Right on time for the SPS/IPC/DRIVES, MEN Mikro Elektronik presents the first Ethernet switches of the robust, modular MIPIOS® family.
As a managed or unmanaged version, in mobile or industrial applications, MEN’s MIPIOS switches are suitable for every field of application in which safety and reliability have the highest priority.
Robust Ethernet switches on the rise
Ethernet switches are now used in almost any imaginable field of application, from normal conditions up to hot, dry and dusty or extremely humid and cold environments. This means that the demands on the technology are higher than average and cannot be catered for with standard PCs. In the mobile field, this includes commercial vehicles like agricultural or construction machines, trains, buses and cable cars. Robust and safe switches are also needed in avionics, medical engineering and industrial automation.
MEN MIPIOS switches excel through their extreme robustness. The 220x130x70mm aluminium housing conforms to EN 50155 and IP67, allows solid wall-mounting and protects against violent impact, making it suitable for use in harsh and critical environments
MIPIOS switches are available as managed and unmanaged versions. Both are equipped with eight fast Ethernet channels which are accessible via M12 connectors at the front. They support full and half duplex, fast non-blocking store-and-forward switching and auto-negotiation as well as layer-2 switching. They are fault tolerant and restore themselves automatically. If a link is temporarily unavailable, it will work again after the disturbance without any restart or reset. A built-in test mechanism makes the switches an even more reliable component in the communication system.
The managed version RS1 is equipped with a service port at the front, which is also accessible via an M12 connector. This port provides an easy way to configure all channels individually. An external dongle, a command line interface (via RS232, Telnet or SSH) or SNMP (version 3) allows for easy maintenance, for example when the switch is used in a vehicle or in automation applications. The RS2 is the first unmanaged MIPIOS switch. Both versions conform with the EN 50155 railway standard, meaning that all electronic components are specified for an operating temperature range of -40°C to +70°C, soldered to withstand shock and vibration and prepared for conformal coating.
The MIPIOS products
MIPIOS is a family of extremely rugged modular computer components such as box computers, Ethernet switches, PSUs and I/O devices. The units were designed for wall mounting or DIN-rail mounting, even in extreme and mobile applications, and communicate with each other using Ethernet. The stainless aluminium enclosure used in all MIPIOS products is dust and waterproof according to IP67 and protects against violent impacts. With a maximum power dissipation of 10W, MIPIOS products are fanless; the heat is transported to the outside of the housing via conduction cooling.