Akron OH, April 27--Quatech Inc., a leading manufacturer of connectivity products for PC-based systems, today introduced a new surge suppression package for their FreedomUSB line of multiport USB to serial adapters. With this announcement, Quatech further enhances one of the most robust USB serial lines in the industry and expands the reach of the line into systems designed for industrial and other potentially harsh environments.

While initially designed for consumer oriented desktop applications, USB is becoming one of the leading I/O interfaces for a wide variety of PC-based industrial and commercial applications because of its low cost and Plug & Play capability. Serial adapters make USB an even more attractive choice for these applications because they enable continued use of legacy peripherals via the USB port. However, as USB was not created for this type of application, it ignores the significant problem of data line surges. For example, in industrial environments surges enter a system via other serial equipment, long cable runs, external antennas or security equipment. Static voltages can also be transferred to equipment by the materials being processed. In Point Of Sale applications, users can introduce static onto the data line via scanners or card readers.

Quatech's new "IND" option for their USB to serial adapters solves this problem by introducing suppression before the surge hits the device, thus protecting it. Each data line is equipped with a surge suppressor that is capable of sustaining up to 40A peak, 8 x 20ms transient surges, a clamping voltage of 30V (15.5V for RS-422/485 lines), and a peak energy dissipation of 0.1 Joules. The surge suppression package is available for all Quatech two, four, eight and sixteen port adapters.

Quatech USB to serial adapters accommodate a wide variety of system requirements. RS-232 adapters are available in one, two, four, eight and sixteen port versions. RS-422/485 adapters are available with two, four, eight or sixteen ports and are configurable for full-duplex or half-duplex operation. The adapters are supported under Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP.

All Quatech USB serial adapters enumerate themselves as standard COM ports, and can transfer data at speeds up to 460.8 kbps-a significant improvement over the 115.2 kbps maximum for a standard serial port. The adapters are equipped with 16550 UARTs containing 16-byte FIFOs. These FIFOs, along with the FIFOs in the USB microcontroller, help relieve the CPU of excessive interrupts by buffering received and transmitted data, making Quatech USB adapters ideal choices for heavy multitasking environments.

Quatech serial USB adapters offer several attractive features that make them particularly convenient and easy to use. The adapters provide multiple ports via a single box with easily accessible connections. All the adapters are bus powered, so no external power supply is needed-an unusual feature in adapters providing such a large number of ports.

Quatech's FreedomUSB Series was created around the principle that taking advantage of new technology should not require users to abandon their investment in legacy devices and the applications written for them. The FreedomUSB line provides users the freedom to implement the system they want with the resources they have and the code they have created. Users have the freedom to use USB enabled devices with non-USB devices, to transfer data between USB compliant and non USB compliant computers, and to expand a computer's built-in USB ports to accommodate large numbers of USB and legacy serial devices. Complete details and product specifications for Quatech's entire FreedomUSB Series can be found on their website.

Pricing Information for Quatech's USB serial adapters:

SSU-100: 1 port RS-232 adapter --$ 79.00
DSU-100: 2 port RS-232 adapter with cable--$149.00
DSU-100IND: 2 port RS-232 adapter with surge suppression package--$169.00
DSU-200/300: 2 port RS-422/485 adapter--$179.00
DSU-200/300IND: 2 port RS-422/485 adapter with surge suppression package--$199.00
QSU-100: 4 port RS-232 adapter --$199.00
QSU-100IND: 4 port RS-232 adapter with surge suppression package--$239.00
QSU-200/300: 4 port RS-422/485 adapter--$229.00
QSU-200/300IND: 4 port RS-422/485 adapter with surge suppression package--$269.00
ESU-100: 8 port RS-232 adapter--$399.00
ESU-100IND: 8 port RS-232 adapter with surge suppression package--$479.00
ESU-200/300: 8 port RS-422/485 adapter--$429.00
ESU-200/300IND: 8 port RS-422/485 adapter with surge suppression package--$509.00
HSU-100: 16 port RS-232 adapter--$799.00
HSU-100IND: 16 port RS-232 adapter with surge suppression package--$959.00
HSU-200/300: 16 port RS-422/485 adapter --$ 829.00
HSU-200/300IND: 16 port RS-422/485 adapter with surge suppression package--$ 989.00

For more information about Quatech USB to serial adapters, the new surge suppression option, Quatech's FreedomUSB Series, or any other Quatech product, please call 1-800-553-1170 and talk with a sales engineer about your application, email sales@quatech.com, or visit Quatech's website at www.quatech.com.

About Quatech: Quatech supplies the industry's most reliable data connectivity solutions. It achieves this high level of reliability by virtue of quality design and manufacturing, and service and support that exceed expectations. Its customers include Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and small and mid-size system integrators and VARs in a variety of markets including banking, retail, industrial process control, security, and hospitality. Founded in 1983, and headquartered in Akron, OH, the company sells and supports its solutions through a network of distributors in over 30 countries. Website: www.quatech.com.
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