Mezzanine Card adds serial communication ports.
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Press Release Summary:
Model M75 features 2 on-board channels, which can be configured as full-duplex RS422 or half-duplex RS485 interfaces. Capable of up to 2 Mbps in synchronous or asynchronous modes, dual channels can support SDLC protocol, and are optically isolated from each other and from system. Four asynchronous FIFO memory queues, each with depth of 2 Kb in each direction, support simultaneous reading and writing.
Original Press Release:
New M-Module Features Fast Synchronous or Asynchronous Serial Communications
Dallas, June 9, 2004 - Designers of industrial systems can easily add fast serial communication ports with a new M-Module mezzanine card from MEN Micro (www.menmicro.com). The two on-board channels, which can be configured as either full duplex RS422 or half duplex RS485 interfaces, are capable of up to two megabits per second (Mbps) in synchronous or asynchronous modes.
"Serial communications channels are a critical part of most industrial control systems. As a result, system designers often need the ability to add additional serial channels to a system," said Ernest Godsey, president of MEN Micro, Inc. "With this M-Module, a designer can add high-speed serial channels, two at a time, without having to modify the overall structure of the system."
The new M75 from MEN Micro can be configured with either full duplex RS422 or half duplex RS485 interfaces at the front panel connector. The M75's dual serial channels can operate in both synchronous and asynchronous modes, and they can support the SDLC protocol as well. The two channels are optically isolated from each other and from the system. The M75 features software compatibility with the widely used 85C30 Serial Communications Controller (SCC) device.
To maintain high data transfer rates without burdening the host system's CPU with interrupts, the M75 has four asynchronous FIFO (first in, first out) memory queues. Each FIFO has a depth of 2K bytes in each direction and supports simultaneous reading and writing.
When configured as part of a VMEbus or CompactPCI system, an M75 can also support other types of physical interfaces, such as RS232 or TTL. The M75 supports these other serial interfaces through the use of MEN system adapters (SA), which are connected externally to the M75. MEN Micro makes M75 driver software available for Windows, Linux, VxWorks, QNX, RTX and OS-9.
About M-Modules
The M-Module specification was originally developed by MEN Mikro Elektronik GmbH and has now been accepted worldwide by the electronics industry. It is an ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standard. M-Modules are normally mounted on carrier cards for PCI, CompactPCI, VMEbus, VXI, PXI or other bus-based systems, or they are deployed on a bus-less single board computer. A double Eurocard carrier card can accommodate as many as four M-Modules.
MEN Micro offers a selection of more than 100 different M-Modules with a variety of configurations and capabilities. In addition, numerous other manufacturers also offer many different types of M-Modules supporting diverse capabilities. In total, more than 230 types of M-Modules are currently on the market.
Pricing and Availability
The M75 is available now from MEN Micro, Inc. Pricing starts at $594 for single units. In the United States, MEN Micro products are sold through a national network of technical manufacturer's representatives. For sales information, call 972 939-2675, send faxes to 972 939-0055 or email sales@menmicro.com. For more information on the M75, this press release, a product photo and collateral materials are available at men.de/products/press.
About MEN Micro
MEN designs, manufactures and sells board-level industrial real-time and embedded computer products. The flexibility inherent in MEN's standard products allows system platforms to be custom configured for a wide range of applications. In addition, the company develops custom boards and systems for OEMs, end users and system integrators. MEN's products include VMEbus and CompactPCI compute platforms with Intel Pentium, Motorola 68000 or PowerPC processors, and a wide selection of M‑Module or PC·MIP mezzanine I/O modules. The MEN product lines support the most widely used operating systems, including Windows NT, VxWorks, OS-9, QNX and Linux.
MEN was founded in 1982 in Nürnberg, Germany, as MEN Mikro Elektronik GmbH. The company has subsidiaries in France, MEN Mikro Elektronik SA; the United Kingdom, MEN Micro, Ltd., and the United States, MEN Micro, Inc. A network of technical distributors services and supports the rest of the world.
