Moxa Technologies RS-232-422-485, TCF-142-M-T, TCF-142-S-T User Manual

TCF-142-M(-T), TCF-142-S(-T)

RS-232/422/485 to Fiber Converter

Quick Installation Guide

Eighth Edition, July 2006

1. Overview

Introduction

The TCF-142 series (Ver. 3.1 or later) converters are equipped with a
multiple interface circuit that can handle RS-232, or RS-422/485 serial
interfaces, and multi-mode or single-mode fiber. The TCF-142 converters
extend serial transmission distance up to 5 km (TCF-142-M, with
multi-mode fiber) or up to 40 km (TCF-142-S, with single-mode fiber).
The TCF-142 must be configured to transmit a particular serial interface
(e.g., RS-232 and RS-485 signals cannot be transmitted at the same time).

Why convert serial to Fiber?

Fiber communication not only extends the communication distance, but
also provides many advantageous features.
IMMUNITY FROM ELECTRICAL INTERFERENCE: Fiber is not
affected by electromagnetic interference or radio frequency interference.
It provides a clean communication path and is immune to cross-talk.
INSULATION: Optical fiber is an insulator; the glass fiber eliminates the
need for using electric currents as the communication medium.
SECURITY: Fiber cannot be tapped by conventional electric means and
is very difficult to tap into optically. Furthermore, radio and satellite
communication signals can be captured easily for decoding.
RELIABILITY & MAINTENANCE: Fiber is immune to adverse
temperature and moisture conditions, does not corrode or lose its signal,
and is not affected by short circuits, power surges, or static electricity.

Reverse Power Protection

The Reverse Power Protection feature provides extra protection against
accidentally connecting the power cables to the wrong terminal. The
converter is designed to detect automatically which power wire is positive
and which is negative, and then adjust the power supply accordingly.

Ring Mode

To allow one half-duplex serial device to communicate with multiple
half-duplex devices connected to a fiber ring, you should configure the
TCF-142 for “ring mode” by setting DIP switch “SW4” to the “On”
position. The Tx port of a particular TCF-142 unit connects to the
neighboring converter’s Rx port to form the ring. Note that when one
node transmits a signal, the signal travels around the ring until it returns
back to the transmitting unit, which then blocks the signal. Users should
ensure that the total fiber ring length is less than 100 km when using
TCF-142 series converters.

P/N: 1802001420600

RS-232

sw

Rx Tx

PWR

FiberTx

Fiber Rx

5210

TCF-142-S

RS-232/422/485

Serial to Fiber Converter

RS-422/485 RS-232

12-48V

V+

V-

T+T-R+/D+

R-/D-TxRx

GND

T+T-R+/D+

R-/D-TxRx

GND

V+

V-

12-48V

RS-422/485 RS-232

Serial to Fiber Converter

RS-232/422/485

TCF-142-S

5210

TCF-142

Fiber Rx

FiberTx

PWR

Rx Tx

sw

Tx

Rx

TxTx Tx

Rx RxRx

sw

Rx Tx

PWR

FiberTx

Fiber Rx

5210

TCF-142-S

TCF-142

RS-232/422/485

Serial to Fiber Converter

RS-422/485 RS-232

12-48V

V+

V-

T+T-R+/D+

R-/D-TxRx

GND

sw

Rx Tx

PWR

FiberTx

Fiber Rx

5210

TCF-142-S

TCF-142TCF-142

RS-232/422/485

Serial to Fiber Converter

RS-422/485 RS-232

12-48V

V+

V-

T+T-R+/D+

R-/D-TxRx

GND

RS-232RS-422 RS-485

DIP Switch Selectable Terminator

The termination resistor for many products of this type is set by a jumper
located inside the product’s casing. To disable or change the resistor’s
strength, the user must open the casing to reset the jumper. MOXA offers
a better solution, since TCF-142’s termination resistor is set with a DIP
Switch located on the outside of the converter’s casing.

No Configuration Required for Baudrate Settings

The TCF-142 works under any baudrate from 300 bps to 921.6 Kbps. The
TCF-142 simply converts the signal back and forth between serial
(RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485) and fiber, and since the TCF-142 does not
need to interpret the signal, it does not need to know the baudrate of the
transmitting device. For this reason, TCF-142 does not have any DIP
switches or jumpers for setting the baudrate.

2. Features

y “Ring” or “Point to Point” transmission
y Extend RS-232/422/485 transmission distance:

> up to 40 km with single-mode—TCF-142-S
> up to 5 km with multi-mode—TCF-142-M

y Compact size
y Decrease signal interference
y Protect against electronic degradation and chemical corrosion
y Supports a baudrate up to 921.6 Kbps
y Extended operating temperature from -40 to 75°C (for -T models)

3. Package Checklist

Before installing the TCF-142, verify that the package contains the
following items:

y TCF-142-S or TCF-142-M Fiber Converter
y Quick Installation Guide
y 7-contact terminal block connector
y 3-contact terminal block connector

Notify your sales representative if any of the above items is missing or
damaged.

TCF-142 fiber converters are easy to set up and use. The serial terminal
block of one of the converters connects to your computer, the serial
terminal block of the other converter connects to your serial device, and
the two converters are connected by fiber cable(s).

NOTE

Electrostatic Discharge Warning!
To protect the product from damage due to electrostatic
discharge, we recommend wearing a grounding device when
maintaining TCF-142.

4

123

22.0 mm
(0.87 in)

ON

100.4 mm (3.95 in)

21.3 mm
(0.8 in)

42.3 mm
(1.67 in)

67 mm (2.64 in)
78 mm (3.07 in)

67 mm (2.64 in)

90.2 mm (3.55 in)

5. Wiring Examples

Connecting the Power Supply

Before using the TCF-142, you must first connect the DC power supply
to the power supply terminal block located on the bottom side of the
TCF-142. The TCF-142 uses a DC power supply.

Connecting RS-422 or 4-wire RS-485 Serial Devices

RS-422/485

Rx+
Rx­Tx+
Tx­GND

Serial
Device

T+
T­R+
R­GND

Copper CopperFiber

Rx

Tx Rx

TCF-142

Tx

— 1 — — 2 — — 3 —

4. Dimensions and Appearance

RS-422/485

TCF-142

GND
R­R+
T­T+

O 6 mm
(0.24 in)

O 4 mm
(0.16 in)

12.5 mm
(0.49 in)

O 7 mm
(0.28 in)

25 mm (0.98 in)

(0.87 in)

22.0 mm

GND
Tx­Tx+
Rx­Rx+

Serial
Device

Connecting 2-wire RS-485 Serial Devices

RS-485

Data+
Data­GND

Serial
Device

D+
D­GND

Copper CopperFiber

Rx

Tx Rx

TCF-142

Tx

TCF-142

GND
D­D+

RS-485

GND
Data­Data+

Serial
Device

Connecting RS-232 Serial Devices

PC

DTR

DSR

RTS

CTS

Rx

Tx

GND

Copper CopperFiber

Tx

Rx

GND

TCF-142

RS-232

Rx

Tx Rx

Tx

TCF-142

GND

Rx

RS-232

Tx

DTR

DSR

RTS

CTS

GND

Tx

Rx

Serial
Device

6. Switch Settings

There are 4 DIP switches on the top end of the TCF-142. SW1 and SW2
are used to set the serial interface. SW3 is used to enable or disable the
120 Ω termination resistor. SW4 is used to enable “Ring” mode or enable
“Point to Point” mode.

ON

123

4

Serial Connection SW1 SW2

RS-232 ON OFF
RS-422 OFF OFF
RS-485 4-wire OFF OFF
RS-485 2-wire OFF ON

Terminator

Enable ON
Disable OFF

Ring mode ON
Point to Point
mode

ATTENTION

For Fiber Ring Users:

To avoid problems when setting up a fiber ring, each TCF-142 unit
making up the ring must be powered down and set to “Ring mode.” Next,
make sure all cables are connected properly, and then power up all

Built-in 120 Ω

devices connected to the ring. After

powering up the TCF-142 units, if

the Rx LEDs of the converters glow continuously, power down and then
power up ONE of the TCF-142 units in the ring to return the network to
normal operation.

NOTE “Ring Mode” can only be sued for half-duplex applications

(e.g., RS-485 multi-drop communication).

The DIP switch array called DIP-2 is located inside the TCF-142. DIP-2
has two DIP switches used to adjust the pull high/low resisters.
NOTE: SW1 and SW2 should be set both to ON, or both to OFF.

SW3

SW4

OFF

Wavelength TCF-142-S: 1310 nm

TX Output TCF-142-S: > -5 dBm

RX Sensitivity TCF-142-S: -25 dBm

Point-to-Point Transmission Half or Full duplex

Pull High/Low Resister DIP-2 SW1 DIP-2 SW2

150K (default) OFF OFF
1K ON ON

NOTE When termination is enabled, we recommend using the 1K

(ON/ON) setting.

7. LED Description

There are 3 LEDs on the front panel of the TCF-142.

LED Color Function

PWR Red Steady ON: Power is ON
Fiber Tx Green Blinking when fiber is transmitting data
Fiber Rx Orange Blinking when fiber is receiving data

8. Specifications

Model Name TCF-142-S, TCF-142-S-T,

Serial Communication

Signals for RS-232 TxD, RxD, SGND
Signals for RS-422 TxD+, TxD-, RxD+, RxD-, SGND
Signals for 4-wire RS-485 TxD+, TxD-, RxD+, RxD-, SGND
Signals for 2-wire RS-485 Data+, Data-, SGND
Baudrate 300 bps to 921.6 Kbps
Surge protection 15 KV ESD
Fiber Communication
Connector type ST
Distance TCF-142-S: Single mode fiber for 40 km

Support Cable TCF-142-S:

TCF-142-M, TCF-142-M-T

TCF-142-M: Multi mode fiber for 5 km

8.3/125, 8.7/125, 9/125 or 10/125 μm

TCF-142-M:

50/125, 62.5/125, or 100/140 μm

Multi-drop Transmission Half duplex, fiber ring

Environmental

Operating Temperature
Extended Operating

Temperature (for -T models)
Storage Temperature

Power

Input Power Voltage 12 to 48 VDC *
Power Line Protection 1 KV Burst (EFT), EN61000-4-4

Reverse Power Protection Protects against V+/V- reversal
Over Current Protection Protects against 2 signals shorted together: 1.1A
Power Consumption 100 mA at 12 VDC

Mechanical

Dimensions (W × D × H) 67 × 100 × 22 mm

Material Aluminum (1 mm)
Gross Weight 140g

Regulatory Approvals

CE Class B
FCC Part 15 sub Class B
TÜV EN 60950
UL UL 60950
EMI EN55022 1998, Class B
EMS EN61000-4-2 (ESD), Criteria A, Level 2

Free fall IEC 60068-2-32

WARNING

1. This unit is not meant to be sold to consumers. It will only be shipped

to manufacturers or factories.

2. The DC source should come from an external adapter or 12 to 48 VDC

source (not from DC mains) by using a transfer device.

3. This unit should be installed or set up by a qualified service person.

Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

TCF-142-M: 850 nm

TCF-142-M: > -5 dBm

TCF-142-M: -20 dBm

0 to 60°C (32 to 142°F), 5 to 95 % RH

-40 to 75°C (-40 to 167°F)

-20 to 85°C (-4 to 185°F), 5 to 95 % RH

1 KV Surge, EN61000-4-5

90 × 100 × 22 mm (including ears)

EN61000-4-3 (RS), Criteria A, Level 2
EN61000-4-4 (EFT), Criteria A, Level 2
EN61000-4-5 (Surge), Criteria A, Level 3
EN61000-4-6 (CS), Criteria A, Level 2

Copyright © 2006

Moxa Technologies Co., Ltd.

All rights reserved.

www.moxa.com
[e-mail]

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