Transio TCF-90-M/S User’s Manual
The TCF-90 is a compact sized, high-speed, RS-232 to optical fiber converter that extends RS-232 transmission from 15 meters to 5 km (TCF-90-M, multi-mode) or 40 km (TCF-90-S, single-mode), without using external power. The TCF-90 is designed to get power from the attached serial port. A pair of TCF-90 converters can be used to connect two RS-232 serial devices to each other in full duplex transmission mode using optical fiber. Moreover, the TCF-90 isolates the devices from dangerous increases in ground potential, ground loops, and electrical EMI/RFI noise. This greatly reduces RF radiation and susceptibility to electromagnetic radiation to enhance data security.
Port Power Dissipation
When installing an RS-232 port-powered TCF-90 converter, pay attention to the power consumption, RS-232 cable length, and the power provided by the serial port. In general, the TCF-90 gets 70 mW from the power source; a standard COM port on a host PC can provide 70 to 90 mW of power if the TxD, RTS, and DTR lines are connected. Moreover, the RS-232 cable length should be shorter than 15 m (@ 9600 bps) to ensure that less power is lost as the host/device supplies power to the TCF-90. The rest of the supplied power is used for transmitting the optical fiber signal.
Serial Port Power Compatibility
Serial ports can use any of a number of diverse interface chips, but the power provided by the different types of ports is not always the same. In fact, some ports do not supply enough power to activate the TCF-90.
The on-board COM1 and COM2 ports seldom have problems. The table shows the MOXA serial cards and serial-to-Ethernet device servers that can be used as a good power source to drive the TCF-90 when their RTS/DTR signals are connected and in the ON state.
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