User Manual ASeries A0 Interface Converter RS- RS- the Interfacing Specialists
A0 User Manual Version.00 Copyright 00 Alfatron Pty Ltd April 00 DISCLAIMER Alfatron Pty. Ltd. has made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this document is accurate and complete. Alfatron makes no representation or warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose. Alfatron reserves the right to make changes to this document at any time, without notice. Therefore, Alfatron assumes no liability for damages incurred directly or indirectly from errors, omissions or discrepancies with the hardware and the manual. TRADEMARKS All Company and Product names are trademarks of the Company or Manufacturer respectively. WARRANTY Alfatron warrants its products against defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year from receipt by the customer. All warranty is carried out on a return to depot basis unless an alternative warranty coverage has been arranged. WARRANTY EXCLUSIONS The above warranty shall not apply to defects resulting from improper or inadequate maintenance by the customer, unauthorised modifications or misues, operation outside the environmental specifications for the product, damage due to power surges, lightening strikes or any other phenomenon outside normal operational specifications. DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY according to the European Commissions EMC Directive 9//EEC We, Name of Manufacturer: ALFATRON PTY. L of, Address of Manufacturer: UNIT 9, NEW ST., RINGWOOD VIC AUSTRALIA Australian Company Number: ABN: 00 0 9 declare under sole responsibility that the product: Product Name: ASeries RS- to RS- Interface Converter Model Number: A0 to which this declaration relates is in conformity with the following standards: CISPR- / EN 0 class B EMI from Information Technology Equipment (ITE) IEC 0- / pren0- Electro Static Discharge Immunity IEC 0- / pren0- Radiated RF Immunity IEC 0- / pren0- Electrical Fast Transients Immunity N
.0 PRODUCT DESCRIPTION The ASeries A0 allows RS- serial devices to communicate with RS- devices. As well as transferring data, this unit also provides one pair of handshaking lines, either / or /, for the control of the data flow. The following illustration shows the location of all the connectors, indicators and switches of the A0: RS DC Power Jack 9-V DC Termination Resistor Selection - DIP Power RS RS <> Selection Slide Switch RS Features Switch select the RS- port as either or. Switch select Termination Resistors on the RS- port. Transient protection using Transorbs. LED indicators for Data Activity and Power. Quality nickel plated metal case will withstand the most rugged application. Using A0s as RS- Line Extenders A pair of A0s may be used to achieve connection of RS- devices over an extended distance. The A0s are connected via their RS- ports to take advantage of the greater data transfer distances available using the RS- Serial protocol. Please refer to Section. for cable details.
.0 INSTALLATION The A0 does not require configuration but it does provide the convenience of being able to select the RS- port as either or. Before connecting power to the unit please make sure that the RS- and RS- cables are securely connected to the A0 and associated devices. Sections and contain details on cabling, along with some examples of typical uses for the A0. After all cables have been connected and secured, insert the power plug into the jack socket and turn the power ON. The A0 is now ready for use.. Function of LED indicators The 'RS-' LED indicator monitors the activity on the '' pin of the RS- serial port. The LED will flash each time data is received by the A0 on this line. The 'RS-' LED indicator monitors the activity on the '+' and '-' data pair pins of the RS- serial port. The LED will flash each time data is received by the A0 on these data pair lines. The 'RS-' and 'RS-' LED indicators will not operate at any other time. The 'Power' LED will remain ON when the A0 has power.. Termination Resistors for RS- The A0 provides switch selectable termination resistors for the Receive Data () and Data Set Ready () incoming lines. Termination resistors are only required when the cable length exceeds 0 metres. The A0 provides termination resistors on the 'receiver' side only. The reason for this is that, in most environments, cable lengths greater than 00 metres require termination only on the 'receiver' side. The location of termination resistor switch is at the side of the A0 as shown in Figure. The selection of the termination resistors is as follows: OFF ON Switch Receive Data () Termination Resistor NOT ACTIVE Termination Resistor ACTIVE Switch Data Set Ready () Termination Resistor NOT ACTIVE Termination Resistor ACTIVE
.0 RS- SERIAL PORT PINOUT The RS- Serial Port of the A0 is factory configuired as. Pin Status and Usage Set for Set for Used - (Ground) Input / Output- (Data) Output / Input- (Data) Not used - (Pulled High K) Not used - (Pulled High K) Output / Input- (Handshaking) Used - (Ground) Not used - (Pulled High K) 0 Input / Output- (Handshaking) Note: Pins,,, and 0 are pulled to the correct levels to allow a PC serial port to operate under most conditions without any additional loopback connections. The Factory Default RS- Serial switch setting is as shown here: < >.0 RS-A PORT PINOUT Pin Status and Usage Signal Description Used - (Ground) Frame Ground Used - (Ground) Signal ground Output- (Data) + Transmit Data + Output- (Data) - Transmit Data - Input - (Data) + Receive Data + Input - (Data) - Receive Data - Output- (Handshaking) + Data terminal ready + Output- (Handshaking) - Data terminal ready - 9 Input - (Handshaking) + Data Set Ready + Input - (Handshaking) - Data Set Ready -
. Transient Protection on RS- Port Power surges, or electrical transient voltages, can be induced into cabling by nearby lightening strikes, electric motors, switches and the operation of heavy industrial equipment, to name a few. The use of long cables, as with RS- connections, increases the exposure to transient voltages. In an unprotected converter, a transient of the correct magnitude can destroy the RS- transceiver chip on the RS- port. However, it is also possible for certain transients to pass through a converter and therefore damage any RS- attached equipment at the other end. By using High Speed Transient Voltage Suppressors on the RS- port, the A0 absorbs much of the transient energy on data lines and helps clamp these surge voltages to a safe level, thereby protecting itself and other connected equipment from the common damage due to transients. Transient voltage suppressor diodes are used on each RS- line. Each diode has a response time of less than ps with power dissipation of 00Watts for ms and a steady state power dissipation rating of Watts..0 CABLE REQUIREMENTS Alfatron recommends the use of shielded cable with its products. It reduces Electro Magnetic Radiation and improves noise immunity. This helps minimise interference to other equipment and improves communication reliability.. Cable Construction The recommended shielded cable construction is as follows: Solder the shield (surrounding cable wires) to the Frame Ground () pin. If is not available, use Signal Ground () but in this case always use a separate wire for ground which is connected at both ends. Make sure that the shield is connected at both ends of the cable.. Cable Diagrams Cable diagrams represent cable shield in the following manner: Shield This shows the cable shield soldered to at both ends of the cable and shows the shield running the full length of the cable. Please note that the shield is treated as a totally separate wire.
.0 CABLE EXAMPLES. RS- ion to Other RS- Devices Shield (DB- Male) + - + - + - + 9 - + - + - + - + - User Device Cable End. RS- ion to a PC with DB- Serial or Shield (DB- Male) 0 0 PC Cable End (DB- Female). RS- ion to a PC with DB-9 Serial or Shield (DB- Male) 0 PC Cable End (DB-9 Female)
. RS- connection to other RS- Devices Shield (DB- Male) 0 User Device Cable End. Using / Handshaking with the A0 The following diagram shows the A0 connected to a 'Host' RS- serial device and a 'Remote' RS- serial device. In this example the 'Host' is a '' device so the A0 is selected as '' on the RS- port. Host RS- ion A0 RS- ion Remote (D B-) 0 + - + - + - + 9 - + - + - + - + -. A0s used as RS- LINE EXTENDERS A common use for the A0 is to use them in pairs to provide a reliable line extension setup for RS- devices. The following three diagrams show how two A0s may be used as RS- line extenders while adopting different RS- handshaking methods.
.. Example showing / handshaking The following diagram shows A0s being used as line extenders in an RS- / Handshaking situation. In this example the 'Host' is '' and the 'Remote' is '', which allows the use of the same 'straight through' cable for each RS- connection to the A0. RS- RS- Host A0 A0 Remote RS- (DB-) (DB-) 0 + - + - + - + 9 - + - + - 9 + - + - 0.. Example showing / handshaking The following diagram shows A0s being used as line extenders in an RS- / Handshaking situation. In this example the 'Host' is '' and the 'Remote' is '', which allows the use of the same 'straight through' cable for each RS- connection to the A0. RS- RS- Host A0 A0 Remote RS- (DB-) (DB-) 0 0 + - + - + - + 9 - + - + - 9 + - + - 0 0 9
.. Example showing Xon / Xoff handshaking The following diagram shows A0s being used as line extenders in an RS- Xon/Xoff Software Handshaking situation. In this example the 'Host' is '' and the 'Remote' is '', which allows the use of the same 'straight through' cable for each RS- connection to the A0. RS- RS- RS- Host A0 A0 Remote (DB-) (DB-) + - + - + - + -. Unused Handshake Lines Please note that many RS- devices still require their handshaking lines to be set to the correct levels, even if Xon/Xoff software handshaking is used. When in doubt about any particular RS- device simply connect all the lines to the A0 RS- port as it will pull those lines to the correct level for operation. 0
.0 SPECIFICATIONS RS-C Port: RS-A Port: Transient Protection: (RS- Port only) Handshaking: Asynchronous RS-C/V. Select as or DB- female connector Speed capability dependant on cable length up to k bits per second RS-A DB- female connector 0W Termination Resistor Selection for the incoming handshaking lines '' & ''. Transient Voltage Suppression Diode Surge handling capacity 00W per wire @ ps Response time per diode < ms Steady state power dissipation rate of W Xon / Xoff Software Handshaking / Hardware Handshaking LED Indicators: Receive Data - RS- (Green) Receive Data - RS- (Green) Power (Yellow) Power Supply: 9V (00mA) DC Power Adapter Reverse polarity protection Plug jack -.mm outer/.mm inner diameter Outer Negative: Dimensions: Weight: Operating Temperature: Stroage Temperature: mm x mm x mm 0 grams 0 to C 0 to C All specifications subject to change without notice