The HART communication protocol has been firmly established as the standard means of configuring field instruments for some years.   But talking to a field instrument needs a communicator.

There are the handheld communicators, Rosemount’s  x75s and the “budget-priced” Meriam MFC 4150, but at a cost that’s more a capital appropriation than an MRO expense.  Even the Meriam, with a 3-year field device description subscription starts at more than $4000.

People continue to ask me if there isn’t a more budget conscious approach to HART configuration.

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