In FOUNDATION Fieldbus networks, what does 'shared bus' imply?

• A. All nodes share a common communication medium enabling digital, bi-directional data exchange.
• B. Each device has its own separate channel for data transfer.
• C. Only master devices can communicate on the network.
• D. Power is shared among devices but data remains separate.

Answer: (A)

In FOUNDATION Fieldbus networks, a shared bus means all devices are connected to a single communication medium that carries digital data in both directions. This two-wire bus lets every node talk to every other node in a multi-drop arrangement, rather than having a separate channel for each device or a master-only channel. The same pair of wires typically carries both power and data, so devices share the supply along with the communication medium. This is why the correct description is that all nodes share a common medium enabling digital, bi-directional data exchange.