Yokogawa releases enhanced version of Stardom network-based control system

Yokogawa Electric Corporation has released an enhanced version of the Stardom network-based control system with new features including CSA explosion protection certification.

Stardom is an open network-based control system that allows the construction of a supervisory control system from the combination of components that perform functions such as control, operation, and monitoring. STARDOM employs the international standard IEC61131-3 programming environment and supports a wide range of communication protocols such as FOUNDATION fieldbus, HART, Modbus, and DNP3.

According to Yokogawa, it combines the high reliability of a distributed control system (DCS) with the universal and economical features of a programmable logic controller (PLC), and makes possible the low-cost construction of a full-scale instrumentation system with network functionality.

Stardom has already been certified as meeting the FM standard in the US and the Type 'n' explosion protection standard in Europe. The latest version has been certified to comply with Canada's CSA standard.

A further enhancement is a new graphic screen. With the conventional FCN and FCJ autonomous controllers, the monitoring screen displayed only numeric values, but Stardom's graphic screen now displays operation status and process data superimposed over images of monitored devices such as valves and sensors. This gives a more intuitive overview of device status.

Furthermore, the Versatile Data Server (VDS) SCADA/HMI software supports dual core processors and hyper threading technology, which increase the speed of arithmetic processing. With these advanced processing capabilities, the latest PCs can be used to build control systems.