The Fipio Bus

General

Fipio is a field bus which allows the decentralization of the inputs/outputs of a PLC station and its industrial peripheral devices nearest to the operational part.

Fipio bus is part of the WorldFIP product range from Schneider Automation S.A.S.

From a PLC station whose processor has a built-in Fipio link, the Fipio bus is used to connect 1 to 127 devices such as:

Momentum remote input/output modules (discrete, analog and counting modules),
TBX IP20 remote input/output modules (discrete and analog modules),
TBX IP65 and IP67 remote input/output modules (discrete modules),
XBT-F terminals,
Lexium, ATV 58 variable speed controllers,
Devices which conform to standard profiles,
Agent PLCs, PCs,
Inductel stations,
An AS-i gateway.

The Fipio field bus can be used in a single architecture (mono-station) or in a more complex architecture (multi-station) where several Fipio segments can be brought together by a local network at a higher level such as Fipway or Ethernet TCP_IP for example.

The Fipio protocol uses producer/consumer type exchanges and the bus is managed by a bus arbiter.

Manager PLC

A PLC station which has a built-in Fipio link is called a manager PLC.

Agent PLC

A PLC station with a PCMCIA card installed in a host slot is called an agent PLC.

Main Characteristics

Structure
Nature	Open field bus, conforming to World FIP and FIP standards.
Topology	Devices linked by chaining or branching.
Access method	Managed by a bus arbiter
Communication	By exchange of variables which can be accessed by the user in the form of Control Expert objects and X-Way datagrams.
Privileged exchanges	Cyclical exchange of status variables and remote input/output commands

Transmission
Binary rate	1 Mb/s.
Medium	Shielded twisted pair (150 Ohms of characteristic impedance) or fiber optic.

Configuration
Number of connection points	128 logic connection points for whole architecture
Number of segments	15 maximum (in cascade format) using electrical or optical repeaters (14 maximum in cascade format).
Number of repeaters	An electrical or optical repeater is required every 1000 meters or every 32 devices.
PLC	One manager PLC (connection point address 0).
Programming terminal	One programming terminal (must be connected to connection point 63).
Length	The length of a segment depends on its type of branches: 1000 meters maximum without repeater. 1500 meters maximum between the devices which are the furthest apart.

WARNING

UNEXPECTED EQUIPMENT OPERATION

You are advised against connecting/disconnecting elements from the Fipio bus while powered up as certain devices may then not restart.

Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, serious injury, or equipment damage.