User manual
Manual Documentation Number: ESP904-0504  Table of Figures  I 
B&B Electronics Mfg Co Inc – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104 – www.bb-elec.com 
B&B Electronics Ltd – Westlink Commercial Park – Oranmore, Galway, Ireland – Ph +353 91-792444 – Fax +353 91-792445 – www.bb-europe.com
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Figure 1. The VLINX ESP904 Quad-Port Ethernet Serial Server................................ 1 
Figure 2. Quick Start Hardware Setup ......................................................................... 4 
Figure 3. The ESP Manager Window ........................................................................... 5 
Figure 4. The Server Properties Window ..................................................................... 6 
Figure 5. Configuring the Virtual COM Port ............................................................... 7 
Figure 6. Dimensional Diagram of the ESP904 ......................................................... 10 
Figure 7. Side View of the ESP904 – when vertically mounted.................................. 11 
Figure 8. Top View of the ESP904.............................................................................. 13 
Figure 9. The ESP904 Serial Port Connectors........................................................... 13 
Figure 10. Internal Setting to Select RS-485 Bias ...................................................... 16 
Table 11. Serial Connection Pin-outs for RS-232/RS-422/RS-485 ............................. 17 
Figure 12. The Run Dialogue Box .............................................................................. 19 
Figure 13. The Install Shield Wizard Window ............................................................ 20 
Figure 14. VLINX ESP Setup Window........................................................................ 20 
Figure 15. The Choose Destination Window .............................................................. 20 
Figure 16. The Install Shield Wizard Complete Window............................................ 21 
Figure 17. Ethernet Connection via a LAN ................................................................ 23 
Figure 18. Direct Ethernet Connection using a Crossover Cable .............................. 24 
Figure 19. The VLINX ESP Manager Window ........................................................... 25 
Figure 20. The Search Setup Window......................................................................... 28 
Figure 21. The Server Properties Window ................................................................. 29 
Figure 22. The vcomui Window .................................................................................. 30 
Figure 23. The Search Setup Window......................................................................... 37 
Figure 24. The Found Server Window........................................................................ 38 
Figure 25. The COMInst Window............................................................................... 38 
Figure 26. The Windows Logo Testing Window ......................................................... 39 
Figure 27. The Device Manager Window................................................................... 40 
Figure 28. The VLINX ESP (COM3) Properties Window........................................... 41 
Figure 29. The ESP Manager Window ....................................................................... 43 
Figure 30. The vcomui Dialogue Box ......................................................................... 44 
Figure 31. The Control Panel Window....................................................................... 45 
Figure 32. The Device Manager Window................................................................... 45 
Figure 33. Confirm Device Removal .......................................................................... 46 
Figure 34. The Port Settings Window......................................................................... 48 
Figure 35. Upgrading in Progress.............................................................................. 49 
Figure 36. The Console Mode Server Configuration Screen...................................... 52 
Figure 37. Saving and Restarting the Configuration.................................................. 53 
Figure 38. Assigning a Password ............................................................................... 54 
II  Table of Figures  Manual Documentation Number: ESP904-0504 
B&B Electronics Mfg Co Inc – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104 – www.bb-elec.com 
B&B Electronics Ltd – Westlink Commercial Park – Oranmore, Galway, Ireland – Ph +353 91-792444 – Fax +353 91-792445 – www.bb-europe.com
Figure 39. The Web Server Page................................................................................ 55
Figure 40. The Web Server Serial Port Properties Page............................................ 56 
Figure 41. RS-232 Connections in a DB-9 Connector................................................ 57 
Figure 42. Straight-through (DTE to DCE) DB-9 to DB-9 Serial Cable with RS-232 
Signal Designations............................................................................................. 58
Figure 43. Crossover (DTE to DTE) DB-9 to DB-9 Serial Cable with RS-232 Signal 
Designations........................................................................................................ 58
Figure 44. Connections for a DB-9 to DB-25 Straight-through Cable....................... 59 
Figure 45. Connections for a DB-9 to DB-25 Crossover (null modem) Cable........... 59 
Figure 46. Loopback Connections for RS-232............................................................ 60 
Figure 47. RS-422 Connections in a DB-9 Connector................................................ 61 
Figure 48. RS-422 Connections with Flow Control.................................................... 62 
Figure 49. Loopback Connections for RS-422............................................................ 63 
Figure 50. RS-422 Connection with No Flow Control................................................ 63 
Figure 51. DB-9 Pin-out in RS-485 Mode .................................................................. 65 
Figure 52. 2-wire RS-485 Connection ........................................................................ 65 
Figure 53. Pin-out for a Standard Ethernet Cable ..................................................... 67 
Figure 54. Pin-out for a Crossover Ethernet Cable.................................................... 68 










