Taipei, Taiwan, February 07, 2007 — MOXA announces the release of the two-port UPort 1250I and the four-port UPort 1450I, the world’s first USB-to-serial hubs with 2 KV optical isolation protection on each serial port. The UPort 1250I and 1450I include standard UPort features such as selectable RS-232/422/485 communication, baudrates up to 921.6 Kbps, built-in 15 KV ESD protection, and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 operation up to 480 Mbps. The two new models round out the UPort line and are ideal for serial applications that do not require a full-sized hub.
World’s first to provide optical isolation protection for each serial port
Each serial port on the UPort 1250I and 1450I includes 2 KV DC optical isolation protection, which is required for many commercial and industrial applications. With optical isolation, the hub and PC are protected from electrical spikes and surges on the data line. For industrial applications, these electrical spikes could shut down an assembly line or an entire plant if not addressed. In worst-case scenarios, facilities may suffer extensive damage. By including optical isolation on each port, the UPort 1250I and 1450I not only provide PCs with COM port expansion, but also with protection from potentially damaging electrical spikes.
LED indicators for serial activity
MOXA is proud to note that the UPort 1250I provides more LED indicators than other USB-to-serial hubs, for better port status feedback. Each serial port has four LEDs to indicate the port’s serial interface mode (RS-232, RS-422, 2-wire RS-485, 4-wire RS-485) and one LED to show activity on the port. By referring to the LEDs, users can instantly know each serial port’s mode and if data is being transferred. In fact, the UPort 1250I is the world’s first 3-in-1 USB-to-serial hubs to provide serial interface mode LEDs for each port. On the UPort 1450I, each serial port has two LEDs to indicate Tx and Rx signals.
Easy management of COM port settings with COM Preserver
For most USB-to-serial hubs, COM ports are dynamically assigned every time the hub is plugged into a USB port. This means that ports do not retain their COM names or port number assignments when the hub is unplugged. However, MOXA's patented COM Preserver™ technology allows the UPort 1250I and 1450I to remember each port’s COM settings even when the hub is unplugged. With COM Preserver, the hubs can be plugged into the same PC or into a different PC, with all COM settings intact. This feature means that users no longer need to modify software or re-build entire projects every time a new operating system is installed or the computer is upgraded.
Key features:
- 2 KV optical isolation protection for each serial port
- Hi-Speed USB 2.0 operation up to 480 Mbps
- Serial transmission up to 921.6 Kbps
- Easy management of COM port settings
- 128-byte FIFO and on-chip flow control
- No additional I/O or IRQ required
- Built-in 15 KV ESD protection
- Windows 2000, XP, and 2003 (x86 and x64) drivers
- LED indicators and management software for easy maintenanceThe MOXA Group is a conglomerate that manufactures device networking products for industrial automation.
Information about all MOXA products, which include industrial Ethernet switches, serial device servers, multiport serial cards, embedded device servers, and remote I/O servers, is available on the MOXA Group’s corporate website.
