Is it possible to calculate a cost per device for a PROFIBUS System?
Not generally but PROFIBUS connectivity should not add significantly to standard field device costs as most devices today are digitally based anyway. It’s more instructive to look at wider issues. Having a single cable to connect devices means big savings in design, engineering and installation costs. Furthermore, the availability of data across the plant means even more savings are possible over the lifetime of a device through better operations and improved asset management. Better data flows lead to better plant management too. Overall, any extra cost per device is insignificant compared with the life cycle savings of a fieldbus network.
