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New Hirschmann Low-cost switches for demanding applications

Product News Thursday, February 14, 2013: IAC - Industrial Automation & Control (Pty) Ltd

New Hirschmann Low-cost switches for demanding applications

IAC presents two new unmanaged Gigabit Ethernet SPIDER switches from its Hirschmann product range. The SPIDER II Giga EEC Pro, available with either five twisted pair ports (10/100/1000 Mbit/s) or two additional SFP slots for fiber optic transceivers (1000 BASE-SX/LX), supports Quality of Service compliant with IEEE 802.1D. This allows prioritization of data packages and means that the switch can be used for PROFINET applications in the mechanical engineering sector for example.

The SPIDER II Giga EEC Jumbo is also available in two different 5-port versions, with or without SFP slots. Because both versions can handle Jumbo Frames with up to 9014 bytes of user data, they are particularly suitable for video applications. All switch versions conform to relevant industry standards for shock and vibration resistance as well as electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and are built to comply with cUL508 safety requirements. Further features include 12/24V power supply, IP30 protection rating, fanless cooling, and an extended temperature range of  -40 °C to +70 °C. 

The switches can be cascaded as often as required, permitting implementation of locally structured networks with short transmission paths to the terminating equipment The twisted pair ports have RJ45 sockets, and support auto-crossing, auto-negotiation and auto-polarity. The fiber optic transceivers can bridge distances of up to 0.5 km (multi-mode) or 120 km (single-mode), and support auto-negotiation and full-duplex mode.

The switches are designed for mounting on DIN rails and can be rapidly set up for operation using the plug & play principle. Thanks to their compact 35 x 154 x 121 mm housing (width x height x depth), they can be easily installed in distribution boxes. LEDs on the front panel indicate the device and network status. 

With these two new devices, Hirschmann is adding variants boasting new features to the SPIDER family of Full Gigabit switches. "Support for Quality of Service and Jumbo Frames means that inexpensive unmanaged devices can now be used in applications that were previously exclusively the domain of managed switches,” says product manager Jürgen Schmid. "The Gigabit technology also ensures that these switches are a future-proof investment."

For more information, contact Raine Sadie, IAC (Pty) Ltd, +27 (0)12 657 3600, raine@iacontrol.co.za