Features And Functions - Panasonic MEWNET-F Technical Manual

1.1 Features and Functions

FP-series remote I/O system "MEWNET-F" is an I/O control network that supports the following features.
I/O remote control with FP2/FP3
I/O information (On/Off information of contacts) can be exchanged between a CPU unit (master station)
and an I/O terminal (slave station) at a remote location. A 2-conductor communication cable is used for
the connection.
High-speed, long-distance communication of I/O information
The system can support for a total communication distance of up to 700 m (*) at a baud rate of 0.5 Mbps.
* This is the distance guaranteed when using a twisted pair cable.
I/O control capacity of up to 4096 points
The master unit can accommodate up to 32 slave stations, or 4096 I/O points. FP3 master unit has two
ports which can handle 4 communication paths, and FP2 multi-wire link unit has one port which can
handle 2 communication paths. I/O decentralized/centralized control system can be easily established.
Note: Maximum number of points varies according to the combination of CPU unit and
master unit.
Reference: For the information on the types and combinations of units,
<Chapter 3 Unit Specifications>
A wide variety of I/O units and boards can be used
On the slave station, you can install I/O units for the FP3 by using the slave stations. You can also used
FP I/O terminal boards and FP I/O terminal units to increase the number of I/O points as necessary for
each slave station. When you use an I/O link unit, you can exchange I/O information with an FP0, FP1 or
FP-M.
* When using manifold solenoid valves for MEWNET-F made by various manufacturers, the direct
control of valves is achievable.
Effectively deals with errors such as a disconnection of the communication cable
In "Slave station connection confirmation mode", it waits fro xecuting the I/O control until all the
registered slave stations are connected. This operation prevents malfunctions to be occurred by the
delay in turning on the power supply of slave stations or cable disconnection. It is also possible to select
"Output status maintain function" that is used to hold the output of slave stations even if the tranmission
cable was disconnected in operation.
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