Print Date: 21.05.2012 Brainboxes Ethernet to Serial ES - Range Product Manual Brainboxes Limited, 18 Hurricane Drive, Liverpool International Business Park, Speke, Liverpool, Merseyside, L24 8RL Tel: +44 (0)151 220 2500 Fax: +44 (0)151 252 0446 Web: www.brainboxes.com Email: sales@brainboxes.
Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 5 2. Before You Start ..................................................................................................................................... 6 Box Contents Check list – ES-357 & ES-020 .........................................................................................
Alternate Access Methods .................................................................................................................... 26 Proxy Server Settings ........................................................................................................................... 26 Device Swapping .................................................................................................................................. 26 Remote Access ......................................................
18. Technical Specifications..................................................................................................................... 51 Device specification .............................................................................................................................. 51 Network connection ....................................................................................................................... 51 RS-232 Serial Port ...................................................
1. Introduction The Brainboxes ES product range brings the benefits of fast data access and remote management to asynchronous serial devices by connecting them to the existing local network infrastructure within your organisation. Designed and built on-site with close collaboration between the hardware and software teams to deliver a product that is both user-friendly and has plenty of functionality.
2. Before You Start Box Contents Check list – ES-357 & ES-020 The following items are included with your product: Ethernet to Serial (ES) device Boost.LAN Product CD Quick Start Guide Optional Items: Power supply unit - PW-644 (UK) / PW-611 (EU) DIN-Rail Mounting Kit (MK-048) Box Contents Check list – ES-246/ES-257/ES-313/ES-320 The following items are included with your product: Ethernet to Serial (ES) device Boost.
Requirements System Requirements Components: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 (installed automatically with Boost.LAN package) Windows Installer: Windows Installer 3.1 or later (Recommended) Internet Explorer: If you are running Internet Explorer, then Internet Explorer 6.
3. Hardware Features ES Hardware – 1 & 2 Port Devices ES Hardware – 4 & 8 Port Devices ES Range Product Manual Version 2.
For information on power supplies and pin outs please see Section 18 Technical Specifications. LED Information Status LED Serial Port LED Ethernet LED Green Light On Flashing Green Flashing Red & Yellow Flashing between Green & Red Flashing between Green & Red Flashing Green/Red Flashing between Green & Yellow Green light on Flashing light on Green light on Flashing Green Device Ready Changing Settings Querying IP IP Problem Performing Hard Reset Problem during initialization (e.g.
4. Installation PLEASE READ CAREFULLY The “Setup” program will install the Boost.LAN Manager application. Boost.LAN Manager application is the graphical user interface for locating and configuring all Brainboxes‟ Ethernet to Serial devices in Windows. Boost.LAN is the COM ports device driver that you will use in Windows to access your ES ports as standard Windows COM ports. You need Boost.LAN Manager to install the Boost.LAN COM ports driver. Neither Boost.LAN Manager or Boost.
Windows Installation: Boost.LAN Manager Application 1. With the computer turned on, insert the Boost.LAN Driver CD. This should launch the Brainboxes Navigation Page Note: If the navigation page does not auto load, go to Start My Computer Right Click the CD and select Explore. This will open the CD in Windows Explorer for browsing the contents of the CD. Locate the “Setup” program on the CD and double click to launch. Proceed to Step 3. 2. Click “Install” to launch the Boost.LAN Setup.exe program. 3.
4. When installation is complete, you should see an icon labelled ―Boost.LAN Manager‖ on the desktop. Windows Installation: Device Driver 1. Double click the icon labelled ―Boost.LAN Manager‖ on the desktop to open the application. 2. Click on the “File > Find Devices” in the top left hand side of the window. This will find any Brainboxes Ethernet to Serial devices connected to your network. 3.
4. Once found, select the device and scroll to the “Tasks” section on the left hand panel. 5. Click ―Install Device”. 6. During the device installation you will see a timer symbol and the status of the device will be ‗Installing driver…‘. 7. Once the device is installed a pop up box will appear saying ‗Your new hardware is installed and ready to use.’ 8. In Boost.LAN Manger, the device will display a blue tick symbol showing that it is installed and the status of the device will be „Ready‟. 9.
5. Finding your Brainboxes COM port 1. Open Boost.LAN Manager (Found by clicking Start All Programs Brainboxes Boost.LAN Boost.LAN Manager) 2. Click on your ES Device 3. Find the “COM ports” section on the left hand pane. To change your COM label, see Section 7 - Changing your COM label ES Range Product Manual Version 2.
Using the ES-device with your Equipment If you are using a COM port based application 1) Ensure the ES device is powered up. 2) Ensure the ES device is connected to the network (Ethernet LED should be ON) 3) Ensure the ES device is connected to your Equipment via the correct serial port (i.e. RS232 port if using an RS232 device, or RS422/485 if using an RS422/485 device) 4) Ensure the ES device is installed on the PC you wish to control the communications to the equipment with.
6. Testing the ES device In order to prove that your BrainBoxes Ethernet to Serial device is functioning correctly, you can perform a loopback test to check the Transmit and Receive lines are working and that you can access the device over the network. Perform a loopback: A loopback test will verify that your ES device is able to Transmit and Receive Data. The Transmit and Receive lines will need to be connected so that any data sent out of the ES device is then received back on the same Port.
7. Advanced Configuration IP Addressing The IP settings can be easily changed by clicking the “Change” link available in the “Device Info” section on the left hand panel of Boost.LAN Manager. This will bring up the following dialogue box. As mentioned in the “Features” section of this manual, the ES device is shipped in DHCP Mode. On connecting to the network, the device automatically checks if it is connected to a DHCP Server.
Port Settings The Port Settings allow you to set Default or Override Settings for the serial communication and how to deal with incoming hardware handshaking events. To open „Port Settings‟, open Boost.LAN Manager and Double Click on the Brainboxes COM Port Entry. Then Click on the „Port Settings‟ tab. All options can be selected from the Dropdown Menus.
o NB with the use of Override Settings, you need to ensure that the equipment you are connecting to is setup to match the communications settings you are forcing. CTS / DSR Always True CTS and DSR are incoming hardware handshaking lines. This means they receive signals from the connected device which tell the Ethernet to Serial device when it is and isn‟t OK to send data. o Sometimes these signals may want to be ignored.
RS422/485 Settings The factory default setting for the ES devices is RS422 full duplex. Background Information: DTR/DSR Handshaking is not available on 422/485 ports. Check your product datasheet to see if RTS/CTS is supported. RS422 Full Duplex Mode This mode is generally used between one transmitter / receiver to only one other transmitter / receiver, but it is possible for each output to drive up to 10 receivers.
For full-duplex operation, the HD+ and HD- jumpers must not be fitted. For optimal signal quality, fit the T jumper but not the B+ and B- jumpers. RS485 Full Duplex (ES-357) To set the ES-357 to full duplex mode, this needs to be done by changing the settings for the COM port. To open RS422/485 settings: 1. Double click the port entry in Boost.LAN Manager 2. Go to the Port Settings tab 3. Click Advanced 4. Go to the RS422/485 Settings tab. 5.
RS485 Half Duplex Autogating Mode (ES-357 Only) For the RS422/485 port on the ES-357, there is an additional tab in the Advanced Settings of the Windows COM port to allow you to change duplex mode to half duplex autogating mode. The factory default setting is RS422 full-duplex mode. When the duplex mode is set to half duplex autogating the ES device will automatically detect the start of the PC‟s transmissions and will gate the PC‟s transmitter onto the twisted pair cable.
RS485 Half Duplex Mode (ES-313, ES-320, ES-346 & ES-842) For half-duplex operation, the transmit and receive lines of the port need to be connected together making it a 2 wire system. This can be done by fitting the HD+ and HD- jumpers onto the headers inside the ES device box.. Half-duplex links usually need biasing resistors fitted at some point on the link. These resistors are used to hold the signal lines in a known state when the transmitters are off.
and when biasing is already present somewhere. For a half-duplex multi-drop bus, if the device is at the end of the bus then use the same jumper configurations as for a half-duplex point-to-point link, above. For a half-duplex multi-drop bus, where the device is not at the end of the bus but somewhere in the middle. or depending on whether biasing is already present somewhere. ES Range Product Manual Version 2.
Advanced Settings – TCP/IP Settings The TCP/IP Settings for the Brainboxes COM Port allow you to obtain the ES device‟s TCP/IP settings without having to go to Boost.LAN Manager or the Webpage interface. Some users may prefer this accessibility. To open Advanced Settings, open the Port Settings (as described in section 7) and click the Advanced button. Select the „TCP/IP Settings‟ tab. Device MAC Address: This is assigned when the device is manufactured.
Alternate Access Methods There are three methods to view and configure your Ethernet Device once it‟s installed on the target PC. Which method to use depends on personal preference and convenience. NB: Only certain settings can be configured using the Web Page Interface Boost.LAN Manager: This is the application that is installed initially to find the device and install the COM port drivers.
Adding a remote device using Boost.LAN Manager 1. To access the device through Boost.LAN go to Tools and then click „Add Device Manually‟. 2. Enter the public IP address of your router into the Device IP Address field, and the port forwarding number into the Device Port Number field. 3. Click the „Next‟ button. 4. Enter the port forwarding numbers for Port 1 and Port 2 and then click the „Add‟ button. The device will then appear in the Boost.LAN manager window.
Remote Access Using Web Browser To access the ES device through the webpage you will need the IP address of your router and the ES device‟s port forwarding number. Type this address into the navigation bar with a colon then the port forwarding number. For example http://82.68.120.56:20050/ See the example in the screen shot below. Serial Tunneling Brainboxes Ethernet to Serial Devices have a feature called serial tunneling.
5. Click the „Apply Changes‟ button and you will be taken to a page which will display a success page. You will be redirected to the port page after the count down timer has finished. 6. The devices will now be in tunneling mode. 7. On the Local device port webpage you will see displayed the device tunneling section with two buttons, „Disconnect‟ and „Stop Tunneling‟.
Firewall Exceptions and Port Numbers When using the ES devices with a firewall you may need to manually add the exception entries and port numbers to the firewall list. Listed below are the default port numbers and the firewall exceptions. Program Name Device Web Server Serial Port 1 Serial Port 2 Firmware Upgrade Default port number 80 9001 9002 67 (BOOTP Server) 68 (BOOTP Client) 69 (TFTP Port) Default Windows Firewall Exception entries: Brainboxes Boost.LAN Suite Brainboxes Boost.
Transmission Interval The transmission interval can be set via the web configuration page. The factory default for the Transmission Interval is set to 0. With the transmission interval set to 0 milliseconds, the incoming data is transmitted straight away, in small bytes which causes a lot of network traffic and high CPU usage on the PC receiving the data. When there is a transmission interval set, there is a delay on sending the data.
8. Web Page Interface The ES device can be accessed from any PC within your network as it does not require Boost.LAN Manager. To access the ES device web page: 1. Obtain the IP Address of the ES device via the Boost.LAN Manager 2. Type the IP address in your internet browser and hit Enter 3. The ES device webpage interface should appear allowing you to view and configure the ES device settings.
The webpage provides: Summary of current IP and Serial Port Settings (available on Home Page) Separate pages to configure each serial port.
9. Security Anyone with access to the network can access the webpage of your ES device and change its settings. To prevent this from occurring, there are security features available on the device that can restrict access to certain web pages to account holders only. Administrator Access Settings Creating an Administrator account restricts access to the Security Page to the Administrator account holder. All other pages are still accessible to other users. To create an Administrator account: 1.
4. Click “Apply Changes” at the bottom of the page. 5. To access the web interface of the device again, you will be prompted with a log in prompt. Only an administrator or user will be able to log in. MAC Address restriction In addition to Administrator and User accounts to restrict access to users with the correct log on credentials, there is a feature called “MAC address restriction” MAC address restriction is available under both Administrator and User settings.
Restricting “Reset/Restore Default” Once an Administrator account is set up, access to the “Device Management” page to “Reset or Restore Default settings” is still available to all users. Alternatively, if both an Administrator and User are set up, both the Administrator and User can access the page. To avoid any unauthorised “Resetting or Restoring to Default”, the following features are available.
10. Exporting & Importing Device Settings It is possible to export the devices current settings to a file, and then import these settings at a later date. This feature is available in the Boost.LAN Manager. At the time of going to print, the export feature exported the following settings Firmware Network Settings. Firmware Serial Port Settings. NB: This feature does not currently back up driver port settings.
4) Select “Export Settings” 5) Browse to a location where you wish to save the settings file to. 6) Enter a file name in the “File name” box. E.g. “Device Model, Firmware Version XX“ etc) 7) Press Save. Importing Device Settings 1) Open Boost.LAN Manager 2) Find and select your installed ES Device 3) On the left hand panel of the window, scroll down to the “Other Tasks” section 4) Select “Import Settings” ES Range Product Manual Version 2.
5) Browse to the location where you saved the settings file. 6) Select the file and press Open 7) The device will then import the settings. ES Range Product Manual Version 2.
11. Rebooting Device We strongly recommend that you check that the device is NOT in operation before doing this to prevent data loss. Rebooting in Boost.LAN Manager If for any reason you wish to reboot your device, whilst still retaining the existing settings: 1) Open Boost.LAN Manager 2) Find and select the ES device you wish to reboot. 3) On the left hand panel of the window, scroll down to the “Other Tasks” section 4) Select “Reboot Device” 5) The device will beep to indicate that it has restarted.
12. Restoring to Factory Default Restoring back to Factory Default Settings We strongly recommend that you check that the device is NOT in operation before doing this to prevent data loss. If for any reason you wish to restore the ES device back to factory default settings: 1) Open Boost.LAN Manager 2) Find and select the ES device.
13. Firmware Upgrade To upgrade your firmware to the latest release by Brainboxes follow the instructions below: NB: If you have firmware 3.12 or older we recommend running the firmware upgrade with the ES device connected directly into the PC using an Ethernet cable. 1) Open Boost.LAN Manager 2) Select your device from the Boost.LAN window. 3) Make a note of the current firmware version on the left hand panel. 4) Close Boost.LAN Manager. 5) Visit Brainboxes website, http://www.brainboxes.
13) Select the firmware (the file extension will be .efw) 14) Press Open 15) Do not disconnect the ES Device from the network or power during the upgrade process. 16) Once the upgrade process is complete, select the device and check the firmware version shown in the left hand panel is now the later version. ES Range Product Manual Version 2.
14. Uninstallation It is possible to uninstall individual ES devices from your computer or remove the complete Boost.LAN Suite. Complete Boost.LAN Suite Uninstallation. This will remove all Brainboxes Boost.LAN related software, including the Boost.LAN Manager and device driver. This can be done at any time, with or without the device connected. The uninstallaiton steps below are applicable to all devices in the ES Ethernet to Serial range.
15. Troubleshooting and Testing The most common problems and frequently asked questions for the ES range of devices is listed in the table below along with descriptions and suggestions for corrective actions. Question Description Problems installing Boost.LAN Device Manager Boost.LAN installation wizard has not completed or shows an error Can‟t find ES device in Boost.LAN Device Manager When the „Find Devices‟ button is clicked the device isn‟t displayed in Boost.LAN manager.
indicated by a yellow exclamation mark.) Make sure that the port you are trying to open is not being blocked by a firewall that may be installed. If you are using a hub/switch or another device between the network server and ES device, check that it‟s powered and working correctly. If you are using the ES device in Static IP mode, check that its IP address is in the same sub-net as the server. Check that there are no IP address conflicts on the network.
displayed. Check that the IP address is the correct one. If you are on a private network the default IP address is 192.168.127.254. If you have a proxy server installed check IP address of the device is on the exceptions list. Error page loads when trying to load web Configuration page When loading the web configuration page, the Brainboxes web page loads with an error. Check that you have user or admin access to the device that you are trying to load.
16. Linux support for ES devices It is possible to communicate with the ES range of devices from Linux for both configuration and communicating with attached devices using standard serial port applications. This is achieved by using the Cyclades Serial Client application. NB The Cyclades Serial Client application is open source software, which is not owned or distributed by Brainboxes. Brainboxes cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage incurred from using this software.
After the ES product port information has been added to the /etc/cyclades-devices file, the cyclades device server should be started and stopped using the commands (as root); o cyclades-serial-client start o cyclades-serial-client stop These should be integrated into your rc.d scripts so that the ES devices are initiated and stopped on your system startup and halt. ES Range Product Manual Version 2.
17. Lifetime Warranty and Support To receive the lifetime Warranty, you need to register your product with us using our online form. NB: this must be done within 28 days of Purchase. Lifetime Warranty Sign up * Terms and Conditions are available online. Standard warranty period is 3 years if a product is not registered. Since 1983, Brainboxes have designed, tested and manufactured our products all under one Roof. One of our greatest strengths is in after sales service.
18.
LED indicators Indicators for the network and serial ports show when a connection is open and when data is being transferred. Three-colour status LED provides additional information on the status of the device. For more information see LED information in Section 3. Hardware Physical Steel enclosure Mounting flanges for wall-mounting or attachment of optional DIN-rail mounting kit DB9 Connector Pin-out (dependent on ES Model) The ES devices which have DB9 connectors have the following set of signals. i.
Terminal Block Connector Pin out (dependent on ES Model) For ES devices with terminal block connectors have the signals detailed below. i. RS232 & RS422/485 Port (e.g. ES-357) Port screw terminal pin outs RS232 Pin 1 Pin 2 Pin 3 Pin 4 Pin 5 TxD RxD RTS CTS GND RS422/485 Pin 6 TxD+ Pin 7 TxDPin 8 RxD+/D+ Pin 9 RxD-/DPin 10 GND RS232 Pin 1 Pin 2 Pin 3 Pin 4 Pin 5 TxD RxD RTS CTS GND RS422/485 Pin 6 DTR Pin 7 DSR Pin 8 DCD Pin 9 RI Pin 10 GND ii. RS232 1 Port (e.g.
19. Regulatory Approvals / Compliance For up to date details of global certifications, please check the product datasheet on the Brainboxes website. Company Accreditation Brainboxes achieved accreditation to the ISO14001 environmental standard early 2008. This globally recognised standard ensures Brainboxes can demonstrate effective management of all its environmental impacts, together with a process of continuous improvement. Brainboxes have also been an ISO9001 registered company since 1994.
WEEE Directive (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) The WEEE Directive 2004/96/EC came into force, in the UK, at the beginning of 2007. Customer Responsibilities At the end of life, this product must be disposed of in accordance with WEEE regulations. This can be done through your local civic amenities site, an approved treatment facility or alternatively through a relevant compliance scheme.
20. Copyright Copyright © Brainboxes Ltd All rights reserved. No part of this hardware, circuitry or manual may be duplicated, copied, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior consent of the Manufacturer ES Range Product Manual Version 2.
21. Version History Version Date Author Checked By 0.1 06.07.2009 AH PA,DA 0.2 31.07.09 AH Comments With feedback from Sales & R&D, Name change to Boost.LAN 0.3 01.08.09 AH PG, CP Added Security support 0.4 01.09.09 DA AH, MA Added Linux support AW Screenshots updated First Official Release (with ES-357) 1.0 10.09.09 AH 1.5 11.09.09 BH AH Added Windows 7, Device tunneling, Proxy Server, Remote access and other products in range. Manual applies to firmware version 3.
