Serial to Serial Converters

Many devices used in today’s industrial environment are still designed for use with an RS-232 interface. The reason is due in part to tradition, and in part to convenience. RS-232 hardware is relatively easy to design, and the devices can be readily connected to most PCs. The drawback is that RS-232 is a point-to-point interface, and it imposes a distance limitation of only 15 meters between the device and the computer.

To overcome these limitations, many users employ RS-232 to RS422/485 converters, allowing RS-232 devices to connect to an industrial RS-422 or RS-485 network and transmit data over distances up to 1.2 km. The RS-422/485 standards overcome the distance limitation by using a differential signal for transmitting data and control signals. Transmission distance and multi-drop connections are not the only issues of importance for industrial applications. In addition, housing, wiring, power supply, and over-surge protection are also major concerns. 

TNS offers industrial and commercial grade serial media converters/repeaters manufactured by Moxa. Plug and play these bi-directional serial converters. RS232/422/485 integration is quick and simple without changes to software or hardware. Models with serial port-powered and optical isolation protection features are available.