"Can I buy your magic bus?""Can I buy your magic bus?"

Open-bus technologies, while perhaps costing more initially, says Murray Death, InterlinkBT president, more than make up for that in labor savings. "Customers have reported savings of up to 65% on installation costs." And these benefits extend to engineering. For example, documentation and layout complexity are greatly reduced. "Complex wiring documentation is virtually eliminated," he notes, and during set-up, bus components can be mounted as needed during installation.

With less wiring inherent in multiplexed systems, set-up time is shorter, so processes go on-line quicker. There is less chance for wiring mistakes, debugging is less time-consuming, and keyed connectors facilitate "plug and program" versatility. A breadth of connector styles cuts installation time and reduces chances of wiring errors. Once a bus system is up-and-running, diagnostics pinpoint a problem before it becomes critical. And again, with plug-in adaptability, a malfunctioning component can be removed and a new one installed quickly. Such time savings give a higher return on investment.