Press Release

B&B Electronics Launches Ultra-Compact Industrial Unmanaged Ethernet Switches for Noisy, Dirty and Space-Constrained Industrial Equipment
Sub-one-inch-wide, 5 & 8 port Din Rail switches with 61000-6-2 Level 3 Industrial Certification offer fiber optic options & dual AC & DC power inputs

Ottawa, IL – July 20, 2011 – B&B Electronics Manufacturing Co., Inc., a leader in rugged wireless connectivity and communication solutions, today expanded its family of next-generation industrial unmanaged Ethernet switches with the ELinx ESW100 series featuring LC small-form-factor fiber connectors. The ESW100 joins the ESW200 series which offers the same industrial-hardened certifications, but uses standard ST and SC fiber connectors. Unmanaged Ethernet switches allow network managers to connect additional Ethernet devices and route data to each specific device, controlling network traffic.

Housed in an IP30-rated metal case, the ultra-compact new ESW100 DIN Rail switches, which are also panel mountable, measure less than one inch (0.98in or 25mm) wide. The five-port ESW105 and eight-port ESW108 models offer either all copper ports, or the option to replace one copper port with an LC multi- or single-mode fiber port. The ESW105 and ESW108 are the basic all-copper switches with five and eight copper ports respectively. The ESW105-ML and ESW108-ML models replace one copper port with a multi-mode fiber port, and the ESW105-SL and ESW108-SL models replace one copper port with a single-mode fiber port. Communication range is 2 km for multi-mode fiber and 20 km for single-model.

Industrial-hardened with 61000-6-2 Level 3 Heavy Industrial Certifications, the switches are designed for rugged, noisy, dirty applications such as industrial automation, SCADA, traffic control, water management, building control, and wind power. They are highly immune to the electrical fields generated by motors, pumps and relays, are shock, vibration and free-fall tested, and offer broadcast storm protection.

With dual power ports (12 to 36 VDC and 10 to 24 VAC), the switches run on either AC or DC power and consume 4 watts maximum power. They support IEEE 802.3, 802.3u and 802.3x standards, offer 2K MAC addresses and operate over a wide temperature range (-10 to 60 degrees C, 14 to 140 degrees F).

Din Rail and cabinet space is valuable real estate.   The wider the devices, the fewer that fit.   B&B’s sub-inch-wide ESW100 switches fit tight spaces with seven different ways to mount them: Din Rail or six panel-mount options. They ship with a Din Rail clip and four (two different styles) panel-mount clips.

“You can squeeze two skinny ESW100 switches into the space a typical standard switch would take,” said Mario Bernardini, engineering project manager for B&B Electronics. “From our research, we believe these switches are the most compact switches with fiber on the market.” The five-port models measure H 100mm x W 25mm x D 75mm (3.94in x 0.98in x 2.95in) and the eight-port models are slightly thinner and measure H 145mm x W 24mm x D 75mm (5.71in x 0.94in x 2.95in).

The switches range from $89 for the basic five-port (copper) ESW105 model up to $329 for the eight-port (seven copper, one single-mode fiber) ESW108-SL model. All models carry a five-year warranty, and require an external power supply (sold separately).

A datasheet is available: http://www.bb-elec.com/bb-elec/literature/ESW100Series-2411ds.pdf

About B&B:
Designing, customizing, and manufacturing products since 1981, B&B Electronics Manufacturing Co., Inc. provides industrial automation and device networking solutions. The company is known globally as a one-stop source for rugged and reliable data communication products, full technical support, reputable customer service, and same-day shipping. B&B Electronics is located at 707 Dayton Road, P.O. Box 1040, Ottawa, IL 61350, 800-346-3119 and at www.bb-elec.com on the Internet.

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