Introduction As the world's population continues
to grow and more factories are built, it becomes more
and more important to provide sufficient power in an
environmentally sustainable way. The solar power solution
has received much publicity and backing from environmental
enthusiasts, and is beginning to enter the mainstream.
In solar power systems, rooftop solar panels are used to absorb the Sun's energy and convert it into electrical energy. The electrical energy is sent to a control box using RS-485 serial wires and is monitored by a power meter. Energy providers are looking for an Internet solution for more efficient and flexible management and monitoring of their renewable energy systems. For this type of application, a programmable serial-to-Ethernet communication gateway is needed to convert RS-485 serial data into a format suitable for transmission over the Ethernet.
Solution MOXA's UC-7110 offers an economical
and resourceful solution for routing serial data to an
existing Ethernet network. Solution providers can embed
their own monitoring and protocol conversion software
into the UC-7110 to monitor power generation and consumption
data. As a front-end controller, the UC-7110 is conveniently
sized and includes customized programming options to
convert power meter data into Ethernet packet format.
The UC-7110 can be used in place of a PC, significantly
reducing costs for solution providers, and its small
size gives system managers added installation flexibility.
Benefits
Adapts easily to
an RS-485 network without requiring re-cabling of existing
structure
Includes intuitive
BSD-style API for easier programming
Replaces front-end
PC for significant reduction in maintenance costs
Shortens
application development time through rich API library
support
Enables fast time
to market by using existing hardware and software design
