New generation of Modbus gateways, serial to Ethernet

Industrial Automation Group of Advantech introduced the EKI-1220 series Modbus Gateways, said to offer quick and easy integration of Modbus serial devices with Industrial Ethernet networks.

By Control Engineering Staff January 6, 2009

Industrial Automation Group of Advantech introduced the EKI-1220 series Modbus Gateways for industrial Ethernet.

Cincinnati, OH – The Industrial Automation Group of Advantech introduced the EKI-1220 series Modbus Gateways, said to offer quick and easy integration of Modbus serial devices with Industrial Ethernet networks. With one or two RS-232/422/485 serial ports and redundant 10/100 Mbps Ethernet connections, they connect Modbus ASCII/RTU and Modbus/TCP devices and equipment.EKI-1220 supports various configurations between serial and Ethernet devices, including: Ethernet master to serial slave, serial slave to Ethernet master, and concurrent operation of both. Transparent operation means no changes are required to installed devices, equipment, or software systems.To route requests to the appropriate serial port on multiport models, a user-defined table associates Ethernet host IP addresses to serial slave IDs, with access through a single IP port, for easy integration and compatibility with existing Modbus/TCP networks. A connection status monitor displays which IP hosts are connected to each serial port; access can be restricted to specific IP network hosts.Given the zero unplanned downtime requirements for industrial applications, Modbus gateways feature dual 10/100 Mbps Ethernet connections that ensure communications in the event of a network problem. With one physical connection assigned as primary and the other as backup, communications can continue on the backup.Like other EKI series industrial Ethernet products, EKI-1221 and EKI-1222 are compactly packaged in a thin metal DIN-rail mount chassis. Units include dual 12 to 48 V dc power inputs, power line surge (EFT) protection of 3,000 V dc, and 4,000 V dc Ethernet ESD protection.According to ARC analyst Harry Forbes, “ARC’s market research indicates that Modbus remains the most common protocol for industrial Ethernet networks. Advantech’s new gateway products for Modbus and Modbus TCP illustrate the continued need for solid products that serve these industrial applications.”

Advantech Corp., Industrial Automation Group

– Control Engineering News Desk Register here and scroll down to select your choice of eNewsletters free.