4-Port Serial Device Server Permits Redundancy

The latest addition to the EKI-1500 family is the EKI-1524 Serial Device Server, which lets users remotely monitor, manage, and control up to four RS-232/422/485 serial devices over Ethernet and Internet Protocol (IP) networks. The dual 10/100Base-TX Ethernet ports and dual media access controllers ensure data transmission even in the event of a network failure. Loss of the primary connection initiates an immediate, automatic switch-over to the backup. Also, a number of conventional operating modes allow connections to be initiated by either attached serial devices or remote Ethernet hosts, using both UDP/IP and PCP/IP protocols. For applications beyond simple point-to-point connections, two new multi-access modes allow one-to-many and many-to-one communications. The first allows up to five Ethernet hosts to access one serial device and the second allows one serial device to simultaneously send data to as many as 16 Ethernet-connected hosts. An increased transmission speed—921 kbits/s—allows a much broader range of serial devices to be network enabled. The EKI-1524 comes in a compact and thin DIN-rail mount chassis. The server is ruggedized for demanding industrial applications with 4,000-V dc Ethernet ESD protection, and dual 12- to 48-V dc power inputs with power line surge (EFT) protection of 3,000 V dc. The device features an operating temperature range of 0 to 60°C. ADVANTECH CORP., INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION GROUP, Cincinnati, OH. (800) 205-7940.