Advantech ADAM-5511, Manual, Page: 36 / 340

1-2 ADAM-5511
Introduction
1.1 Standalone Data Acquisition and Control System
As a result of the growth of industrial automation technology, there
are countless control systems designed by different venders and
different technical bases. Most of them are closed systems with poor
integration capabilities, and users have had difficulties finding suitable
solutions to these issues. The ADAM-5511 adopts Modbus/RTU
protocol, which is a very popular low-cost industrial standard for data
communication, a perfect fit for each user’s needs. This powerful full-
featured stand-alone controller is very easy to learn and use, not only
saving an engineer's time and effort, but also increasing the reliability
in your versatile SCADA.
1.2 Features
1.2.1 Control flexibility with C programming
The ADAM-5511 is a compact PC in its own right and includes an
80188 CPU and a built-in ROM-DOS operating system. It can be used
in the say way one uses an x86 PC at the office. The ADAM-5511 can
be controlled by programs written in C language.
Given the prevalence of C language programming tools, this is a
distinct advantage for many users and can result in a very short
learning curve and modest training expense requirements. See Chapter
3 ADAM-5511 System for detailed technical specifications.
1.2.2 RS-232/485 communication ability
The ADAM-5511 has three serial communication ports, giving it
excellent communications abilities. This enables it to control net-
worked devices. Among its three ports, COM1 is a dedicated RS-232
port and COM2 is a dedicated RS-485 port. These two ports allow the
ADAM-5511 to satisfy diverse communication and integration
demands within Modbus protocol. COM3 is a spare programming port
for downloading or transferring executable programs from a host PC. It
can also be used as an RS-232 communication port.