Current state of shipments due to Brexit

At the moment most shipments between the UK and Europe are experiencing delays. These delays are due to Brexit and the new procedures introduced at the borders.

Brainboxes recommendations for EU customers

Brainboxes has shipped to a number of EU customers and now recommends the following procedure to ensure the smoothest shipping process. Brainboxes Require the following information

Brainboxes will ensure the tracking number is sent to you and both Brainboxes and yourself will be sent email notifications if any exceptions occur.

It is important, especially during the first few months of this new process that both Brainboxes and customer monitor shipments closely. New procedures in place at the borders will take time to become normal.

How will the charges for goods change?

Pre-Brexit: Brainboxes would ship with our carrier, the customer would pay for the cost of goods plus shipment to Brainboxes (not including VAT), using EU selling regulations VAT was not included in the sale when selling B2B and a valid EU VAT id.

Post-Brexit: Brainboxes will ship with our carrier, the customer will pay for the cost of goods plus shipment to Brainboxes (not including VAT). At the border the customer must pay VAT to their government and border fee. Then the customer can reclaim VAT through their tax system in the normal way. 

The incoterm used is CPT (Carriage Paid To) similar to previous incoterm DDU (Delivery Duty Unpaid). This is Brainboxes standard contract incoterm when shipping worldwide.

This new arrangement, as with any new procedure, requires changes by both parties to ensure smooth continuity of supply. Brainboxes has AEO accreditation (which means we are trusted at borders as a manufacturer of goods) we have had this approval for 11 years and we ship world wide. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and update customers.

What problems can occur?

For the short term a big issue is delays. Please allow your shipment up to 5 working days extra. However in the medium term this should revert to normal.

The first time a shipment is made to a customer please ensure that the process is monitored carefully, the carrier will get in touch with the customer to finalise VAT payment. Many customers have deferred VAT accounts in place with their government which means this transaction happens seamlessly. However if the carrier has to wait too long for a response from the customer (typically longer than 10 days), the carrier will ship the goods back to Brainboxes and charge us for 2 shipments plus border fees. Brainboxes will charge these costs back to the customer.

We wish to reiterate our commitment to our European friends and customers. Brexit has now occurred and each day we have more clarity on the new procedures for interacting with the EU.

We will continue to work with you going forward to maintain our strong relationships.

Now that the UK is no longer part of the EU, the process of sending and receiving goods between UK and Europe will change. Nobody knows exactly what the future holds, but as a company who manufactures and is based in the UK, rest assured Brainboxes are doing everything we can to prepare for trade, whatever happens after December 31st 2020.

Committed to Supply

Government departments of the UK and Europe are preparing for Brexit to mean unprecedented increases in customs operations at border ports, and we’ve acknowledged the need to prepare too. We’ve worked hard to optimise our working capital, and ensure we’re doing everything we can to continue our reliable service to all of our customers in Europe and around the world.

Security in the International Supply Chain

One way we’re confidently primed for Brexit resilience, is our trusted trader status. As a fully accredited Authorised Economic Operator since 2011, we are certified to meet stringent regulatory import/export standards around the world. We’re proud to have been recognised as a secure and safe link in the International supply chain.

AEO is a sign of excellence that enables a smoother journey past customs and means we’re perfectly placed to speed exports around the globe.

Even after Brexit, we’re committed to delivering on time and in full wherever our customers are in the world.

Design, Manufacture, Support

We’ve always offered the industry’s best technical support to our customers for free. Our in-house design and manufacturing give us the reliability & confidence to guarantee our customers product lifetime warranty and free lifetime technical support.

Whatever happens after Brexit, our lifetime warranty and support promises remain the same; wherever you are in the world, we’re here for you for the long haul.

 Proudly exporting around the globe for over 35 years 

Oxford University’s Global Jet Watch astrophysics project explores how matter behaves in the vicinity of black holes. Five strategically situated telescopes, separated in longitude around the globe, ensure the team are able to collect the right dark matter data at any given time of the day.  

Global Jet Watch Observatory S India - Photo Credit: Oxford University

At +12° above the equator, the Global Jet Watch observatory in Southern rural India battles debilitating humidity and extremely high temperatures (reaching above 40°C in the hot season.)

As the first such observatory to commission remote observation, it is vital that all of the installed equipment is not only able to integrate with a control panel thousands of miles away, but also reliably withstand the rugged conditions.

Thanks to Brainboxes Ethernet to Serial adapters, as installed in all five of the Global Jet Watch observatories, data from the telescope in India is cleanly and reliably communicated across the globe to the University of Oxford's Department of Physics in the UK.

An Ethernet connection into the control room, secured by Brainboxes Industrial Ethernet Switches, means that the various diagnostics of the system health can also be monitored remotely from the University headquarters.

Where the Global Jet Watch project faces extreme heat, space weather research conducted by the British Antarctic Survey shows how resilience can be added to remote data capture systems at the other end of the temperature scale.

Built on a floating ice shelf in the Antarctic, the British Antarctic Survey’s Halley VI Research Station collects important data to aid in the study of global problems from climate change and rising sea-levels, to space weather and the thinning of the ozone layer.  Thanks to an innovative autonomous power system developed by British Antarctic Survey’s engineers using Brainboxes Analogue Input modules, the station is able for the first time to remotely collect measurements all year-round.

With typical winter temperatures falling below -20^oC, extreme lows of -55^oC, and 105 days of 24-hour darkness, Halley Research Station’s location is extremely rugged as well as remote. Due to concerns over the stability of the Ice Shelf, the decision was made to staff the station only during summer months.

Halley VI Research Station, Brunt Ice Shelf, Antarctica - Photo Credit: BAS

As the data collected at the station forms part of long-term climate science models, the challenge was to develop a system with the ability to reliably power the suite of scientific instruments year-round. By installing a ground-breaking autonomous power system with a continuous fuel and data feed, the BAS team have managed to secure these measurements without the need for people on the ground. As typical diesel generator technology requires regular monthly maintenance, the BAS engineers elected to install a Capstone Microturbine Generator. With a 9-month period between necessary services, the generator is able to run throughout the winter without requiring maintenance.

This is the first time a Microturbine has ever been used in Antarctica to power instrumentation autonomously. The suite of equipment powered by the system includes; meteorological instrumentation that monitors local weather (such as cloud cover) and longer-term climate, experiments in space weather and upper atmospheric observations, and a Halogen oxide monitor to perform tropospheric chemistry. The remote data capture system is also responsible for the first unmanned measurements collected by the ‘AutoDobson’ – a fully automated model of the instrument that first discovered the hole in the ozone layer.

A major challenge in running the system remotely has been maintaining a continuous supply of fuel to the Microturbine, whilst ensuring a stable temperature inside its housing. External tanks hold approximately 50m³ of fuel and each day the Microturbine requires around 140 litres to be pumped in. To ensure correct levels, and closely monitor against fuel spills, real-time accurate data must be measured and relayed to the BAS network.

Brainboxes Analogue Input modules (ED-549) are used to monitor the fuel tank level sensors, current sensors on the pumps, pump pressure sensors - both in and out - and also to measure the fuel flow.  Fuel data, levels, pressures and valve positions are all then logged in InfluxDB - an open-source database developed by InfluxData that provides real-time storage and retrieval of data. To visualise historic data, Grafana - a multi-platform open source analytics and interactive visualization web application – allows the BAS engineers to create a complex monitoring dashboard.

The Halley Automation Project aimed to add resilience to the data capture system, whilst simultaneously testing the Microturbine as a proof of concept for future power supply to automated scientific instruments. It has now been successfully running for almost 2 years with the added economic and environmental benefit that the autonomous winter season now consumes only around 10% of the fuel burned through the same manned period.

The ability to reliably send usable data across any distance without the constraints of lengthy cabling optimises any environment. Whether in remote locations with extreme conditions, or within the walls of a factory or logistics warehouse, the same principles and technology apply.

RS Components have a Global Next Day Delivery Guarantee which leads to the shipping of approximately one order every second. Any downtime in their warehouse would negatively affect this service, making it vital that faults anywhere on the 5 miles of production line are reported in real-time to the supervisor’s office situated over half a mile away.

By installing Brainboxes Remote I/O Modules to the panel, RS are able to send usable data concerning the cranes’ processes, productivity, and faults to screens across the vast warehouse, into the supervisor’s office, and onto a mobile app. Not only does this make vital information accessible to every team member, but analysis of the data allows RS to identify trends in productivity and adjust their processes accordingly.

The Electronics Industry Awards is the premier event for the electronics sector, annually recognising the very best people, products and business practises at the forefront of innovation.

Brainboxes are proud to have won in 2 categories at the first ever virtual Electronics Industry Awards ceremony, which took place on Thursday 24th September 2020.

Massive thanks to everyone who voted, we're looking forward to providing the best customer service and continuing to excel in innovation into 2021 and beyond!

The new SW-008 10/100 Mbs Ethernet switch has 8 galvanically isolated ports to provide safe operation in tough environments and extreme temperatures (-10°C to +60°C / -14°F to +140°F.)

Easy to install into your existing network; the SW-008 is compact at just 30mm wide. The integral mount allows for efficient wall-mounting or integrates with Brainboxes MK-048 optional accessory for DIN-rail mounting.

The power supply wide voltage range means the SW-008 can run from a computer’s USB, a standard car battery (making it ideal for in-vehicle/aboard boat applications) or a 24VDC factory floor supply.

Power consumption is optimised for maximum efficiency with a power down mode for when the device is inactive. 

At a glance:

• 8 Ethernet ports – bi-directional data flow
• No software required - simply plug in and connect
• Wide operating temperature range -10°C to +60°C / -14°F to +140°F
• Wide voltage input range +5V to +30V DC - can be powered by varied sources
• Compact design
• Integral wall mount - efficient use of space
• Lifetime support & warranty

SW-008

8 Port Unmanaged Ethernet Switch Wall Mountable

SW-005

5 Port Unmanaged Ethernet Switch Wall Mountable

The Electronics Industry Awards - Virtually The Same

10x Faster than Fast Ethernet - Introducing SW-015 

Wall mountable, wide voltage (5V to 30VDC) options, compact form factor, and cost effective are the main reasons customers have given for choosing our SW-005 in a very competitive market.  

The new SW-015 builds on the popular features of the SW-005, with the addition of the Gigabit standard, enabling 10x faster than Fast Ethernet data transmission speeds.

With a lot of markets and technologies demanding faster speeds, the SW-015 is the perfect fit, particularly in sectors such as CCTV, Security, and Vision Systems, where more throughput of data over the network is key. 

Backwards compatible; the SW-015 can plug into older networks, and connect to devices that are 10Mbs, Fast Ethernet (100Mbs) or Gigabit, whilst detecting the highest common speed between both ends of the connection.

As with all Ethernet Switches in the Brainboxes range - the SW-015 can be powered from +5VDC to +30VDC, and has a wide operating temperature range (-10ºC to +60ºC /-14ºF to +140ºC.)

Connection monitoring automatically powers down devices when not in use for optimum energy efficiency.

At a glance:

• 5 Gigabit Ethernet ports – bi-directional data flow at super-fast speed
• No software required - simply plug in and connect
• Backwards compatible – plug into older networks & connect to existing devices
• Wide operating temperature range (-10ºC to +60ºC/-14ºF to +140ºF)
• Wide voltage input range (+5V to +30V) - can be powered by varied sources
• Compact design
• Integral wall mount - efficient use of space

Shop the Industrial Gigabit Ethernet Switch Range

Industrial Ethernet Switches

Brainboxes are proud to be part of the Virtual Sensor Show and Congress 2020. Visit us to find out how we can help you on your Industrial IoT journey.

UK 09:30-15:15 BST

EUROPE 10:30-16:15 CEST

NORTH AMERICA 09:00-15:15 PDT/ 12:00-18:15 EDT

Brainboxes are proud to be nominated in 4 categories for this year's prestigious Electronics Industry Awards:

* Internet of Things Product of the Year - BB-400 Industrial Edge Controller

* Excellence in Innovation

* Best Customer Service

* Industry Personality of the Year - Luke Walsh, Managing Director

To give Brainboxes your vote click here Finalists will be announced on Monday 1st June 2020

Why is Raspberry Pi so popular with engineers?

The availability of fantastic open source software makes Raspberry Pi special. Selling over 30 million units worldwide, Pi has become so much more than the educational tool intended to get school aged kids interested in computer science. In a world dominated by massive data centres and cloud-based applications, engineers love the low-cost computer for the accessibility it affords to IIoT projects.  

After completing and validating an industrial Pi prototype, engineers are faced with a decision; switch to a platform created specifically for the rigours of the factory floor and risk increasing the cost and time to market, or gamble with deploying the prototype.

Can Pi connect to industrial sensors?

Sensors, typically requiring 12-24V power and signalling changes using the same voltage, are essential to any industrial application that requires automated control. Raspberry Pi’s GPIO input circuitry can be driven to either 3.3V (high) or 0V (low). So, whilst a 12V industrial sensor might initially work hooked up straight to a Raspberry Pi, in long-term projects the incompatibility of the currents will almost certainly cause problems.

Connecting a sensor to Raspberry Pi directly often means stripping the sensor’s wiring and soldering the cable to the correct GPIO pin. The 12 or 24V of an industrial sensor will then be driven straight to the Pi with nothing in the way to protect Pi’s internal circuitry, including the processor. By adding extra circuitry as a buffer between the input pin and the Pi, it is possible to extend the processor’s source/ sink current capabilities, and prevent excessive power dissipation in the chip.

Can industrial EMI cause problems for a Pi prototype?

Industrial environments are often loud, but it’s the silent noise – the electronic interference - that can damage the performance of sensors and communications systems or stop them from functioning altogether.

There are varied solutions for EMI management – increasing the distance between the source and the susceptible device, rerouting cables, even experimenting with the orientation of devices can limit problems. However, particularly in an environment with many potential sources of interference, the best solution is to ensure equipment is designed to minimize emissions and be less vulnerable to external EMI. 

How hot is too hot for Pi in industry?

To keep costs low, the Raspberry Pi is built with commercial-grade chips which are qualified to different temperature ranges; the Microchip LAN7515 is qualified from 0°C to 70°C. The SoC (System on Chip – the integrated circuit that does the Pi’s processing, a Broadcom BCM2837B0) is qualified from -40°C to 85°C.

In some tests, the Pi’s SoC has been shown to exceed 100^oC, when pushed beyond its qualified operating temperature range its long-term performance is not guaranteed.

Fortunately, any solution that decreases the effect of high temperatures, such as moving Pi into an upright orientation, adding an external fan, or employing a heat-sink, can help keep Pi’s SoC under the soft limit.

What are the industrial power considerations?

Raspberry Pi is powered by a very specific +5.1V and 2.5Amps supply - the majority of factories with have power supplies of 12/24 VDC. Alongside this mis-match of input supplies, in a factory where a common attempted fix for a malfunctioning machine might be to pull the power rather than diagnose the root cause, the resulting memory corruption issues can cause expensive downtime.

How does Brainboxes BB-400 industrialise Pi for the factory floor?

Brainboxes BB-400 Industrial Edge Controller
equips Pi with hardware fit for purpose,
an industrial Raspberry Pi
that eliminates the need to gamble
with a system that doesn’t meet specs.

• 8 Digital IO lines - sensors and actuators are not wired directly to the Pi, rather electronics between the input pin and the chip do the work which prevents industrial voltages damaging the Pi.

• Embedded numbered terminal blocks – no soldering to create secure connections allowing multiple reconfigurations. It’s a lot easier to decipher correct connections when you don’t have to count down a row of tiny header pins!

• Fully EMC compliant - the BB-400 doesn’t emit significant amounts of EMI, and crucially for industrial applications, continues to function as intended in the presence of machines and devices that do.

• Custom aluminium heatsink - maximised surface area to utilise thermal conduction and draw heat away from the processor.

• 5-30 VDC power supply – wide voltage input matches industrial power supplies.

• UPS power management - Dual redundant supply means that if one power supply fails, the other will take over straight away reducing the risk of memory corruption. On board super capacitors offer clean shutdown if power is interrupted, and an onboard log to document exactly when power failure occurred.

BB-400 Product page

Download the free guide to prototyping on a Pi

At Brainboxes, we are proud to supply our products to several of the infrastructure sectors essential to navigating the current Global Coronavirus pandemic, such as: the provision of energy, food production and waste disposal, health resource supply chains, transportation and water treatment.

After implementing safeguarding actions within our facility, we’re happy to inform our customers that we have been able to maintain our usual levels of production and supply, and we are confident that this will continue throughout the worldwide crisis. As our continuity of supply to our resellers is unaffected; our products are still available through our partners. See our WHERE TO BUY for your nearest stockist.

Our Current Position

The measures that we put into place as soon as the crisis was made public have allowed us to continue our in-house design, manufacture, and support without any reduction in working hours or output:

• Our production facility, whilst remaining fully operational, was placed on lockdown straight away with all non-essential visits cancelled.

• An occupational safety review was conducted to ensure all production staff can continue to perform their roles at a safe distance from each other. Our production team will now be running in split shifts with no contact between groups.

• Further to the safeguards inside the facility, all of our staff were briefed on the isolation and distancing guidelines to further minimize risk to themselves and their households.

• Remote access arrangements were made as soon as the pandemic developed, meaning the majority of our office staff have been working from home.

Thanks to these actions, and the continued support of all of our staff, we are happy to note that there have been zero known infections within our company this far.

Stay safe,

Your Brainboxes Team

Our sales team are here to support all of your requirements, and can be reached by PHONE or by EMAIL and our technical support team of highly qualified software and hardware engineers are available to help by phone, website live chat or remote desktop connection. LIVE SUPPORT is available Monday to Friday between 9am - 5pm (BST)

For a full run-down, visit the January 2020 Release Update

Or, click here to see what you missed in our June 2019 Release Update

Thank you to everyone who visited

our stand, attended Luke's presentation,

and made this year's Smart Factory Expo

one of the very best yet!

We'll be in touch soon!

“We have offices in America, Japan & France but we are a #Liverpool business and our design, manufacturing & software teams are all based here...” Luke Walsh, MD of industrial electronics company @brainboxes_ltd gives us a quick demo of his very smart product at #SmartFactoryExpo pic.twitter.com/3mu3TjWBSb

— Invest Liverpool (@investliverpool) November 14, 2019

From humble beginnings in our founder Eamonn Walsh's family home back in October 1984: to our status today as a world-class manufacturing facility exporting innovative products around the globe; we're proud to turn 35!

“For 35 years we've overcome challenges of huge economic, social & technological change. This has never been more true than today as the UK faces plans to leave the EU common market. Yet, the fundamental aspirations Brainboxes was built on back in 1984 remain just as important today & will be the values that guide us to further success over the next 35 years & beyond.”

Luke Walsh, Managing Director

 Read our Brexit Promise Here

To celebrate an impressive 35 years in business, we were fortunate in bringing together our colleagues, friends & family for a special night at The Titanic Hotel in Liverpool.

Eamonn Walsh, the founder of Brainboxes, met the BBC’s Mark Mardell at our company headquarters this month to discuss the impact of Brexit on technology manufacturers in the North West. As a leading global supplier of connectivity devices, Brainboxes exports to more than 80 countries worldwide, including the USA, China, Japan, India and countries throughout Europe, which provides us with a unique perspective on the opportunities and challenges of Brexit and a potential no-deal scenario.

Established in 1984, Brainboxes is one of the most innovative technology providers in the UK. We design and manufacture all our products in Britain, with highly qualified software and hardware engineers, matched by a world-class in-house manufacturing facility.

Brainboxes’ devices connect to sensors, alarms, detectors, HMIs, gauges, relays, thermocouples, and much more, and send this machine information to a company’s IT network or the cloud to facilitate remote monitoring and control from centralised computers. This delivers “big data” that enables Industry 4.0 automation and smarter processes, and enter the world of the Industrial Internet of things, or IIoT. As a result, this provides companies with an effective way of monitoring and control of devices and machines, and can have a dramatic effect on a company’s overall efficiency and productivity.

Our global supply chain has gained us a reputation for extremely reliable, highly configurable and easy-to-use products. They can be implemented by any industry and sector of any size, from manufacturing production lines and facilities management to security and medical monitoring, or any company that uses machines and devices in their processes.

Start your Industry 4.0 journey with Brainboxes

Brainboxes’ products are designed to enable companies to take a significant step forward on their Industry 4.0 journey straight out of the box. See for yourself how easy it can be to automate, monitor and control, and start producing meaningful insight into your processes by calling Brainboxes on +44 (0)151 220 2500 or by emailing marketing@brainboxes.com.

The 2019 event will host 7,000+ attendees, 300+ exhibitors on the Expo Floor and leading experts from the industry in a comprehensive sensor-focused Conference Program. The Expo also offers unparalleled event features and networking opportunities.

Visit Brainboxes on stand 1312 from June 26-27 and see our latest product in action. We are presenting the BB-400 NeuronEdge controller, an innovative solution that can quickly and simply get the data from your sensors and equipment into a meaningful state.

Contact us to get a complimentary Expo pass and discount on the conference: sales@brainboxes.com.  

Get connected and start your IoT journey: Brainboxes solution enables you to achieve a significant step on your IIoT journey.  See for yourself how easy it can be to start producing meaningful insight with the BB-400 NeuronEdge controller. Connect your sensors and equipment and get instant access through the web interface. Use the free APIs to control your data your way.

Seamless prototype to deployment: Program and develop your application in your favorite language. Benefit from opensource software and a suite of APIs. The BB-400 NeuronEdge controller built around Raspberry Pi technology allows you to prototype on familiar software and deploy seamlessly to industry, whilst providing the industrial connections you need. 

Sense, sort and send your machine data: Minimize downtime, speed up response times and maximize profits. The BB-400 NeuronEdge controller is a retrofit solution for machinery of all types and ages. Get insights from your equipment in a format that suits you and take a step towards future proofing your factory.

Introducing
The BB-400

See full
Specification

Talk to us:
855-958-2502

Email Us:
sales@brainboxes.com

TME and Brainboxes will join forces to bring our product lines to the show floor amongst a wide range of Round Tables, Scientific Conferences, and Technical Workshops discussing the big challenges facing tomorrow’s industry. Witness first-hand the latest in technological achievements in Automation, Mechatronics, Robotics, and Industrial Digitisation as we, and many other like-minded companies demonstrate our latest offerings. Come say hello at Stand M071, Pavilion 5, between Tuesday 28^th and Thursday 30^th of May, where you can find a plethora of Drive Systems, Sensors, Industrial Automation Solutions, PSUs, Connectors, and many more.

Venue: Fiere di Parma Fairground Viale Delle Esposizioni, 393/A, 43126 Parma PR, Italy

Stand: M071, pavilion 5

Opening hours: 28-30.05.2019 09:30-18:00

More Info: https://www.tme.eu/en/pages/news/21538/let-s-meet-in-parma-at-the-sps-italia-fair

Come and meet us on Stand D11 at Industry 4.0 Summit & Expo @industry_4 in Manchester 10 & 11 April

Showcasing the latest products and services for Industry 4.0, IIoT, & Digital Manufacturing this is the UK’s largest event for the 4th industrial revolution. See the future of manufacturing from leading experts, understand government policy, gain support & access to finance, adopt the latest business models, hear about large- & small-scale 4.0 case studies, and what this means for your business. 

Brainboxes are involved in the following sessions: 

DAY 1: Predictive maintenance Clinic Wednesday 1-4pm 

DAY 2: 12:00-12:15 Work Smarter – practical ways to introduce IIoT

With over three hundred exhibitors AUTOMATICON® is the most important trade fair for automation, control, measurement and robotics in Poland. In it's 24th year, there are products, software, components and measuring devices on show and Maritex will be demonstrating Brainboxes' remote IO devices.

Maritex can be found in Hall 1, booth D27. 

November sees three fantastic shows taking place across Europe in the same week. Brainboxes have teamed up with RS Components for the Smart factory Show, Liverpool, TME for Matelec, Madrid, and Meilhaus for Electronica, Munich. Each exhibition has an interactive demonstration that shows how easy it can be to start producing meaningful insight with the BB-400 NeuronEdge controller.

The BB-400 NeuronEdge combines Brainboxes proven IO and serial connectivity with a range of network connections to allow data to flow to the application of your choice. The innovative design uses a Raspberry Pi Compute module and an Arduino to provide edge processing. The Pi is supported by a power management system, making it robust enough for the demands of industry.

The edge is where the factory meets the network and communicates, this is a place where smart technologies can show their worth. Machines constantly generate signals, but this raw data has little meaning. It is usually when signals change that they become interesting to us. Controllers with edge processing-power filter the noise down to data that is worth sending out to the network or cloud – moving us from machine to insight.

Having an edge controller that gives you the flexibility of PC systems with open source API programming options makes integration and customisation user friendly.

With modern software, interpreting the outputs of common production hardware like lights and sensors becomes simple. Combining insights from machinery of all types and ages can be done through a preferred programming language, such as C# and Python or visually in NodeRED, circumventing many of the interoperability issues that have traditionally hampered integrated automation.

Brainboxes are providing a solution that enables you to achieve a significant step on your Industry 4 journey out of the box.  

See the BB-400 at Smart Factory Expo Liverpool with RS Components stand B41, 14^th-15^th November, at Matelec with TME, stand 3B02A, 13^th-16^th November, and Electronica with Meilhaus, Hall A3 stand 107, 13^th-16^th November.

For more information contact: sales@brainboxes.com

read more 

Brainboxes are proud to be supporting Matelec at this event with a demonstration of our latest Industry 4 product. This will be the first opportunity in Spain to see the BB-400 NeuronEdge Controller, a smarter way to connect your production line.

Visit TME stand 4B22 Pavilon 4 to see how simple it is to make exisiting applications Industry 4 ready.

In the smart factory the physical machinery of the factory floor is connected to your computer network, the Internet or a Cloud Service. This enables you to monitor and control all your machines from a central PC, tablet or smartphone, either locally or remotely.

By controlling your machines at one central point, you can steamline your factory floor and increase automation in your workplace. Just as importantly, as you monitor the machine data fed to your computer network, you can use a variety of software packages to gain valuable intelligence and insight into your processes and discover new ways to increase efficiency and productivity. When a company embraces Industry 4, there are often substantial financial benefits.

Industry 4 and IoT

Reports agree that industry will account for a large proportion of the devices connected in the Internet of Things (IoT). (Note that Industry 4 and IoT are two terms which essentially describe the same concept.)

There is no reason to delay; the technology exists today to make Industry 4 a reality.

Since production machinery often represents one of the largest capital investments for businesses, updating production lines can be prohibitively expensive and it is often a major strategic decision. However, purchasing brand new equipment just to get an ethernet port is a costly enterprise, and that's where Brainboxes comes in.

We are one of the few connectivty specialists to manufacture universal control and monitoring devices which can be 'retrofitted' to equipment of all ages. This means you can exploit the significant benefits and advantages of Industry 4 without updating your equipment by installing a Brainboxes product that connects you to the wealth of information trapped in your machines.

Remote I/O devices provide a way to make that IoT connection and take the first step towards Industry 4. Brainboxes manufactures a range of devices in the UK that connect to just about any machine so you can transfer data and information to your IT network or a Cloud Service. 

Although we focus on factories and production lines in this article, Brainboxes' technology has a wide range of applications:

• It can be used in facilities management or residential buildings to monitor and control energy usage, entry systems, lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment. 
• It can be used in site security to monitor and control CCTV cameras, smoke detectors, proximity sensors, automatic lights, alarms, proximity sensors and automatic entry barriers. 
• It can be applied to retail point of sale to connect barcode scanners, credit card readers and cash drawers. 
• It can be utilised in distribution centres to track products coming in and out of sites and buildings. 
• It can be applied to material handling operations to develop unmanned forklift truck systems with onboard proximity sensors. 
• It can be used to track machine usage and uptimes to enable more efficient predictive maintenance routines. 

Whatever your machine or device, wherever it is, there is a Brainboxes control and monitoring option that will work for you. 

The journey to Industry 4

Here is the way Brainboxes pictures the journey from the machine level to Industry 4 insight and beyond:

1. Machine signals

   Machines produce signals just by being on. A basic example is a light that indicates when a machine has power. Inside a machine there will be signals that turn on fans in response to temperature, or change the colour of the Andon light if the conveyor stops. Outside the machine there are also signals produced by common sensors. Lots can be measured by a simple two wire sensor and this provides a very affordable way to add monitoring to a machine.

   At this level these signals can be pretty rough, noise really, that doesn’t mean much by itself, such as high/low, on/off, 1/0. But, this is all the input needed for a remote I/O device. These signals can be taken from the machine, from a PLC, HMI or from stand-alone/add-on sensors.

2. Machine state

   When we assign a value to signals they start to become useful to us. For example, if the signal to the fan is high (it is on), coupled with the conveyor running then the machine is ready to build. The machine is in a good state so the Andon light is green. If the light is green and a sensor detects an object then we can say a product has been built.

3. Machine statistics

   By recording the machine state over time we can start to determine how much of a production shift a machine was up and running for, or how long it took complete a cycle and make a product. This is the basic data needed to complete the OEE equation. This requires data to be stored in a database, which can either be on a sever, in the cloud or by the device itself in what is known as edge processing.

4. Insights

   Essentially machine statistics over time; insight can be achieved by looking at patterns in shift data. Like correlating machine temperature against breakdowns or optimising the maintenance schedule.

   This is where we reach a level of abstraction, a step away from the factory floor and the mechanical processes, where we add in the factors and nuances that are unique to our application. The insights and resulting changes can be surprising and extend beyond the production line.  

5. Intelligence

   The last level is to use intelligent software to learn machine patterns, increase productivity and implement predictive maintenance. There are easy-to-use platforms and software out there already that aim to help with this: Node-RED visual flow software, IBM's Watson, Google’s Cloud Prediction API and TensorFlow, and Microsoft Azure. All offer Cloud-based ways to tackle data analytics, whether it's big data or just big to you.

Start your journey with Brainboxes

We offer reliable digital and analogue devices that are compatible with hardware and software, enabling you to take a firm step on your industry 4 journey, no matter where it leads.

Our support teams are always on-hand to help you explore and discuss this technology and how it could be applied to your business. If you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with our customer support team via email at support@brainboxes.com or over the phone on +44 (0) 151 220 2500. We look forward to hearing from you. To find out more, below are just some of the connectivity devices that we manufacture in the UK and sell in more than 40 countries worldwide.  

Power Input

• 5 pin colour coded and labelled removable terminal block
• +5 to +30 VDC dual redundant power supply

8 Digital IO lines

• Software selectable as input or output
• All lines either NPN or PNP 
• LED status for each line
• Input up to +30VDC

UPS Uninterruptible power supply

• UPS consists of two large capacitors, acting as batteries to provide back-up power
• When supply is interrupted the UPS provides enough power for the Compute module to shutdown cleanly, preventing corruption of the disc
• Shutdown is triggered automatically when the UPS is activated
• 4 LEDs show the status of UPS

Ethernet ports

• 2 standard Ethernet Magjack ports
• Both with status and link LED indication
• Ethernet ports are separate (not a switch)
• Separation can help simplify set up
• Provides network engineers with administrative options
• 1 provides an uplink for transferring data onto the corporate network or beyond
• 1 provides LAN for linking devices on the factory floor
• Link LED, green, indicates there is a connection made between the device and something capable of communicating, the status of this LED is controlled by the hardware
• When Link LED flashes green information is being transmitted
• Status LED for LAN port indicates 10/100mpbs off=10 on =100

Wi-Fi

• 802.11 b/g/n standard Wi-Fi
• Alternative to the uplink port
• Enables an internet connection where cable can’t be run

Pi Compute Module 3

• An industrial module made by Raspberry Pi
• Provides the processing power
• Familiar Linux CLI terminal software/interface

Realtime clock

• Time and date stored – timestamping preserved if shut down
• Battery backup keeps chip running
• Battery is replaceable

Use in conjection with other Brainboxes devices to customise and expand your aplication. 

User friendly Software

• Easy configuration through web based dashboard
• Open source, Linux system, provides accessible programming and customisation options
• Use with ASCII and JSON, Websockets and REST 
• Free APIs, such as .NET with more being added.
• Benefit from large developer communities using the open source software.


 

Contact sales@brainboxes.com to book your advance evaluation  

For 30+ years, Sensors Expo & Conference has established itself as North America's premier event focused exclusively on sensors and sensor-integrated systems. In the heart of Silicon Valley, at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California - the event is focused on solutions for your present sensing technologies while exploring sensing technologies that are driving tomorrow's solutions.

Brainboxes: Robust, Reliable, Retrofit 

The BB-400 NeuronEdge combines Brainboxes proven IO and serial connectivity with a range of network connections to allow data to flow to the application of your choice. The innovative design uses a Raspberry Pi compute module and Arduino to provide edge processing. The Pi is supported by a power management system, making it robust enough for the demands of industry.

The edge is where the factory meets the network and communicates, this is a place smart technologies can show their worth.

Machines constantly generate signals, but this raw data has little meaning. It is usually when signals change that they become interesting to us. Controllers with edge processing-power filter the noise down to data that is worth sending out to the network or cloud – moving us from machine to insight.

Having an edge controller that gives you the flexibility of PC systems with open source API programming options makes integration and customisation user friendly.

With modern software layering up the outputs of common production hardware like lights and sensors becomes simple. Combining insights from machinery of all types and ages can be done through a preferred programming language, such as C#, circumventing many of the interoperability issues that have traditionally hampered integrated automation.

More details and full specification will be released in the coming weeks. If you are interested in testing the BB-400 for your application please contact our sales team – sales@brainboxes.com

Farnell are on stand F2.02 with Brainboxes' IO Demo. Brainboxes have worked with Farnell for many years and together continue to showcase the best and latest technologies to continue to keep our customers up to date.

Farnell element14 is the Development Distributor, a global partner that supports the technology community at every stage. From developing the dreams of students and makers to helping professional engineers develop their ideas and products, we build a community that benefits from our technology. - Over 650,000 products in stock ready for same-day ship - 900+ new products added every week - Unparalleled customer service online, over the phone or in person - 24/5 tech support in local languages - Market-leading community with 430,000 engineers online www.element14.com

www.amper.cz

Brainboxes' partner Betterbox will be there, stand D263, demonstrating how digital IO technology can unlock the data from machinery of all ages and get you started with an IoT application that works for you. 

We are in the era of big data, but it only helps industry if it is the right data. Betterbox help their customers to find the connection solution that gives them access to the data that makes the difference. 

www.datacentreworld.com

Please note that our offices are closed over the Christmas holidays from 5pm (UTC+0 time) 22nd December until Tuesday 2nd January 2018.

If you have requirement for Brainboxes devices over the holidays please take a look at our list of resellers to find your local stockist - where to buy

PCs and Servers

Serial connectivity was originally on-board and fitted inside the PC. This remains a great way to achieve a serial connection. Consider if you:

• Have a PC or server with available PCI/PCIe slots
• Want a local connection, i.e. your Serial device and PC are next to each other

Our UC range of PCI cards and the newer PX range of PCIe Express are fitted directly into the PC or server. Reasons you might choose serial cards:

• Need custom combinations from our extensive PX range
• Need powered or ultra-baud rate cards like our CC Range
• Need great value options like our IS and IX ranges

Laptops

Of course, many of us now use laptops and there are very few on the market that come with the 9 pin D serial connection. We know of engineers who hoard old laptops and resist getting new equipment so they can hold on to their onboard Serial port. Some laptops provided additional connection options through an expansion slot and these are still how many people want to add Serial connectivity.

The first type of these was a PCMCIA slot, often called a PC card slot, and this was gradually replaced by ExpressCard slots. Brainboxes range of PM cards for PCMCIA slots have been superseded by the VX range of ExpressCards and XC range of PCIe ExpressCards. As the requirement for this format is declining Brainboxes currently make a limited selection of these cards, but there are alternatives that not only maintain the experience of a native Serial port but also are compatible will the latest laptop connections.

We’d strongly recommend you try our USB to Serial alternative. We write our own driver for our US range, which eliminates many of the issues that have put people off making the switch from the Express cards to USB. Consider a trial of our USB to Serial if:

• You have a modern laptop
• Can only guarantee availability of the ubiquitous USB slot, either type A or C (like the latest MacBooks)
• Want a local connection, e.g. you want to perform diagnostics

Network and Cloud

Whether you have a PC or laptop if you want to connect to a serial device over a distance or need to eliminate the noise and latency of lengthy cabling you should consider Ethernet to Serial. Our range of ES devices will give you the same functionality of a native serial port over a network connection. If you have two ES devices you can ‘tunnel’ between them without a PC and connect two remote serial devices as if they were next to each other. Consider Ethernet to Serial if:

• You need to connect over longer distances or can’t run cabling
• The network is your best connection
• Want to be able to get your serial device on to your network
• Or even run your application without an additional PC or laptop

Our Ethernet to Serial provides a robust and future proof way to keep connected to your Serial devices. We have devices installed around the world in demanding applications where reliability and data integrity cannot be compromised, such as banking and the medical sector.

Put an ES device to the test today – talk to our sales team about evaluations.

Brainboxes will be there with a demonstration of our Remote IO devices - perfect for getting the data from your sensors and machines on to your network and into the reports that matter to you and your production managers. See our Anaolog devices in action on Stand 5kb.

Two brand new feature areas will be debuting at Sensors & Instrumentation 2017; Connecting Industry LIVE, where visitors will be able to see live on stage demos from exhibitors and leading suppliers, and the Drone Zone, a dedicated area focusing on real life applications of advancing drone technology with exciting demonstrations of drone agility and opportunities for visitor participation.

Returning for 2017 is the ground-breaking CPD accredited seminar programme, which will be presented by exhibitors and prominent figures within the industry and will address contemporary issues and topics, and the PR Electronics Formula 1 Car Simulator  Micro | Nano | Mems, a specialist feature area covering the full spectrum of ultra-precision process technologies, will also return for its ninth year.

With backing from high profile sponsors, the UK’s leading industrial publications and co-located alongside Interplas, PPMA Show and TCT Show – Sensors & Instrumentation is set to be the must-attend industrial event of the year.

2. Provides isolation between two RS232 devices: The CB-534 isolates the connected devices from each other. This protects against relative differences in ground voltages.

3. Connect to legacy and non-conforming RS232 equipment: The RS232 standard uses a voltage swing of -/+ 5V but, some machines require a larger voltage range. This is more common with older equipment, developed before the standard was widely adopted. The CB-534 conditions the signal, outputting -/+ 11V, to make it suitable for devices which need a larger voltage input.

The CB-534 has a max baud rate of 120,000b which makes it ideal for the types of legacy machinery that need it signal conditioning and boosting. The device works at all data word lengths, parity options and stop bit combinations. This product doesn't require any software, simply connect using the easy-wire numbered terminal blocks.

As with all Brainboxes yellow-cased industrial products it is suitable for use in -30°C to +80°C/-22ºF to +176ºF extended temperature ranges and comes in a neat DIN mount format. Reliability is further enhanced with redundant dual power inputs between +5V to +30V DC meaning a second power supply can be fitted as a back-up to prevent down time should one power source fail. The power input range means the CB-534 can be run from: a 24VDC factory floor supply; a standard car battery, making it ideal for in-vehicle and aboard boats; or even a computer USB port, using an optional accessory cable (PW-650).

This product is a quick install retrofit solution that can be used in conjunction with other Brainboxes devices to help you make the most of your existing factory equipment.

The CB-534 has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of £199.

Antonica are an established company based in Sweden and have been a Brainboxes partner for over 15 years. Their team go out of their way to support their customers and deliver professional service with a personal touch.

Antonica will be displaying Brainboxes' interactive demo of Industrial Remote IO. Find out for yourself how simple processes on the line can be automated and recorded.

You can see AntonicA at IndustriMässa Norrköping 26-27 April or contact them at any time www.antonica.se/kontakt/  

The ED-560 has 4 Analogue Outputs with 12 bit resolution, individually selectable as current or voltage. The 0-10V and 4-20mA outputs allow for a wide range of common applications and the -30°C to +80°C DIN mountable format fits perfectly with industrial demands. Besides being able to instantly monitor and control from a web browser Brainboxes’ provide software integration options for Excel, databases, SCADA system or cloud. An extensive range of APIs are available making even custom applications straight forward.

 

• 4 Analogue Outputs - individually selectable as Current or Voltage
• Precision 0-10V and 4-20mA outputs
• Monitor and Control instantly from any web-browser
• Get data into Excel, a database, SCADA system or cloud
• -30°C to +80°C Operating Temperature range
• Use with Modbus or ASCII commands 

 

More about the ED-560

 

 

 

Analogue/Analog Signals

Analogue (UK) or Analog (USA) is any continuous signal, in this case electrical, where a voltages and current vary continuously over time. It is different to Digital signal, which is represented by a discrete time and value, such as binary. Whilst Digital signal is either 1 or 0, Analogue has the potential for an infinite number or values. This can be seen by the different patterns the signals make.

There are many applications where an Analogue signal is the preferred method of data collection. Examples of things with analogue patterns include; sound, pressure, position, light and temperature. Those of us old enough may remember turning the dials on our televisions or radios to pick up the analogue signal. Whilst the ‘noise’ in analogue audio and video signals has led to it being replaced with Digital there are many applications where the monitoring and controlling of continuous information is dependent on the almost infinite gradation that Analogue can provide. 

 

The Internet of things: It is widely believed that up to 30 billion devices will be connected to the internet by 2020. Real world data is variable and can come from any source. To interact with the real world electronic devices with always need an analogue interface.

Real world applications with analogue data:

Energy – wind, solar, hydro and energy storage, power monitoring, electric/gas/water metering

Aerospace – radar, satellite communications, avionics

Construction –control and automation systems, security and video surveillance, HVAC, lighting

Healthcare – medical scanning, X-ray, ECG, Blood pressure and pulse Oximetry, Blood testing, fitness testing

Manufacturing – weighing equipment, temperature control, asset tracking, motor control, robotics, test and measurement, environmental monitoring

 

 

Full range of control and monitoring solutions available:

ED-549

Ethernet to 8 Analogue Inputs + ASCII Gateway

ED-588

Ethernet to 8 Digital Inputs and 8 Digital Outputs + ASCII Gateway

ED-538

Ethernet to 4 Relays and 8 Digital Inputs + ASCII Gateway

SW-608

Hardened Industrial Ethernet 8 Port Switch DIN Rail Mountable

Read about analogue grounds

14^th-16^th March 2017, Nuremberg Germany

The leading international fair for embedded systems returns with over 930 exhibitors and a host of events and speakers.

Based in Nuremberg, Germany, Embedded World has established itself as a world leading event for all things embedded, with exhibitions and conferences covering all aspects of design and applications for hardware and software.

This year there are features on security for electronic systems, distributed intelligence, the Internet of Things or e-mobility and energy efficiency.

Brainboxes are proud to be represented at this event by our partner PLUG-IN Electronic GmbH, Hall 1/1-440. PLUG-IN will be exhibiting Brainboxes products suitable for all manner of industrial applications.

All Brainboxes products are available through PLUG-IN, an established Germany company offering personal service and an excellent value for money.

23rd Edition of Automaticon

14th – 17th March 2017, Warsaw Poland

Featuring everything automation; robotics, sensors, measurement, controls and more, the Automaticon show in Poland goes from strength to strength.

Brainboxes partner Maritex are exhibiting Hall 1 stand D-25. There will be a demonstration of Brainboxes products working with common industrial devices to provide the information and insight at the heart of the industry 4.0 future. Go and explore the technology for yourself.

Amper Future Technologies

21^st – 24^th March 2017, Brno Czech Republic

The historic city of Brno once again looks to the future of technology with the 25^th annual Amper show. With over 600 exhibitors from all over the world it is the ideal place to discover new technologies and services.

Transfer Multisort Elektronik, is one of the biggest distributors of electronic, electromechanical, industrial automatic components as well as workplace equipment in Europe and is a Brainboxes partner. TME are exhibiting, stand F2.13 and their staff will be on hand to answer any questions you might have about Brainboxes products. 

Industry 4 Summit

4^th-5^th April 2017, Manchester UK

The UK’s first conference and exhibition dedicated to the fourth industrial revolution, Industry 4 Summit aims to deliver knowledge, training and state-of-the-art technology to improve productivity, efficiency and costs. All the same benefits of the Industry 4.0 future that Brainboxes are keen to providing for our customers no matter what their size or budget.

Brainboxes’ remote I/O product demonstration will be on display and Luke Walsh will be speaking about how to move toward the industrial future today:

“It is easy to become daunted by IoT and Industry 4.0, the jargon, the hype and the arguments about what it actually means. Events like this give us the opportunity to get together and start talking the same language and explore the possibilities.”

If you would like any more information about these events or to pre-arrange a meeting please get in touch: sales@brainboxes.com +44(0)151 220 2500

Every device on the modern production line needs an Ethernet connection and that means lots of switches to provide a network connection. We are really pleased to announce we can now offer the SW-508 at a significantly reduced price, making it easier to get the number of connections you need. Our range of switches are great value yet still meet the critical industrial specification providing a robust way to connect to the equipment that's really important. 

The SW-508, is an instant-install, unmanaged Ethernet 8-port switch designed to meet the multiport networking needs of users who demand reliability and high performance.

Designed for tough environments and extreme temperatures between -40ºC to +80ºC (-40ºF to +176ºF). The SW-508 is encased in a non-conductive plastic for enhanced safety, particularly important for electrical wiring in cabinet spaces. Reliability is further enhanced with redundant dual power inputs between +5V to +30V DC meaning a second power supply can be fitted as a back-up to prevent down time should one power source fail. The power input range means the SW-508 can be run from: a 24VDC factory floor supply; a standard car battery, making it ideal for in-vehicle and aboard boats; or even a computer USB port, using an optional accessory cable (PW-650).

Easy to install into your existing network and taking up minimal space, the SW-508 is slim in size at just 45mm wide, comes with a DIN rail clip to speed up mounting inside a cabinet and designed with an “easy wire” feature using removable colour-coded and numbered terminal blocks. Power consumption is optimised for maximum efficiency with a power down mode for when the device is inactive.

The SW-508 was originally priced at MSRP £95 and is now just £82.50 / $136.13 / €115.50

Great specifications available in more form factors:

SW-508

Industrial Ethernet 8 Port Switch DIN Rail Mountable

SW-505

Industrial Compact Ethernet 5 Port Switch DIN Rail Mountable

SW-005

5 Port Unmanaged Ethernet Switch Wall Mountable

SW-608

Hardened Industrial Ethernet 8 Port Switch DIN Rail Mountable

Sensor City is an innovative initiative between education and industry aiming to foster the creation, development, production and promotion of cutting edge sensor technologies for use in a wide range of sectors.

Luke will be speaking about how to overcome the downtime nightmare by making small, affordable changes to your existing production.

Downtime costs industry hundreds to many thousands of pounds per hour. Brainboxes and their partners have worked with businesses around the world to help identify, understand and reduce machine downtime. Our connectivity products allow you to take data out of your existing machines and understand where your production line can be made more efficient.

The event will be held at Liverpool Science Park – IC1 in Liverpool’s Knowledge Quarter on Wednesday 1st March 2017 08.00 – 09.45

Read more about the project: http://www.sensorcity.co.uk/

Luke Walsh – “In 2016 I gave a presentation at Liverpool’s John Moores Universityⁱ. I was talking to the next generation of engineers about what their jobs might look like and trends which are going to shape the way engineering evolves as industry moves forward into this 4^th revolution. The tone of my original talk was quite light and fun, but there are some serious and business critical implications behind the conclusions that warrant discussing further.”

IoT, the Internet of Things is a buzzword that has been bandied about for some time. In the last year it was one of those phrases that was slapped on just about everything, whether or not it was really relevant. I think we all realise that it will be important and that we should be working towards IoT, but there is still a lot of confusion about what it really means and how it works in practice. What is our IoT world really going to look like?

Let’s imagine the good, the bad and the unfortunate for a minute:

You start the day gently awoken at 7:29am by your Sleep monitoring Garmin smart watch which detects your circadian cycle and wakes you knowing the time you wish to rise and your optimal sleep requirement.

You go into the bathroom and stand on your Withings weighing scales which shares data with Tesco. It changes your next shopping order to low sugar biscuits. But you are doing well with your tooth brush, its sent you a voucher for a free clean and polish as a reward for brushing three times daily for the last month.

You drive to work in your Tesla self-drive electric car which communicates with Microsoft office assistant to reschedule a morning meeting because the car has detected slow moving traffic ahead.

At work – the machines on the production line advise you that a motor is about to fail, but not to worry an advance replacement is automatically on the way from RS Components.

Your watch buzzed at mid-day to remind you that you had set a goal this week to walk half an hour at lunch time each day. This will help reduce your life insurance premium automatically if you continue with this for 6 months.

Back at work in the afternoon your production monitoring also informs you that when Bob is running the night shift you have more productive periods than when Jim is in charge.

Maybe it’s time to fire Jim? the government has a feed on your data and therefore already knows you’re considering this, and has pre-emptively mailed Jim with recruitment advice.

Half an hour from home your car notifies your NEST thermostat that you are on the way so it puts the heating on. You step out of our car and it automatically opens the garage, parks itself and charges the battery when electricity is cheapest by communicating with the national grid.

Your bathroom scales added healthy fish to your menu so whilst cooking dinner you change the level of room fragrance using the Febreeze IOT app on your phone. However, the scales haven’t overridden your order of beer and wine and your IoT fridge has snitched on you to your health provider. They have dispatched a test kit for liver health - maybe you won’t get that insurance discount after all.

Is this really the future of the Internet of Things?

In this imagined ‘day in the life of’ we are using a fairly broad definition of the internet of things; any device that can connect out to the internet and can monitor and/or control something. For instance, Google Nest is an example of something already on the market that fits this definition of IoT. It connects via Wi-Fi to sensors monitoring temperature and can send a command to the heating system to adjust the radiators. So, the signals, the communication, is over the internet but the control and outcome is a real world ‘thing’ (not virtual). Of course, the utopian scenario is that this automation enhances our lives, but there are some legitimate concerns and some seemingly bizarre potential repercussions.

It takes a while for any new technology to find its way in to our day to day lives, for the kinks and bugs to be worked out and to get to the real usefulness of it. Until we get to a certain point, with enough IoT applications deployed to get real data, we are speculating about the potential impact, both the positive and negative.

 Gartner Hype Cycle

So, in the Gartner hype cycle¹ we are somewhere between the peak of inflated expectation and heading for the tough of disillusionment. Having embraced smartphone technology most people are receptive to add-ons that they can control from their phones, but not every product on the market is going beyond the novelty factor to add real value to our lives. For the traditionally conservative industrial market there is still much scepticism that the benefits of IoT will outweigh issues of set up cost or security. But that is changing as engineers realise the enormous potential of IoT for industry. Gartner’s much publicised prediction is that the number of things connected “will reach 20.8 billion by 2020”. They also predicted that whilst the majority of connected ‘things’ will be on the consumer side, that more money will be spent by enterprise or business.

The industrial internet of things and the term Industry 4.0 or the 4^th industrial revolution, are often used interchangeably. More accurately Industry 4.0 encompasses IoT, but also goes beyond to describe a broader integrated and optimised approach to manufacturing. As such Industry 4.0 is strongly connected to big data, which will be supplied in no small part by internet enabled things. The development of the processing power and storage needed to manage large scale data has been an important step towards enabling the next generation of commercial IoT applications. But it doesn’t have to be big data, most IoT applications start with ‘small data’. It could be as simple as measuring up time on a machine to infer its power usage.

To update an old cliché, data is power. In tough economic times businesses can’t afford to waste money and must make expenditure decisions based on real information rather than anecdotal evidence. Of course, the production line, born as it was from a need for increased efficiency and productivity has been subject to numerous improvements over the years. Lean manufacturing, the Toyota way, six sigma and the like all start with measuring processes in order to identify waste. The larger and more complex the production set up gets, the more diverse and numerous sources and points of waste become. It is amazing how a few mis-timed seconds in one part of a factory can cause major disruption down the line and thus cost the business. But how much does it cost? Enough to make a change? Change what?

We may be dealing with an age-old problem but the cost and availability of the technology to solve it has changed dramatically and it’s one of the ways IoT will contribute to Industry 4.0.

IoT combined with big data doesn’t just enable us to make sense of large amounts of data it can also put it into context and combined with the right applications presents insight that can lead to significant cost saving.

It is at this application stage that engineers will see the biggest shift in their profession, with a merging of mechatronics, software and network IT skills. With hindsight, we might look back and say of course the Internet of Things meant the integration of internet and thing, the hands on and the virtual, blue and white collar, but we are currently just beginning to realise how the skills profile of our workforce will need to develop. We have software engineers who program and can visualise what to do with data, but don’t necessarily know how to get at that data, what needs physically wiring in. Then we have engineers who understand the equipment and can install the hardware to get the signals out of the machines, but lack the ability to get that data into a useful format or presentable for management. Bridging the gap between the levels of data will form a key part of the Industry 4.0 transition.

So IoT is offering a way to see our production lines. Data is already there, being generated by machines already installed.  At level one we have raw signals generated by our machines, on/off, high/low. The second level assigns a value to each state, e.g. if the fan and light are on the machine is running. At the third level of data we start to make it useful to us and we are generating some statistics, such as, if we record the time the machine is running we can report the uptime across a shift. At the fourth level, we are monitoring uptime over time and getting to insights that enable improvements.

If we think back to our imaginary IoT day and poor Jim who we were about to fire. Looking at our integrated data we can see on Jim’s shift more essential maintenance was performed, decreasing his output, but reducing breakdowns for the following shifts. Overall Jim is contributing a better performance than Bob.

Obviously, there could be many reasons why maintenance is happening on Jim’s shift but not on Bob’s and it is critical we don’t jump to conclusions. Our handling of data will need to become increasingly sophisticated. Particularly as we unlock large amounts of information and bombard ourselves with statistics it will be challenging to make the right interpretations.

An example I gave to the students was about a drug which diagnoses a disease accurately 99% of the time. However, in a population where only 1% of the people have the disease, the 1% false positive actually results in an 20% misdiagnosis. Work through the maths and you’ll see something which sounds acceptable at first would be disastrous in real life. Another famous example is the case of the missing bullet holes². The story goes when planes returned to base in WW2 the engineers would look at where the bullet holes were and reinforce those parts of the aircraft. It wasn’t until someone realised it was the planes that didn’t make it home that had the holes they really needed to see that they could make the right improvement.

These examples show how we need to ask the right questions and understand the response we get. What we haven’t yet reached with the Internet of Things and what might be some way off, is leaving the response to that top level of insight to an automated system. Ultimately, we shouldn’t feel removed from our systems but more connected to them. In the best scenarios, the interface, the application and the hardware work together so that they and not you are the invisible part. We may never want to relinquish decision making control; it is important that IoT and Industry 4.0 work for us at the level we want.

The comedy illustration for the downside of autonomous IoT systems is the hacked fridge. Whilst the image of hackers sat in dark basements trying to disrupt our Ocado order or that out white goods will be in cahoots with a nanny state over our beverage consumption is amusing, but if you substitute fridge for mission critical piece of equipment it becomes an industrial nightmare.

One of the most frequent concerns we hear is security. Amazon’s Echo ordering from your TV’s adverts is inconvenient, the idea your conversations or private data are visible to third parties is a corporate disaster. At one point Windows 10 automatically shared your Wi-Fi passwords with your contacts³. Samsung issued a press release in 2016 asking their customers not to have private conversations in front of their Samsung Smart TVs⁴. A feature that was conceived as an enhancement to make life easier is in practice clearly an undesirable security risk.

But security has always been an issue. For companies large and small, in the virtual and real world there are countless examples where we have got it wrong. (Check out human hacker Jenny Radcliffe talking about how she breaks into banks for a livingⁱ). Naturally with the internet our errors and breaches can be on a global scale which brings an understandable level of caution.

Thus, we need to think carefully about what needs to be IoT enabled, remembering true IoT is more than just networked equipment, but layers of automation and autonomy. What permissions and privacy do we need? Who are we trusting to deliver this IoT data to us? For the majority of companies an in-house custom solution will be prohibitively expensive, leaving most of us to rely on third parties and off the shelf offerings. Using IoT systems may carry the possibility of cyber-attack just as we may lock our doors and still get burgled. We take reasonable precautions relative to what we are protecting and the same common sense should apply to network or cloud security. However, In the physical world when there is a robbery, the liability is reasonably clear: we have insurance to cover us against damage and loss. In the virtual world who is at fault? The device manufacturer? The operating system vendor? The cloud provider? Should we insure against any breaches? Should we disclose breaches? Do our customers have a right to know if their data has been comprised? Should we insure against breach? Who with?

It is up to engineers to collaborate with software developers, system administrators and network architects to mitigate the risks and start designing the infrastructure of tomorrows IoT world today.

¹Van der Meulen, R. (2015). Gartner Says 6.4 Billion Connected "Things" Will Be in Use in 2016, Up 30 Percent From 2015. Available: http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3165317. Last accessed 10th January 2017.

²Ellenberg, J. (2014). How not to be wrong. Available: http://www.rigb.org/blog/2014/june/how-not-to-be-wrong. Last accessed 10th January 2017.

³Winder, D. (2015). Windows 10: Wi-Fi Sense makes no security sense at all. Available: http://www.itpro.co.uk/security/25048/windows-10-wi-fi-sense-makes-no-security-sense-at-all. Last accessed 10th January 2017.

⁴De Souza, R. (2016). Be careful of what you say in front our Smart TV, warns Samsung. Available:  https://www.hackread.com/samsung-smart-tv-listening-conversations/. Last accessed 10th January 2017.

Greenberg, A. (2015). Hackers remotely kill a jeep on the highway - with me in it. Available: https://www.wired.com/2015/07/hackers-remotely-kill-jeep-highway. Last accessed 10th January 2017.

Mathews, L. (2013). Smart toilet security flaw could leave you with a soggy bottom. Available: http://www.geek.com/android/smart-toilet-security-flaw-could-leave-you-with-a-soggy-bottom-1564411/. Last accessed 10th January 2017.

Ross, E. (2016). Baby monitors 'hacked': Parents warned to be vigilant after voices heard coming from speakers. Available: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/baby-monitors-hacked-parents-warned-to-be-vigilant-after-voices-heard-coming-from-speakers-a6843346.html. Last accessed 10th January 2017.

ⁱWatch the original talk: https://youtu.be/c4C89L4hiK0

ⁱⁱPeople hacking: https://youtu.be/-j6Y0U0e240 

Following a rigorous 2 day assessment, we are proud to announce we have received full Accreditation to ISO9001/14001:2015 fully 2 years sooner than required.

NQA is a globally recognised assessment body, having issued 35,000 certificates in over 70 countries. Brainboxes has worked with NQA since 1994, and today’s accreditation to the new ‘2015’ standards for both ISO9001 and ISO14001 makes it one of only 33 UK companies to have achieved integrated accreditation through NQA to date. 

Brainboxes’ MD, Luke Walsh comments: ‘We are firmly committed to early adoption of standards, which offer our valued customers added confidence in our products and services, as well as independent confirmation of our commitment to environmental management as a UK manufacturer. A big thank you to our quality managers Peter Gray and Dave Ritchie for making our processes as innovative as our products."

Nick Wright, Operations Director at NQA adds: “This is a clear demonstration of Brainboxes’ commitment to continual improvement in quality and environmental aspects.”

For further information please email our Quality Manager, Dave Ritchie: quality@brainboxes.com

Copies of the new Certificates can be downloaded from here: http://www.brainboxes.com/integrated-management-and-quality-system

In the retail sector point of sale systems continue to utilise the compatibility and adaptability of the RS232 interface. Medical and scientific equipment as well as the financial and banking sector favour Serial because of its relatively secure and reliable data transmission.

Whilst laptop manufacturers have been removing Serial port connectors in their pursuit of ever thinner portable devices, there simply isn't the same driving demand on the manufacturers of peripheral equipment. Though many manufacturers are adding additional types of connectivity to their new models, they recognise that Serial continues to provides an excellent connection for commercial applications and is favoured by many engineers. 

Reasons to choose Serial:

• Compared to USB, RS232 can be run over cables up to 15m long, offering flexibility whilst maintaining a physical connection
• Simple protocol requiring little software support
• Still the de facto programming option for PLCs, VFDs, servo drives, and CNC equipment
• Great for headless and embedded systems
• Set up correctly it can provide error free data transmission with minimal maintenance
• Great compatibility with legacy equipment and systems
• Point to point – easy and cheap to implement

Brainboxes’ PCI Express cards are amongst our most popular and established products, offering a great solution whether it’s a one off or a volume roll out. With great software compatibility across an extensive range of connection options there’s a product to match any situation.

We have recently assisted in a large roll out of PCIe cards, working with a retail customer from conception to delivery, supporting their application development. For this project we provided a customized RS232 + LPT card, with exactly the right number of connections for the customers peripherals and provided a driver just for their specific version of Linux. This meant that every installation was as quick and simple as possible, saving their engineers valuable time. As every card is manufactured in our Liverpool headquarters we were able to deliver to their schedule.

For over 15 years we have provided serial solutions to a major company in the banking sector. The PC hardware has changed considerably over the years but we provide continuity of functionality through our products and support. One of the main advantages for an industry where time really is money, is the reliability of the serial connection and Brainboxes support on hand to assist their engineers in achieving minimal downtime and hassle free operation. 

Our high speed Serial cards are used in military grade and space applications. With data transfer rates fifteen times faster than standard Serial cards our solutions save valuable time when handling large amounts of data. 

Reasons to choose Brainboxes for your Serial installation:

• Commitment to supply and support - we design and manufacture all products 
• Latest version and custom Driver/OS Support - continued compatibility
• Lifetime support service- from conception to maintenance at the level you need

Get an out of the box solution for your unique application – talk to us today.   

PX-246

1 Port RS232 PCI Express Serial Card

PX-387

1 x RS422/485 PCI Express Serial Port Card With Opto Isolation

CC-525

2 Port RS422/485 PCI card up to 18 MegaBaud

Select a future proof solution that will allow system expansion whilst connecting all those reliable but decades old machines.

There are tons of signals produced by factory equipment, but its finding the ones which are important and can provide beneficial insight that is the starting point for industry 4.0. How we get from an electrical circuit, to a productivity report, to an intelligent flexible process starts with getting the right connection. That’s why brainboxes devices offer multiple ways to unlock the signals from your machines and get them into a useful state.

The benefit of control, monitoring and automation for factories and plants is the improvement of efficiency, often measured as OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) can maximise production and minimise hidden costs such as down time, making factories more profitable.

An option is to use our API library to write your own software. API stands for application programming interface, which, as the name suggests, offers an interface between a device and the programming language you are familiar with. For example we offer C#, Python, Perl, and Visual basic to name a few. APIs make life easier for software developers enabling them to get applications up and running faster.

However, if you want something specific, but don’t know how to go about it, we can help write the software for you and provide custom control and monitoring solutions that display the information and insight that’s important to you.

Our staff are always happy to chat, so if you have any questions please get in touch.

We have three interactive customised demonstrations of our remote monitoring and control at this year's electronica.

• We'll be demonstrating our latest analogue devices and discussing all things industry 4.0 on stand B2.345.
• Our partner PlugIN have a digital monitoring and control demo stand A1.201
• And Partner RS have a machine monitoring demo that interacts with IBM Watson, stand  A4.241

The biennial, electronica exhibition showcases the electronics industry's entire range of technologies, trends, products and solutions. It has become the World's Leading Trade Fair for Electronic Components, Systems and Applications.

Alongside the exhibitions there will be comprehensive conference program and forums from automotive to wireless and of course the Industrial internet of things. 

Look for the lego

We are honoured to be Rapid Electronic’s guest supplier on stand H70. 

Billed as the UK’s biggest design event for engineering, electronics and embedded design, the Engineering-Embedded-Electronics Design Show is now in its fifth year. 

The show is based at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, and features a diverse line up of interesting speakers and thought provoking events, alongside over 200 exhibitors.

Broadline distributor and Brainboxes’ partner Rapid Electronics are on stand H70. If you haven’t had the chance to see Brainboxes’ products in action you can explore a demo of remote IO products controlling and monitoring a range of common factory equipment. 

Read more from Rapid

After joining the Company as the first full time employee way back in 1985 Paul has spoken to thousands of customers and prospective customers all over the world. He has been the Company’s top salesperson for more than half this time, and led the introduction and sale of dozens of our newly designed and manufactured products to global markets over this time.

Paul retired from active service at Brainboxes at the end of August, and the whole Company wish him well as he enters this new season in his life. He will be greatly missed, and has been a fine example of Brainboxes long-standing commitment to serving our customers from an initial enquiry through to lifetime after-sales support.

"Paul is a man of integrity, and can turn his hand to any task. We are going to miss having him and his depth of knowledge in the office. I'm sure we'll have customers ringing in asking for him for years to come." Luke Walsh MD. 

Luke Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes, comments: “We’ve made adjustments to a number of our cases recently to make them smaller, tougher and fit just right. The SW-608 is for all those who told us about demanding applications where enclosed metal casing offers the best peace of mind. Every part needed to be just right and we are really pleased with the look, feel and functionality of this 8 port switch.”

The SW-608 is encased in a tough but light anodised aluminium case. The body is extruded aluminium and unlike others on the market the ends are die-cast offering a superior fit and finish.

Brainboxes’ SW-608 10/100 MB/s Ethernet switch, uses a 2K packet size to enhance bulk data transfer and optimize system performance, has galvanically isolated ports to provide safe operation in tough environments and extreme temperatures between -40ºC to +75ºC (-40ºF to +167ºF).

Reliability is further enhanced with redundant dual power inputs between +5V to +30V DC meaning a second power supply can be fitted as a back-up to prevent down time should one power source fail. The power input range means the SW-608 can be run from: a 24VDC factory floor supply; a standard car battery, making it ideal for in-vehicle and aboard boats; or even a computer USB port, using an optional accessory cable (PW-650).   

Easy to install into your existing network and taking up minimal space, the SW-608 comes with a solid metal DIN rail clip to speed up mounting inside a cabinet and designed with an “easy wire” feature using removable numbered terminal blocks.  Power consumption is optimised for maximum efficiency with a power down mode for when the device is inactive. 

SW-608

Hardened Industrial Ethernet 8 Port Switch DIN Rail Mountable

Whilst businesses have three years to comply with the new ISO 9001:2015 and  ISO 14001:2015 standards Brainboxes is already transitioning to met them.  

We'd like to share with our customers our objectives and how we aim to meet them so you can understand what our compliance and accreditations mean when you do business with us:

Brainboxes' mission is to realise the fourth industrial revolution for companies, no matter what their size, using our long term track record of customer intimacy and industrial connectivity.

• Striving to lead the market in the Industry 4.0 landscape. 
• Continuing to design, manufacture and support products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. 
• Affirming our commitment to the protection of the environment, including the prevention of pollution, minimising waste, energy reduction.
• Ensuring requirements are met by working with all interested parties.

We seek to deliver direct, friendly, expert support at every step of your project to give you exactly what you need.

• We maintain a skilled team that provides a one stop shop, offering support throughout the process to deliver what the customer wants when they need it.
• Quality and Environmental policy and procedures are central to delivery of all our services.
• We are committed to continuous and effective improvement.

What does this mean for you as our customer?

Innovative products that met your expanding needs

Quality products you can 'fit and forget'

Friendly easy to deal with sales and support teams - available to you and your end user

Peace of mind

Serial Tunnelling is a method of connecting two serial devices through a network. By using an Ethernet you can extend the distance between the Serial devices beyond the limits of cabling to across the world. The tunnelling set up allows the two serial devices be connected as if they were next to each other, meaning that no intelligent intermediary device, such as a PC, is needed.

The benefits of this are that cable length, physical onsite restrictions or location are not a barrier. It also means that no additional PC, PLC or other control equipment needs to be purchased or maintained. Here is a typical serial tunnelling application between a camera, which could be installed high up on a remote site, and a joystick controller. 

When serial data is sent it is converted to Ethernet packets by one Ethernet to Serial device, transmitted over the network, then unpacked and converted back to serial data by the other Ethernet to Serial device.

The range of Brainboxes’ products you can use for Serial Tunnelling are the ES devices. These include 1, 2, 4 & 8 port devices, RS232/422/485 and Power over Ethernet. Look for any part code starting ‘ES’.

2. Can I use any ES device to tunnel?

Yes, every Brainboxes Ethernet to serial (ES) device has the serial tunnelling feature built in. You do not need to have the same device at one end as at the other, for example you could have an ES-551 with industrial temperature range and galvanic isolation in one location tunnelling to a desktop ES-257 at another.

3. How do I know when to use this feature?

The key problem it solves is distance. The data rate of the serial connection determines the maximum distance the serial data can travel over cabling. 

The maximum RS-232 serial cable length is typically 50 feet (15m). Even in a relatively small factory this distance is restrictive.  Whilst RS-422/485 has a much further max distance of 3,000 ft (1,000m) as soon as you are dealing with remote locations or multiple sites this will not be enough. This is where serial tunnelling comes in.

Serial tunnelling allows the user to set up a network connection which can span any distance, up to 40,000km/25,000 miles (the circumference of Earth). This can benefit many customers and businesses as they can save money on cabling or link devices far apart and still have a stable Serial connection.

4. Do I need to use tunnelling on all ports at once on the Brainboxes Ethernet to Serial device?

No, tunnelling is set up on a ‘per port’ basis; each port is individually configured. This is so you can tunnel one or more of the ports at the same time when using a Brainboxes ES device. Any port can tunnel to any location. In addition, you can use Brainboxes virtual com port on a windows PC to another port.

5. Can I convert between protocols when using serial tunnelling?

Yes, you can convert from RS-232 to RS-422/RS-485, or vice versa. Keep in mind if you are using RS-485 half duplex you will have to transmit under the rules of half-duplex RS-485 (transmitting data one-way at a time). You would also need the baud rate to be the same.

Baud rates must be the same when there is no handshaking (e.g. RTS/CTS, DTR/DSR), when handshaking is used baud rates can be different at each end of the tunnel. 

 6. Is serial tunnelling easy to set up?

Yes, serial tunnelling is easy to set up. There is an in-depth step-by-step guide explaining how to set this feature up in the answer below. This guide is designed to help both the tech savvy user and less experienced user.

7. How do I set up serial tunnelling?

1. Open the web configuration page of the local Brainboxes ES device using the web browser.
2. Navigate to the page of the serial port you want to use to tunnel.
3. At the bottom of this webpage you will find the device tunnelling section.

4. To connect tunnelling tick the “Enable” checkbox. Enter the Remote IP Address and Remote TCP port number of the ES device you want to connect to.

   

   Note that although serial tunnelling is a two-way communication (there is no master device), you only need to enter configuration settings on one device.

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 countdown timer has finished.
6. The devices will now be in tunnelling mode.
7. On the local device port webpage you will see the device tunnelling section with two buttons, ‘Disconnect’ and ‘Stop Tunnelling’. The ‘Stop Tunnelling’ button will disconnect the ports on the remote and local side and put both devices into an idle state. If the ‘Disconnect’ button is clicked the remote side port will be disconnected and go into the idle state, but the local side will remain in tunnelling mode.

 



 

8. On the remote device web configuration page, the serial port that is tunnelling will show that the port is connected.

 



 

9. In Boost.LAN Manager, the symbol in the image below will be displayed when a device is connected in tunnelling mode.

ES-246

1 Port RS232 Ethernet to Serial Adapter

ES-842

8 Port RS422/485 Ethernet to Serial Adapter

ES-446

1 Port RS232 PoE Ethernet to Serial Adapter

ES-511

Industrial Ethernet to Serial 1xRS232/422/485

Liverpool, England – 10^th June 2016: Brainboxes is giving a preview of their new compact Ethernet Switch at the IFB 2016. The SW-505 is an instant-install, unmanaged Ethernet 5-port switch designed to give multiple reliable Ethernet ports in those tight cabinet spaces.

The International Festival of Business takes place 13 June to 1 July 2016. As a Liverpool business, which exports worldwide, we are pleased to welcome this trade and manufacturing expo back to our city. As part of our involvement with this year’s events we are exhibiting and demonstrating our range of control and automation solutions as well as giving a first look at our latest industrial Switch product.

Luke Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes, comments: “After talking to engineers who were installing our Switches we realised that size really does matter. You don’t always have a choice on site about what size enclosure to install and you can get really stuck physically trying to get all the equipment in. We already knew that space is a premium on the DIN rail which prompted the development of our slim DIN mount case. This new compact switch is not only narrow but comes out just 94mm giving a front facing connection you can still shut the cabinet door on”

Brainboxes’ SW-505 10/100 MB/s Ethernet switch, with galvanically isolated ports with broadcast storm protection,  provides safe operation in tough environments and extreme temperatures between -40ºC to +80ºC (-40ºF to +176ºF). It uses a 2K packet size to enhance bulk data transfer and optimize system performance. The SW-505 is encased in a non-conductive plastic for enhanced safety, particularly important for electrical wiring in cabinet spaces.

As with all Brainboxes Ethernet Switches reliability is further enhanced with redundant dual power inputs between +5V to +30V DC meaning a second power supply can be fitted as a back-up to prevent down time should one power source fail. The power input range means the SW-505 can be run from: a 24VDC factory floor supply; a standard car battery, making it ideal for in-vehicle and aboard boats; or even a computer USB port, using an optional accessory cable (PW-650).   

Easy to install into your existing network and taking up minimal space, the SW-505 is slim in size at just 21mm wide and 94mm deep, comes with a DIN rail clip to speed up mounting inside a cabinet and designed with an “easy wire” feature using removable, numbered terminal blocks.  Power consumption is optimised for maximum efficiency with a power down mode for when the device is inactive.  

Speak to our sales team about advance ordering.

See the full Switch range

The research team found its solution at Brainboxes.  

Brainboxes founder Eamonn Walsh explains more:

There can be few people who haven’t heard of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) – the 27-kilometre tunnel lying under Switzerland and France. Built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) it confirmed, in 2012, the existence of the fabled and elusive Higgs boson – refered to by laymen as the ‘God particle’ that gives all matter its mass. The Higgs boson has been described as “the last missing piece of our current understanding of the most fundamental nature of the universe.”

Not so many people are aware, however, that the LHC was built to enable the study of particle physics, the study of the fundamental constituents of matter and the forces of nature. It is, perhaps, the leading edge of scientific research – certainly in the field of physics. And because it’s at the leading edge of research, off-the-shelf tools, instrumentation and so on don’t exist. They have to be designed and built by the scientists doing the research.

A case in point is a team at Cornell University in the United States – one of the world’s most respected academic institutions with a focus on research designed to change the world for the better. Cornell has been collaborating with CERN, and a team at the university is performing a test on some novel instrumentation developed by the Beam Instrumentation Group at CERN for particle beam diagnostics. The test, which is taking place at Cornell – the university has an electron accelerator – employs an optical imaging system that picks up the light produced by the electron beam as it passes through a narrow (0.5 mm) slit. The system features among its capabilities some linear motors that move optical elements such as lenses.

However, the research has at its heart a circulating electron beam – and the beam gives off radiation. That presents a challenge for controlling elements of the test, such as the movement of lenses, as the scientists cannot be located in the same room – so, in the past, it was remotely controlled via a computer located in an underground radiation-proof room adjacent to the accelerator tunnel. The situation was less than ideal, because it meant that the research team was split between those in the control room, and those in the physically remote test control room.

The ideal solution was to enable control of the test from the control room itself, allowing the whole research team to follow the measurements. CERN unearthed the solution at Brainboxes, one of the leading serial communication device developers and manufacturers in the world and with a mission to enable customers to connect, configure and control their serial devices. With headquarters in Liverpool, UK, it has a team of highly qualified software and hardware designers, and an in-house volume manufacturing facility and a global distribution chain. Substantial investments in R&D and manufacturing have gained the company a reputation for products that are easy to use, highly configurable and extremely reliable.

CERN selected Brainboxes’ ES-701 4-port RS232 Ethernet to Serial Adapter, which is designed to provide a simple, high performance way of connecting serial devices to the network. Serial ports can be configured using any browser either via the LAN or via the Internet, allowing for truly remote control of the device which can be accessed not only via a PC, but also via an Android phone or tablet. It comes with a lifetime warranty.

The Brainboxes ES-701 controls three motors from US company Zaber – but now, that control is possible from the control room, located remotely from the instrumentation, allowing the research crew to work more collaboratively.

“We no longer need some of the team to be physically located close to the instrumentation,” said Dr Stefano Mazzoni working within CERN’s Beam Instrumentation Group. “The Brainboxes solution – enabling serial devices to be attached to the network so that they can be controlled from any other asset on the network - means that we can now remotely control the image acquisition system and the positioning of mirrors and lenses. That enables us, for example, to acquire images while moving an element of the instrument, and has greatly simplified our operations and the acquisition of the data we need.”

The Brainboxes ES-701 has lived up to the Cornell team’s expectations in terms of performance, configurability and reliability – and its impact on the way the team works. Dr Mazzoni also speaks highly of the support he received from Brainboxes.

“I’ve only had the need to contact Brainboxes on one occasion,” he said, “but the answer I got back from their support people was both precise and timely. As such, my experience has been very positive.”

While not every prospective user of the ES-701 from Brainboxes will be trying to avoid radioactive contamination, its ability to reliably and flexibly enable remote control of serial devices via the network has once again been put to the test – a test it passed with flying colours. 

All images kindly supplied by © CERN

As part of Brainboxes’ continuing mission with RS Components to deliver industry leading solutions we are demonstrating a range of control and monitoring products at the show. Come and visit us on stand C22.

Over the last 30 years Brainboxes has worked with a number of utility companies providing robust and reliable communication connections. As we move forward we are continuing to help these companies make advances in efficiency and monitoring as well as working with firms to explore forms of renewable energy.

With over 150 exhibitors showcasing their latest products, services and innovations Utility Week Live has become the must-attend event in the UK's utilities industries. Besides some of the biggest names in energy and utilities attending, there are more than 400 speakers and workshops exploring aspects and issues affecting the industry today.

Brainboxes launches 8 port Ethernet switch for industrial applications, transport and marine use

Liverpool, England – 6^th April 2016: Brainboxes has launched the SW-508, an instant-install, unmanaged Ethernet 8-port switch designed to meet the multiport networking needs of users who demand reliability and high performance.

Luke Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes, comments: “We’ve been listening to our customers, and they increasingly need to extend their networks. With the drive to get equipment online and the Internet of Things taking off, even the best designed networks are running out of ports. With the SW-508 you get 8 Ethernet ports to greatly expand your network all in our neat DIN rail format and at  industrial spec.”

Brainboxes’ SW-508 10/100 8 Port Industrial Ethernet switch, that uses a 2K packet size to enhance bulk data transfer and optimize system performance, has galvanically isolated ports to provide safe operation in tough environments and extreme temperatures between -40ºC to +80ºC (-40ºF to +176ºF). The SW-508 is encased in a non-conductive plastic for enhanced safety, particularly important for electrical wiring in cabinet spaces.

Reliability is further enhanced with redundant dual power inputs between +5V to +30V DC meaning a second power supply can be fitted as a back-up to prevent down time should one power source fail. The power input range means the SW-508 can be run from: a 24VDC factory floor supply; a standard car battery, making it ideal for in-vehicle and aboard boats; or even a computer USB port, using an optional accessory cable (PW-650).   

Easy to install into your existing network and taking up minimal space, the SW-508 is slim in size at just 45mm wide, comes with a DIN rail clip to speed up mounting inside a cabinet and designed with an “easy wire” feature using removable colour-coded and numbered terminal blocks.  Power consumption is optimised for maximum efficiency with a power down mode for when the device is inactive. 

The SW-508 has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of £95.

8 Port Industrial Ethernet Switch

About Brainboxes

Established in 1984, Brainboxes develops a wide range of serial and remote I/O devices. The company manufactures and supports its own core technologies, including Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth, ExpressCard, PCI Express and PCI products. Highly qualified software and hardware engineers deliver custom-made industrial automation and test & measurement solutions. A Microsoft Certified Gold Partner, the award-winning business operates a world-class volume manufacturing facility with global distribution to match served by offices in the UK, US and Japan. Key customers include: Honeywell Aerospace, Cummins, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Santander. Find more information at www.brainboxes.com.

Luke Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes, comments: “When our customers are ready to move operating systems their Brainboxes’ devices can come with them.  I’m proud of our Brainboxes software development team for getting these drivers passed Microsoft’s rigorous signing process, as it is a critical part of continuing to provide a quality software experience for our customers.”

Windows 10 is the latest operating system to be released by Microsoft. Windows 8 users are being encouraged to transition over and with a large number of new devices, such as tablets and smart phones using the platform, Windows 10 will become more familiar to us in 2016.  

As well as improvements designed to target the smartphone and tablet market, Windows 10 aims to integrate and standardize the Microsoft experience across your devices, including for PC users. Multiple virtual desktops are available for times when you don’t have a second monitor, as well as additional options for customizing the look and feel of your display. Login using your face or iris is one of the more flashy additions, but other small changes, such as a long overdue update to command prompt, should improve the user experience.

Everyone has their favourite operating systems and sometimes equipment dictates what we have to use. Brainboxes supports every Windows operating system across our product range from Windows 2000, and often all the way back to MS DOS. That way our devices support your requirements and are compatible with legacy systems through to your brand new tablet.

Windows 10 drivers are supplied on the software CD with new products, automatically through Microsoft Update, and are also available to download from our website: http://www.brainboxes.com/software. Should you have any issues with your Brainboxes device and upgrading to the latest operating system please get in touch with our support team: support@brainboxes.com. We are here to help.

Download the latest Windows driver software now!  

Brainboxes' partners Maritex will be at the 22nd annual Automaticon show in Poland. They'll be displaying a range of Brainboxes products and will be on hand with expert knowledge on industrial automation and control.

Contact Maritex about the show

More about the show...

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to DIO devices have been building a reputation for their compatibility and ease of use. To further enhance this the digital In/Out devices can now be used with Modbus TCP protocol.

Modbus TCP is a long standing industry protocol. Many systems, old and new, implement it. Devices such as the ED-588 will now ‘talk’ Modbus allowing you to simply ‘slot’ a Brainboxes’ digital I/O module into existing Modbus TCP systems. Brainboxes ED devices are a Modbus server (slave). They can cope with multiple Modbus clients (masters) requesting information and connect to multiple varied pieces of factory equipment.

If you have already purchased an ED Ethernet to DI/O devices and wish to implement Modbus, just go to our website and you can download the latest firmware update for free. 

Millions of devices world wide support Modbus

Modbus is a messaging structure between intelligent devices, think of it a little like universal language. It is a de facto standard, truly open, and the most widely used network protocol in the industrial manufacturing environment. It has been implemented by hundreds of vendors on thousands of different devices to transfer data between control devices.

Typical Applications include:

• PLCs
• HMIs
• Gas and oil substations
• Buildings Management
• infrastructure & transportation
• Sub sea and renewable energy

Full Windows 10 Support

Brainboxes Ethernet to serial device servers can now be communicated with from Windows 10 using Brainboxes virtual com port. This means that legacy Windows applications can be used with Brainboxes Ethernet to serial devices in windows 10. Or if you are developing new applications, you can use Brainboxes Virtual Com ports across all versions of Windows (from Win 2000 and XP upwards).

Power Over Ethernet

Full support for Brainboxes new range of Power over Ethernet (PoE) products, including: 1 or 2 port RS232 Power over Ethernet to Serial (ES-446, ES-457) and 1 or 2 port RS422/485 Power over Ethernet to Serial (ES-420, ES-413).

Multiple Connections to one serial port

Brainboxes Ethernet to serial devices now allow 2 simultaneous connections per serial port, in raw TCP mode. This means the brainboxes ethernet to serial device will handle the serial connection (with or without flow control) and multiple devices can connect to it. This is useful for:

• Redundancy, e.g. a second computer can monitor data coming from the serial port
• 2 sources both requiring up to date data from the serial device

.

Full API for C# and VB to communicate with ES devices

Writing a new application? Brainboxes has worked closely with a number of our customers to develop a fully functional .NET API to make it easy to write applications in C# and Visual Basic which require Ethernet to serial. Setting the Ethernet to Serial Devices to raw TCP mode, means that no drivers needs to be installed on any of the Windows/Linux PCs the application is used. The API provides built in features like:

• Notifications if the device goes offline/online
• Notifications if the device becomes connected/disconnected
• Support from .NET v2.0 upwards
• Example code
• Great integration with Linq/PLinq

For example code and downloading instructions click here

Turn FIFO On/Off Feature

Legacy machines often have difficult FIFO, configuration settings which often make it difficult for Ethernet to Serial communication. Brainboxes latest software include FIFO On/Off feature allowing compatibility with legacy machines.

Plus fixes for multiple other issues including:

• Security Digest authentication is not working properly is now fixed.
• F/W Crash after setting Raw TCP mode and then change back to Telnet.
• UART always initialized as FULL duplex even port is set to half-duplex causing some issue on RS485 line.
• Fix for Advanced Connection Validation issue, when in RAW TCP mode, can't force COM port to connect in RFC2217 mode.
• Fix for Raw TCP mode leaking null bytes during port opening.
• Fix port CGI issue on setting serial tunnelling CGI call.
• Fix Xon/Xoff Throughput low baud rate issue.
• Fix FIFO disable check box is not working.
• Fix for RFC2217 client test.
• Workaround for 2 stopbit issue, by setting 1 stopbit and delay 1 bit time between each character transfer.
• PoE ES device fixes on 2nd Port Half duplex issue.
• Fix webpage issues.
• Add Multiple Raw TCP connection support. 2 Raw TCP connections per Serial port. Set serial port to "Raw TCP" Mode.
• Fix 4&8 port ES devices webpage not loading issue.
• Add Extra handshaking status before putting data into FIFO when FIFO is off and serial port is set to 2 stopbits to ensure faster response to handshaking DRIVER BUG FIXES/IMPROVEMENTS
• Fix for Advanced Connection Validation issue, when in RAW TCP mode, can't force COM port to connect in RFC2217 mode.
• Connection check timer recursive call causing BSOD is now fixed.
• Half Duplex test bug fixes. 2nd Port Duplex mode gets overwritten in f/w due to Driver setting is now fixed.
• Introduce Write request delay in driver for classic mode write are disable by default.
• Fix for BSOD on ExSetTimerResolution due to API get executed on DISPATCH Level.

The US-159 gives an RS-232 serial connection on one end with a high retention USB connection of the other. All connections are electronically isolated from one another in our smallest toughest case yet.

The US-159 case is in our ultra-small form factor, and can cope with industrial temperatures, is IP50 rated and has a high retention USB connection. Really tough, can’t be snapped or crushed and is well sealed limiting ingress from dirt and moisture and works from -40°C to +80°C (-40°F to +176°F).

Isolation prevents electrical damage to your expensive equipment. The US-159 has 2kV of isolation protecting from high voltage spikes, and ground potential difference. With all the different equipment and power sources factories are environments where power spikes and disturbances can be a common problem. Isolation can go a long way to protecting your equipment from these variations.

Increasingly laptops come without serial ports and small form factor PCs are losing ports too. Many substandard USB to Serial solutions are unreliable. Customers reported to us that they need add on products to be as small as possible as they were often limited for space. They also needed a strong connection as the product was taking the weight of a heavy Serial cable.

Robust High Retention USB B Type Connector has a withdrawal force of 3.2lbs. (15N) making it 50% stronger than traditional USB. High retention eliminates accidental disconnections and the USB connector won’t snap under weight of connecting cables. High retention cables give the secure connection of an integrated solution but still have the flexibility of the detachable/changeable cables.

If you’ve used our USB to Serial products before you’ll know the software is trouble free, with great compatibility and works where many others fail. That same software, with drivers for all latest Microsoft OS including Windows 8.1 comes with the US-159.

The US-159 with isolation is a good choice for environments with lots of electrical interference, but it can be used in any of the following environments for added piece of mind: Banking, Configuration for System Admins, Maintenance engineers, Configuring PLC and CNC machines, CAD systems, Broadcast, Home automation, small form factor embedded PCs with limited expansion options. It’s for anyone who needs a portable Serial port they can depend on when they are on site.

Stronger, smaller, smarter – our best ever USB to Serial.

Read more about the US-159 or view the datasheet

• Run one cable instead of two
• Avoid cost of installing additional power sockets
• Use your existing network cable
• Quick, safe and simple to install

Power over Ethernet to Serial RS232

ES-446

1 Port RS232 PoE Ethernet to Serial Adapter

ES-457

2 Port RS232 PoE Ethernet to Serial Adapter

Power over Ethernet to Serial RS422/485

ES-420

1 Port RS422/485 PoE Ethernet to Serial Adapter

ES-413

2 Port RS422/485 PoE Ethernet to Serial Adapter

Power over Ethernet means that both power and data can be transmitted through a standard Ethernet cable. You need to have PoE enabled which can be implemented cheaply with the addition of an injector unit or suitable PoE switch.

Read more about PoE in our FAQ

For more information visit www.olyturm.de

US-235

Ultra 1 Port RS232 USB to Serial Adapter

US-320

Ultra 1 Port RS422/485 USB to Serial Adapter

Increasingly laptops come without serial ports and small form factor PCs are losing ports too. Many substandard USB to Serial solutions are unreliable. Customers reported to us that they need add on products to be as small as possible as they were often limited for space. They also needed a strong connection as the product was taking the weight of a heavy Serial cable.

Robust High Retention USB B Type Connector is 50% stronger than traditional USB and gives the secure connection of an integrated solution but still has the flexibility of a detachable/changeable cable. High retention eliminates accidental disconnections and the USB connector won’t snap under weight of connecting cables. 

If you’ve used our USB to Serial products before you’ll know the software is trouble free, with great compatibility and works where many others fail. That same software, with drivers for all latest Microsoft OS including Windows 8.1 comes with the US-235. We have increased the FIFO and TX sizes to make it even better for sustained high throughputs at high data rates. This can help minimise all important downtime.

The US-235 can be an important solution in these areas: Banking, Configuration for System Admins, Maintenance engineers, Configuring PLC and CNC machines, CAD systems, Broadcast, Home automation, small form factor embedded PCs with limited expansion options, anyone who needs a portable Serial port they can depend on when they are on site.

High retention USB port

The US-235 and US-320 with USB cable

Compare the US-235 to our US-101

Stronger, Smaller, Smarter – Simply our best ever USB to Serial.

US-235

Ultra 1 Port RS232 USB to Serial Adapter

US-320

Ultra 1 Port RS422/485 USB to Serial Adapter

Part 1 of his lecture looked at the benefits of RS-485 and we present a selection of the concepts in this article. If you are new to RS-485 or contemplating using it here are some of the reasons it can be a great choice for data transmission.

Read More

http://www.amper.cz/en.html 

AMPER Trade Fair has been developing for 22 years. Beginnings of the fair in 1993 are associated with the Prague Palace of Culture and consequently with fair grounds at Strahov, where AMPER ran from 1996 to 1999. With the growing number of exhibitors and the increasing demands on quality of services, the AMPER Trade Fair moved to Prague-Holešovice and afterwards to Prague-Letňany Exhibition Grounds. 

Currently is AMPER Trade Fair held in the city of Brno. Since 2011, when one of the most significant and best-performing fairgrounds in Central Europe welcomed the largest electrotechnical trade fair in the Czech and the Slovak Republic for the first time, AMPER Trade Fair entered a new era with a new dimension.

Brno Exhibition Centre offers to exhibitors the most modern halls with a total net exhibition area up to 130.000 sq.m. and the quality of services at the world-class level. 

AUTOMATICON^® is the most important trade fair for automation, control, measurement and robotics in Poland. The mission of the event is to promote new technology and solutions for industry, through this our macro branch of industry that plays crucial role in economic growth. Every year we have good occasion to see new products, software, components and measuring devices, as well as the most attractive for many - complete applications. 

Warsaw - the administrative, economic and logistic centre of Poland is just the right place for AUTOMATICON^® International Trade Fair. The 20-years long history of the event has proved the fact. The Fair is always accompanied by series of seminars, lectures and presentations which attract hundreds of specialists from all over the country. More than 10.000 visitors attend the Fair every year and all of them are just the right "Target Public" - people from wide range of industries. From Poland, as well as from our neighbouring countries.

Seamless interfacing was just one of the reasons LandScope chose Brainboxes' US-279 to solve their on board connection issues.

LandScope Engineering specialises in high order inshore and near-shore hydrographic surveys.

Experienced in the design and execution of a vast spectrum of survey applications they have developed appropriate technology configurations to meet specific project needs. One of the critical success factors is the ability to interface multiple sensors to a central computer system allowing real time data acquisition.

In this case LandScope needed to connect various survey equipment to an integrated navigation system, including:

• Dual Trimble R10 GNSS Receivers – providing precise positioning and time synchronisation
• Digital Compass – providing vessel heading data
• Ceestar Dual Frequency Echo-Sounder – providing water depth measurement

The key requirements for the interfacing system were defined as follows:

• Reliability – the US279 incorporates a high retention USB for a solid connection
• Robust build – the US279 has a IP30 case, compact metal enclosure
• Multiple Channel capability – the US279 has 8 serial ports
• Seamless Interfacing – serial communication ports behave as a native port

Brainboxes' US-279 was chosen because it provides a large number of RS-232 serial ports in a small rugged device. Portable enough to sit behind the laptop on whatever craft is being used. The software ensures that no matter what device is connected that it provides a serial com port that behaves just as a native one. This gives a reliable and widely compatible interface – just plug in the devices and it works. The US-279 has a high retention USB connection to a Dell laptop. All data is then fed in to Trimble HydroPro hydrographic survey software for mapping and datalogging.

LandScope Engineering www.land-scope.com

See the full range of USB to Serial RS-232 and RS-422/485

Phil Howard of Instrumentation Systems & Services and Eamonn Walsh of Brainboxes explain  

Traceability has always been a primary concern to manufacturers but its importance is ever-increasing with the globalization of supply chains, stricter government regulations, continuous efforts to streamline costs, and the need to provide fast, detailed proof of process information. Being able to track and trace all the conditions in the manufacturing process and tag that information to production batches and shipments gives customers a greater level of confidence.

This is especially important with parts such as circlips – the c-shaped fasteners fitted to shafts to prevent lateral movement of components. They are commonly used to prevent things sliding off and although the retaining metal rings are obviously very low cost, their quality is paramount. For example, a circlip located in the middle of a £2000 gearbox in a £75,000 truck needs to be reliable otherwise its failure could cause a very costly problem.

One of the key pieces of data about the circlip which needs to be controlled and recorded is its temperature profile during manufacturing process. This is usually achieved by discrete temperature controllers near to the furnace which in the past were checked regularly by staff on the production line. It is now increasingly important to capture a much more detailed profile and attach that data to the particular batch of circlips.

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems can now be used to collate and store all the temperature profile data that customers are looking for including when the temperature has strayed outside a pre-defined band and other critical information such as feed rates, work order numbers and operator comments.

Now the quality systems require that customers can see that the heat treatment of the product is tracked all the way through the process with the graphs for the temperatures and, vitally important, no alarms triggered for the batch.

Manufacturing circlips involves a number of complex processes. From the feeders that ensure consistent flow rates to multi-zone furnaces, oil or salt quenching, phosphating and rinsing. This means there can be a double-digit number of controllers on each furnace line. Typically, there would be multiple production lines and many other standalone processes. A central SCADA controller would have real time links to all these controllers in their hostile environments.

In one particular circlip manufacturing facility where the SCADA system was being upgraded there was also a need to replace communications hardware that was experiencing failures due to age. The prevalent technology at the initial time of installation was multiple RS-232 ports each with an isolating RS-232 to RS-485 converter and involved all the associated ‘cable spaghetti’.

Using the Brainboxes ES-571 Ethernet to RS-485 converters allowed the reduction of cabling from 16 RS-232 ports down to a single Ethernet cable. This solution not only simplified the installation, but increased reliability and allowed far greater flexibility in positioning the SCADA computer in relation to the communications equipment.

The new improved SCADA system engineered by ISS and using Prodigy software developed by Tascomp soon proved its worth to such an extent that the client requested it should be integrated into the annealing area of the factory. This wasn’t a major obstacle either financially or logistically because the ES-571 enabled use of the existing Ethernet infrastructure. This meant there was no need for any additional installation costs or expensive cabling work to worry about.

Commissioning

Using the fully isolated RS-485 offered by the ES-571 completely rules out any possibility of interference having any impact on the validity of the data being collected.

The inclusion of a Brainboxes SW-005 four-port switch and standby ES-571 means that in the unlikely event of a failure, communication can be restored with the absolute minimum of downtime. All Brainboxes Ethernet to Serial devices in its industrial range are suitable for an operating temperature range of -30ºC to +80ºC. This was a key reason why Brainboxes equipment was selected because the original equipment had begun to experience many heat related failures.

Brainboxes’ systems are designed and built in the UK which is another important benefit when it comes to service support. If something doesn’t work, it is essential to know why and get it fixed as quickly as possible. Getting to speak instantly to the people that designed the equipment – such as the ES-571 module – is priceless. And as a result, the hardware commissioning took just one day.

Results

The new SCADA system was able to show that the control of the furnace temperatures could be improved to a much tighter +/-1º. This has reduced the quantity of alarms generated and also highlighted other areas of quality improvement such as overfeeding of product.

The new SCADA system also allows more people to be aware in real time of operations happening on the factory floor. The SCADA software emails everybody on a distribution list with a list of alarms in the last 24 hours and emails supervisors if an unaccepted alarm has been triggered for more than 30 minutes. A new touchscreen PC on the factory floor also allows the operators to easily access the data in the SCADA system.

All of this allows production to run more efficiently. It provides the end customers with proof of process reports in the greatest possible detail and management information to further improve efficiencies and quality.

View the ES-571

ED-504 3-in-1 industrial Ethernet networking solution, which combines four digital input or output (I/O) channels, a software-selectable RS232/422/485 serial port, and a two-port Ethernet switch, making the device suitable for 'daisy chaining'.

The unique integration of digital I/O, serial connectivity and network switching in a single product means higher reliability than using separate interconnected devices, delivers cost savings and reduces both installation time and downtime.

The primary application for the ED-504 is monitoring and control of DNC and CNC machines in factory-floor process control and automation. However, the device is also suitable for driving and monitoring AC and DC motors, fans, sensors, relay drivers, pumps, voltage regulators and battery chargers, lighting systems, air conditioning, heaters and solenoids.

Increasingly, machine builders are implementing more automated systems to modernise processes and improve performance and efficiency. This means there is also a growing requirement to monitor and maximise the overall operating efficiency of equipment and facilities. One way of achieving this goal is with modest investments in machine management technology, which enables capital equipment cost to be kept to a minimum.

Measuring only 22.6mm in width, the ED-504's small footprint is attractive when DIN rail space is at a premium. Other features of the device include removable colour-coded and numbered terminal blocks for simple installation and a -30 to +80°C operating temperature range, which makes it suitable for deployment in harsh environments.

Offering high reliability, the ED-504 has built-in redundancy with the integration of dual power supplies preventing downtime in the event of failure of either supply. Its wide input voltage from 5V to 30V, which can be configured while powered from a laptop USB port, accommodates variations in the +24V DC factory floor bus and allows alternative power sources to be used. The product features magnetic isolation protection to 1500V between the ports and network.

The ED-504 can be easily configured, monitored and controlled via a Windows based computer and the software interface, accessed via any browser, allows users to be up and running without requiring any extensive programming or networking knowledge. In addition, a wide range of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are available for all popular programming languages to facilitate creation of custom GUIs. The device is also compatible with legacy software via a Windows COM port for industry-standard applications such as LabView, MATLAB and Agilent VEE.

"This new Ethernet networking product is one of the most innovative products developed for many years for the DNC and machine data collection market and is an ideal fit for many different industrial and process control applications," said Eamonn Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes. "The Brainboxes ED-504 is a highly integrated and flexible device that can deliver significant improvements in efficiency in process environments, and because of its three-in-one integration it can also save cost and reduce production downtime."

Robust, dependable technology that offers consistent operation is at the forefront of The Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy’s roadmap for the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX), which it runs in collaboration with the Onsala Space Observatory and the European Southern Observatory (ESO).

APEX is the first and largest submillimetre wavelength observation facility in the Southern hemisphere. Submillimetre astronomy opens up exciting possibilities in the study of the first galaxies in the Universe and the formation processes of the stars and planets. The APEX project hosts a suite of instruments for astronomers to collect data including LABOCA, the large APEX Bolometer camera which uses sensitive thermometers to detect submillimetre light.

APEX required some demanding geographical logistics to break new barriers in the study of space. The project centres on a 12m telescope consisting of 264 aluminium panels with an average surface accuracy of 17 micrometres. It is constructed at an altitude of 5100m and is located on one of the highest observation points on Earth – the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.  Because submillimetre radiation from space is heavily absorbed by water vapour in the earth’s atmosphere, the telescope’s location had to be exceptionally dry. The Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on the planet, thereby provides unsurpassed opportunities to observe space. 

In parallel to the construction of the APEX telescope, a demanding technology programme has been put in place to provide the best possible detectors and data collection infrastructure for the facility. The Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy itself collects data on electromagnetic radiation from a variety of astronomical sources, including galaxies and dust clouds down to a 300GHz-1THz frequency range – which is referred to as ‘far infrared radiation’ – in a bid to better understand the distant galaxies and our Earth.

Allowing computers to communicate to each other securely on the local area network or anywhere in the world via the internet is a base requirement for the APEX technology team. APEX uses four devices from Brainboxes. They include an ES-257 adapter, a two-port Ethernet to Serial server that connects, configures and controls serial devices, alongside an ES-279 8-port RS232 Ethernet to Serial device server.

“Brainboxes solutions made a far more robust impression than any cheaper competing products found on the market. The devices are reliable, well machined and can be neatly integrated into custom mechanical designs and rack modules,” explained Mirek Ciechanowicz from the Max Planck Institute of Radioastronomy. “On the functional side the modules create a highly reliable interface to the host computer. Any issues have been promptly resolved by Brainboxes support team.”

Reliability can’t be over emphasised on the APEX project. A failure in any subsystem would mean the receiver could be out of service for a day – and as a worst-case scenario for a whole month. To avoid such pitfalls and any potential loss of extremely costly observation time, components such as Brainboxes Ethernet to Serial devices have been chosen because they are trustworthy, robust and can be managed remotely giving instant access from anywhere in the world (and beyond).  

“We are delighted to be involved in this cutting edge project, opening up the relatively unexplored frontier of submillimetre astronomy. Brainboxes devices provide instant networked serial ports with remote management, which here play a key role in the collection of data which is helping astronomers study some of the earliest and most distant galaxies in our universe,” commented Eamonn Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes.

The Ethernet to Serial devices are being used in the FLASH+ receiver, one of them connected to Lake Shore, a temperature measuring unit for monitoring temperatures inside a high vacuum vessel and the other connected to a Pfeiffer vacuum pressure measuring unit. The FLASH+ receiver is a single pixel receiver with two frequency channels of around 345GHz and 460GHz respectively.

Receiving such weak signals from outer space at very high frequencies requires as low as possible temperatures in the receiver, so that the signals do not simply disappear in the thermal noise generated. This coupled with the temperature sensitivity of the mixers (detectors) cooled down by liquid helium, used for detection work means that the monitoring and control of temperature and pressure are critical to ensuring the receiver’s functionality.

In addition, two 8-port RS232 Ethernet to serial devices from Brainboxes are being used in the CHAMP+ receiver. After a decade of service, the CHAMP+ receiver recently underwent a complete refurbishment of the control system, swapping from a Unix based PC to Microsoft Windows 7 with NI LabView software and an internal Ethernet backbone. “The devices from Brainboxes were the natural choice in this case as almost all the components in the system feature a Serial interface,” adds Mirek Ciechanowicz.

In the CHAMP+ receiver, the interfaced devices include RF Signal Synthesisers, optical moving parts, a Rotation encoder and cooling machine plus temperature and vacuum monitoring units.  

For Windows, Brainboxes’ in-house designed 32 bit and 64 bit drivers provide local COM ports, retaining existing software applications and enabling users to connect remote devices to a network just as if they were attached locally. Serial Port Tunneling, which is individually configurable allows, serial cable replacement over any distance, without the need for software. Devices can be accessed via TCP/IP sockets from any networked device such as an Android tablet, PC or mobile phone.

APEX is always looking to add and upgrade its solutions. Recently ArTEMIS, a wide-field submillimetre-wavelength camera, was installed. The camera has already delivered detail images of the Cat’s Paw Nebula, located about 5,500 light-years from earth. As APEX continues to innovate technology to create more detailed maps of the sky, its technology team are all too aware that staying connected is paramount and reliability is key, right down to the smallest devices on its network.

"Over recent years the communication capabilities of CNC control systems have been expanded to offer not only the traditional RS232 interface but also USB and Ethernet I/O. Although undoubtedly an improvement from the CNC User’s point of view the multiplicity of I/O can present problems from an installer’s perspective when constructing a stable, cost effective and most importantly of all secure infrastructure to accommodate both standard DNC but also Machine Data Collection applications.

The Brainbox ED device solves the problem of multiple I/O connection at a stroke by offering a device containing two Ethernet I/O ports, a bi-directional RS232 port and four digital I/O ports.The ED device unit allows a DNC system Installer to select which data highway best suits the task in hand. Importantly, the ED device offers a future proof solution that will allow system expansion for example, upgrading an existing DNC system to include Machine Data Collection. Although the ED device is extremely reliable and notably supplied with a lifetime hardware guarantee should the unit fail it is only the machine tool it is connected to that is affected.

Historically, DNC hardware solutions utilise four, eight or sixteen port hubs which meant that if a hub failed all the machines connected to it were affected too. Since a faulty ED device affects only one machine it can be swapped out, configured and made operational within an hour by the Customer holding one unit in stock. Finally, although the ED device offers future proofing it is just as capable when dealing with RS232 ports connected to CNC machines built in the 1980’s.

In summary the ED device and its variants are probably the most innovative device produced for the DNC and Machine Data Collection market in the last twenty years.

It is worthy of serious consideration by all professional installers of DNC and like systems."

Mark Hebbard 

Messe München, November 11^th-14^th  2014

Get in touch to meet us at Electronica

The entire universe of electronics in a single location since 1964!

Brainboxes has been celebrating 30 years of business recently and throughout those 30 years the electronica show has always been a big event on our calendar. We would like to say congratulations to electronica on 50 years of bringing the best of the international electronics industry together.

Once again the show has exhibitors from over 50 countries and Brainboxes is one of them. Come and see us with our Partner Plug-In, Hall A1 stand 201. We’ll have a working demonstration of our Remote IO products controlling all sorts of useful devices.

The Remote IO range is designed to bring interaction and efficiency to the systems and applications we use every day. Like networking of legacy equipment in factories, instantly upgrading the production line saving money and downtime. Or connecting sensors so they can communicate data to us in real time. It’s all part of the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0 a new age of data driven communication that puts the user in control.

Electronica have their own take on the how the future will shape up with opportunities and challenges for all of us in the electronics industry. They are launching Planet e, a new campaign aimed at shaping what this fourth industrial revolution will look like.

In their own words: 

electronica launches new campaign – Welcome to Planet e  For 50 years, the global electronics industry has been meeting at electronica to show what will influence society in the future. Thanks to a new campaign, now electronica is getting its own planet. Planet e does more than just give the industry a visual home. It also takes exhibitors and visitors on a journey into the world of tomorrow – from November 11 – 14, 2014 in Munich.  electronica is becoming its own planet, and the fair's visitors and exhibitors will be its inhabitants. The new campaign does a visually impressive job of depicting what moves our world. PCBs, semiconductors, sensors, plug connectors and displays – they all make up the core of Planet e and shape its landscapes, cities and streets. Anke Odouli, Exhibition Director of electronica, explains: "Our exhibitors and visitors recognize themselves in Planet e – whether in the components or their applications. We have created a fictitious place where the industry can get together at any time. A place where we can solve tomorrow's challenges today." The fair revolves around the topics of automotive, embedded and security. It also focuses on energy-efficient solutions and the latest developments in medical electronics. Conference and forum events in 2014  The main themes of the electronica automotive conference are Connectivity, Lighting and Sensor Fusion. The conference takes place on the Monday before the fair begins (November 10). That way, participants have plenty of time to attend the fair the next day and gather additional information about the conference topics in the automotive Forum. The embedded platforms conference got off to a successful start last year. This year's conference has been optimized with the addition of two parallel lecture series. Visitors can also get an overview of the latest solutions and collect application-oriented information in the embedded Forum. The fair's portfolio will be rounded out by the Wireless Congress, the electronica Forum, the exhibitor Forum and the PCB & Components Marketplace.

Brainboxes, a pioneer in the development of unique serial and remote I/O devices, is celebrating an impressive thirty years in business today. Dating back to humble beginnings when the company’s founder, Eamonn Walsh, started up the firm in his family home, Brainboxes has grown into a business operating a world-class manufacturing facility serving customers worldwide with offices in the UK, US and Japan. Key customers include Cummins, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Santander.

Today, Brainboxes manufactures and supports its own core technologies, including Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth, ExpressCard, PCI Express and PCI products. Highly qualified software and hardware engineers deliver custom-made industrial automation and test and measurement solutions.

Eamonn Walsh, MD of Brainboxes, commented: “There is no doubt that the Brainboxes journey has been an integral part of my life. There have been many significant milestones along the way including launching the first PCI modem into the networking market, designing the special effects control system for hit West End musical Miss Saigon in 1989 and demonstrating the world’s first PCMCIA Bluetooth card using CSR Bluecore chip.

“Developing our own ASICs for our core product was a crucial step for the company. We mopped up all the logic into one chip and were able to lower BOM costs, increase reliability, reduce build time and product area whilst simultaneously protecting our IP.”

Since 1984, the company has achieved ISO 9001 accreditation (covering excellence in design, manufacturing and distribution), ISO 14001 environmental accreditation and Investors in People status for exceptional development and training of staff.

Brainboxes is also a multi-award winning company scooping Liverpool Echo’s Flying Start business competition, winning the prestigious European Manufacturer of the Year category in the Elektra Awards run by the publisher of the UK’s leading electronics magazine, Electronics Weekly, and being named the Small Business of the Year & Champions of Best Practice by the Manufacturing Institute.

“We have also needed to overcome the challenges of huge economic, social and technological changes too during the past 30 years. Yet, the fundamental aspirations I had for the business back in 1984 remain equally valid today. Developing reliable, high performance products and solutions, and offering excellence in after-sales support are a core part of our success,” added Mr Walsh.

The exhibition is now in its fifth year and once again has a great line up of knowledgeable industry professionals involved in its Seminar program.

Brainboxes will be exhibiting at the Sensors show, stand E26, right next to the Seminar theatre. We’ll be displaying our latest products and have a demonstration of our Remote IO devices working with just the kind of equipment you’d expect to see at a show devoted to everything sensing, test and measurement.

So once you’ve found the right sensor for the job come and see us to find out how we can help you make the most of your application. Know what’s happening on your production line as it happens, have instant data on remote sites, or get ready for the Internet of Things. With networked control and monitoring, easy to use compatible software or even direct over web browser instant access, there are lots of great features that can help save you time and money.

Brainboxes have ways to help you connect – Industrial specification Digital IO, Analogue IO, Relays, Ethernet to Serial, Switches, USB to Serial and more.

For information on how to register for the show click here…

contact our sales team now to meet us at the show or disucss how our products work with sensors

Originally our ED products only implemented a 16 bit count that is 0-65535 and there was no non-volatile storage of counts supported. Brainboxes engineers had a conference call with the customer to understand his needs and quickly came up with a solution that has now been implemented across the whole ED range. First, a new 32 bit counting command was devised, documented and thoroughly tested. The 32 bit count allows numbers 0 through 4,294,967,295 achieving 10 decimal digits. Second, the volatile memory chip was upgraded to be non volatile storage having a trillion read/write cycles and retaining data for over 200 years. 

So not only does this customer get a product ideally suited to his application, but all future customers of ED-004, ED-008, ED-038, ED-204, ED-504, ED-516, ED-538 and ED-588 have the benefits counter and persistent storage of counts. Customers who already have these ED products can download the latest firmware and instantly upgrade their 16 bit counter product to have the 32 bit counter functionality.

Over the next few months, we are implementing a planned list of upgrades with the ED product range. We invite you to give us feedback or perhaps other features we have not yet considered.

• Digital I/O Tunnelling 
• Modbus support
• Rule based I/O
• Analogue Tunnelling
• Enhanced Network Security for ED range
• Easily readable IP address using NFC from a smartphone

At Brainboxes we are very keen to work with customers to give them a product that fits them as precisely as a made to measure suit. We are frequently listening to our customers and providing custom solutions to help them achieve their goals.If you require custom programming or hardware, contact our sales team now to discuss your requirements.

Most parameters in the real world are measured using sensors with analogue outputs sensors and Brainboxes ED-549 takes these real world signals and turns them into data on your network.  As well as the popular 0-10V and 4-20mA input devices, there is now a Programmable Gain Amplifier (PGA) allowing full scale 12 bit readings from signals as small as ±75mV.Each of the 8 channels is individually configurable for voltage or current input with its own programmable gain.

The product particularly targets use in industrial process control environments such as water utilities, petrochemical, transportation and food and drink manufacturing, which require the constant remote monitoring of analogue signals such as temperature, weight, pressure and power supply. The device is also highly suited to locations where equipment is not easily accessible.

While some competitive analogue-input products are hard wired to handle either differential voltage or current inputs, the ED-549 offers enhanced flexibility by allowing both voltage and current measurements via user-selectable jumper-enabled resistors. Users can configure the inputs independently on each of the eight channels allowing any mixture of measurement channels, such as three voltage and five current inputs for example. While competitive products will often only allow a ±10V or ±5V measurement range, the ED-549 integrates a Programmable Gain Amplifier (PGA) that enables the device to offer measurement voltages as low as ±75mV full scale, With the built-in jumper enabled resistors for current measurement, the  input ranges are ±20mA, 0 to 20mA or 4 to 20mA.

The ED-549 has a power input range from +5V to +30V DC, accommodating both the 24VDC factory floor supply as well as being able to be powered from any PC or laptop USB port. Dual power supply inputs allow a redundany connection which prevents downtime in the event of failure of either power supply There are three isolation domains: the analogue inputs; the power circuitry and the Ethernet port providing 1500V protection.

The ED-549 can be configured, monitored and controlledby a  Windows computer via its very easy-to-use software interface allowing users to be up and running quickly without requiring any extensive programming or networking knowledge. Users can also monitor the factory floor from a smartphone or tablet via the product’s web-based user interface and the solution is also compatible with legacy software via a Windows COM port and industry-standard applications such as LabView, MATLAB and Agilent VEE.

Other features of the ED-549 include a compact 22.6mm-wide footprint, ideal when DIN rail space is at a premium; removable colour-coded and numbered terminal blocks that mean easy and simple installation; and a –30 to +80°C operating temperature range, which makes it suitable for deployment in harsh environments. The device arrives with its own calibration certificate where each voltage range has been individually factory calibrated by precision equipment whose calibration is directly traceable back to National Standards.

“Ideal for many different industrial applications that operate in harsh environments, the new Brainboxes ED-549 is a highly flexible, easy-to-use and configure industrial Ethernet device that delivers high-precision remote monitoring of independent voltage and current inputs,” said Eamonn Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes. “If you want to get industrial data live into your networked applications this is the product for you.”

The ED-549 has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of £275 (equivalent to US$464 or €343).

About Brainboxes

Established in 1984, Brainboxes develops a wide range of serial and remote I/O devices. The company manufactures and supports its own core technologies, including Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth, ExpressCard, PCI Express and PCI products. Highly qualified software and hardware engineers deliver custom-made industrial automation and test & measurement solutions. A Microsoft Certified Gold Partner, the award-winning business operates a world-class volume manufacturing facility with global distribution to match served by offices in the UK, US and Japan. Key customers include: Cummins, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Santander. Find more information at www.brainboxes.com.

Press images can be found at:
http://download.publitek.com/BB005-ED-549.jpg

Further information is available from Brainboxes’ website at:
http://www.brainboxes.com/product/ed-549

Product data sheet is available from:
http://goo.gl/9mlQZs

Marketing contact:

Emily Dixon
Marketing Executive, Brainboxes
Telephone: +44 151 220 2500
Email: emily.dixon@brainboxes.com

Press enquiries:

Nayl D’Souza
Account Director, Publitek
Telephone: +44 1225 470000
Email: brainboxes@publitek.com

This event aims to:

• Promote current funding opportunities and support offered( to businesses)
• Link electronics, sensors and photonics businesses with other businesses or academic expertise in the area
• Demonstrate successful collaborative projects
• Provide a great networking opportunity

More information is available on the Eventbrite website….

Free to download the app demonstrates the software API (Application Programming Interface) Brainboxes' provides with their ED Remote IO devices. See how the simple interface can be used to easily send and receive data from your devices.

"We're really excited by the implications of this demonstration. Brainboxes is embracing the future of industrial automation and process control. Where machines can be monitored and controlled from any authorised device within an organisation. From the production operative using a tablet or smart phone on the production line to the CEO monitoring production output in company head quarters."Luke Walsh Brainboxes

Read the full FAQ about communicating with remote IO using android here...

Go to Google Play store and download the app

Lenovo became the world’s largest PC vendor in 2013 and supply products to over 160 countries. Brainboxes' have a long history of providing Serial and networking solutions for Lenovo servers, desktops, Tiny PCs, laptops and tablets. At Accelerate 2014 we will be showing our options for the industrial process market and how you can get your application to be part of the internet of things, 

Contact our sales staff to find out how we can get your Lenovo application connected or to meet us at Accelerate

Maritex are a reseller for Brainboxes products. Established in 1987, they are currently one of largest, fast developing wholesalers of electronic equipment on the Polish market.

Here are a few of the best of the rest ....

“the Look-a-Like Competition entrants are of a much better quality this year”

“This robot demo isn’t very impressive”

”What? Switch? Should we switch positions?”

“Sorry Angela, I had onions at lunch.”

"It’s the UK TI stand, I thought we were visiting the UK IT stand"

Run from a +5V to +30V DC power supply. Brainboxes’ ED-204 Digital inputs can be latched or counter inputs and are TTL to 30V input compatible. Inputs are individually jumper selectable for NPN active low type sensors or PNP active high type sensors. Individual outputs can sink up to 1 amp at 40V maximum load and can cope with high voltage and high current loads making it ideal for inductive, capacitive and resistive loads such as CNC machines and stepper motors as well as operating heating ventilation and air conditioning systems.

Brainboxes’ ED-204 10/100 MB/s Ethernet switch allows you to extend your network or ‘daisy chain’ devices. For error-free operation in noisy industrial applications, the device also has an RS-232 serial port offering up to 1 MegaBaud with uncompromising performance. Port Tunnelling allows serial cable replacement over any distance with no additional software required. All I/O pins provide 16kV ESD protection.

The device controls data flow to CNC and DNC machines reliably and works with legacy communication protocols used on industrial machinery.  Control and monitoring of the device is implemented with a simple, convenient and easy to use web-based interface. Software drivers give users a local COM port for compatibility with virtually all industry standard packages such as LabView, MATLAB and Agilent VEE. Applications can be run on servers, desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones, including Android, using supplied drivers for all the latest operating systems.    

Brainboxes supports the din rail or wall mountable ED-204 with a software suite that allows users to design new systems with mobile in mind. APIs and sample program code are provided for Microsoft .NET, C#, Visual Basic, C++, JavaScript, PHP, Java and Objective-C.

Eamonn Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes, commented: “This cost effective Ethernet combo module addresses a multitude of applications, especially with the web interface enabling a powerful remote control capability. Why spend time and money finding and installing three devices when you can do it all with this one small box? We have designed all the hardware, written all the software and manufacture this device. We aim to make all our products as easy to use as possible so you can just fit and forget.”

The ED-204 has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of £149 (US$246, €187) and can be purchased directly from Brainboxes or accredited resellers. Volume pricing is available on request.

Press images can be found at:
http://download.publitek.com/ED-204.jpg

About Brainboxes

Celebrating its 30th Year, Brainboxes develops a wide range of serial and remote I/O devices. The company manufactures and supports its own core technologies, including Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth, ExpressCard, PCI Express and PCI products. Highly qualified software and hardware engineers deliver custom-made industrial automation and test & measurement solutions. A Microsoft Certified Gold Partner, the award-winning business operates a world-class volume manufacturing facility with global distribution to match served by offices in the UK, US and Japan. Key customers include: Cummins, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Santander. Find more information at www.brainboxes.com.

Further information is available from Brainboxes’ website at:

http://www.brainboxes.com/product/ED-204

Data sheets are available from:

ED-204-datasheet.pdf

Marketing contact:

Emily Dixon
Marketing Executive, Brainboxes
Telephone: +44 151 220 2500
Email: emily.dixon@brainboxes.com

Press enquiries:

Nayl D’Souza
Account Director, Publitek
Telephone: +44 1225 470000
Email: brainboxes@publitek.com

Marketing contact:

Emily Dixon
Marketing Executive, Brainboxes
Telephone: +44 151 220 2500
Email: emily.dixon@brainboxes.com

Press enquiries:

Nayl D’Souza
Account Director, Publitek
Telephone: +44 1225 470000
Email: brainboxes@publitek.com

Brainboxes are exhibiting alongside the UKTI. Great Britain is the official partner country for CeBIT 2014.  "As well as being home to their fair share of global IT players, the UK and Germany each have a very healthy IT start-up scene. The closer cooperation harbours major commercial potential for both countries." Oliver Frese, the Deutsche Messe Managing Board member in charge of CeBIT.

On our stand you’ll be able to see a range of Remote IO, Ethernet to Serial and Industrial Switches. Come and talk to us about custom solutions for your automation and manufacturing needs. We have tickets to give away so Let us know if you’ll be there…

CeBIT is the world's largest and most international computer expo and has been going since 1970. A quarter of a million people are expected to visit over the course of the show from more than 120 countries. There are 130 speakers involved in the conference program including Steve Wozniak, Eugene Kaspersky and Jimmy Wales.

Visit us Hall 6 Stand C44

Preview our latest products:

www.brainboxes.com/product/ed-204 ED-204 4 Digital IO & RS232 & Switch

www.brainboxes.com/product/ed-004 ED-004 4 Digital IO & RS232

www.brainboxes.com/product/ed-538 ED-538 4 Relays & Digital Inputs & RS485 Gateway

About Brainboxes

Celebrating its 30^th Year, Brainboxes develops a wide range of serial and remote I/O devices. The company manufactures and supports its own core technologies, including Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth, ExpressCard, PCI Express and PCI products. Highly qualified software and hardware engineers deliver custom-made industrial automation and test & measurement solutions. A Microsoft Certified Gold Partner, the award-winning business operates a world-class volume manufacturing facility with global distribution to match served by offices in the UK, US and Japan. Key customers include: Cummins, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Santander. Find more information at www.brainboxes.com.

Brainboxes’ SW-504 10/100 MB/s Ethernet switch, that uses a 2K packet size to enhance bulk data transfer and optimize system performance, has galvanically isolated ports to provide safe operation in tough environments and extreme temperatures between -30ºC to +80ºC (-22ºF to +176ºF). The SW-504 is encased in a non-conductive material for enhanced safety, particularly important for electrical wiring in cabinet spaces.

Reliability is further enhanced with redundant dual power inputs between +5V to +30V DC meaning a second power supply can be fitted as a back-up to prevent down time should one power source fail. The power input range means the SW-504 can be run from: a 24VDC factory floor supply; a standard car battery, making it ideal for in-vehicle and aboard boats; or even a computer USB port, using an optional accessory cable (PW-650).   

Easy to install into your existing network and taking up minimal space, the SW-504 is ultra-slim in size at just 22.6mm wide, comes with a DIN rail clip to speed up mounting inside a cabinet and designed with an “easy wire” feature using removable colour-coded and numbered terminal blocks.  Power consumption is optimised for maximum efficiency with a power down mode for when the device is inactive. 

Eamonn Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes, comments: “The SW-504 offers a simple, highly reliable and robust solution for extending your mission-critical Ethernet. Its slim design and easy wire terminals make it great for fitting into crowded networking cabinets. Matching the same high specification as our industrial range of Remote IO, the SW-504 is essential to prevent the risk of network interruption.”

The SW-504 has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of €119.                             

Press images can be found at:
http://download.publitek.com/BB001-SW-504.jpg

About Brainboxes

Established in 1984, Brainboxes develops a wide range of serial and remote I/O devices. The company manufactures and supports its own core technologies, including Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth, ExpressCard, PCI Express and PCI products. Highly qualified software and hardware engineers deliver custom-made industrial automation and test & measurement solutions. A Microsoft Certified Gold Partner, the award-winning business operates a world-class volume manufacturing facility with global distribution to match served by offices in the UK, US and Japan. Key customers include: Honeywell Aerospace, Cummins, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Santander. Find more information at www.brainboxes.com.

Marketing contact:

Emily Dixon
Marketing Executive, Brainboxes
Telephone: +44 151 220 2500
Email: emily.dixon@brainboxes.com

Press enquiries:

Nayl D’Souza
Account Director, Publitek
Telephone: +44 1225 470000

Email: brainboxes@publitek.com

Brainboxes are exhibiting with Plug-In, who have over 20 years of experience supplying industry with IT and Embedded solutions. Look for their banners as you enter Hall 1.

Embedded, in Neurenberg Germany, is the world's biggest exhibition of its kind, and a must for all who are concerned with development, procurement and use of embedded technologies in the areas of hardware, software, tools and services. Around 900 exhibitors, more than 22,000 visitors and more than 1,500 conference attendees and speakers found at the embedded world Exhibition & Conference 2013, International technology platform that is unparalleled.

Visit us Hall 1 stand 430
Proud to partner with Plug-In - 'Your solution provider'

embedded-world stand details

Advance registration available: www.embedded-world.de.

Preview our latest releases:

www.brainboxes.com/product/ed-204 ED-204 4 Digital IO & RS232 & Switch

www.brainboxes.com/product/ed-004 ED-004 4 Digital IO & RS232

www.brainboxes.com/product/ed-538 ED-538 4 Relays & Digital Inputs & RS485 Gateway

About Brainboxes

Celebrating our 30th year, Brainboxes develops a wide range of serial and remote I/O devices. The company manufactures and supports its own core technologies, including Ethernet, USB, Bluetooth, ExpressCard, PCI Express and PCI products. Highly qualified software and hardware engineers deliver custom-made industrial automation and test & measurement solutions. A Microsoft Certified Gold Partner, the award-winning business operates a world-class volume manufacturing facility with global distribution to match served by offices in the UK, US and Japan. Key customers include: Honeywell Aerospace, Cummins, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Santander. Find more information at www.brainboxes.com.

Eamonn Walsh Managing Director of Brainboxes

This summer Brainboxes Ltd, based in Liverpool, UK, have released their latest Ethernet to Serial products, including galvanically isolated industrial specification ES-551 and ES-571. Designed to meet the needs of the 24V factory floor where reliability and high performance are paramount Brainboxes Ethernet to Serial products offer galvanic isolation to help prevent electromagnetic interference problems, can be run from a +5VDC up to a +30VDC power supply, have easy to use software that enables legacy compatibility and come with lifetime support and warranty.

The ES-551 with total galvanic isolation has a multiple electronic interface serial port, which is RS232/422/485 software selectable and 1 Ethernet port.  The ES-571 has a multiple electronic interface serial port, which is RS232/422/485 software selectable and two Ethernet ports all with total galvanic isolation. The second Ethernet port allows the devices to be daisy chained, extending the reach of your network.Galvanic Isolation, useful for applications in electromagnetically noisy environments such as processes involving power generators, motors, arc furnaces, induction heaters etc. offers the highest grade of protection possible preventing damaging high voltage transient surges that would affect devices downstream.

Like all products in Brainboxes industrial Ethernet to serial range the ES-551 and ES-571 have a temperature range of -30ºC to +80ºC and the CPU temperature can be monitored via the web interface. Both new products have a built in DIN rail mount as part of their slim design, perfect for when space is a premium. The “Easy wire” feature makes instillation simple and fast as the removable terminal blocks are colour coded with numbered pins. The +5VDC to +30VDC power input allows for a duel redundant power supply and can be powered by any computer USB port- useful for configuring the device from a laptop in the field.

The ES-551 and ES-571 have signed drivers and have undergone rigorous testing to ensure that ‘it just works’. Our software allows hassle free installation, configuration and monitoring via an easy to use webpage. With any custom baud rate up to 1 Mega baud and software selectable RS232, RS422 or RS485 full/half duplex. The software give local COM ports that are backwards compatible enabling legacy applications and the device to work with a myriad of third party software.

See Brainboxes Industrial Ethernet to Serial Range

About Brainboxes 

~Now in its 29th year of trading~ 

Established in 1984, Brainboxes is one of the leading PC communication card developers and manufacturers in the World and is continuously expanding its product ranges. With headquarters in Liverpool, UK, it has a team of highly qualified software and hardware designers, matched by a world-class volume manufacturing facility. Brainboxes was named the Manufacturing Institute’s Small Business of the Year and Champions of Best Practice in 2007. The company also won the 2005 Elektra Manufacturer of the Year award. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner. The company develops and owns all of its own core technologies, including USB, CompactFlash, PCMCIA, ExpressCard, Bluetooth, Ethernet to Serial PCI Express and PCI products.

It is at the forefront of developments in serial card and wireless technology. Current customers include; Fujitsu, Fujitsu Technology Solutions, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Toshiba. 

Further information is available from Brainboxes website at: 

http://www.brainboxes.com/product/items/es-551

http://www.brainboxes.com/product/items/es-571

Brainboxes: Connect, Configure & Control

Contact: Emily Dixon Marketing Executive 

Telephone: +44 151 220 2500 

Email: emily.dixon@brainboxes.com 

Brainboxes is a trademark of the Brainboxes Company. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

As factories expand and modernise older equipment and remote devices need to be networked, but cabling can be expensive and impractical, especially over larger areas. Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial range is the smart and cost-effective solution to securely and remotely manage a wide range of serial accessories for various applications in an organisation. It is based on Brainboxes’ proven and familiar technology and of course comes with Brainboxes’ renowned lifetime support and lifetime guarantee.

Performance, power and temperature can be monitored remotely to make maintenance easier and along with redundant dual power inputs for extra reliability. The input voltage from +5V to +30V is ideal for the factory floor but allows configuring through a USB port.

Brainboxes’ ‘Easy Wire’ feature has removable numbered and colour coded screw terminal blocks for fast and error free wiring. The slim ‘end on’ case with integral mount and ground clips straight onto a DIN rail, perfect for when space is a premium. All the products in our Industrial Range come are able to operate in a temperature range of -30ºC to +80ºC.

Eamonn Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes, says “Brainboxes’ decades of serial port solution development brings serious expertise to the industrial market. We have developed features that offer great usability and genuine answers to the issues facing engineers on the factory floor”.

Brainboxes proven technology supports legacy applications, whilst our own Ethernet to Serial software ensures fast data transmission and a super easy installation whatever your operating system – including Windows 8!

About Brainboxes

~Now in its 29th year of trading~ 

Established in October 1984, Brainboxes is embarking on its 29th and most innovative year of trading to date. Brainboxes is one of the leading PC communication card developers and manufacturers in the World and is continuously expanding its product ranges.

With headquarters in Liverpool, UK, it has a team of highly qualified software and hardware designers, matched by a world-class volume manufacturing facility. Brainboxes was named the Manufacturing Institute’s Small Business of the Year and Champions of Best Practice in 2007. The company also won the 2005 Elektra Manufacturer of the Year award. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner.

The company develops and owns all of its own core technologies, including USB, CompactFlash, PCMCIA, ExpressCard, Bluetooth, Ethernet to Serial PCI Express and PCI products. It is at the forefront of developments in serial card and wireless technology.

Current customers include; Fujitsu, Fujitsu Technology Solutions, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Toshiba.

Brainboxes has always strived to assist its customers and provide the best solutions for serial connectivity. Microsoft has recognised Brainboxes expertise and customer commitment since 2005 and does so again by awarding a fifth year of Gold Partnership status.

Microsoft awards its Gold competency to partners that demonstrate "the deepest, most specialised capability and commitment to customers within a specific business solution area".

Brainboxes' Managing Director, Eamonn Walsh:

Brainboxes has been recognised as industry leaders in designing and manufacturing "quality hardware solutions optimised for the Microsoft platform".

Microsoft developed its gold partner program to help its customers connect with IT experts- experts that can examine a business's needs and recommend solutions that deliver measurable benefits. 

All Brainboxes products are designed to be compatible with the latest versions of Windows and come with Microsoft signed drivers. If you are one of the millions of people that use Microsoft platforms you can be assured that whatever Brainboxes product you choose it will be easy to install and fully compatible with your operating system.

Of course if you do need help with your Brainboxes product then you can take advantage of our lifetime tech support. Just another one of the ways Brainboxes delivers an excellent customer experience.

Following a rigorous inspection process by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, it was confirmed that we have met all the criteria necessary for this internationally recognised accreditation.

What does this mean?

An Authorised Economic Operator, AEO, is a status given to a business that is involved in the international supply chain that has proved it is compliant and trustworthy.

The benefit to our customers

As an AEO we and our export customers will benefit from simplifications provided for under the customs rules and from facilitations relating to security and safety. This will speed our exports across the globe and assist our international partners and customers to do business with us. For all our customers this supports our claim that we are well placed to deliver on time and in full wherever they are in the world and the independent audits strengthen our claim.

How did we achieve this?

In order to gain this award it requires months of repeated inspections and production of satisfactory documentation from every part of the company.

The assessment for AEO required us to provide detailed financial reports that were not only complete but attested to the economic strength and viability of the company. We had to demonstrate our compliance with ISO9001 and ISO14000 standards, that our risk assessment procedures, safety and security for our goods, access to our premises and security, our networks and IT systems all met the high standard required. Our customs procedures, intellectual property, binding tariff codes and our goods management were all assessed and proved to be compliant.

You’ve always known you can trust the Brainboxes brand for quality, service and reliability, now we have proven you can count on our stability and delivery too.

AEO is recognised across the EU, Japan, Switzerland, Norway and mutual recognition deals should be in place for the USA’s C-TPAT and for China’s scheme in 2012.

What the United Kingdom Government says;

“The introduction of AEO status is the EU response to the need to secure international supply chains and the introduction of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) in the USA. AEO is based on, and is compatible with, the World Customs Organisation’s SAFE Framework of Standards which is being implemented by Customs authorities across the globe.

The criteria for a Customs simplification AEO also provide a common and harmonised set of criteria for granting customs simplifications across the EU.”

Our AEO number: GB AEOF 00031/11

Liverpool UK - 24^th November 2011 Brainboxes, a leader in serial connectivity, has introduced RS422/485 versions of their 4 and 8 port Ethernet to serial products. As with all our Ethernet to Serial port devices these new products are designed to provide easy, fast and reliable connections between networked computers and devices with serial ports- be it across the desk or across the world.

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial range is the smart and cost-effective solution to securely and remotely manage a wide range of serial accessories for various applications in an organisation. It is based on Brainboxes’ proven and familiar technology and of course comes with Brainboxes’ renowned lifetime support and lifetime guarantee.

Brainboxes has engineered its Ethernet to Serial devices to operate completely autonomously. The new 4 and 8 port RS422/485 devices, as with the rest of the range, will enable connection across a network with no loss of reliability or signal integrity. Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial connectivity options are ideal for installations such as refineries, large manufacturing plants and warehouses.

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial products allow large quantities of information to be transferred through each serial port coupled with a fast Ethernet connection. The increased control and automation, through your existing network infrastructure, can help you reduce your costs and improve efficiency whilst our IP30 rated metal cases are strong enough for industrial applications, yet smart enough for any office environment. All of which makes them perfect for a wide and varied range of applications including: ATM machines, barcode scanners, refrigeration and heating controls, medical devices, security controls, weather stations and electronic key systems.

Eamonn Walsh, chairman of Brainboxes says; “The ES-346 and ES-842 - Ethernet Serial Device Servers 4 and 8 RS422/485 ports- demonstrate our commitment to industrial networking and meet the needs of customers controlling many devices, such as stepper motors, on the factory floor.”

The Ethernet to Serial range comes with Microsoft signed drivers for 32-bit & 64-bit versions of Windows 7, Vista, Server 2008, Server 2003, XP and Windows 2000.

About Brainboxes

~Now in its 28th year of trading~ 

Established in 1984, Brainboxes is about to embark on its 28th and most innovative year of trading to date. Brainboxes is one of the leading PC communication card developers and manufacturers in the World and is continuously expanding its product ranges.

With headquarters in Liverpool, UK, it has a team of highly qualified software and hardware designers, matched by a world-class volume manufacturing facility. Brainboxes was named the Manufacturing Institute’s Small Business of the Year and Champions of Best Practice in 2007. The company also won the 2005 Elektra Manufacturer of the Year award. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner.

The company develops and owns all of its own core technologies, including USB, CompactFlash, PCMCIA, ExpressCard, Bluetooth, Ethernet to Serial PCI Express and PCI products. It is at the forefront of developments in serial card and wireless technology.

Current customers include; Fujitsu, Fujitsu Technology Solutions, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Toshiba.

Further information is available from Brainboxes website at: 

http://www.brainboxes.com/product/items/es-842

http://www.brainboxes.com/product/items/es-346

Connect, Configure & Control

Brainboxes contact:

Emily Dixon

Marketing Executive

Telephone:          +44 151 220 2500                             

Email:                   emily.dixon@brainboxes.com

Brainboxes is a trademark of the Brainboxes Company. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial range is the smart and cost-effective solution to securely and remotely manage a wide range of serial accessories for various applications in an organisation. It is based on Brainboxes’ proven and familiar technology and of course comes with Brainboxes’ renowned lifetime support and lifetime guarantee.

Brainboxes has engineered its Ethernet to Serial devices to operate completely autonomously.  This means our new 4 and 8 port RS232 devices, as with our 1 and 2 port devices, will enable connection across a network with no loss of reliability or signal integrity. Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial connectivity options are ideal for installations such as refineries, large manufacturing plants and warehouses.

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial products allow large quantities of information to be transferred through each serial port coupled with a fast Ethernet connection. The increased control and automation, through your existing network infrastructure, can help you reduce your costs and improve efficiency whilst our IP30 rated metal cases are strong enough for industrial applications, yet smart enough for any office environment. All of which makes them perfect for a wide and varied range of applications including: ATM machines, barcode scanners, refrigeration and heating controls, medical devices, security controls, weather stations and electronic key systems.

Eamonn Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes says; “With the release of the ES-701 and the ES-279 we are building upon the proven success of our 1 & 2 port Ethernet to Serial servers, and we are meeting the needs that our customers clearly expressed to us for high port count products that provide simple instant networked serial devices.”

The Ethernet to Serial range comes with Microsoft signed drivers for Windows 7 and XP 32-bit & 64-bit editions.

About Brainboxes

~Now in its 28^th year of trading~

Established in 1984, Brainboxes is about to embark on its 28th and most innovative year of trading to date. Brainboxes is one of the leading PC communication card developers and manufacturers in the World and is continuously expanding its product ranges.

With headquarters in Liverpool, UK, it has a team of highly qualified software and hardware designers, matched by a world-class volume manufacturing facility. Brainboxes was named the Manufacturing Institute’s Small Business of the Year and Champions of Best Practice in 2007. The company also won the 2005 Elektra Manufacturer of the Year award. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner.

The company develops and owns all of its own core technologies, including USB, CompactFlash, PCMCIA, ExpressCard, Bluetooth, Ethernet to Serial PCI Express and PCI products. It is at the forefront of developments in serial card and wireless technology.

Current customers include; Fujitsu, Fujitsu Technology Solutions, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Toshiba.

In 2010 Brainboxes moved into bigger, brand new premises in the prestigious Liverpool International Business Park.

Further information is available from Brainboxes website at:

http://www.brainboxes.com/product/items/es-701

http://www.brainboxes.com/product/items/es-279

Connect, Configure & Control

Brainboxes contact:

Emily Dixon

Marketing Executive

Telephone: +44 151 220 2500

Email: emily.dixon@brainboxes.com

Brainboxes is a trademark of the Brainboxes Company. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

The multi drop hub device is boxed in an industrial class metal case that is IP30 rated and has optional DIN rail mountable capability. They are supplied with our proven  in-house designed  software ensuring a great user experience and have lifetime warranty.

These industrial multi drop  versions can be used in various applications such as test & measurement, laboratory systems and many more.

Example application – Test Equipment connectivity

Brainboxes USB products incorporate the convenience of USB connectivity with the high reliability and reputation of our designs to offer robust, unfailing devices where downtime isn’t an option. Housed in Industrial metal cases but with a desktop design allows these products to be used in almost any environment. With Plug and play experience and our specially designed Boost software these devices provide an excellent User Interface with state of the art compatibility and data integrity. We expect great things of this world beating range.

These USB multiport devices are a simple and convenient way to add serial ports to any platform. They remove the need to open the chassis, reconfigure or reboot to add COM ports.

These industrial connectivity devices support data transfer rates up to 921,600 baud coupled with 1Mbit/s line drivers to deliver uncompromising performance to a laptop, PC or Server.  Brainboxes is packaging these products with its Boost. Software driver. The range will also benefit from Brainboxes’ renowned lifetime guarantee and support, subject to online registration.

This range has proven to provide highly efficient and robust serial port extensions suitable for the industrial commercial and test & measurement sectors. This will ensure that PCs, laptops, servers and industrial computers supplied with limited or no serial ports continue to have connectivity to a wide range of RS422/485 devices via USB.

Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards come with Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. They are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000.  The cards also come with Brainboxes’ acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in many thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

Example Application

The latest products in the range are based on PCIe technology and create absolute compatibility ports for seamless connection. The 3 new products provide RS232 ports and LPT options to meet customers growing requirements. These products are for use with laptops and are the essential connectivity device for applications that demand no compromise and are not compatible with ExpressCards based on USB technology. 

Brainboxes is committed to providing  high performance products required in the Industrial Sector. Our products are engineered to provide a long lifespan even in the most rugged and demanding environments. The cards are custom designed to fulfil customers’ specific requirements in line with Brainboxes “Perfect Fit, Custom Design” philosophy of engineering tailored to give fully featured solutions for the most competitive price.

Other ExpressCard products in our range comprises of USB technology cards of 1 and 2 port RS232 and RS422/485 and PCIe Technology cards of 1 port RS232, 1 port LPT and 1 port RS232 + 1 port LPT. Cards are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. This range also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading performance stability and reliability.

“We launched a French language website because France is an extremely important country to which we export our products”, said Eamonn Walsh, chairman of Brainboxes. He added “We feel the French community represents an underserved market in terms of high quality French language literature about Bluetooth, serial and Ethernet devices, consequently the launch of a French website was high priority. I’m delighted with the efforts of our marketing and technical team in making this happen.”

The key purpose of Brainboxes’ is meeting and going beyond customer expectations. It is important that customers have access to all information about our products in the language which is the most familiar to them. We have this focus on our customers in every stage of the life of our products, whether it be design, manufacturing or after sales service. Through this we hope to have a higher number of visits from native French speakers and so continue to increase our sales in a highly competitive marketplace.”

Brainboxes is building towards a long term strategy of better serving individual markets by tailoring it’s offering to suit the needs of customers in particular regions. The French version is the first step and Brainboxes expects to launch it’s websites in multiple languages in order to meet all its customers worldwide.

Example Application – Wireless Whiteboard Application

The BL-875 requires no software, automatically adapts its baud rate to that of the data sent to it and can be up and running within minutes. This product automatically detects the power source, either the included external mains power adapter or pin 9 of RS232 converter.

Brainboxes is committed to providing the high quality tools industry needs to do their job and our products are engineered to provide a long lifespan even in rugged and demanding environments. The cards are custom designed to fulfill customers’ specific requirements in line with Brainboxes' “Perfect Fit, Custom Design” philosophy of engineering, tailored to give fully featured solutions for the most competitive price.

Powered cards are typically used in Point of Sale applications because one cable delivering both power and data communications lowers cost by saving on the need to have an additional power outlet and power brick for the device, simplifies the installation and maintenance of systems, saves on valuable space in store check outs and makes the operation of hand held device much easier.

Example Application – Golf Swing Monitor

Our products are being used in a new, industry changing Golf monitor application. The makers of the new Light Speed system claim it will make a difference to how golf retailers and PGA professionals will sell golf equipment in the future, and that the technology offers many advantages over existing launch monitor and swing analysis systems – at a greatly reduced cost. 

The market feedback on this technology that is using our products has been amazing:

Neil Bell, MD of Direct Golf UK, has been trialling a Light Speed system at his Doncaster store. “We’ve been using GPG’s new technology for several months, and I believe it is an exciting piece of kit, unique in today’s market.

Golf retailer and golf simulator expert Bert Kofer said: “I believe this technology could have a major impact on golf teaching and club fitting around the world.”

The full PCI Express range comprises Standard Height and Low Profile versions of 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8 Port variants in RS232 and 1, 2 & 4 Port RS422/485, Opto isolated, parallel port and powered versions also available. Cards are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. This range also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

Example Application – Emission’s Testing

Description	Ports	Code	Image
LP uPCI 4xRS232 Opto Isolated TX RX	4x9pin	UC-049
uPCI 4xRS232 Opto Isolated TX RX	4x9pin	UC-072
LP uPCI 4xRS232 Opto Isolated TX RX CTS RTS	4x9pin	UC-061
uPCI 4xRS232 Opto Isolated TX RX CTS RTS	4x9pin	UC-083

The UC-049 has 4 optically isolated lines on each of its 4 RS232 ports. Data lines TxD & RxD and handshake line RTS & CTS pass through an 1kV optically isolated barrier that provides extra protection to the host PC in the event high voltages being generated on the serial device side. Large spikes or transients surges are prevented from damaging the host PC since there is no galvanic connection (no current flow) between the serial equipment and the PC. Hazards such as ground loops or other causes of high potential differences between devices will not damage the PC. These products are ideal for rugged industrial environments like garage workshops where automotive tests are being conducted as well as general repair work involving high current devices like welding equipment. These products are industrial grade devices. Additionally all our uPCI products come with Lifetime Warranty and Support*, ensuring a true fit and forget experience.

Brainboxes is committed to providing the high quality tools industry needs to do their job and our products are engineered to provide a long lifespan even in rugged and demanding environments. The cards are custom designed to fulfill customers’ specific requirements in line with Brainboxes “Perfect Fit, Custom Design” philosophy of engineering tailored to give fully featured solutions for the most competitive price

The full uPCI range comprises Standard Height and Low Profile versions of 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8 Port variants in RS232 and 1, 2 & 4 Port RS422/485, Opto Isolated and parallel port versions also available. Cards are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. This range also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

The UC-263 is a low profile card occupying one PCI slot providing 4 RS232 ports on the bracket via a high density connector, the provided 1 metre spider cable brings these out as four industry standard 9 pin male RS232 ports, a fly lead makes the LPT port accessible via the industry standard 25pin female D connector. The UC-295 is a standard height version of the low profile UC-263 but otherwise identical.

The UC-414 is a standard height PCI card occupying one PCI slot providing 3 industry standard 9 pin D RS232 ports on the bracket with a further 9 pin D RS232 port and 25pin D LPT port on a fly lead.

Eamonn Walsh, Brainboxes Managing Director stated "These products are excellent choices when you need completely reliable and cost effective connectivity in a compact space. The cards are custom designed to fulfill customers’ specific requirements in line with Brainboxes “Perfect Fit, Custom Design” philosophy of engineering tailored to give fully featured solutions for the most competitive price.”

These products have LPT printer port connectivity providing fully bi-directional Standard Printer Ports (SPP) allowing complete backwards compatibility with a wide range of peripherals. They also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed customer support package, including Lifetime Warranty & Support, that makes Brainboxes stand out above other manufacturers and makes them the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

The full uPCI range comprises Standard Height and Low Profile versions of 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8 Port variants in RS232 and 1, 2 & 4 Port RS422/485, Opto isolated versions also available. Cards are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. This range also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

By their very nature, most serial devices currently in use throughout industry are not connected to a local network and are therefore working in a closed environment that requires physical access to operate, monitor and control the device. Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial products provide a powerful processor at the edge of a network, making it possible to remotely manage such devices from any connected location.  Allowing the same control as if working locally and, if connected to the Internet, these devices can be based anywhere in the world and still be managed remotely.

Brainboxes has engineered the Ethernet to Serial devices to operate completely autonomously. This means the 1 and 2 port RS232 and RS422/485 device servers will enable connection across a network with no loss of reliability or signal integrity, whether it is over one metre or 1,000 kilometres. Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial connectivity will prove ideal for large installations such as refineries, large manufacturing plants and warehousing where increased control and automation can help to reduce costs and so improve efficiency. These will also provide a greener option to your application as these products have a power consumption of less that 1 watt!!

These devices have also been designed with both Industrial and Desktop applications in mind; they are ruggedized in a metal enclosure for Industrial applications yet are smart and small enough to be used in any office environment.

"We identified the need for serial devices to be connected to the Ethernet network and responded by designing these serial products to work autonomously," said Eamonn Walsh, chairman of Brainboxes. “We believe that Ethernet to Serial connectivity is the way forward for customers who no longer wish to rely on physical access to their devices.  At Brainboxes we strive to provide our customers with connectivity options to suit their needs that are also cost-effective, in terms of capital investment and running costs.  By developing new Ethernet to Serial devices we are enabling our customers to both increase the accessibility of their devices and provide expanded connectivity for additional devices, while maintaining a low energy footprint."

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial range is based on proven and familiar technology. It is a cost-effective way to manage a wide range of serial accessories for various applications in an organisation.

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial products are ideal for a wide and varied range of applications which are becoming increasingly networked including: ATM machines, barcode scanners, refrigeration and heating controls, medical devices, security controls, weather stations and electronic key systems.

The 1 and 2 port RS232 and RS422/485 device servers support data transfer rates up to 230,400 baud coupled with 1Mbit/s line drivers to deliver uncompromising performance to a laptop, server or PC.  Brainboxes will package these products with its Boost.net driver, retaining existing software applications on the network and allowing high reliability connectivity over longer distances.

The Ethernet to Serial range comes with Microsoft signed drivers for Windows 7 and XP 32-bit & 64-bit editions. The range will also benefit from Brainboxes’ renowned lifetime support and lifetime guarantee: subject to online registration.

• £5 for orders with a value of less than £100 (excluding VAT)
• FREE shipping for orders with a total value greater than £100 (excluding VAT)

Our standard European Shipping costs are now:

• €12 for orders with a value of less than €120 (excluding VAT)
• FREE shipping for orders with a total value greater than €120 (excluding VAT)

Our online store is continually being updated with new offers and products such as our latest ranges, Ethernet to Serial and USB to Serial. Be the first to know about our new releases and product promotions by signing up to our newsletter and visiting our website – www.brainboxesstore.com

After 25 years at the previous location, which saw Brainboxes expand from a two-man operation to an employer of 30 people, serving customers on 4 continents (Brainboxes exports 70% of its produced goods), the company's future vision necessitated more suitable premises. Additionally Brainboxes has added 3 new members of staff to complement the team.

Moving to a newer, larger facility allows Brainboxes to be in an excellent position to expand into the future as the company continues to grow its Serial and Bluetooth product ranges.

The business park, located next to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, has great transportation infrastructure, including a new £30M hub railway station, road and bus network.

"I'm exceptionally pleased with the careful planning our staff have put into the move," commented Director Eamonn Walsh, "we would like to thank all the customers who have brought the company thus far, and we hope to continue to serve them in future in an even greater capacity".

This new building will help the company grow into the future including our own production line, updated test facilities, fully air-conditioning, new internal network infrastructure and plenty of space to expand.

Full press release and images below

The RS422/485 high speed cards have been engineered in-house by Brainboxes' technical team and are for use in areas such as industrial sectors, noisy environments and where high reliability communication transmissions are required etc. The RS422/485 cards are manufactured in the UK and are available from Brainboxes and their resellers and distributors worldwide.

This RS422/485 Opto Isolated board provides higher speed operation and connections up to 4,000 feet, using noise resistant differential pair driver/receivers. Each serial port has 128 byte FIFOs, 1 MegaBoard data transfers, with on board Hardware and Software flow control.

RS422 and RS485 are bus systems and up to 32 standard load or 128 low load devices per port can be connected. RS422 is supported with dedicated pairs for TxD, RxD, RTS and CTS signals. RS485 systems are supported in both Full Duplex mode using 2 pairs of wires and in Half Duplex mode using 1 pair of wires. The Half Duplex mode uses Brainboxes proven 485 Autogating circuitry for automatically turning the line around from receive to transmit and back again whenever the PC needs to send data to devices.

Eamonn Walsh, Chairman and founder of Brainboxes stated "These products have been designed to meet the continual demand for high reliability 422/485 serial connections in the Industrial Sectors. For example:

Large scale manufacturing companies use our cards to monitor staff movements throughout their sites. By linking our RS422/485 Opto Isolated cards to high tech security door access systems, they can log individuals and their enter and exit times on the site. The opto isolation protects the system against any electrical spikes, ensuring the data logged is secure.

The range of cards comprises of 1, 2 and 4 port cards with opto isolation, and are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. It also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

USB is the worlds most popular interconnection standard with over 3Billion devices shipped last year. The plug and play USB experience is one of the reasons USB has stormed the world. In a laboratory or industrial setting many people want the USB connectivity convenience but also want high reliability devices and connections, at Brainboxes we designed this range of metal cased products to be extremely robust even in hard hat environments. Brainboxes Boost software is already proven in a wide range of industrial applications  providing an excellent User Interface with state of the art compatibility and data integrity. We expect great things of this world beating range.

The latest devices to be released in this range are:

• 4 port RS422/485 - US-346
• 8 port RS422/485 - US-842

The multiport devices are boxed in industrial class metal casing that are IP30 rated and have optional DIN rail mountable capability. They are supplied with our proven  in-house designed  software ensuring a great user experience and have lifetime warranty.

The RS422/485 industrial multiport versions can be used in countless applications such as energy management systems for leisure facilities including hotels and fitness centres. These systems optimise energy efficiency in commercial buildings using computer aided tools to analyse and manage the energy being used.

This range will provide high-speed data transfer with the benefit of being hot-swappable with plug & play installation. This makes them ideally suited for use in financial, medical, industrial and point of sale applications.

These USB multiport devices are a simple and convenient way to add serial ports to any platform. They remove the need to open the chassis, reconfigure or reboot to add COM ports.

These industrial connectivity devices support data transfer rates up to 921,600 baud coupled with 1Mbit/s line drivers to deliver uncompromising performance to a laptop, PC or Server.  Brainboxes is packaging these products with its Boost.Software driver. The range will also benefit from Brainboxes' renowned lifetime guarantee and support, subject to online registration.

Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards come with Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. These products are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 coming with Brainboxes' acclaimed Boost software, which is installed in many thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised as providing industry leading stability and reliability.

USB is the worlds most popular interconnection standard with over 3Billion devices shipped last year. The plug and play USB experience is one of the reasons USB has stormed the world. In a laboratory or
industrial setting many people want the USB connectivity convenience but also want high reliability devices and connections, at Brainboxes we designed this range of metal cased products to be extremely robust even in hard hat environments. Brainboxes Boost software provides an excellent User Interface with state of the art compatibility and data integrity. We expect great things of this world beating range.

The first devices to be released in this range will be

• 2 port RS232 - US-257
• 2 port RS422/485 - US-313
• 4 port RS232 - US-701
• 8 port RS232 - US-279

The multiport devices are boxed in industrial class metal casing that are IP30 rated and have optional DIN rail mountable capability. They are supplied with our proven in-house designed software ensuring a great user experience and have lifetime warranty.

The industrial multiport versions can be used in various applications such as pedestrian management testing systems i.e. movement sensors used at pelican crossings to eliminate stopping traffic if button is pressed but nobody is waiting to cross.

This range will provide high-speed data transfer with the benefit of being hot-swappable with plug & play installation. This makes them ideally suited for use in financial, medical, industrial and point of sale applications.

These USB multiport devices are a simple and convenient way to add serial ports to any platform. They remove the need to open the chassis, reconfigure or reboot to add COM ports.

These industrial connectivity devices support data transfer rates up to 921,600 baud coupled with 1Mbit/s line drivers to deliver uncompromising performance to a laptop, PC or Server.  Brainboxes is packaging these products with its Boost.Software driver. The range will also benefit from Brainboxes' renowned lifetime guarantee and support, subject to online registration.

Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards come with Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. They are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. The cards also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in many thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

"Brainboxes' engineers have worked very hard to prepare the drivers to ensure customers have access to the latest Windows Operating Systems as soon as they become available while also continuing development of our new ranges to meet customers growing demands.

Windows 7 is set to be the biggest selling operating system of the next few years with uptake matching or surpassing that of Windows XP. This new operating system is extremely robust and with great backward compatibility. Brainboxes having signed drivers before the general release, shows the dedication and dedication they have to ensure customer satisfaction, allowing ease of transition for customers from one operating system to the next whilst building upon their existing hardware investments. Windows 7 is a high performance operating system with many new features that customers will find beneficial such as improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot and shut down times, greater security and is a multi touch aware operating system. Brainboxes Windows 7 drivers, just like all brainboxes drivers from Windows XP support both 32 bit and 64 bit operating system editions.

See all brainboxes Windows 7 signed drivers on the microsoft website.

"This new range has been designed to keep up with the ever-changing demands in the IT market," comments Eamonn Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes. "We have researched this market extensively and know that our customers demand a product which is designed with software and hardware that will ensure these products continue the reliability, compatibility and level of service that Brainboxes is renowned for. As more laptops and desktops are coming to the market with reduced connectivity Brainboxes will continue to provide it's customer base and new markets with a range of products to ensure reliable future proof connectivity ."

The first devices to be released in this range are

• US-101 - 1 port RS232, Available now
• US-324 - 1 port RS422/485, Available now

These single port devices are housed in a convenient portable form factor and provide simple, instant, reliable serial port connectivity solutions. They can also be plugged directly into any USB socket making them extremely economic and ergonomic, and a 30cm cable is also provided. They are supplied with our proven in-house designed software ensuring a great user experience

The 1 port RS232 has already been tested and implemented in applications including the global financial data exchange market, with excellent results.

This range will provide high-speed data transfer with the benefit of being hot-swappable with plug & play installation. This makes them ideally suited for use in laboratory and office environments.

In areas of restricted desk space, small form factor PCs are the computer of choice. While these fulfil the need of fitting into tight areas, they lack the number of serial ports that are needed in many applications. An example of this is in Airports, numerous data capture devices are required to manage passenger flow efficiently through the terminal.

Raised security checks require additional equipment i.e. Retina Scanners, Passport Scanners etc. These items can be easily and quickly interchanged using USB to Serial devices without rebooting the system or any need to update the system software.

The 1 port RS232 and 1 port RS422/485 products support data transfer rates up to 921,600 baud coupled with 1Mbit/s line drivers to deliver uncompromising performance to a laptop or PC. Brainboxes is packaging these products with its Boost.Software driver. The range will also benefit from Brainboxes' renowned lifetime guarantee and support, subject to online registration.

Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards come with Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. They are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. The cards also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in many thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

• PX-376 - PCIe Low Profile 1xRS422/485 1MBaud Opto Isolated
• PX-387 - PCIe 1xRS422/485 1MBaud Opto Isolated
• PX-310 - PCIe 2xRS422/485 1MBaud Opto Isolated

RS422/485 signals can have data runs of up to 4000 feet, when computers and peripherals are interconnected across such distances the different devices may well be supplied by mains power that has differing ground voltage causing currents to flow in the ground connections etc. Opto isolation will prevent this causing problems by each side of the circuit have signals and grounds that are isolated from the PC or devices power ground, helping signal integrity, cutting electrical noise and improving safety. Opto isolation also acts as a barrier to power surges and spikes. An all round winning solution when data integrity and equipment long levity is required

The RS422/485 boards have 1 MegaBoard data transfer speeds and have 128 byte FIFOs with on board Hardware and Software flow control. RS422 and RS485 are bus systems and up to 32 standard load or 128 low load devices per port can be connected. RS422 is supported with dedicated pairs for TxD, RxD, RTS and CTS signals. RS485 systems are supported in both Full Duplex mode using 2 pairs of wires and in Half Duplex mode using 1 pair of wires. The Half Duplex mode uses Brainboxes proven 485 Autogating circuitry for automatically turning the line

around from receive to transmit and back again whenever the PC needs to send data to devices, a necessity in today's multi-tasking operating systems like Windows and Linux. They also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed customer support package, including Lifetime Warranty & Support, that makes Brainboxes stand out above other manufacturers and makes us the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

Eamonn Walsh, Brainboxes Managing Director stated "These products have been designed to meet the continual demand for high reliability 422/485 serial connections in the Industrial Sectors. For example:

An industrial PC solutions provider uses Brainboxes' RS422/485 opto isolated cards in an application for a gas and oil company. They are used in a custom PC build for the monitoring and control of onshore and offshore oil and gas drilling and production platforms. The PC is located at the platform and monitor the performance of the drill head. In many cases the location of such installations provides harsh environmental conditions such as extreme high and low temperatures, dirt, dust, and constant vibration.

The full range will consist of 1, 2 and 4 port RS422/485 cards with opto isolation options available, and are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. It also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

The uPCI versions of these cards are top sellers for Brainboxes and as more customers move from uPCI to PCIe we remain committed to ensuring that we provide connectivity solutions which keep pace with the advances in technology and their end user requirements.

These LPT variations have been designed and manufactured in-house and will be a great addition to the current range of PCI Express. As LPT ports are no longer built into PCs these cards will allow you to include printer connectivity used in many industrial and retail applications.

Few of the latest PCI Express PCs come with the long established LPT printer port. These can now be added using Brainboxes products, the cards provide fully bi-directional Standard Printer Ports (SPP) allowing complete backwards compatibility with a wide range of peripherals. They also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed customer support package, including Lifetime Warranty & Support, that makes Brainboxes stand out above other manufacturers and makes them the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

Eamonn Walsh, Brainboxes Managing Director stated "These products have been designed to meet the continuing demand for parallel ports while integrating with the latest technology. For example:

"One of our roll outs, for a European Post Office, use these cards to connect to a label and receipt printer in their EPOS system. Our cards ensure that they can continue to benefit from pervious investments in peripherals that connect to devices with serial and printer ports while using the latest technology of PC platforms."

Another application of Brainboxes LPT products is with an EPOS System Integrator. The self-service till used in the US and Europe, requires an additional receipt printer. Systems Integrators chose Brainboxes cards ahead of any others because of our reputation for providing reliable fit and forget solutions.

The full PCI Express range comprises Standard Height and Low Profile versions of 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8 Port variants in RS232 and 1, 2 & 4 Port RS422/485, Opto isolated versions also available. Cards are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. This range also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

Brainboxes, a leader in serial and Bluetooth connectivity, was founded in Liverpool by Walsh in 1984 and since then has been a pioneer in electronics manufacturing in the UK. Walsh has seen many changes over the past 25 years - in 1984 IBM had not even released its PC in the UK. "No one had any idea what the potential was for the computer then, they were just thought of as games machines. Now we have low cost computing devices that fit in our pockets that we use all day long and people are writing software for fun."

Brainboxes has maintained its position as a UK manufacturer through the trading highs and lows of the past quarter century by keeping focused on its customers needs. Walsh believes that Brainboxes can be held up as an example for UK start-ups. "Some companies survive by being the lowest cost but we believe it is the communication you have with your customers that will give you the edge. We keep close to our customers, listening to what they are saying and understanding what they want. We do what the customer needs rather than telling them what they have to have and can also custom design our products to be a perfect fit and application specific when needed.

"We have never thought it makes economic sense to manufacture abroad unless you have very high volume production runs of a single product," he adds. "For us, with the wide range of products that we sell, tailored to specific needs, it is ideal to have it all under our own control. If customers want supply in a short lead-time we can react swiftly to an order often with next day delivery globally . Also, as we are not a contract manufacturer, we remain in control of our own stock, delivery and work schedules. Brainboxes has the in-house expertise to design both software and hardware so we are able to provide a complete design to manufacture solution. We pride ourselves on delivering continuity of supply and support."

Brainboxes has kept at the forefront of connectivity technology and was an early player with Bluetooth based products in 2000/01. "We did not appreciate the risk we were taking in the early days of release of Bluetooth products, it took Bluetooth longer than expected to become an established technology. But we were keen to pioneer this technology," comments Walsh. Our Bluetooth serial products are now best sellers to the global market.

In this our 25th Anniversary year we are introducing two new product ranges covering USB to Serial and Ethernet to Serial and are continuing to build upon what was our most innovative year to date 2008.

Asked if he had any advice to someone starting a business in 2009, Walsh said, "The best advice I can give them is to get a good product and get it in front of customers fast. Nothing can happen in a business without a sale. Always give the customer value for money, do the best you can and then watch them as they use it. You will learn a lot if you keep your eyes open."

Looking forward to the next 25 years Walsh is optimistic for the future. "We believe that at Brainboxes we have all the right tools, products and innovation to thrive over the next quarter of a century and beyond. We have superb ideas, excellent staff, top products, great customers and a really good route to market established. Through the past 25 we have learnt to keep the company lean and growing. Innovation and providing customers with more for less is essential in the supply to IT sectors."

Our previous edition informed you of our RS422/485 PCI Express serial launch, with the first releases being our 1 & 2 port versions. We are continuing to expand this range and are now ready to release our 4 port versions of these cards:

• PX-335 - Low Profile 4xRS422/485 1MBaud 
• PX-346 - 4xRS422/485 1MBaud

The RS422/485 boards provide higher speed operation and connections up to 4,000 feet. The cards have 128 byte FIFOs, 1 MegaBoard data transfers, with on board Hardware and Software flow control. RS422 and RS485 are bus systems and up to 32 standard load or 128 low load devices per port can be connected. RS422 is supported with dedicated pairs for TxD, RxD, RTS and CTS signals. RS485 systems are supported in both Full Duplex mode using 2 pairs of wires and in Half Duplex mode using 1 pair of wires. The Half Duplex mode uses Brainboxes proven 485 Autogating circuitry for automatically turning the line around from receive to transmit and back again whenever the PC needs to send data to devices. They also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed customer support package, including Lifetime Warranty & Support, that makes Brainboxes stand out above other manufacturers and makes us the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

Eamonn Walsh, Brainboxes Managing Director stated "These products have been designed to meet the continual demand for high reliability 422/485 serial connections in the Industrial Sectors. For example:

Europe's leading manufacturers of games machines uses Brainboxes' RS422/485 cards for touch screen video gaming. The cards connect several machines and link back to a server in the back office, creating a simple network which is ideal for transmitting data over long distances and in noisy environments. A Brainboxes' broadcast customer, which specialises in bespoke development in key TV & video technologies including teletext and subtitling, has its server connected up to broadcast automation systems via Brainboxes RS422/485 cards. These bring together the equipment such as the editing suite, video tapes, sound and interactive services, with teletext, before broadcast via transmitters into homes by the BBC, ITV and Cable TV stations. "

The full range will comprise of 1, 2 and 4 port cards with opto isolation options available, and are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. It also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

• PX-320 - Low Profile 1xRS422/485 1MBaud
• PX-324 - 1xRS422/485 1MBaud
• PX-313 - 2xRS422/485 1MBaud

All our PCI Express cards, including the new editions to this growing range add reliable and high-speed connectivity via any standard PCIe slot (x1, x2, x4, x8 or x16 lane slots). True megabaud line drivers carry information at 921,600 baud, and 256 byte FIFOs with a user definable trigger level ensure the highest levels of data integrity, reducing the likelihood of dropped packets. They also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed customer support package, including Lifetime Warranty & Support, that makes Brainboxes stand out above other manufacturers and makes us the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

Eamonn Walsh, Brainboxes Managing Director stated "These products have been designed to meet the continual demand for high reliability 422/485 serial connections in the Industrial Sectors. For example:

Europe's leading manufacturers of games machines uses Brainboxes' RS422/485 cards for touch screen video gaming. The cards connect several machines and link back to a server in the back office, creating a simple network which is ideal for transmitting data over long distances and in noisy environments. A Brainboxes' broadcast customer, which specialises in bespoke development in key TV & video technologies including teletext and subtitling, has its server connected up to broadcast automation systems via Brainboxes RS422/485 cards. These bring together the equipment such as the editing suite, video tapes, sound and interactive services, with teletext, before broadcast via transmitters into homes by the BBC, ITV and Cable TV stations. "

The full range of PCI Express comprises of 1, 2, 4 and 8 port RS232 cards and 1 and 2 port RS422/485 cards with opto isolation options available, and are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. It also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

The RS422/485 boards are an addition to the PCIe RS232 range Brainboxes launched in January 2008, but provide higher speed operation and connections up to 4,000 feet., using noise resistant differential pair driver/recievers. Each serial port has 128 byte FIFOs, 1 MegaBoard data transfers, with on board Hardware and Software flow control.

RS422 and RS485 are bus systems and up to 32 standard load or 128 low load devices per port can be connected. RS422 is supported with dedicated pairs for TxD, RxD, RTS and CTS signals. RS485 systems are supported in both Full Duplex mode using 2 pairs of wires and in Half Duplex mode using 1 pair of wires. The Half Duplex mode uses Brainboxes proven 485 Autogating circuitry for automatically turning the line around from receive to transmit and back again whenever the PC needs to send data to devices.

Eamonn Walsh, Chairman and founder of Brainboxes stated "These products have been designed to meet the continual demand for high reliability 422/485 serial connections in the Industrial Sectors. For example:

Europe's leading manufacturers of games machines uses Brainboxes' RS422/485 cards for touch screen video gaming. The cards connect several machines and link back to a server in the back office, creating a simple network which is ideal for transmitting data over long distances and in noisy environments.
A Brainboxes' broadcast customer, which specialises in bespoke development in key TV & video technologies including teletext and subtitling, has its server connected up to broadcast automation systems via Brainboxes RS422/485 cards. These bring together the equipment such as the editing suite, video tapes, sound and interactive services, with teletext, before broadcast via transmitters into homes by the BBC, ITV and Cable TV stations. "

The range of cards comprises of 1, 2 and 4 port cards with opto isolation options available, and are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. It also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

Torex Petroleum and Convenience purchase Brainboxes’ connectivity products for use in their Point of Service (POS) systems. One example of how Brainboxes serial cards are being used by Torex is in the forecourt sales operation. Their applications require additional serial ports for their existing hardware to provide connectivity to peripherals such as a car wash interface, chip and pin terminal, customer display, scales, receipt printer and modem. Brainboxes connectivity products allow expansion of the number of serial ports quickly and simply but with the outstanding reliability that our products are renowned for.

Brainboxes in-house manufacturing facilities are one of the reasons that Torex selected Brainboxes products, as this ensured production ramp up could be undertaken to meet volume requirements and timely installation of Petroleum and Convenience POS, where meeting deadlines is essential. The customer was also aware of Brainboxes product reputation for reliability and has been delighted with the results. In an environment where engineer site visits are very costly, it is essential to ensure that systems supplied are of the highest standard “The petroleum and convenience systems are installed in very demanding environments and so it is essential that the hardware we supply is robust enough to cope. Torex aims to provide a defining customer experience, including minimum downtime and so having the piece of mind that Brainboxes provides is extremely important to us,” comments Richard Quarmby, Vice President Petroleum and Convenience, Torex.

Brainboxes has extensive experience in many market sectors including POS, Finance, Industrial Automation, Manufacturing, Security, Broadcasting, Science and many more. With our in-house design and manufacturing facilities customers can be assured of the highest quality of our products. This reliability accompanied with our Lifetime Support and Lifetime Warranty ensures customers of the best user experience and service and secures long term business partnerships.

All Brainboxes hardware has undergone intensive testing and has been WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) approved. This along with our Microsoft Signed Drivers ensures the best overall customer experience when using our Serial Connectivity products. Brainboxes has also been a Microsoft Gold Partner for several years, this status is awarded to companies that demonstrate the highest levels of quality and excellence, further proving the reliability and high standard of our products. 

Brainboxes employed consultants from the Manufacturing Institute to carry out an independent environmental audit of the company. “After receiving the results of this is audit, we carried out a full review of our current policies and assessed the impact of our activities on the environment,” comments Peter Gray, Brainboxes’ Quality Manager.  “This covered everything from our product design, production operations, creation and disposal of wastes, office practices, order shipping and transportation, including company car usage.”

Brainboxes has always been aware of the need to continually review company processes and has been working with National Quality Assurance since 1994, helping the company to create and maintain internationally recognised accreditation standards. To achieve accreditation to ISO14001 two visits were made by an NQA assessor over a four month period and a recommendation for approval came through in February 2008, with the final approval on 17th March 2008. 

“Brainboxes sells into a global market where environmental awareness and concerns are increasingly important and customers are keen to work with suppliers who are raising standards and considering impact on the environment,” adds Eamonn Walsh, Chairman and founder of Brainboxes. “By achieving this widely acknowledged accreditation at an early stage, Brainboxes is once again able to offer our customers the level of confidence that they have come to expect from our products and services.”

What is PCI Express?

PCI Express is a 2-way, serial I/O technology that carries data in packets, similar to the way it is transferred over Ethernet. Unlike standard PCI technology, the PCIe bus is no longer a single parallel data bus through which all data is routed at a set rate. PCIe is an assembly of serial, point-to-point wired and individually clocked 'lanes' which each consist of two pairs of data lines carries data upstream and downstream. 

"Brainboxes is now seeing more and more companies incorporating PCIe slots into PC and server designs, which is speeding up the move to the new technology," comments Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes. "Current forecasts show that PCIe slots will have replaced PCI in the majority of PCs by late 2009. "Brainboxes' new range of PX serial cards offer reliable and high-speed serial communications, while our software and support reassure our customers that reliability or compatibility are never issues they need to worry about".

The Brainboxes 'PX' PCIe range benefits from a complete suite of software included with the cards and an acclaimed lifetime customer support package - elements that have made Brainboxes the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world. Brainboxes PX cards are compliant with PCIe version 1.0a and supplied software includes sample programs and test and terminal software, complete with source code. PX cards incorporate signed drivers for Microsoft Server 2008, Vista, XP, and Server 2003 in x32 bit x64 bit editions and Windows 2000.

Brainboxes, a leader in serial and Bluetooth connectivity, today launched their first RS422/485 product in its new range of VX ExpressCard compact serial cards - VX-023. The cards use the exclusive Boost software developed by Brainboxes to provide excellent compatibility with legacy serial applications. ExpressCard is the next generation of PC Card technology currently being introduced to new notebook computers and is the future of add-on connectivity for the laptop PC, which is under continual pressure to be smaller and thinner.

NEW Release - ExpressCard products can be based on either USB or PCI Express communications. The VX-023 1 Port RS422/485 1MegaBaud is the latest product in the range and the first Brainboxes serial product range to be based on USB technology. The Boost.USB software included with the range has been through an extensive program of testing with legacy devices. This rigour in testing, together with an acclaimed customer support package are some of the elements that have made Brainboxes the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

"The ExpressCard format is the future of add-on connectivity for laptop PCs with this continual pressure for reduction in size," commented Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes. "The high speeds and high data integrity of Brainboxes cards makes them perfectly matched to demands of PC users looking to add reliable and fault-free connectivity to their laptops. This provides an excellent solution to the large number of companies that need to connect to serial devices from their new laptops"

Brainboxes offers a full range of connectivity options in the range, with one and two port cards available for both RS232 and RS422/485 communications. ExpressCard is a simple expansion option, especially for laptop PCs where space is limited. An ExpressCard takes up as little as half the space of a PC Card and a type 1 ExpressCard measures only 34x25x5mm. The ExpressCard is also hot swappable so a PC can stay active when expansion options are added or removed, enabling communications, memory and security options to be easily added to a PC with minimum impact.

All Brainboxes ExpressCard serial cards are fully RoHS compliant. They come with full suite of software including drivers for Microsoft Windows Vista and XP (x32 bit and x64 bit editions) and all have Brainboxes' lifetime support and warranty.

“Brainboxes’ engineers have worked very hard over recent months to ensure that customers purchasing our serial products will be able to move seamlessly over to Windows Server 2008,” said Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes. “Our close working relationship with Microsoft ensures we gain very early access to new operating systems in development. At this point the Brainboxes’ R&D team immediately start working to develop compatible drivers so that our products are available to those adopting the new system from date of release.”

Windows Server 2008 will enable information technology professionals to maximise control over their company’s infrastructure with unprecedented availability and management capabilities.  It will also lead to an appreciably more secure, reliable and robust server environment than previously and areas that have been improved include networking, advanced security features, remote application access, centralised server role management, performance and reliability monitoring tools, failover clustering, deployment and the file system.

Brainboxes’ serial cards available for Windows Server 2008 include the recently launched PCI Express RS232 and RS422/485 range, together with the well-established and popular PCI products.

The first new PCIe cards to be launched are eight port cards - the PX-279 (DB9) and PX-275 (DB25), available in December from Brainboxes distributors worldwide. The cards are supplied with Brainboxes’ acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability. The PX-279 and PX-275 cards both offer eight RS232 ports to add reliable and high-speed connectivity via any standard PCIe slot (x1, x2, x4, x8 or x16 lane slots). True megabaud line drivers carry information at 921,600 baud, and 32 byte FIFOs with a user definable trigger level ensure the highest levels of data integrity, reducing the likelihood of dropped packets.

PCI Express is a 2-way, serial I/O technology that carries data in packets, similar to the way it is transferred over Ethernet. Unlike standard PCI technology, the PCIe bus is no longer a single parallel data bus through which all data is routed at a set rate. PCIe is an assembly of serial, point-to-point wired and individually clocked ‘lanes’ which each consist of two pairs of data lines carries data upstream and downstream.

“Brainboxes is now seeing more and more companies incorporating PCIe slots into PC and server designs, which is speeding up the move to the new technology,” comments Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes. “Current forecasts show that PCIe slots will have replaced PCI in the majority of PCs by late 2009. “Brainboxes’ new range of PX serial cards offer reliable and high-speed serial communications, while our software and support reassure our customers that reliability or compatibility are never issues they need to worry about”.

The Brainboxes ‘PX’ PCIe range benefits from a complete suite of software included with the cards and an acclaimed lifetime customer support package – elements that have made Brainboxes the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world. Brainboxes PX cards are compliant with PCIe version 1.0a and supplied software includes sample programs and test and terminal software, complete with source code. PX cards incorporate signed drivers for Microsoft Vista, XP, and Server 2003 in x32 bit x64 bit editions and Windows 2000.

“PCIe has grown rapidly from less than 10 million slots three years ago, to its current levels of 200-300 million” continued Evans. “Initially many companies preferred to stick with the PCI technology that they are familiar with, but as PCI slots decrease and are replaced by PCIe, this will no longer be an option. By providing the PX range Brainboxes will ensure a smooth transition for customers from one technology to the next. Current trends show that the usage of PCIe slots will continue to rise to a predicted figure of over 300 million a year in 2010*.”

* Figures taken from In-Stat Report ‘PCI Express, the Journey to 2.0’

The VX-001 1 Port RS232 is the first product in the range and the first Brainboxes product to be based on USB technology. The Boost.USB software included with the range has been through an extensive program of testing with legacy devices. This has included a beta testing program specifically with customers known to have problems connecting with standard USB to serial products. This rigour in testing, together with an acclaimed customer support package are some of the elements that have made Brainboxes the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

“The ExpressCard format is the future of add-on connectivity for laptop PCs with this continual pressure for reduction in size,” commented Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes. “The high speeds and high data integrity of Brainboxes cards makes them perfectly matched to demands of PC users looking to add reliable and fault-free connectivity to their laptops. This provides an excellent solution to the large number of companies that need to connect to serial devices from their new laptops”

Brainboxes offers a full range of connectivity options in the range, with one and two port cards available for both RS232 and RS422/485 communications.

ExpressCard is a simple expansion option, especially for laptop PCs where space is limited. An ExpressCard takes up as little as half the space of a PC Card and a type 1 ExpressCard measures only 34x25x5mm. The ExpressCard is also hot swappable so a PC can stay active when expansion options are added or removed, enabling communications, memory and security options to be easily added to a PC with minimum impact.

All Brainboxes ExpressCard serial cards are fully RoHS compliant.  They come with full suite of software including drivers for Microsoft Windows Vista and XP (x32 bit and x64 bit editions) and all have Brainboxes’ lifetime support and warranty.

These prestigious awards acknowledge all that is best in British manufacturing in the North West of England and it is the first time that Brainboxes have taken part. The Manufacturing Institute's aim is to salute the ingenuity, productivity and commitment of the region's manufacturers with these Business Awards. The Institute looks for companies that have travelled far on their continuous improvement journey and seek serial business improvers who are wholly commited in their quest to be world class.

The selection process to find the winners of the Business Awards was rigorous. Each nominated company had to go through a half-day assessment visit by a representative from the Manufacturing Institute, adding substantial credibility to the Awards.

Receiving both awards, Brainboxes' Chairman Eamonn Walsh said, "Our policy of recognising, adopting and championing industry best practice has sharpened our cutting edge and enabled us to manage and drive change. It is an acknowledged fact that small business can be far more dynamic and reactive to the market than larger enterprises. Brainboxes' size has meant that we can keep moving forward and win more business.

"This award recognises what we have known for some time - that with the best in-house practices, and a great team, a small company can cut a blazing trail in the world.  This is the reason that Brainboxes can offer the world's largest PC makers UK designed and manufactured PC add-in cards, providing world class performance at a competitive cost."

Brainboxes, the Liverpool-based specialists in serial technology and tailored Bluetooth wireless systems, has offices centrally located in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. The company attributes this major win to the commitment it has put in to its operation in the Far East such as a dedicated Brainboxes Japan local language website and downloadable translated data sheets.

“The chance to work with a world leader such as Ricoh is a great opportunity and an endorsement of our presence in Japan,” said Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes.  “I am certain that Brainboxes was first considered because of our proven track record in Bluetooth innovation, export experience, local presence in Japan and the fact that we are able to react swiftly to requests from companies such as Ricoh.”

Brainboxes Sales Manager, Owen Scullion, recently had the opportunity to join a 34-company strong EU Trade Mission, as one of the only two British companies invited, on a visit to Japan.  “The Japanese IT market is huge and there are very real opportunities to grow in it but it does require patience and great attention to detail,” he observed.  “No company should think that it can arrive in Japan and start trading from day one - it takes time to understand the business culture. What we have learnt, however, is that when you do get it right the benefits make the wait and effort worthwhile.”

For RS, choosing a partner to work with is all about the supplier understanding customers’ demands and being able to match them.  “We are well-established and when we take on a new partner it is very much a case of looking for new areas that we can expand into,” said Julian Wood, at RS. “We are continually looking for new projects and extra qualities we can bring into the mix for our customers.  We look to established brands, such as Brainboxes, with customer resonance to help us to take a foothold in new markets - one that is well known for quality products, design, reliability and consistency.”

RS prides itself on being professional and needs to partner with other brands that fit that part of the jigsaw and match its ethos as a progressive company.  Brainboxes is a good fit with this model as both companies share a desire to understand customers’ problems and then produce a product that provides a solution.  Both believe that this is the only way to meet the ever-increasing demands of customers in a technology led market. Forty years ago everything RS sold was own-brand but in the last 20 years it has moved into selling manufacturers’ brands. Whilst RS does have own brand products, a brand such as Brainboxes has a resonance which RS looks to build on.  “The quality and the positioning that Brainboxes has within the market means that we would never re-brand their products,” added Wood. The market is now stabilising and RS will be looking to increase its own branded range in the future. When RS looks for a partner it wants one with the right products to move it forward and into new areas. Increasingly for customers it is no longer about finding a product, buying it and taking delivery on time.  It is now about ensuring they get the right feedback to select the right product alongside the right application to maximise their own business. The challenge in bringing a product to market now comes from developing the value behind the product.

RS are able to act as a bridge between the customer and Brainboxes .  “We see it as part of our role to have this two-way communication so that the customers’ feedback gets to Brainboxes and likewise the customer is aware of new developments,” concluded Wood. “It is a big opportunity to take a customer’s learning and understanding of a product and utilise that information so that suppliers can take this on board and adapt products to fit customers needs better. Brainboxes respond well to this input. ”

Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes commented, “People often ask what value resellers actually add but we have found that working closely with RS proves a great combination.  One of the interesting things about RS is the breadth and depth of its customer base and the fact that it has moved from the industrial market to embrace more sophisticated products.  We gain valuable end user feedback from RS which enables us to design and manufacture products with future proof solutions to exceed customers’ expectations.”

RS has a central management team for Europe and Brainboxes’ products appear in most European markets and also in the Far East.  “Brainboxes like RS are keen to develop strategies to expand their export markets , “ commented Dave Cole, RS “Brainboxes are very much ahead of the game, their products have international country accreditations, are Microsoft approved and already have Vista enabled products. As many PCs don't have a serial port on them so Brainboxes PCI products are invaluable. Brainboxes also help us by providing a full range of localised data sheets for the countries we sell them in, making life easier for our sales team.”

This well-established relationship recently led to Brainboxes supplying ultra-compact (UC) low profile serial cards to RS for its new mission critical SAP servers. RS prides itself on a fast and efficient electronic stocking and ordering system and the Brainboxes UC cards play a vital role in ensuring the fast connectivity and fail-proof operation of the system. 

This driver is suitable for all UC, UP, PM and CC part code serial cards in: 
· Windows Vista 32-bit 
· Windows Vista 64-bit

“We have found the move into Europe an interesting challenge,” comments Stephen Evans, managing director of Brainboxes.  “Our experience has been that new European partners and resellers need to have the confidence that a company is really serious about operating in mainland Europe before they will commit.  They want to see a consistent presence on the ground with full support in place. This provides the security that when contracts are signed everything will run smoothly.  To show our commitment to this process we have taken on two new members of our sales force whose skills compliment those already within the team.”

The appointment of Canadian Pierre Kowlessar enhances the language skills within the company as he is fluent in French and German. Kowlessar moved to Brainboxes from a UK publishing house where he was a sales executive/project manager.  Prior to that hewas based in Germany with a software company working as a sales executive in International Business Development. He has a degree in marketing and international business from Carlton University, Ottawa, Canada.

Craig Johnson brings his experience of working in the IT Distribution Channel as a sales account manager for CMS Computers and as sales manager for Europa Computers to Brainboxes. 

These roles involved selling systems, components & software to distributors, resellers, system integrators and included both public & corporate sectors. The considerable experience that Johnson has in selling IT hardware, building a channel and supporting resellers and distributors, fits perfectly with the ongoing activity and expansion strategy already in place at Brainboxes. “We have been very pleased with the progress we have made into Europe this year and are look forward to consolidating our presence there in 2007,” concluded Evans. “

You will find Brainboxes on stand 210 showcasing its new range of PCI Express, Serial Cards, ExpressCards and the latest in Bluetooth wireless technology.

Now in its 12th year, the Embedded Systems Show is the UK’s largest event for system engineering and embedded software development. Alongside the core exhibition, the Embedded Systems Show includes a technical conference, vendor speaking programme and exhibitor product demonstrations.

Members of the Brainboxes' team will be on hand at the exhibition to share the company's tremendous success with the process.

Brainboxes was experiencing rapid growth and needed to increase the throughput of its established products while introducing a range of newly developed wireless products based on Bluetooth technology.  Realising that streamlining its production would help to achieve this, the company contacted The Manufacturing Institute, which delivers the MAS service in the North West. Together they mapped out the process from receipt of order to despatch and identified that they could: improve manufacturing throughput; improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE); reduce change-over times; reduce rework by improving 'right first time' through the use of FMEA and increase labour productivity.

By applying this process rigorously Brainboxes has managed to improve its changeover / setup times by 30 percent, reduced stocktaking days from 12 person days to five person days and increased its productivity volumes by 75 percent. All of these improvements have been seen since the company's adoption of lean manufacturing.

"At Brainboxes we asked how we could compete against the low cost techniques," says Eamonn Walsh, Chairman and Technical Director of Brainboxes. "However, adopting them is not just for a week, it is a company lifestyle change. You have to apply it, then re-apply it and then do it again so you drill right down to basics. In the UK, if companies adopt the best practice of lean manufacturing methods and apply them to all manufacturing in the UK, electronics or otherwise, then the industry will be transformed for the good.  If not, unreformed manufacturing will fall by the wayside."

"Forget the GI and Atkins diets, the Lean programme will add muscle to any enterprise," advises Dr Julie Madigan, chief executive of The Manufacturing Institute. "Many of the region's manufacturers have toned up their processes through embracing lean thinking, but fewer have gone all the way to extend this good practice throughout the entire business and beyond through their supply chain. Fewer still apply lean practice to their products, which can typically cut cost by up to 25%."

Brainboxes, which recently celebrated its 21st anniversary, now has two of its staff working on Six Sigma projects. Black belt Dave Ritchie, who was previously Brainboxes’ hardware team leader, now has the full time job of leading Six Sigma-based improvement projects throughout the company. Xiaolong Shi, is a Six Sigma green belt, and Shi’s recent project involved successfully resolving variations in stock level.  As a green belt, Shi dedicates two days a week to the task and she is due to start a new Six Sigma project.  Everyone in the company has undergone an entry level Six Sigma course.  Brainboxes will implement a six-year plan that will see between 20 and 30 percent of its staff trained to green belt or black belt level in Six Sigma methods.

Six Sigma is designed to enhance performance by improving the efficiency of specific areas of a business, from production to administration, and involves collecting data from a particular problem process and performing statistical analysis to find the root causes of the problem. Brainboxes is already enjoying the success of its company’s commitment to this strategy.  Dave Ritchie recently completed a nine-month project on defects on the surface mount production line, which resulted in sustained process improvement of 80 percent.

Eammon Walsh, managing director of Brainboxes commented, “The methodologies of Six Sigma are leading to improvements and developments in our products and services that are setting new standards of performance, value and quality for Brainboxes.  News of this has certainly impressed some of our existing customers.” Walsh continued, “Our success to date with Six Sigma, and our commitment to it, has proven that such process enhancements can work just as well in a company our size, as they do in large multinationals. Six Sigma is part of our on-going drive to improve our business processes.”

Six Sigma employs the concepts Statistical Analysis, Design of Experiments, Creative Thinking, and Change Management and Pokayoke (Japanese term meaning ‘error proofing’) and some concepts of lean production. Six Sigma was made famous in the 1980s by Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric, but its tenets remains just as relevant in today's business environment.

As part of Brainboxes commitment to supporting the latest technologies, the driver includes new processor affinity features for greater flexibility and performance on Multicore, Multiprocessor and Hyperthreading enabled machines. This enables users to specify to run sections or the whole of the serial solutions driver on a single processor, allowing greater flexibility in load management with other processes and applications running on the system. This is all set from a simple menu accessed from device manager.

The new driver also benefits from enhanced accuracy and control of the FIFO Trigger levels and a host of other new features, such as better modem control for all serial cards, and improved performance with serial mice and other low data rate peripherals.

The uninstall application has also been revised and now allows re-installation without a reboot or ‘hotplug’ of the card. This makes it faster and easier for engineers to update the drivers.

Over 500 family businesses, including Brainboxes, gathered last friday at St Georges hall for a glittering celebration at the 2005 'Merseyside Family Business Awards'.

The event was the first time a competition has been created to recognise and celebrate the unique contribution family businesses have made to the regions economy, history and culture and is thought to be the largest in the UK.

The competition attracted 160 entries and a huge amount of interest and support from the wider business community.

The judging panel looked at a wide range of areas including family dynamics, length of trading, contribution to the Merseyside economy, special achievements, contribution to the community and promotion of Merseyside outside of the region.

Addressing the finalists on the night, MSIF's Managing Director Fund Manager said: "We are overwhelmed by entries and support for the campaign to raise awareness of family business issues. Tonight you are all winners in your own right. You have demonstrated unique talents, truly outstanding achievements and thoroughly deserve this recognition. You have made the region proud".

This award is just one in a long list of Brainboxes recent achievements such as European Electronics Industry Manufacturer of the Year Award 2005 and Microsoft Tech-Ed Best Mobile Computing Product 2005.

This hatrick clearly demonstrates the company's ability to design and manufacture Serial and Bluetooth products of exceptional quality and reliability whilst maintaining the qualities of a true family business.

Eamonn Walsh, managing director of Brainboxes commented, "We are seeing huge changes in UK manufacturing and we need to encourage more companies to retain their manufacturing in Europe - therefore we have to express our appreciation to Elektra for having an award category to shine light on this sector which in spite of contributing 20% of the UK's GDP, is increasingly considered unfashionable." Walsh continued, "In this industry the strong not only survive but continue to thrive by being first implement the necessary changes to stay ahead."

This was reflected by the Elektra judges who commented: "the winning manufacturer [Brainboxes] demonstrated how it is possible to succeed in a very competitive industry where most other suppliers enjoy low manufacturing costs in south east Asian countries"

Brainboxes has been a long time advocate of why companies should retain manufacturing in the UK. To stop the migration of UK manufacturing overseas Walsh has suggested companies try to be more intelligent with their manufacturing. Lowering wage bills by re-establishing manufacturing overseas is the easy way out rather than dealing systematically with the root causes of high cost manufacturing.

Walsh continued, "the only way forward for all UK businesses is by implementing the correct lean manufacturing, removing the waste in current systems, streamlining processes and concentrating on creating value that customers will pay for"

"Manufacturing contributes 20 percent of the UK's GDP, so we must not downplay the effect of a declining manufacturing sector on the country's overall employment rate and economy. We can't afford to let all of our manufacturing migrate overseas."

"Toyota, Honda and Nissan continue to manufacture in the UK to great effect - they clearly see the benefits of being based here. They know that manufacturing adds value to raw materials and that creates profit."

Mark Anderson, Chairman of VBug UK and category judge, explained that Brainboxes' CompactFlash and serial products stood out from the other finalists because of "the ease of configuration of the devices along with the wide range of uses this application can be utilised for." He went on to comment that "the judges were particularly impressed with the wide range of applications being developed."

On collecting the award Eamonn Walsh, managing director of Brainboxes, said, "It is really good to have our confidence in these products reinforced by winning such a prestigious award.  It was good to learn that it was not only our current products that impressed the judges but also Brainboxes commitment to continual development."

"All of the products that were evaluated for the Best of Microsoft Tech·Ed 2005 Europe awards were of exceptional quality but the winners stood out amongst the competition for providing the best strategic importance to the market, the highest competitive advantage to the organisation, and the most value to the customer", said Mike Otey, Senior Technical Editor for Windows IT Pro Magazine.
 
Liverpool-based Brainboxes has over 20 years experience in tailoring and manufacturing PC serial connectivity solutions to customers' requirements. Brainboxes also offers a full range of high-performance Bluetooth adaptors to enable customers in such sectors as retail, medical, manufacturing, finance and banking to remove the cables from their devices and benefit from wireless connectivity.

Full Story

Brainboxes who successfully design and manufacture all their products from their Liverpool Headquarters, have seen their International sales grow substantially since 2000. This success has been attributable to their persistent investment in innovative technologies such as Bluetooth, maintaining core skills locally and aggressively pursuing International trade opportunities.

For more information see the Brainboxes BB16CF950+ overview page.