1.1 General Principles
The HPC401 Plus HART Field Communicator provides a complete solution for configuring and
monitoring HART devices in the palm of your hand. The HPC401 Plus is comprised of three main
components plus accessories. These parts consist of the Palm handheld, the HPC401 Plus HART
interface hardware, and the HPC Suite of Palm applications. This trio of hardware and software
comprises a complete HART field communicator that can be powerful, multi-faceted and portable all
in one.
Using the familiar Palm operating system as a basis for the HPC401 Plus has many distinct advan-
tages. Palm handhelds are widely used across the world, enabling the HPC401 Plus to be used with
an already installed base of hundreds of thousands of Palm owners who are familiar with the Palm
operating system. Using the large screen and graphical interface of the Palm lends itself to easy
configuration of even the most complex transmitters. In addition, the Palm can be detached from the
HPC401 Plus interface and used for all the traditional Palm features for personal organization. The
new industrial exterior allows for durability in the most rugged of areas.
The HPC401 Plus is ready to go right out of the box. The Palm has been pre-installed with the HPC
Suite of HART configuration software and is ready to communicate with HART devices. The user
needs only to attach the HPC401 Plus HART interface to the Palm, connect the pinch connectors to
the HART network and launch the HPC401 application.
For more detailed information on the installation setup and operation of HPC401, refer to the pro-
ceeding sections of this document.
1.2 Hardware Overview
The HPC401 Plus HART interface is designed to interface to the Palm multi connector located on
the bottom of the Palm handheld, allowing communication between the Palm and the HART net-
work. The included pinch connectors easily connect to any HART network for instant communica-
tion. The HPC401 Plus HART interface requires no batteries, running solely off the handhelds inter-
nal power supply. Its compact size and low power consumption makes the HPC401 interface an
ideal solution for portability, its rugged exterior makes it the ideal tool for any plant or factory.
1. General Overview
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