SLAAEH8 October 2024 AFE781H1 , AFE782H1 , AFE881H1 , AFE882H1 , DAC8740H , DAC8741H , DAC8742H
This application note describes integrating the AFE881H1 into a HART®-enabled field transmitter for 4-20mA loop instrumentation. HART (Highway Addressable Remote Transducer) allows for two-way digital communication across the current loop at the same time as transmitting the value of a primary process variable. First, a basic introduction to 4-20mA loops and the HART protocol is presented. The AFE881H1 is then introduced as an ultra-low-power, 16-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) combined with a HART modem. This device also has an on-board analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and integrated diagnostic sensors for system monitoring. Testing for this transmitter for HART registration is also presented. Physical layer tests and test setups for the waveform are described as well as the data link layer (DLL) tests for the HART signaling and timing. Application layer tests for HART universal commands (UAL) and commonly-implemented commands (CAL) are also described. Finally, other TI devices with HART connections are showcased. TI offers several HART modems that convert HART signals into either UART or SPI communication. All these devices all integrate HART into many industrial products.