Isolated communication card

March 2008 Fieldbus & Industrial Networking

The PCI-1622CU from Advantech is an 8-port RS422/485 universal PCI communication card for PCI bus systems. Offering surge and isolation protection, the card is engineered for long-distance outdoor communications in harsh environments. With a universal PCI connector for 3,3 and 5 V signals, the card can be used in new and existing systems. Plug-and-play functionality makes configuration easy, and four cards can be used in the same system for communication with up to 32 devices.

The surge-protected design shields the host system from abrupt high voltages up to 2500 V d.c. Furthermore, the card supports optical isolation up to 2500 V d.c. to improve signal quality and protect the circuitry of the system and other connected equipment against damages from ground loops.

The improved protection makes the card a good choice for outdoor serial communication over long distances. RS422/485 is supported up to 1,2 km, which makes it suitable for applications in industrial automation, manufacturing, building automation, facility monitoring, environmental monitoring, and traffic management systems.

Drivers for the card are available for Windows 98/2000/ME/XP and Linux. With Advantech's bundled ICOM Tools software, users can test the PCI card's performance by analySing the status of the ports, and easily configure the settings of the card.

For more information contact Elton Prytz, ProMicro, +27 (0)11 706 7913, [email protected], www.promicro.co.za

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