hard to beat that price but a Rosemount is a lot eaiser to use in a industrial environment. Hard to balance a laptop on a ladder and type. If you are just using it occasionally It would probably be OK.


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## oliquir (Jan 13, 2011)

drsparky said:


> Hard to beat that price but a Rosemount is a lot eaiser to use in a industrial environment. Hard to balance a laptop on a ladder and type. If you are just using it occasionally It would probably be OK.


i have this one, works ok for the price, basic software is included


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

MDShunk;[URL="tel:[URL="tel:713505" said:


> 713505[/URL]"]713505[/url]]Found one! 345 bucks for USB thing and software.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You might be able to find a cheap 268, but I'd go with that little gizmo. You can also get similar ones that work with PDA's and smartphones.


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

OK, I have to ask.

_*What does it do? *_


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

MDShunk said:


> By the way, you get really wet, no matter how fast you are and getting one out and back in, when you have over 200 inches of water column to tend with. A valve might have been a nice feature.


Reminds me of an AC coworker who asked me to swap out a flow switch on a chill water loop. A simple 1 1/4 screw in, real quick before lunch.

Don't worry he says,, Its on the SUCTION side.

20# of pressure on the suction side. 
Good thing we had the outside door open. 

Oh ya, he changed the Broken pressure gage after lunch.


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## don_resqcapt19 (Jul 18, 2010)

BBQ said:


> OK, I have to ask.
> 
> _*What does it do? *_


Many process control instruments can communicate via a Hart communicator. It lets you do all of the set up for the instrument from the communicator and also lets you do some loop testing...that is you tell the instrument how many mA to send to the PLC or DCS and check to make sure the other end is seeing that current signal.


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## Splash (Apr 11, 2008)

Be sure the software that is included also has the "device descriptors", most of the USB to HART communicators sold or only the hardware and USB to RS232 drivers. I have a setup like this I use from procomsol and the hardware was $300 and the software was $800. The USB/HART is alot more user friendly than a handheld.


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## sparky970 (Mar 19, 2008)

don_resqcapt19 said:


> Many process control instruments can communicate via a Hart communicator. It lets you do all of the set up for the instrument from the communicator and also lets you do some loop testing...that is you tell the instrument how many mA to send to the PLC or DCS and check to make sure the other end is seeing that current signal.


It will also let you quickly re-range the device, set up custom units, averaging, and a ton of other stuff. Plus you can hook it up anywhere in the loop and not disconnect any wires and they work on smart valve positioners too.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

sparky970 said:


> It will also let you quickly re-range the device, set up custom units, averaging, and a ton of other stuff. Plus you can hook it up anywhere in the loop and not disconnect any wires and they work on smart valve positioners too.


All of which you can do through traditional buttons, switches, dials etc on the actual units, but it's easier and quicker with the communicator. 

The HART protocol is used traditionally on instruments for liquids, flowable solids and semi-solids, and gases. You think mostly of temperature probes, pressure transmitters, flowmeters, and level probes. Lots of others though. Conductivity probes, turbidity probes, valve actuators, density transmitters, etc. If it's a device that has to do with stuff in a pipe or tank, it can often communicate via the HART protocol. Some places even use it as a genuine communication protocol for a SCADA system, in much the same way we'd traditionally use EtherNet/IP, ASIbus, DeviceNet, etc.

My own observation: If Emerson keeps buying up all the instrumentation companies at the rate they are, everything will be HART compatible at some point.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

MDShunk said:


> All of which you can do through traditional buttons, switches, dials etc on the actual units, but it's easier and quicker with the communicator.
> 
> The HART protocol is used traditionally on instruments for liquids, flowable solids and semi-solids, and gases. You think mostly of temperature probes, pressure transmitters, flowmeters, and level probes. Lots of others though. Conductivity probes, turbidity probes, valve actuators, density transmitters, etc. If it's a device that has to do with stuff in a pipe or tank, it can often communicate via the HART protocol. Some places even use it as a genuine communication protocol for a SCADA system, in much the same way we'd traditionally use EtherNet/IP, ASIbus, DeviceNet, etc.
> 
> My own observation: If Emerson keeps buying up all the instrumentation companies at the rate they are, everything will be HART compatible at some point.


Yep, about right.


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## don_resqcapt19 (Jul 18, 2010)

You do have to watch out for power supplies with AC ripple. If there is too much AC ripple you will not be able to communicate. The ripple is often a result of a failed filter capacitor on the DC power supply.


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