Sonifex RB-IPE IP Extenter for GPIO & Analogue Control Signals

Sonifex RB-IPE IP Extenter for GPIO & Analogue Control Signals

The RB-IPE is a 1U rackmount device that uses an Ethernet network to enable remote control of GPIO and analog control voltages. One unit can be controlled by Ethernet instructions and the web server interface, or two units can be configured with an integrated web server and communicate with each other over an Ethernet network. The device can be utilized in any situation where it's necessary to obtain GPO signals remotely or operate equipment remotely, such as at transmitter sites, unmanned posts, or outstations.

Eight isolated current sink inputs and eight pull-to-ground protected inputs make up each of the unit's sixteen general purpose inputs on eight RJ45 connectors. Similarly, each unit has sixteen general purpose outputs on eight RJ45 connectors, which use eight isolated relay change-over contacts and eight opto-isolated contacts. Every GPIO on these back panel RJ45 connectors has an LED that indicates its current condition. There are 8 x 0 to 3.3V/5V/12V input signals and 8 x nominally 0 to 3.3V output signals on another 8 x RJ45 connector. Other output voltage configurations are allowed. All of the outputs can be managed by Ethernet commands or the inputs of another RB-IPE.

This enables the sending of any tally and control signals across a network, along with the movements of analogue potentiometers, for purposes such as controlling remote equipment, triggering failure alarms at a transmitter site, and remote alarm points. If a general purpose input state changes at one of two connected units located at different sites, the unit transmits the updated state to the other site, causing the relevant opto-isolator output to change on that unit. In a similar manner, input voltage controls are tracked, and the remote unit receives the voltage change information and adjusts the output voltage appropriately.

One input signal to a unit on one site may be routed to several outputs in a unit on another site, or the signals may have their logic reversed and dispersed to multiple outputs. Additionally, the configuration of the GPOs' initial state upon power-up enables more dependable recovery of externally attached devices from a power-outage scenario. The incoming and outgoing signal ranges for the analogue I/O control signals can be transferred, for example, from 0V to 5V input to 0V to 12V output, or from a linear input to a log scale output. Additionally, analogue input voltages can be mapped to GPO pins by programming threshold values. For example, this can be used to send a signal to a GPO when a volume knob is turned too high. Either DHCP or a static IP address can be used to configure the web server in the RB-IPE. The RB-IPE is powered from a universal mains input between 85-264V AC at 47-63Hz.