Omron C-series manual Nomenclature, Link Adapters

Link Adapters Section 1-2

1-1 Nomenclature

Names of specific OMRON products, as well as generic names for groups of OMRON products, are capitalized in this manual. Unit is also capitalized when it refers either specifically or generically to an OMRON product. For convenience, prefixes are omitted from model numbers of Link Adapters and Repeater Units. ª(P)ºin a model number indicates two Units, one with the P and one without. See the Appendix for a complete list of all products covered in this manual, along with their full model numbers. In addition, abbreviations are used for certain Units. In this manual, PC always means Programmable Controller; Master means Re- mote I/O Master Unit; and Slave means Remote I/O Slave Unit.

1-2 Link Adapters

Link Adapters are used to interconnect system devices such as host computers, PC Link Units, Host Link Units, and Remote I/O Units, and/or to convert between wire cable and optical fiber cable.

Using optical links between Units provides greater transmission distance and noise resistance. In addition, Link Adapters provide inputs to bypass a Unit which is improperly connected or which suffers a power interruption, thereby al- lowing other Units connected in series to continue operating normally.

Some Link Adapters can ensure that a System will not begin operating until, for example, a particular Subsystem has started up.

There are various models of Link Adapters to perform a variety of functions. For example, the Link Adapter generally used for connecting PC Link Systems is the AL001, but when optical cable is used it is replaced by combinations of the AL002-(P)E and AL004-(P)E.

Link Adapter AL002-(P)E is used to branch optical cables; the AL004-(P)E is used to convert between optical and wire cables; and the AL005-(P)E and AL006-(P)E are used for branching and/or converting between different types of optical fiber cables. Link Adapter AL007-P is used exclusively in Wired Remote I/O Systems.

Link Adapters AL002-(P)E, AL005-(P)E, and AL006-(P)E have auxiliary power input terminals which can be connected to a battery to ensure continued opera- tion even when the AC power supply is cut off. (See 2-5 Backup Power Supply.) Link Adapters AL002-(P)E and AL006-(P)E have repeater input terminals. (See 2-6 Link Adapter Repeater Input.)

The following diagram illustrates how Link Adapters can be used to connect sev- eral Units in a simple configuration.

Link

Adapter

Link

Adapter

Link

Adapter

Rack with

linkable Unit

Rack with

linkable Unit

Rack with

linkable Unit

Rack with

linkable Unit

2