News from B&B Electronics Manufacturing Company 707 Dayton Road P.O. Box 1040 Ottawa IL 61350 (815) 433-5100 FAX (815) 433-5109 For further information, contact: Ross Fosbender at B&B Electronics Manufacturing Co. (815) 433-5100 x241 e-mail: rfosbender@bb-elec.com March 30, 2004 For Immediate Release: B&B Electronics Converters Now Good to 40 Below! Ottawa, IL – Industrial temperature ranges have been added to several popular data communications devices from B&B Electronics. They will operate well from -40° to +80°C (-40° to +176°F). This makes them suitable for extreme applications such as traffic controls, outdoor SCADA installations, water treatment plants and power substations. More good news- the improvement has been made at no price increase! Model 485LDRC9 is an RS-232 to RS-422 and RS-485 serial converter with the new wide temp feature. Converting a PC’s RS-232 signal to RS-485 increases its range to 4,000 feet and gives it multi-drop capability. Model 485LDRC9 is a DIN Rail mount model with 2000 VAC isolation, 10-30 VDC power requirement and Modbus compatibility. To double the range and multi-drop capability of an RS-485 signal, Model 485OPDR is your choice. It also optically isolates the signal, making it impervious to ground loops and transient spikes in the data line. In addition to 2000 VAC isolation and 6.5V surge suppression, Model 485OPDR features a DIN Rail mount case, Modbus compatibility and the newly added wide temperature range. To extend a serial signal’s range even further, up to 2.5 miles, Model FOSTCDR converts RS-232/422/485 serial signals to multi-mode fiber optic. In addition to the extra range, fiber optic transmission also provides inherent transient immunity so data can be routed through areas of harsh RFI/EMI conditions without degrading or losing the signal. This model is also Modbus compatible. The DIN Rail case has terminal block connections for the serial signal and two ST connectors for the fiber side. The inclusion of the wide temperature ranges to standard models, at no increase in price, resulted from B&B Electronics’ work on custom products. “We’ve been providing industrial temp range converters for our customers on a custom-project basis for years, and recently the number of these projects has picked up,” said Randy Hanck of B&B’s custom engineering department. “Widening the temp range on our off-the-shelf industrial converters will allow customers to get quick delivery from stock instead of buying a built-to-order product.” Customers appreciate the quick availability of the wide range products as well. “There is a lot of work going on in traffic control and power substations as municipalities and utilities upgrade their infrastructure,” says Dennis Flanagan, an inside salesman with B&B. “These applications require the extended temperature range to withstand winter’s cold and the summer heat in unvented control cabinets. These new stock models meet that need perfectly.” Product Manager Mike Fahrion put it succinctly, “Nobody provides this level of features at this price. B&B’s family of industrial serial interface converters makes it easy to connect unlike equipment. It also allows extension and protection of serial networks through optical isolation and the use of fiber optics.” For further information on the new wide temperature range devices available from B&B Electronics, phone 815-433-5100 or visit their website, www.bb-elec.com. ---END---- Digital text and photos available at http://www.bb-elec.com/press_releases/industrial_temp.html