Fiber-Optic Transceiver With Hardware Flow Control Announced

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL), a manufacturer of protection, monitoring, control, automation, and metering equipment, announces its newest fiber-optic transceiver, the SEL-2814.

During faults or switching, when reliable communications are the most important, copper lines are exposed to electromagnetic interference. Fiber-optic links and SEL fiber-optic transceivers eliminate the safety hazards of ground-potential rise and of copper communications cabling in electrical substations.

The SEL-2814 extends the benefits of SEL fiber-optic solutions to even more applications. One pair of SEL-2814 Transceivers provides a full-duplex EIA-232 data link plus a hardware flow-control line in each direction. Applications of hardware flow-control include preventing input-buffer overflows, controlling the transmitter of a data radio or modem for multidrop operations, and sensing equipment status.

The SEL-2814 uses ST connectors for links operating up to 115 kbps, for distances up to 5 kilometers with standard 62.5 micron optical fiber. It is port-powered through the EIA-232 interface with voltages as low as 3.3 volts, for compatibility with modern laptop computer ports. An optional external power supply allows communications even with devices that do not provide port power.

The SEL-2814 is DCE/DTE switch selectable, eliminating the need for adapters, settings or jumpers. It also provides the flexibility to select the fiber that bests fits the design requirements and accepts fiber diameters ranging from 50-200 microns. Additionally, SEL offers high-strength, silica-based SEL-C805 200 micron fiber-optic terminated cables to your length specification and several available standard lengths of SEL-C807 62.5 micron fiber-optic jumpers.

SOURCE: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories