WAVELine Series of Unmanaged Industrial Ethernet Switches and Media Converters

March 26, 2008
Weidmuller announces the introduction of a new series of Class 1, Division 2 approved unmanaged Industrial Ethernet switches and media converters.  The new WAVELine series products are housed in innovative new compact housings that provide a substantially increased level of design and installation flexibility. They enable users to quickly and easily establish a simple link between field devices and their Ethernet network.The addition of Weidmuller’s WAVELine series of industrial Ethernet switches and media converters further expands their portfolio of network connectivity with a line of cost effective and easy-to-use devices.  Designed as compact plug-and-play modules, the WAVELine series makes it easy for users to quickly and simply create Industrial Ethernet networks because no configuration or set up is required. The new switches feature housings of only 22.5mm or 45mm wide, making them the slimmest units available. Several new port configurations comprised of both RJ45 copper and Fiber Optic connections provide end users and engineers greater application flexibly. The following port configurations are available with the WAVELine switches:     • three RJ45 10/100 ports• three RJ45 10/100 ports and one SC fiber optic port•  three RJ45 10/100 ports and one ST fiber optic port•  five RJ 45 10/100 ports• six RJ45 10/100 ports and one SC fiber optic port• six RJ45 10/100 ports and one ST fiber optic ports• eight RJ45 10/100 portsIn addition to their small size and variety of port configurations, each new WAVELine switch also offers several other features such as port auto negotiation and auto crossing to make installation quick and error free. The WAVELine media converters are available in multi-mode and single-mode versions and can be switched between half duplex and full duplex by use of a small switch, making them ideal for use in demanding real-time applications. In addition, the media converters feature Auto Link detection, which monitors the link status on the I/O ports. If one side is down, it terminates the connection to the PLC on both sides, aiding in the prevention of possible problems downstream from the control.