B&B Electronics Provides Data Line Protection

By DE Editors

BandB Electronics (Ottawa, IL) has introduced the expanded I-Linx series of industrial data converters and other data products that include optical isolation.

Rogue data line signals, caused from exposure to a minor power surge in a nearby electrical circuit, a lightning strike in the vicinity, or many other reasons, can garble a message or damage electronic components. By inserting an optical isolator in the data line, one can suppress the rogue currents.

Optical Isolation works by converting a voltage signal to an optical signal that passes through a fiber optic section before being converted back to a voltage signal. This process isolates any voltage anomalies from the protected equipment.

Mike Fahrion, Director of Engineering for BandB Electronics, said, "Optical isolation can now be considered a requirement for commercial and industrial data communication. Spikes and surges on the data line can create havoc in industrial applications. If you get a surge in the home or office, you may have to reboot, which is an inconvenience. But the same surge in a computer controlled industrial application can shut down an assembly line or an entire plant. That's a disaster. Adding optical isolation, either with a stand-alone isolator or a converter with optical isolation, can stop those damaging spikes and surges in their tracks."

New I-Linx serial converters with isolation can change RS-232 format data signals to RS-422 for increased range, or RS-485 for increased range and multi-drop capability.

I-Linx standalone optical isolators in industrial DIN rail mount cases and 2000 V protection are now available for RS-232 and RS-422/485 data circuits.

Fiber optic data transmission provides intrinsic optical isolation. BandB offers their Model FOSTCDRI that converts RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485 to transmit over fiber optic cable. Fiber optic cable also allows range to be increased up to 2.5 miles (4km). A multi-drop arrangement can be set up, allowing one serial device to talk to multiple slave devices around a fiber ring.

All I-Linx devices are in DIN rail mount cases and made rugged for industrial applications. The new I-Linx line is now available at bb-elec.com.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.