Port connects new and legacy networks

A new device from Digi International Inc., Minnetonka, Minn., can network with virtually any serial device in in-dustrial automation. Dubbed the Digi One IA Realport, the device lets factory engineers connect new and legacy serial devices and PCs from anywhere on the factory floor, using any operating system. It uses advanced Modbus and Modbus/TCP features for improved information sharing between factory-floor devices, and advanced SNAP features let them be managed from a central location. The port is said to use Web-based configuration for ease-of-use, multimaster capability, and complete serial Modbus MIBs for management through SNMP. The ports can also handle industrial operating temperatures and incorporate switchable EIA232/422/485 serial interfaces along with a 10/100Base-T network port. The port accommodates a broad spectrum of power requirements used in industrial automation, offering voltages from 9 to 30 V, and supports the new 802.3af-powered Ethernet standard at 48 V. They are also DIN-rail mountable to save cabinet space.