Data Sheet

Ether I/O 24R Users Manual V1.1
Elexol Pty Ltd Version 1.1 Page 11 http://www.elexol.com
ELEXOL
ELECTRONIC SOL UT IONS
Digital I/O from PCs
Ethernet is now standard on almost all PCs making it an attractive option for the connection of
I/O devices. In the past, using Ethernet for I/O has been too expensive or complicated. The Ether
I/O 24 now changes that situation with the cost of Ethernet I/O now similar to that of USB
solutions. The added advantages of longer cable length, an almost unlimited numbers of nodes,
electrical isolation and Internet connectivity, make Ethernet a very attractive option for I/O
connection.
No matter what you are connecting, if the requirement is for medium to large numbers of I/O
connections the Ether I/O 24 is an ideal solution. Additional modules enable the Ether I/O 24
module to connect to almost any electrical device, and with appropriate sensors or actuators, it
can be used to control or monitor almost any simple or complex system.
With wireless Ethernet now coming as standard on many laptop computers and wireless access
points becoming more economical, the Ether I/O 24 can be linked wirelessly to a laptop computer
by the same hardware that allows that laptop to connect to the Internet or other network services.
By connecting the Ether I/O 24 to a wireless network access point, any device that requires
monitoring by the network can be connected wirelessly.
Whether you are connecting a special function keyboard, indicator lights or a coffee machine, the
Ether I/O 24 will connect your device to your network and from there to your local PC or by
Internet, to the world.
Network Enabling your PC linked machine or equipment
If you’re designing a new PC linked machine or piece of equipment, imagine the end users
delight at finding an Ethernet connection on the back that enables them to place your new device
anywhere in their facility that the network reaches and control or monitor it from right from their
own PC wherever it is located. Multiple users may even be able to share the device or have
scheduled or queued access to it.
The Ether I/O 24 has been designed for easy integration into other equipment. By using the Ether
I/O 24 module as the main interface board in your machine, all control functions can be offloaded
to a host PC, thus eliminating the need to develop and program an embedded machine controller.
The high speed of modern PCs allows complex machine functions to be handled by the PC and
the easy software development environment of the PC enables more sophisticated machine
operations and user interfaces to be provided without the high development costs and unit costs of
embedded controllers. Your new devices’ software can now be easily updated or maintained via
the web. If a fault were to occur you could access all the machine’s functions remotely via the
Internet for instant diagnosis.
If higher speed or real time functions are required these can be implemented on your own boards
with connection back to the Ether I/O module for communication back to the controlling PC. The
Ether I/O 24 can easily communicate with your own boards by synchronous serial or clocked
parallel interface whereby a single packet from the host PC can send up to 250 bytes of data to
your board.
The Ether I/O 24 has been designed and physically laid out to simplify the task of users wishing
to incorporate the Ether I/O 24 as the principal interface element in their product. The Ethernet
and power connectors as well as the status LED indicators are aligned down one edge of the
board and the internal power outlets and I/O connectors aligned down the adjacent edges. The I/O
ports use low cost IDC connection cables and the board provides 500mA at 5V for your own
circuitry as well as access to the main incoming power feed for higher power devices. If your
device has an internal power supply the board can be fed from inside and the external connector
used for powering ancillary external devices or an Ethernet switch.