B&B Electronics RS-422, RS-485, RS-232 manual Introduction, Features

Introduction

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION

VLINX Models ESP901 and ESP902 Ethernet Serial Servers provide Ethernet to Serial connections for RS-232,RS-422 or RS-485 devices. The ESP901 features a single serial port and the ESP902 features two serial ports. The serial ports can be accessed over a LAN/WAN using Direct IP Mode, Virtual COM Port, or Paired Mode connections. The 10/100 Mbps Ethernet connection auto-selects 10BaseT or 100BaseTX and indicates the type of connection with a bi-color link light.

Figure 1. VLINX ESP901 and ESP902 Ethernet Serial Servers

Introduction

Features

•Multi-interface serial ports

oESP901 and ESP902 Port 1 software selectable for RS- 232, RS-422, RS-485 (DIP Switch selects Console Mode)

oESP902 Port 2 is RS-232 only

•10/100 Mbps Ethernet with Auto Selection

•LAN and WAN Communications

•TCP or UDP Client or Server operation - configurable

•Software Support - Windows 98/ME/2000/XP or NT 4.0

•Firmware Upload for future revisions/upgrades

•Configuration of Ethernet and serial port settings can be accomplished using any of four methods:

oVLINX ESP Manager Software for Windows allows configuration via a network connection or directly from the Ethernet port of a computer (using an Ethernet crossover cable).

oWeb Server allows configuration via the network using any web browser.

oTelnet allows configuration via the network by accessing the setup configuration menu.

oConsole Mode allows configuration through an RS-232 serial port in using a VT100 Terminal Emulation program and an RS-232 crossover cable.

•Virtual COM Driver Software for Windows - installs virtual COM ports, viewable in the Windows Device Manager under Ports (COM & LPT). Virtual COM port provides access to any of the ports on the ESP901 and ESP902, like any other serial port (legacy, PCI, USB or PCMCIA) on the computer. Any program running on the computer and using Windows-based COM ports can access the serial devices attached to the Serial Server. The LAN becomes transparent to the serial device and the software running on the PC.

•Heart Beat Connection - selectable protocol ensures reliable communications in Virtual COM Port or Paired Connection modes. This feature restores the connections if communications are temporarily lost at either end due to loss of power or the Ethernet connection.