For whom is the tutorial intended?
Foundation Fieldbus Concepts is an excellent source of information for anyone interested in the technology. This includes students, technicians, instrument or control engineers, project engineers and sales personnel needing to better understand their products.

How do I navigate my way through the tutorial?
Foundation Fieldbus Concepts is laid out in a logical fashion from introductory to more advanced concepts. It uses a standard tree type structure for graphical user interface.

Do I learn by watching and listening to multimedia movies?
Yes, it's that simple. Just click, watch and listen to the video. A printable text and graphics version in PDF format also comes with the CD-ROM product for use with Adobe Acrobat reader. Its powerful search engine makes finding specific topics quick and easy. The multimedia content can also be played from directly within the Acrobat shell.

The Foundation Fieldbus specification is lengthy, complex and hard to follow. I need training that engineers and technicians can understand. Does your tutorial meet this need?
It does. We have spent considerable time developing and organizing the content of this training so it is easy to understand and saves you time during the learning process. Good introductory and prerequisite media help make this possible.

What are the prerequisites for this tutorial?
The only prerequisite for Foundation Fieldbus Concepts is a basic understanding of process control loops used in the process industries. A familiarity with 4-20ma technology and the general architecture and function of Distributed Control Systems are also helpful. However, these latter topics are reviewed in the tutorial.

Is any of the training vendor specific or commercial in nature?
No. We have intentionally left out all references to suppliers and their products. Foundation Fieldbus Concepts concentrates entirely on the specification and standards established for this particular digital bus.

How is my time online charged to my distance learning account?
After logging in you will see your "credit remaining" (minutes) in the upper right. Whenever you play a multimedia slide, the duration of that slide is charged to your remaining credit. You may pause, rewind or fast forward as many times as you like and replay parts of the slide with no additional charge to your credit. However, once the slide plays to the end, the next replay will be charged again. If you play only part of a slide or select a slide unintentionally, you will only be charged for the time it takes you to begin your next selection.

Can I share a distance learning link with an associate?
You may. Simply copy the link from within Real® player for each slide you wish to share and email it to your associate. The links contain user account information encrypted for your protection. Your time credit will be charged whenever a third party uses your shared links. A link remains active for as long as you are logged in or indefinitely if you use the automatic login check box on the login page. You may permanently deactivate all your shared links by simply logging out. New links may be sent whenever you are logged in and playing a slide.

Am I charged for all of the distance learning slides I play?
No. The first two sections, Hightech Multimedia Tutorials and Getting Started contain general information. You may play these slides or share them with your associates without charge to your time credit.

How do I get the best distance learning play-back quality?
The slides were recorded using Real® SureStream^TM technology which automatically adjusts for the speed of your internet connection during play-back. However, best quality is achieved at DSL speeds or faster. Video quality is also affected by your PC's hardware acceleration setting. You may not necessarily achieve the best quality at maximum hardware acceleration. Depending on your graphics adapter you may need to test the other settings for best performance. Hardware acceleration for most IBM compatible PC's is located in the display applet of the control panel. From there select: settings tab -> advanced button -> troubleshooting tab.

What are the system requirements for my PC to run the tutorial?
Distance learning will run on any PC or operating system with Real® player 10 or later and internet DSL speeds or faster. For the CD-ROM you must have an IBM or compatible PC with a VGA graphics adapter and monitor capable of 256 colors or more and 800 x 600 minimum resolution. You must also have a Pentium P120 or better, a sound card with speakers or headphone, a CD-ROM drive 32X or faster, a mouse and 3MB of free hard drive space.

Is the CD-ROM tutorial compatible with my computer's O/S?
The CD-ROM is compatible with Windows® 98, Me, NT4.0, 2000 and XP. The main shell can run with upgraded versions of Windows® 95, however, a more current operating system is recommended.