For applications where redundancy is required, the PSI-MOS-RS232/FO 850 T Serial to Fiber Converter transparently connects RS232 devices to two fiber optic cables. By transmitting RS232 data over optical fiber, these serial media converters provide an economical path to extend the reach of serial devices. The serial data input is transmitted out both fiber ports to different locations or back-up systems.

Up to ten (10) Serial to Fiber Converters can be grouped together using the TBUS DIN Rail bus system for voltage and data. This allows the serial converter to operate in additional network topology environments:

• as a star coupler, taking the serial data input signal and distributing it to up to 20 Fiber optic output ports
• linear structure can be used to network several RS-232 devices to form a master/slave structure

RS232 Serial transmission is limited to 20 Kbps for a distance of only 15 meters (50 feet). With the FO 850 T Serial to Fiber Converter serial data transmission can be extended up to 4.2km (2.6 miles). Therefore, any two pieces of asynchronous serial equipment, located miles apart, can communicate at half or full duplex over fiber optic cable at rates up to 115.2 kbps.

The FO 850 T fiber optic transmission system electrically isolates connected devices. Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a common phenomenon in industrial environments. This interference can cause corruption of data over serial or copper-based Ethernet links. However, data transmitted over fiber optic cable is completely immune to this type of noise. This prevents the negative effects of voltage equalization currents and electromagnetic interference on the data cables. A Serial to Fiber Media Converter therefore enables you to inter-connect your serial devices over fiber ensuring optimal data transmission, increased availability of the system, and improved network design flexibility for point-to-point connections, linear networks and star topology networks.

The FO 850 T operates at 850 nm wavelength, using a separate LED emitter and photo-detector on both ST type connectors. Almost any multimode glass fiber size can be used including 50/125 m, 62.5/125 m, and 200/230 m.

Calculating the power budget is critically important when planning the fiber optic link. The optical power budget is the amount of light required to transmit data successfully through a fiber-optic connection. The amount of light energy available within the setup will dictate the length of the fiber optic cable run between serial media converters within the network. Optical power budgets are critical to help businesses avoid signal distortion. To learn how to calculate optical power budget read our technical note. Transmit and receive dBm can be found in the Hardware specifications.