Bulkhead Media Converter is suited for harsh environments.
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Press Release Summary:
Housed completely within bulkhead connector, media converters handle optical-to-electrical as well as full physical layer conversion. Series consists of standard options, including Gigabit Ethernet and Fast Ethernet media conversion using RJ-45 interface connection. Other variations include Ethernet MII or GMII ribbon cable interfaces and 1x/2x Fiber channel transceivers. All versions feature Expanded Beam optics and can be equipped with 1-4 optical channels.
Original Press Release:
Stratos Lightwave Announces New Family of Bulkhead Media Converters
CHICAGO, IL--Stratos Lightwave LLC is announcing a new family of Bulkhead Media Converters (BMCs) for harsh environment applications. Housed completely within an industry standard bulkhead connector, these media converters accept a standard optical signal such as Fast Ethernet, and convert it to an industry standard signal such as IEEE802.3u (100BT). These devices handle both the optical-to-electrical and the full physical layer (PHY) conversion. Stratos Bulkhead Media Converters decrease the engineer's overall design burden by removing all "inside-the-box" fiber management. BMC units greatly simplify the incorporation of an optical interface into systems and equipment for military, aerospace, outdoor digital video, petrochemical, marine, or any harsh environment application that would benefit from a fiber optic interface.
Inside the box, any circuit board or subsystem equipped with CAT5/RJ45 modular jack cabling is plugged directly into the backshell of the BMC unit. On the outside, an Expanded Beam fiber optic cable is plugged into the front. The design engineer doesn't need to spend any time, effort, or resources developing the optical interface as these units are virtually plug-and-play. In addition, the integrated bulkhead design eliminates virtually all packaging issues, resulting in a compact, highly reliable optical interface suitable for the harshest environments. This ease of design-in opens the door to obtaining the benefits of fiber optics for systems and applications thought to be too rugged for fiber optics, or for engineers unfamiliar with designing the fiber interface themselves. Fiber optic benefits include greater bandwidth over longer distances, decreased susceptibility to EMI/RFI noise ingress, and an increased level of security due to the difficulty of "eavesdropping" on the optical signal.
The Stratos Bulkhead Media Converter family consists of a number of standard options, including Gigabit Ethernet and Fast Ethernet media conversion using the standard RJ-45 interface connection. Other variations include Ethernet MII or GMII ribbon cable interfaces, and 1x/2x Fiber channel transceivers with a ribbon cable interface on the electrical side.
All products feature Stratos' field-proven Expanded Beam optics for a reliable, easy-to-clean, easy-to-mate optical interface designed to resist water, mud, dust, oil, and high levels of shock and vibration. Maximum optical link distance is 2km (1.2 miles) for Fast Ethernet, and 550m (1800 feet) for Gigabit Ethernet. BMC units are available for either 62.5/125 or 50/125µm multi-mode fiber, and can be equipped with one to four optical channels, in various combinations of simplex and duplex configurations. Operation is via a single +3.3V power source.
The all-metal bulkhead housing provides a watertight barrier to IP67 and MIL standards. These units have an operating temperature range of -40oC to +85oC, and meet MIL-STD-810E for shock and vibration. Immersion rating is 2 hours at 1 meter (MIL-STD-810E).
Stratos has decades of harsh-environment fiber optic experience, and it is this level of expertise that makes possible such compact, rugged, high-performance units.
Pricing for the new Bulkhead Media Converters varies according to the desired protocol, analog interface, number of optical channels, and the quantity purchased.
To arrange for an immediate on-site demo, or to obtain additional information, contact Steve Tebo at Stratos International, Inc., 7444 W. Wilson Ave, Chicago, IL USA 60706-4549. Phone: 800.323.6858 FAX: 708.867.4140 E-mail: info@stratoslightwave.com URL: www.stratoslightwave.com
Stratos Lightwave LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Stratos International, Inc. Stratos International, Inc. (NASDAQ: STLW) produces electronic and optical subsystems and components for high data rate networking and data storage in enterprise, telecommunications, broadcast, military and industrial applications. In the optical arena, Stratos produces optical transceivers and integrated products in a variety of data rates and communication protocols. Stratos also produces a wide range of fiber optic, RF and microwave components and cable assemblies. Stratos' Tsunami products are components and modules that separate, combine, and route light, for high-bandwidth optical communication applications.
