D1 PROFIBUS DP repeater, M12 connectors, IP66

D1 PROFIBUS DP repeater

The robust PROFIBUS DP repeater with IP66 protection and M12 connectors, designed for demanding environments. It enables network expansion with up to 31 devices per segment (but we recommend connecting only 5 to 10 stations per segment – see the detailed explanation below) and cable lengths of up to 1200 m (depending on baud rate). Reliability is enhanced by a stable core and digital noise filtering.

Key Features

• IP66 protection – resistant to harsh industrial environments (dust, outdoor installations, rain)
• Galvanically isolated segments protect against short-circuit bug
• Termination switches
• Fast installation using M12 connectors for PROFIBUS cables
• Additional M12 port on the output segment for monitoring (ProfiTrace)
• Transparent to all PROFIBUS DP protocols
• Suitable for PROFIsafe and MPI
• Automatic baudrate detection from 9.6 kbps to 12 Mbps
• Unlimited cascading
• No address required
• Digital filtering of glitches

When to install the PROFIBUS repeater D1?

• When you need to install a repeater in areas where there is increased dust, vibration, oil emulsion in the air, etc.
• When you have 31 stations in a segment and need to add more.
• When you exceed the maximum allowed PB cable length in a segment and need additional meters.
• When you want to strengthen the robustness of the PROFIBUS network.
• When you want to make the network more transparent (divide it into several smaller segments).
• When you need to fix a problem quickly (often a repeater will help to overcome the problem).

Description of the interface and buttons on the PROFIBUS repeater D1

Functions of D1 PROFIBUS DP repeater

Each segment has a switchable termination and supports the connection of up to 31 PROFIBUS stations. Activate the termination by holding down the TERM button of the respective segment for a longer time. 

There is an M12 connector on the front of the repeater that allows the programmer to connect a PC and program the PROFIBUS master station. However, this port also functions as a measuring point for connecting the ProfiTrace 2 tester. After connecting the tester via the front connector, we are directly connected to the lower second segment and galvanically isolated from the upper first segment. If you see low voltage on the stations in the ProfiTrace 2 tester or a corrupted signal in the oscilloscope, this is a fault on the stations connected to the lower second segment, watch out for it.

Perfect galvanic separation of the two segments

The improved electronics of the D1 repeater allows (unlike competing repeaters) unlimited cascading in succession (so the maximum number of 9 repeaters in a cascade in succession is not valid). The D1 repeater has 100% short circuit protection, i.e. if you short circuit the A/B wires in segment 1 against each other, this short circuit will not pass to segment 2. This behavior is logically expected from a repeater, but unfortunately does not apply to many other repeaters on the market. In addition, the data in the network is constantly monitored for the presence of skew, which the B1 repeater digitally smoothes out. We know from our customers that they prefer the PROFIBUS repeater D1 (or the ProfiHub multirepeaters) precisely because of the better galvanic separation of the two segments, which minimizes outages on PROFIBUS networks. 

Note: The PROFIBUS Repeater D1 contains an atypical M8 power connector, so we recommend that you also purchase a separate M8 connector (direct, 4pin, socket SKPC4K).

Wiring diagram of the power supply and PROFIBUS connectors on the D1 repeater

Prefer less stations in the segment

In our experience, we recommend that customers do not have up to 31 PROFIBUS stations per segment, because 31 stations means 31 potential causes of problems that can cause signal reflections in the PROFIBUS cable. This reflection increases with the length of the segment and eventually becomes so large that it usually shuts down the farthest station. We therefore recommend our customers to deploy e.g. max. 5-10 PROFIBUS stations in one segment, then connect a D1 repeater and another segment with 10 stations etc. This will significantly reduce the time to find the cause of the error in case of problems with the PROFIBUS network, because the cause and effect can usually be found in one segment only.

ProfiHub D1 Repeater as permanent diagnostics for PROFIBUS

The ProfiHub d1 in PROFIBUS diagnostics mode acts as a SLAVE station and provides the MASTER station with information about the network and the connected stations. This can be used to create visualization screens in which you draw the network topology, the live-list of stations, the status of individual stations, captured outages, communication errors, communication statistics, etc.

The D1 repeater provides the PROFIBUS MASTER with the following information:

• PB address and name of the D1 repeater
• D1 repeater type and serial number
• Firmware of the D1 repeater
• PROFIBUS connection, channel and module name of the ComBricks device
• Power supply status
• Status of termination resistors
• Number of damaged PROFIBUS messages on both segments
• List of connected live PROFIBUS stations connected to segment 1 and 2

Combricks web page, where you can see the data about the D1 ProfiHub repeater device that Combricks reads and displays.