Industrial Control Applications--USB to RS-232 Serial Adapters
Application:
Automated
Parallel Synthesis for Process Development
Quatech
Products Used: Quatech
QSU-100IND four port USB to RS-232 Serial
Adapter with Surge Suppression
Quatech QSU-100IND Four port USB to RS-232 Serial adapters
with Surge Suppression are being used as part of a real-time reaction
analysis system. The system is designed to both identify reactants, products
and intermediates in a chemical reaction and to track the course of the
reaction with a single automated system. The system is comprised of four
reactors, each of which can be individually controlled and conditioned,
with a probe integrated into the base of each. Modulated infrared radiation
is passed to each of the reactors in turn, and a spectrum is measured
and passed to a Windows NT-based PC via a surge protected serial to USB
interface. Up to thirty spectra per hour are obtained from each reactor
and used by the system to derive concentration profiles. This application
was originally implemented with standard USB to serial adapters, however
results were unpredictable and inaccurate. After much testing, our customer
found that the added protection of Quatech's "IND" surge suppression
package was the only USB to Serial solution that would work in their systems.

Application:
Natural Gas
Well Monitoring
Quatech Products Used: Quatech QSU-100
four port USB to RS-232 Serial Adapter

Quatech's QSU-100 is used by a major natural gas producer
to implement a well monitoring system. Each well is monitored by an electronic
gas meter. Each group of wells uses telemetry and a master radio to transmit
data. Each master radio requires a dedicated serial port on the polling
computer, and Quatech's QSU-100 supplies the additional serial ports required.
Interesting
note: This customer attempted to use a low-cost generic PCI bus card to
implement this system, but after "less than desirable results" turned
to Quatech for our fast, easy , and reliable USB connectivity solution.
|