News from B&B Electronics Ltd
Westlink Commercial Park,
Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland
+353 91 792444     FAX +353 91 792445 

For further information, contact:  
Paddy Coyne at B&B Electronics Ltd
+353 91 792444
e-mail: pcoyne@bb-europe.com

April 30, 2004
For Immediate Release:

Connect Up to Four Legacy Serial Devices to Your Ethernet Backbone
4-Port Serial Server Provides Transparent Ethernet/Serial Connection

Ottawa, IL - You've got industrial Ethernet throughout your plant now.  Your goal is to monitor and control all of your machinery from the central office.  And it's working- all except for those four old presses on aisle C.  They're good machines, but their PLCs speak RS485 serial and they won't communicate with your Ethernet LAN.    

Do you scrap out machines that are producing well, just because they won't talk to you?  Not on your life!  A simple and economical 4-port Vlinx Serial Server from B&B Electronics will link them up to your LAN and put their information on a screen in the central office, just like your latest machines.

Each of the four DB9M serial ports can be software configured as an RS232, RS422 or RS485 interface.  The RJ45 Ethernet connection will auto select 10BaseT or 100BaseTX. 

When the Vlinx Serial Server is connected to the LAN, you open the included Vlinx management software, click the Searching Server button and it displays all the ports connected to the Model ESP904 transparently. Easily configure, monitor and control any of the connected machines or other devices without leaving your office.

A "Heartbeat" feature provides automatic resumption of the data connection in case of a power failure or loss of an Ethernet connection on either the client or server. 

The Serial Server provides memory of 8K bytes on each serial port.  The rugged 11.4 x 18.5 x 2.9 cm  (4.5 x 7.3 x 1.1 in) metal case may be either panel or, with an optional adapter kit, DIN Rail mounted.

For more details contact B&B Electronics Ltd at +353 91 792444 or visit www.bb-europe.com.


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Digital text and photos available at
http://www.bb-europe.com/press_releases/esp904.html