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Overview
Introduction
The ICF-1150 series of fiber converters has a multi-interface circuit that
can handle RS-232 and RS-422/485 serial interfaces, as well as multi-
mode or single-mode fiber. ICF-1150 series converters extend serial
transmission distance up to 5 km (ICF-1150-M, with multi-mode fiber)
or up to 40 km (ICF-1150-S, with single-mode fiber).
Why Convert Serial to Fiber?
Fiber communication not only extends the communication distance but
also provides many helpful features.
IMMUNITY FROM ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCE: Fiber is not affected by
electromagnetic interference and radio frequency interference. It
provides a clean communication path and is immune to cross-talk.
INSULATION: Optical fiber is an insulator; the glass fiber eliminates the
need for using electric currents as the communications medium.
SECURITY: Fiber cannot be tapped by conventional electronic means
and is very difficult to tap into optically. Furthermore, radio and satellite
communication signals can be captured easily for decoding.
RELIABILITY & MAINTENANCE: Fiber is immune to adverse temperature
and moisture conditions, does not corrode or lose its signal, and is not
affected by short circuits, power surges, or static electricity.
Reverse Power Protection
The Reverse Power Protection feature provides extra protection against
accidentally connecting the power cables to the wrong terminal. The
converter detects automatically which power wire is positive and which
is negative, and then adjusts the power supply accordingly.
3-Way Communication
The ICF-1150 series supports 2 serial ports. The D-sub connector is for
RS-232 communication and the removable terminal block is for RS-422
or RS-485 communication. The 3 ports (2 serial ports and one fiber
port) are completely independent. When the ICF-1150 series converters
receive data from any port, it will send data out through the other 2
ports. For example, when the ICF-1150 series converters receive a
command from the remote Master via the fiber port, it will convert the
command and transmit it via the RS-232 port and RS-422/485 port at
the same time. So if the user is trying to monitor a system running on
the RS-485 network, there is no need to use an additional RS-232 to
RS-485 converter to connect the laptop computer’s serial port to the
RS-485 bus.