The Digital-I/O Extender Set 2×2 transmits up to four digital I/O signals over multi-mode glass fibre cable. The Set consists of two Converters Digital-I/O <> glass fibre optics and supports two I/O channels in each direction.
Although digital I/O signals are essentially insensitive to external noise due to their low bandwidth and the large voltage swing, as serial data signals for example the application conditions do still in many cases require transmission procedures which are completely resistant to local noise effects.
Glass fibre optic cables used as the transmission medium meet these requirements in ideal fashion and also offer the advantage of galvanic isolation of up to virtually any value between the connected devices. In installations which are subjected to high risk of lightning strikes, for example in outdoor locations or between distant buildings, such a solution ensures that the connected components will survive even under adverse conditions.
Plastic fibre optics have the advantage of simple to install connections over short distances of up to 100 meters, but at distances up to 3800m the use of glass fibre optics is mandatory. Light signal attenuation is significantly less in glass optical fibres compared with plastic.
Whereas routing and assembling glass fibre optic cables used to be problematic for the user, increasingly wide usage of glass fibre optic technology in networks has caused many companies to offer this service today at reasonable cost.