What is Foundation Fieldbus and what are its key characteristics?

Foundation Fieldbus (FF) is an all-digital, two-way communication protocol designed for process automation. Key characteristics: H1 (31.25 kbps) for intrinsically safe field instruments on single twisted pair, HSE (100 Mbps Ethernet) for high-speed backbone, control in the field (function blocks execute in field devices), scheduled communication (deterministic timing for control), and fieldbus power (devices powered through communication cable). Function blocks (AI, AO, PID) are distributed across field devices and linked via LAS (Link Active Scheduler). FF provides true interoperability through standard function block definitions and capability files.