Favorite rs232 extender?

g.mccormick · Aug 31, 2016

I have an application using 232 that has a cable length of roughly 100FT. We have CAT6 pulled for the cabling. The communications to the device do not seem to be working, and this is something that has worked before the move. I'm offsite now, but I'm thinking that perhaps the distance is too much for the RS232.

Does anyone have a favorite extender that they have had success with in the past?

VAN · Aug 31, 2016

50 feet
Cable length is one of the most discussed items in RS232 world. The standard has a clear answer, the maximum cable length is 50 feet, or the cable length equal to a capacitance of 2500 pF. The latter rule is often forgotten.
per - https://www.lammertbies.nl/comm/info/RS-232_specs.html

Any reason you can't use Cat6 and use different comm cards?

I have had a lot of success with this. http://www.prosoft-technology.com/Products/Gateways/PLX3x/PLX31/EtherNet-IP-to-ASCII but setting up can be kind of a pain, but after it is working I haven't had to touch either of the projects since.

keithkyll · Aug 31, 2016

If you're using a laptop, the RS232 voltage levels may only be 5 volts. Desktops run closer to double that.The standard is 12 volts.
Use a RS232-RS485 converter at each end, or wireless modules.

Firejo · Aug 31, 2016

Your best option (in my humble opinion) is to convert the RS232 to another medium that will go longer and convert it back at the other end. There are a variety of vendors out there for that including Black Box
https://www.blackbox.com/en-us/stor...lus-with-Opto-Isolation-Standalone-/IC109A-R3

damica1 · Aug 31, 2016

I'm with keithkyII convert to RS485 and then back. They even make rs232 to Ethernet and then each segment could be 100meters before needing a repeater.

Gil47 · Aug 31, 2016

Best solutions have been mentioned in previous post but you could try this

Taking all the unused wires in the cat 6 and join them together.
now tie them to the ground terminal of the RS232
they then act as a shield on the cable

Mickey · Aug 31, 2016

I have used RS232 at 150 ft, but the baud rate was 9600.
Check your baud rate and lower it if possible, and see if that helps.

kamenges · Aug 31, 2016

You guys did read the title of the thread and the question at the end of the original post, right??

The only range extenders I have used have been Black Box 232 to 485 converters back in the 1990's. They were big but were easy to use. I would tend to stick with 485 just because it seems to me to be the easiest to use in situations like this. As others have said, there are quite a few manufacturers out there for stuff like this but it is hard to beat Black Box.

Keith

keithkyll · Aug 31, 2016

+1. Black Box.

Firejo · Aug 31, 2016

The only potential issue with RS485 is that it is strictly half duplex while RS232 will run full duplex. It probably won't be an issue however if the equipment is full duplex it might not like the half duplex link. RS422 will run in full duplex mode.

Mickey · Aug 31, 2016

Firejo said:
The only potential issue with RS485 is that it is strictly half duplex while RS232 will run full duplex. It probably won't be an issue however if the equipment is full duplex it might not like the half duplex link. RS422 will run in full duplex mode.

No, RS485 can be Full Duplex also ( 4-wire)

See links.

http://www.ti.com/lit/an/slla272b/slla272b.pdf

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=rs485 full duplex

JesperMP · Sep 1, 2016

We use Phoenix Contact PSM-EG-RS232/RS422-P/4K. It is a RS232/RS422, and you need one in both ends.

A more modern version is Phoenix Contact PSM-ME-RS232/RS485-P This one can do both RS422 and RS485.

Not much to say about it. The PSM-EG-RS232/RS422-P/4K seems to work as intended.

Dravik · Sep 1, 2016

I like the Perle device servers if i'm going to a PC on the other end. Can use just one and configure the serial ports native in windows that way.

Aabeck · Sep 1, 2016

I use Moxa Ethernet serial ports. It can go anywhere on the network and gets installed in Device Manager as a COM port on the PC, no different than a real port.

I have never had an issue other than only one computer can be using it at once, any other computer trying to connect will get a port conflict error.

DwSoFt · Sep 1, 2016

Mickey said:
I have used RS232 at 150 ft, but the baud rate was 9600.
Check your baud rate and lower it if possible, and see if that helps.

So have I. But not with cat6. Too small of wires for it

Favorite rs232 extender?

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