Following a rigorous inspection process by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, it was confirmed that we have met all the criteria necessary for this internationally recognised accreditation.

What does this mean?

An Authorised Economic Operator, AEO, is a status given to a business that is involved in the international supply chain that has proved it is compliant and trustworthy.

The benefit to our customers

As an AEO we and our export customers will benefit from simplifications provided for under the customs rules and from facilitations relating to security and safety. This will speed our exports across the globe and assist our international partners and customers to do business with us. For all our customers this supports our claim that we are well placed to deliver on time and in full wherever they are in the world and the independent audits strengthen our claim.

How did we achieve this?

In order to gain this award it requires months of repeated inspections and production of satisfactory documentation from every part of the company.

The assessment for AEO required us to provide detailed financial reports that were not only complete but attested to the economic strength and viability of the company. We had to demonstrate our compliance with ISO9001 and ISO14000 standards, that our risk assessment procedures, safety and security for our goods, access to our premises and security, our networks and IT systems all met the high standard required. Our customs procedures, intellectual property, binding tariff codes and our goods management were all assessed and proved to be compliant.

You’ve always known you can trust the Brainboxes brand for quality, service and reliability, now we have proven you can count on our stability and delivery too.

AEO is recognised across the EU, Japan, Switzerland, Norway and mutual recognition deals should be in place for the USA’s C-TPAT and for China’s scheme in 2012.

What the United Kingdom Government says;

“The introduction of AEO status is the EU response to the need to secure international supply chains and the introduction of Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) in the USA. AEO is based on, and is compatible with, the World Customs Organisation’s SAFE Framework of Standards which is being implemented by Customs authorities across the globe.

The criteria for a Customs simplification AEO also provide a common and harmonised set of criteria for granting customs simplifications across the EU.”

Our AEO number: GB AEOF 00031/11

Liverpool UK - 24^th November 2011 Brainboxes, a leader in serial connectivity, has introduced RS422/485 versions of their 4 and 8 port Ethernet to serial products. As with all our Ethernet to Serial port devices these new products are designed to provide easy, fast and reliable connections between networked computers and devices with serial ports- be it across the desk or across the world.

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial range is the smart and cost-effective solution to securely and remotely manage a wide range of serial accessories for various applications in an organisation. It is based on Brainboxes’ proven and familiar technology and of course comes with Brainboxes’ renowned lifetime support and lifetime guarantee.

Brainboxes has engineered its Ethernet to Serial devices to operate completely autonomously. The new 4 and 8 port RS422/485 devices, as with the rest of the range, will enable connection across a network with no loss of reliability or signal integrity. Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial connectivity options are ideal for installations such as refineries, large manufacturing plants and warehouses.

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial products allow large quantities of information to be transferred through each serial port coupled with a fast Ethernet connection. The increased control and automation, through your existing network infrastructure, can help you reduce your costs and improve efficiency whilst our IP30 rated metal cases are strong enough for industrial applications, yet smart enough for any office environment. All of which makes them perfect for a wide and varied range of applications including: ATM machines, barcode scanners, refrigeration and heating controls, medical devices, security controls, weather stations and electronic key systems.

Eamonn Walsh, chairman of Brainboxes says; “The ES-346 and ES-842 - Ethernet Serial Device Servers 4 and 8 RS422/485 ports- demonstrate our commitment to industrial networking and meet the needs of customers controlling many devices, such as stepper motors, on the factory floor.”

The Ethernet to Serial range comes with Microsoft signed drivers for 32-bit & 64-bit versions of Windows 7, Vista, Server 2008, Server 2003, XP and Windows 2000.

About Brainboxes

~Now in its 28th year of trading~ 

Established in 1984, Brainboxes is about to embark on its 28th and most innovative year of trading to date. Brainboxes is one of the leading PC communication card developers and manufacturers in the World and is continuously expanding its product ranges.

With headquarters in Liverpool, UK, it has a team of highly qualified software and hardware designers, matched by a world-class volume manufacturing facility. Brainboxes was named the Manufacturing Institute’s Small Business of the Year and Champions of Best Practice in 2007. The company also won the 2005 Elektra Manufacturer of the Year award. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner.

The company develops and owns all of its own core technologies, including USB, CompactFlash, PCMCIA, ExpressCard, Bluetooth, Ethernet to Serial PCI Express and PCI products. It is at the forefront of developments in serial card and wireless technology.

Current customers include; Fujitsu, Fujitsu Technology Solutions, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Toshiba.

Further information is available from Brainboxes website at: 

http://www.brainboxes.com/product/items/es-842

http://www.brainboxes.com/product/items/es-346

Connect, Configure & Control

Brainboxes contact:

Emily Dixon

Marketing Executive

Telephone:          +44 151 220 2500                             

Email:                   emily.dixon@brainboxes.com

Brainboxes is a trademark of the Brainboxes Company. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial range is the smart and cost-effective solution to securely and remotely manage a wide range of serial accessories for various applications in an organisation. It is based on Brainboxes’ proven and familiar technology and of course comes with Brainboxes’ renowned lifetime support and lifetime guarantee.

Brainboxes has engineered its Ethernet to Serial devices to operate completely autonomously.  This means our new 4 and 8 port RS232 devices, as with our 1 and 2 port devices, will enable connection across a network with no loss of reliability or signal integrity. Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial connectivity options are ideal for installations such as refineries, large manufacturing plants and warehouses.

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial products allow large quantities of information to be transferred through each serial port coupled with a fast Ethernet connection. The increased control and automation, through your existing network infrastructure, can help you reduce your costs and improve efficiency whilst our IP30 rated metal cases are strong enough for industrial applications, yet smart enough for any office environment. All of which makes them perfect for a wide and varied range of applications including: ATM machines, barcode scanners, refrigeration and heating controls, medical devices, security controls, weather stations and electronic key systems.

Eamonn Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes says; “With the release of the ES-701 and the ES-279 we are building upon the proven success of our 1 & 2 port Ethernet to Serial servers, and we are meeting the needs that our customers clearly expressed to us for high port count products that provide simple instant networked serial devices.”

The Ethernet to Serial range comes with Microsoft signed drivers for Windows 7 and XP 32-bit & 64-bit editions.

About Brainboxes

~Now in its 28^th year of trading~

Established in 1984, Brainboxes is about to embark on its 28th and most innovative year of trading to date. Brainboxes is one of the leading PC communication card developers and manufacturers in the World and is continuously expanding its product ranges.

With headquarters in Liverpool, UK, it has a team of highly qualified software and hardware designers, matched by a world-class volume manufacturing facility. Brainboxes was named the Manufacturing Institute’s Small Business of the Year and Champions of Best Practice in 2007. The company also won the 2005 Elektra Manufacturer of the Year award. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner.

The company develops and owns all of its own core technologies, including USB, CompactFlash, PCMCIA, ExpressCard, Bluetooth, Ethernet to Serial PCI Express and PCI products. It is at the forefront of developments in serial card and wireless technology.

Current customers include; Fujitsu, Fujitsu Technology Solutions, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Panasonic, Reuters and Toshiba.

In 2010 Brainboxes moved into bigger, brand new premises in the prestigious Liverpool International Business Park.

Further information is available from Brainboxes website at:

http://www.brainboxes.com/product/items/es-701

http://www.brainboxes.com/product/items/es-279

Connect, Configure & Control

Brainboxes contact:

Emily Dixon

Marketing Executive

Telephone: +44 151 220 2500

Email: emily.dixon@brainboxes.com

Brainboxes is a trademark of the Brainboxes Company. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

The multi drop hub device is boxed in an industrial class metal case that is IP30 rated and has optional DIN rail mountable capability. They are supplied with our proven  in-house designed  software ensuring a great user experience and have lifetime warranty.

These industrial multi drop  versions can be used in various applications such as test & measurement, laboratory systems and many more.

Example application – Test Equipment connectivity

Brainboxes USB products incorporate the convenience of USB connectivity with the high reliability and reputation of our designs to offer robust, unfailing devices where downtime isn’t an option. Housed in Industrial metal cases but with a desktop design allows these products to be used in almost any environment. With Plug and play experience and our specially designed Boost software these devices provide an excellent User Interface with state of the art compatibility and data integrity. We expect great things of this world beating range.

These USB multiport devices are a simple and convenient way to add serial ports to any platform. They remove the need to open the chassis, reconfigure or reboot to add COM ports.

These industrial connectivity devices support data transfer rates up to 921,600 baud coupled with 1Mbit/s line drivers to deliver uncompromising performance to a laptop, PC or Server.  Brainboxes is packaging these products with its Boost. Software driver. The range will also benefit from Brainboxes’ renowned lifetime guarantee and support, subject to online registration.

This range has proven to provide highly efficient and robust serial port extensions suitable for the industrial commercial and test & measurement sectors. This will ensure that PCs, laptops, servers and industrial computers supplied with limited or no serial ports continue to have connectivity to a wide range of RS422/485 devices via USB.

Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards come with Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. They are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000.  The cards also come with Brainboxes’ acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in many thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

Example Application

The latest products in the range are based on PCIe technology and create absolute compatibility ports for seamless connection. The 3 new products provide RS232 ports and LPT options to meet customers growing requirements. These products are for use with laptops and are the essential connectivity device for applications that demand no compromise and are not compatible with ExpressCards based on USB technology. 

Brainboxes is committed to providing  high performance products required in the Industrial Sector. Our products are engineered to provide a long lifespan even in the most rugged and demanding environments. The cards are custom designed to fulfil customers’ specific requirements in line with Brainboxes “Perfect Fit, Custom Design” philosophy of engineering tailored to give fully featured solutions for the most competitive price.

Other ExpressCard products in our range comprises of USB technology cards of 1 and 2 port RS232 and RS422/485 and PCIe Technology cards of 1 port RS232, 1 port LPT and 1 port RS232 + 1 port LPT. Cards are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. This range also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading performance stability and reliability.

“We launched a French language website because France is an extremely important country to which we export our products”, said Eamonn Walsh, chairman of Brainboxes. He added “We feel the French community represents an underserved market in terms of high quality French language literature about Bluetooth, serial and Ethernet devices, consequently the launch of a French website was high priority. I’m delighted with the efforts of our marketing and technical team in making this happen.”

The key purpose of Brainboxes’ is meeting and going beyond customer expectations. It is important that customers have access to all information about our products in the language which is the most familiar to them. We have this focus on our customers in every stage of the life of our products, whether it be design, manufacturing or after sales service. Through this we hope to have a higher number of visits from native French speakers and so continue to increase our sales in a highly competitive marketplace.”

Brainboxes is building towards a long term strategy of better serving individual markets by tailoring it’s offering to suit the needs of customers in particular regions. The French version is the first step and Brainboxes expects to launch it’s websites in multiple languages in order to meet all its customers worldwide.

Example Application – Wireless Whiteboard Application

The BL-875 requires no software, automatically adapts its baud rate to that of the data sent to it and can be up and running within minutes. This product automatically detects the power source, either the included external mains power adapter or pin 9 of RS232 converter.

Brainboxes is committed to providing the high quality tools industry needs to do their job and our products are engineered to provide a long lifespan even in rugged and demanding environments. The cards are custom designed to fulfill customers’ specific requirements in line with Brainboxes' “Perfect Fit, Custom Design” philosophy of engineering, tailored to give fully featured solutions for the most competitive price.

Powered cards are typically used in Point of Sale applications because one cable delivering both power and data communications lowers cost by saving on the need to have an additional power outlet and power brick for the device, simplifies the installation and maintenance of systems, saves on valuable space in store check outs and makes the operation of hand held device much easier.

Example Application – Golf Swing Monitor

Our products are being used in a new, industry changing Golf monitor application. The makers of the new Light Speed system claim it will make a difference to how golf retailers and PGA professionals will sell golf equipment in the future, and that the technology offers many advantages over existing launch monitor and swing analysis systems – at a greatly reduced cost. 

The market feedback on this technology that is using our products has been amazing:

Neil Bell, MD of Direct Golf UK, has been trialling a Light Speed system at his Doncaster store. “We’ve been using GPG’s new technology for several months, and I believe it is an exciting piece of kit, unique in today’s market.

Golf retailer and golf simulator expert Bert Kofer said: “I believe this technology could have a major impact on golf teaching and club fitting around the world.”

The full PCI Express range comprises Standard Height and Low Profile versions of 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8 Port variants in RS232 and 1, 2 & 4 Port RS422/485, Opto isolated, parallel port and powered versions also available. Cards are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. This range also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

Example Application – Emission’s Testing

Description	Ports	Code	Image
LP uPCI 4xRS232 Opto Isolated TX RX	4x9pin	UC-049
uPCI 4xRS232 Opto Isolated TX RX	4x9pin	UC-072
LP uPCI 4xRS232 Opto Isolated TX RX CTS RTS	4x9pin	UC-061
uPCI 4xRS232 Opto Isolated TX RX CTS RTS	4x9pin	UC-083

The UC-049 has 4 optically isolated lines on each of its 4 RS232 ports. Data lines TxD & RxD and handshake line RTS & CTS pass through an 1kV optically isolated barrier that provides extra protection to the host PC in the event high voltages being generated on the serial device side. Large spikes or transients surges are prevented from damaging the host PC since there is no galvanic connection (no current flow) between the serial equipment and the PC. Hazards such as ground loops or other causes of high potential differences between devices will not damage the PC. These products are ideal for rugged industrial environments like garage workshops where automotive tests are being conducted as well as general repair work involving high current devices like welding equipment. These products are industrial grade devices. Additionally all our uPCI products come with Lifetime Warranty and Support*, ensuring a true fit and forget experience.

Brainboxes is committed to providing the high quality tools industry needs to do their job and our products are engineered to provide a long lifespan even in rugged and demanding environments. The cards are custom designed to fulfill customers’ specific requirements in line with Brainboxes “Perfect Fit, Custom Design” philosophy of engineering tailored to give fully featured solutions for the most competitive price

The full uPCI range comprises Standard Height and Low Profile versions of 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8 Port variants in RS232 and 1, 2 & 4 Port RS422/485, Opto Isolated and parallel port versions also available. Cards are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. This range also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

The UC-263 is a low profile card occupying one PCI slot providing 4 RS232 ports on the bracket via a high density connector, the provided 1 metre spider cable brings these out as four industry standard 9 pin male RS232 ports, a fly lead makes the LPT port accessible via the industry standard 25pin female D connector. The UC-295 is a standard height version of the low profile UC-263 but otherwise identical.

The UC-414 is a standard height PCI card occupying one PCI slot providing 3 industry standard 9 pin D RS232 ports on the bracket with a further 9 pin D RS232 port and 25pin D LPT port on a fly lead.

Eamonn Walsh, Brainboxes Managing Director stated "These products are excellent choices when you need completely reliable and cost effective connectivity in a compact space. The cards are custom designed to fulfill customers’ specific requirements in line with Brainboxes “Perfect Fit, Custom Design” philosophy of engineering tailored to give fully featured solutions for the most competitive price.”

These products have LPT printer port connectivity providing fully bi-directional Standard Printer Ports (SPP) allowing complete backwards compatibility with a wide range of peripherals. They also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed customer support package, including Lifetime Warranty & Support, that makes Brainboxes stand out above other manufacturers and makes them the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

The full uPCI range comprises Standard Height and Low Profile versions of 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8 Port variants in RS232 and 1, 2 & 4 Port RS422/485, Opto isolated versions also available. Cards are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. This range also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

By their very nature, most serial devices currently in use throughout industry are not connected to a local network and are therefore working in a closed environment that requires physical access to operate, monitor and control the device. Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial products provide a powerful processor at the edge of a network, making it possible to remotely manage such devices from any connected location.  Allowing the same control as if working locally and, if connected to the Internet, these devices can be based anywhere in the world and still be managed remotely.

Brainboxes has engineered the Ethernet to Serial devices to operate completely autonomously. This means the 1 and 2 port RS232 and RS422/485 device servers will enable connection across a network with no loss of reliability or signal integrity, whether it is over one metre or 1,000 kilometres. Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial connectivity will prove ideal for large installations such as refineries, large manufacturing plants and warehousing where increased control and automation can help to reduce costs and so improve efficiency. These will also provide a greener option to your application as these products have a power consumption of less that 1 watt!!

These devices have also been designed with both Industrial and Desktop applications in mind; they are ruggedized in a metal enclosure for Industrial applications yet are smart and small enough to be used in any office environment.

"We identified the need for serial devices to be connected to the Ethernet network and responded by designing these serial products to work autonomously," said Eamonn Walsh, chairman of Brainboxes. “We believe that Ethernet to Serial connectivity is the way forward for customers who no longer wish to rely on physical access to their devices.  At Brainboxes we strive to provide our customers with connectivity options to suit their needs that are also cost-effective, in terms of capital investment and running costs.  By developing new Ethernet to Serial devices we are enabling our customers to both increase the accessibility of their devices and provide expanded connectivity for additional devices, while maintaining a low energy footprint."

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial range is based on proven and familiar technology. It is a cost-effective way to manage a wide range of serial accessories for various applications in an organisation.

Brainboxes’ Ethernet to Serial products are ideal for a wide and varied range of applications which are becoming increasingly networked including: ATM machines, barcode scanners, refrigeration and heating controls, medical devices, security controls, weather stations and electronic key systems.

The 1 and 2 port RS232 and RS422/485 device servers support data transfer rates up to 230,400 baud coupled with 1Mbit/s line drivers to deliver uncompromising performance to a laptop, server or PC.  Brainboxes will package these products with its Boost.net driver, retaining existing software applications on the network and allowing high reliability connectivity over longer distances.

The Ethernet to Serial range comes with Microsoft signed drivers for Windows 7 and XP 32-bit & 64-bit editions. The range will also benefit from Brainboxes’ renowned lifetime support and lifetime guarantee: subject to online registration.

• £5 for orders with a value of less than £100 (excluding VAT)
• FREE shipping for orders with a total value greater than £100 (excluding VAT)

Our standard European Shipping costs are now:

• €12 for orders with a value of less than €120 (excluding VAT)
• FREE shipping for orders with a total value greater than €120 (excluding VAT)

Our online store is continually being updated with new offers and products such as our latest ranges, Ethernet to Serial and USB to Serial. Be the first to know about our new releases and product promotions by signing up to our newsletter and visiting our website – www.brainboxesstore.com

After 25 years at the previous location, which saw Brainboxes expand from a two-man operation to an employer of 30 people, serving customers on 4 continents (Brainboxes exports 70% of its produced goods), the company's future vision necessitated more suitable premises. Additionally Brainboxes has added 3 new members of staff to complement the team.

Moving to a newer, larger facility allows Brainboxes to be in an excellent position to expand into the future as the company continues to grow its Serial and Bluetooth product ranges.

The business park, located next to Liverpool John Lennon Airport, has great transportation infrastructure, including a new £30M hub railway station, road and bus network.

"I'm exceptionally pleased with the careful planning our staff have put into the move," commented Director Eamonn Walsh, "we would like to thank all the customers who have brought the company thus far, and we hope to continue to serve them in future in an even greater capacity".

This new building will help the company grow into the future including our own production line, updated test facilities, fully air-conditioning, new internal network infrastructure and plenty of space to expand.

Full press release and images below

The RS422/485 high speed cards have been engineered in-house by Brainboxes' technical team and are for use in areas such as industrial sectors, noisy environments and where high reliability communication transmissions are required etc. The RS422/485 cards are manufactured in the UK and are available from Brainboxes and their resellers and distributors worldwide.

This RS422/485 Opto Isolated board provides higher speed operation and connections up to 4,000 feet, using noise resistant differential pair driver/receivers. Each serial port has 128 byte FIFOs, 1 MegaBoard data transfers, with on board Hardware and Software flow control.

RS422 and RS485 are bus systems and up to 32 standard load or 128 low load devices per port can be connected. RS422 is supported with dedicated pairs for TxD, RxD, RTS and CTS signals. RS485 systems are supported in both Full Duplex mode using 2 pairs of wires and in Half Duplex mode using 1 pair of wires. The Half Duplex mode uses Brainboxes proven 485 Autogating circuitry for automatically turning the line around from receive to transmit and back again whenever the PC needs to send data to devices.

Eamonn Walsh, Chairman and founder of Brainboxes stated "These products have been designed to meet the continual demand for high reliability 422/485 serial connections in the Industrial Sectors. For example:

Large scale manufacturing companies use our cards to monitor staff movements throughout their sites. By linking our RS422/485 Opto Isolated cards to high tech security door access systems, they can log individuals and their enter and exit times on the site. The opto isolation protects the system against any electrical spikes, ensuring the data logged is secure.

The range of cards comprises of 1, 2 and 4 port cards with opto isolation, and are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. It also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

USB is the worlds most popular interconnection standard with over 3Billion devices shipped last year. The plug and play USB experience is one of the reasons USB has stormed the world. In a laboratory or industrial setting many people want the USB connectivity convenience but also want high reliability devices and connections, at Brainboxes we designed this range of metal cased products to be extremely robust even in hard hat environments. Brainboxes Boost software is already proven in a wide range of industrial applications  providing an excellent User Interface with state of the art compatibility and data integrity. We expect great things of this world beating range.

The latest devices to be released in this range are:

• 4 port RS422/485 - US-346
• 8 port RS422/485 - US-842

The multiport devices are boxed in industrial class metal casing that are IP30 rated and have optional DIN rail mountable capability. They are supplied with our proven  in-house designed  software ensuring a great user experience and have lifetime warranty.

The RS422/485 industrial multiport versions can be used in countless applications such as energy management systems for leisure facilities including hotels and fitness centres. These systems optimise energy efficiency in commercial buildings using computer aided tools to analyse and manage the energy being used.

This range will provide high-speed data transfer with the benefit of being hot-swappable with plug & play installation. This makes them ideally suited for use in financial, medical, industrial and point of sale applications.

These USB multiport devices are a simple and convenient way to add serial ports to any platform. They remove the need to open the chassis, reconfigure or reboot to add COM ports.

These industrial connectivity devices support data transfer rates up to 921,600 baud coupled with 1Mbit/s line drivers to deliver uncompromising performance to a laptop, PC or Server.  Brainboxes is packaging these products with its Boost.Software driver. The range will also benefit from Brainboxes' renowned lifetime guarantee and support, subject to online registration.

Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards come with Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. These products are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 coming with Brainboxes' acclaimed Boost software, which is installed in many thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised as providing industry leading stability and reliability.

USB is the worlds most popular interconnection standard with over 3Billion devices shipped last year. The plug and play USB experience is one of the reasons USB has stormed the world. In a laboratory or
industrial setting many people want the USB connectivity convenience but also want high reliability devices and connections, at Brainboxes we designed this range of metal cased products to be extremely robust even in hard hat environments. Brainboxes Boost software provides an excellent User Interface with state of the art compatibility and data integrity. We expect great things of this world beating range.

The first devices to be released in this range will be

• 2 port RS232 - US-257
• 2 port RS422/485 - US-313
• 4 port RS232 - US-701
• 8 port RS232 - US-279

The multiport devices are boxed in industrial class metal casing that are IP30 rated and have optional DIN rail mountable capability. They are supplied with our proven in-house designed software ensuring a great user experience and have lifetime warranty.

The industrial multiport versions can be used in various applications such as pedestrian management testing systems i.e. movement sensors used at pelican crossings to eliminate stopping traffic if button is pressed but nobody is waiting to cross.

This range will provide high-speed data transfer with the benefit of being hot-swappable with plug & play installation. This makes them ideally suited for use in financial, medical, industrial and point of sale applications.

These USB multiport devices are a simple and convenient way to add serial ports to any platform. They remove the need to open the chassis, reconfigure or reboot to add COM ports.

These industrial connectivity devices support data transfer rates up to 921,600 baud coupled with 1Mbit/s line drivers to deliver uncompromising performance to a laptop, PC or Server.  Brainboxes is packaging these products with its Boost.Software driver. The range will also benefit from Brainboxes' renowned lifetime guarantee and support, subject to online registration.

Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards come with Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. They are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. The cards also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in many thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

"Brainboxes' engineers have worked very hard to prepare the drivers to ensure customers have access to the latest Windows Operating Systems as soon as they become available while also continuing development of our new ranges to meet customers growing demands.

Windows 7 is set to be the biggest selling operating system of the next few years with uptake matching or surpassing that of Windows XP. This new operating system is extremely robust and with great backward compatibility. Brainboxes having signed drivers before the general release, shows the dedication and dedication they have to ensure customer satisfaction, allowing ease of transition for customers from one operating system to the next whilst building upon their existing hardware investments. Windows 7 is a high performance operating system with many new features that customers will find beneficial such as improved performance on multi-core processors, improved boot and shut down times, greater security and is a multi touch aware operating system. Brainboxes Windows 7 drivers, just like all brainboxes drivers from Windows XP support both 32 bit and 64 bit operating system editions.

See all brainboxes Windows 7 signed drivers on the microsoft website.

"This new range has been designed to keep up with the ever-changing demands in the IT market," comments Eamonn Walsh, Managing Director of Brainboxes. "We have researched this market extensively and know that our customers demand a product which is designed with software and hardware that will ensure these products continue the reliability, compatibility and level of service that Brainboxes is renowned for. As more laptops and desktops are coming to the market with reduced connectivity Brainboxes will continue to provide it's customer base and new markets with a range of products to ensure reliable future proof connectivity ."

The first devices to be released in this range are

• US-101 - 1 port RS232, Available now
• US-324 - 1 port RS422/485, Available now

These single port devices are housed in a convenient portable form factor and provide simple, instant, reliable serial port connectivity solutions. They can also be plugged directly into any USB socket making them extremely economic and ergonomic, and a 30cm cable is also provided. They are supplied with our proven in-house designed software ensuring a great user experience

The 1 port RS232 has already been tested and implemented in applications including the global financial data exchange market, with excellent results.

This range will provide high-speed data transfer with the benefit of being hot-swappable with plug & play installation. This makes them ideally suited for use in laboratory and office environments.

In areas of restricted desk space, small form factor PCs are the computer of choice. While these fulfil the need of fitting into tight areas, they lack the number of serial ports that are needed in many applications. An example of this is in Airports, numerous data capture devices are required to manage passenger flow efficiently through the terminal.

Raised security checks require additional equipment i.e. Retina Scanners, Passport Scanners etc. These items can be easily and quickly interchanged using USB to Serial devices without rebooting the system or any need to update the system software.

The 1 port RS232 and 1 port RS422/485 products support data transfer rates up to 921,600 baud coupled with 1Mbit/s line drivers to deliver uncompromising performance to a laptop or PC. Brainboxes is packaging these products with its Boost.Software driver. The range will also benefit from Brainboxes' renowned lifetime guarantee and support, subject to online registration.

Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards come with Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. They are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. The cards also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in many thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

• PX-376 - PCIe Low Profile 1xRS422/485 1MBaud Opto Isolated
• PX-387 - PCIe 1xRS422/485 1MBaud Opto Isolated
• PX-310 - PCIe 2xRS422/485 1MBaud Opto Isolated

RS422/485 signals can have data runs of up to 4000 feet, when computers and peripherals are interconnected across such distances the different devices may well be supplied by mains power that has differing ground voltage causing currents to flow in the ground connections etc. Opto isolation will prevent this causing problems by each side of the circuit have signals and grounds that are isolated from the PC or devices power ground, helping signal integrity, cutting electrical noise and improving safety. Opto isolation also acts as a barrier to power surges and spikes. An all round winning solution when data integrity and equipment long levity is required

The RS422/485 boards have 1 MegaBoard data transfer speeds and have 128 byte FIFOs with on board Hardware and Software flow control. RS422 and RS485 are bus systems and up to 32 standard load or 128 low load devices per port can be connected. RS422 is supported with dedicated pairs for TxD, RxD, RTS and CTS signals. RS485 systems are supported in both Full Duplex mode using 2 pairs of wires and in Half Duplex mode using 1 pair of wires. The Half Duplex mode uses Brainboxes proven 485 Autogating circuitry for automatically turning the line

around from receive to transmit and back again whenever the PC needs to send data to devices, a necessity in today's multi-tasking operating systems like Windows and Linux. They also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed customer support package, including Lifetime Warranty & Support, that makes Brainboxes stand out above other manufacturers and makes us the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

Eamonn Walsh, Brainboxes Managing Director stated "These products have been designed to meet the continual demand for high reliability 422/485 serial connections in the Industrial Sectors. For example:

An industrial PC solutions provider uses Brainboxes' RS422/485 opto isolated cards in an application for a gas and oil company. They are used in a custom PC build for the monitoring and control of onshore and offshore oil and gas drilling and production platforms. The PC is located at the platform and monitor the performance of the drill head. In many cases the location of such installations provides harsh environmental conditions such as extreme high and low temperatures, dirt, dust, and constant vibration.

The full range will consist of 1, 2 and 4 port RS422/485 cards with opto isolation options available, and are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. It also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

The uPCI versions of these cards are top sellers for Brainboxes and as more customers move from uPCI to PCIe we remain committed to ensuring that we provide connectivity solutions which keep pace with the advances in technology and their end user requirements.

These LPT variations have been designed and manufactured in-house and will be a great addition to the current range of PCI Express. As LPT ports are no longer built into PCs these cards will allow you to include printer connectivity used in many industrial and retail applications.

Few of the latest PCI Express PCs come with the long established LPT printer port. These can now be added using Brainboxes products, the cards provide fully bi-directional Standard Printer Ports (SPP) allowing complete backwards compatibility with a wide range of peripherals. They also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed customer support package, including Lifetime Warranty & Support, that makes Brainboxes stand out above other manufacturers and makes them the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

Eamonn Walsh, Brainboxes Managing Director stated "These products have been designed to meet the continuing demand for parallel ports while integrating with the latest technology. For example:

"One of our roll outs, for a European Post Office, use these cards to connect to a label and receipt printer in their EPOS system. Our cards ensure that they can continue to benefit from pervious investments in peripherals that connect to devices with serial and printer ports while using the latest technology of PC platforms."

Another application of Brainboxes LPT products is with an EPOS System Integrator. The self-service till used in the US and Europe, requires an additional receipt printer. Systems Integrators chose Brainboxes cards ahead of any others because of our reputation for providing reliable fit and forget solutions.

The full PCI Express range comprises Standard Height and Low Profile versions of 1, 2, 3, 4 & 8 Port variants in RS232 and 1, 2 & 4 Port RS422/485, Opto isolated versions also available. Cards are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. This range also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

Brainboxes, a leader in serial and Bluetooth connectivity, was founded in Liverpool by Walsh in 1984 and since then has been a pioneer in electronics manufacturing in the UK. Walsh has seen many changes over the past 25 years - in 1984 IBM had not even released its PC in the UK. "No one had any idea what the potential was for the computer then, they were just thought of as games machines. Now we have low cost computing devices that fit in our pockets that we use all day long and people are writing software for fun."

Brainboxes has maintained its position as a UK manufacturer through the trading highs and lows of the past quarter century by keeping focused on its customers needs. Walsh believes that Brainboxes can be held up as an example for UK start-ups. "Some companies survive by being the lowest cost but we believe it is the communication you have with your customers that will give you the edge. We keep close to our customers, listening to what they are saying and understanding what they want. We do what the customer needs rather than telling them what they have to have and can also custom design our products to be a perfect fit and application specific when needed.

"We have never thought it makes economic sense to manufacture abroad unless you have very high volume production runs of a single product," he adds. "For us, with the wide range of products that we sell, tailored to specific needs, it is ideal to have it all under our own control. If customers want supply in a short lead-time we can react swiftly to an order often with next day delivery globally . Also, as we are not a contract manufacturer, we remain in control of our own stock, delivery and work schedules. Brainboxes has the in-house expertise to design both software and hardware so we are able to provide a complete design to manufacture solution. We pride ourselves on delivering continuity of supply and support."

Brainboxes has kept at the forefront of connectivity technology and was an early player with Bluetooth based products in 2000/01. "We did not appreciate the risk we were taking in the early days of release of Bluetooth products, it took Bluetooth longer than expected to become an established technology. But we were keen to pioneer this technology," comments Walsh. Our Bluetooth serial products are now best sellers to the global market.

In this our 25th Anniversary year we are introducing two new product ranges covering USB to Serial and Ethernet to Serial and are continuing to build upon what was our most innovative year to date 2008.

Asked if he had any advice to someone starting a business in 2009, Walsh said, "The best advice I can give them is to get a good product and get it in front of customers fast. Nothing can happen in a business without a sale. Always give the customer value for money, do the best you can and then watch them as they use it. You will learn a lot if you keep your eyes open."

Looking forward to the next 25 years Walsh is optimistic for the future. "We believe that at Brainboxes we have all the right tools, products and innovation to thrive over the next quarter of a century and beyond. We have superb ideas, excellent staff, top products, great customers and a really good route to market established. Through the past 25 we have learnt to keep the company lean and growing. Innovation and providing customers with more for less is essential in the supply to IT sectors."

Our previous edition informed you of our RS422/485 PCI Express serial launch, with the first releases being our 1 & 2 port versions. We are continuing to expand this range and are now ready to release our 4 port versions of these cards:

• PX-335 - Low Profile 4xRS422/485 1MBaud 
• PX-346 - 4xRS422/485 1MBaud

The RS422/485 boards provide higher speed operation and connections up to 4,000 feet. The cards have 128 byte FIFOs, 1 MegaBoard data transfers, with on board Hardware and Software flow control. RS422 and RS485 are bus systems and up to 32 standard load or 128 low load devices per port can be connected. RS422 is supported with dedicated pairs for TxD, RxD, RTS and CTS signals. RS485 systems are supported in both Full Duplex mode using 2 pairs of wires and in Half Duplex mode using 1 pair of wires. The Half Duplex mode uses Brainboxes proven 485 Autogating circuitry for automatically turning the line around from receive to transmit and back again whenever the PC needs to send data to devices. They also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed customer support package, including Lifetime Warranty & Support, that makes Brainboxes stand out above other manufacturers and makes us the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

Eamonn Walsh, Brainboxes Managing Director stated "These products have been designed to meet the continual demand for high reliability 422/485 serial connections in the Industrial Sectors. For example:

Europe's leading manufacturers of games machines uses Brainboxes' RS422/485 cards for touch screen video gaming. The cards connect several machines and link back to a server in the back office, creating a simple network which is ideal for transmitting data over long distances and in noisy environments. A Brainboxes' broadcast customer, which specialises in bespoke development in key TV & video technologies including teletext and subtitling, has its server connected up to broadcast automation systems via Brainboxes RS422/485 cards. These bring together the equipment such as the editing suite, video tapes, sound and interactive services, with teletext, before broadcast via transmitters into homes by the BBC, ITV and Cable TV stations. "

The full range will comprise of 1, 2 and 4 port cards with opto isolation options available, and are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. It also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

• PX-320 - Low Profile 1xRS422/485 1MBaud
• PX-324 - 1xRS422/485 1MBaud
• PX-313 - 2xRS422/485 1MBaud

All our PCI Express cards, including the new editions to this growing range add reliable and high-speed connectivity via any standard PCIe slot (x1, x2, x4, x8 or x16 lane slots). True megabaud line drivers carry information at 921,600 baud, and 256 byte FIFOs with a user definable trigger level ensure the highest levels of data integrity, reducing the likelihood of dropped packets. They also come with Brainboxes' acclaimed customer support package, including Lifetime Warranty & Support, that makes Brainboxes stand out above other manufacturers and makes us the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

Eamonn Walsh, Brainboxes Managing Director stated "These products have been designed to meet the continual demand for high reliability 422/485 serial connections in the Industrial Sectors. For example:

Europe's leading manufacturers of games machines uses Brainboxes' RS422/485 cards for touch screen video gaming. The cards connect several machines and link back to a server in the back office, creating a simple network which is ideal for transmitting data over long distances and in noisy environments. A Brainboxes' broadcast customer, which specialises in bespoke development in key TV & video technologies including teletext and subtitling, has its server connected up to broadcast automation systems via Brainboxes RS422/485 cards. These bring together the equipment such as the editing suite, video tapes, sound and interactive services, with teletext, before broadcast via transmitters into homes by the BBC, ITV and Cable TV stations. "

The full range of PCI Express comprises of 1, 2, 4 and 8 port RS232 cards and 1 and 2 port RS422/485 cards with opto isolation options available, and are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. It also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

The RS422/485 boards are an addition to the PCIe RS232 range Brainboxes launched in January 2008, but provide higher speed operation and connections up to 4,000 feet., using noise resistant differential pair driver/recievers. Each serial port has 128 byte FIFOs, 1 MegaBoard data transfers, with on board Hardware and Software flow control.

RS422 and RS485 are bus systems and up to 32 standard load or 128 low load devices per port can be connected. RS422 is supported with dedicated pairs for TxD, RxD, RTS and CTS signals. RS485 systems are supported in both Full Duplex mode using 2 pairs of wires and in Half Duplex mode using 1 pair of wires. The Half Duplex mode uses Brainboxes proven 485 Autogating circuitry for automatically turning the line around from receive to transmit and back again whenever the PC needs to send data to devices.

Eamonn Walsh, Chairman and founder of Brainboxes stated "These products have been designed to meet the continual demand for high reliability 422/485 serial connections in the Industrial Sectors. For example:

Europe's leading manufacturers of games machines uses Brainboxes' RS422/485 cards for touch screen video gaming. The cards connect several machines and link back to a server in the back office, creating a simple network which is ideal for transmitting data over long distances and in noisy environments.
A Brainboxes' broadcast customer, which specialises in bespoke development in key TV & video technologies including teletext and subtitling, has its server connected up to broadcast automation systems via Brainboxes RS422/485 cards. These bring together the equipment such as the editing suite, video tapes, sound and interactive services, with teletext, before broadcast via transmitters into homes by the BBC, ITV and Cable TV stations. "

The range of cards comprises of 1, 2 and 4 port cards with opto isolation options available, and are supplied with an installation CD including manual, Microsoft signed drivers & utilities. Brainboxes is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and these cards are compatible with 32 bit and 64 bit editions of Windows Server 2008, Vista, XP, Server 2003 and 2000. It also comes with Brainboxes' acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability.

Torex Petroleum and Convenience purchase Brainboxes’ connectivity products for use in their Point of Service (POS) systems. One example of how Brainboxes serial cards are being used by Torex is in the forecourt sales operation. Their applications require additional serial ports for their existing hardware to provide connectivity to peripherals such as a car wash interface, chip and pin terminal, customer display, scales, receipt printer and modem. Brainboxes connectivity products allow expansion of the number of serial ports quickly and simply but with the outstanding reliability that our products are renowned for.

Brainboxes in-house manufacturing facilities are one of the reasons that Torex selected Brainboxes products, as this ensured production ramp up could be undertaken to meet volume requirements and timely installation of Petroleum and Convenience POS, where meeting deadlines is essential. The customer was also aware of Brainboxes product reputation for reliability and has been delighted with the results. In an environment where engineer site visits are very costly, it is essential to ensure that systems supplied are of the highest standard “The petroleum and convenience systems are installed in very demanding environments and so it is essential that the hardware we supply is robust enough to cope. Torex aims to provide a defining customer experience, including minimum downtime and so having the piece of mind that Brainboxes provides is extremely important to us,” comments Richard Quarmby, Vice President Petroleum and Convenience, Torex.

Brainboxes has extensive experience in many market sectors including POS, Finance, Industrial Automation, Manufacturing, Security, Broadcasting, Science and many more. With our in-house design and manufacturing facilities customers can be assured of the highest quality of our products. This reliability accompanied with our Lifetime Support and Lifetime Warranty ensures customers of the best user experience and service and secures long term business partnerships.

All Brainboxes hardware has undergone intensive testing and has been WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Labs) approved. This along with our Microsoft Signed Drivers ensures the best overall customer experience when using our Serial Connectivity products. Brainboxes has also been a Microsoft Gold Partner for several years, this status is awarded to companies that demonstrate the highest levels of quality and excellence, further proving the reliability and high standard of our products. 

Brainboxes employed consultants from the Manufacturing Institute to carry out an independent environmental audit of the company. “After receiving the results of this is audit, we carried out a full review of our current policies and assessed the impact of our activities on the environment,” comments Peter Gray, Brainboxes’ Quality Manager.  “This covered everything from our product design, production operations, creation and disposal of wastes, office practices, order shipping and transportation, including company car usage.”

Brainboxes has always been aware of the need to continually review company processes and has been working with National Quality Assurance since 1994, helping the company to create and maintain internationally recognised accreditation standards. To achieve accreditation to ISO14001 two visits were made by an NQA assessor over a four month period and a recommendation for approval came through in February 2008, with the final approval on 17th March 2008. 

“Brainboxes sells into a global market where environmental awareness and concerns are increasingly important and customers are keen to work with suppliers who are raising standards and considering impact on the environment,” adds Eamonn Walsh, Chairman and founder of Brainboxes. “By achieving this widely acknowledged accreditation at an early stage, Brainboxes is once again able to offer our customers the level of confidence that they have come to expect from our products and services.”

What is PCI Express?

PCI Express is a 2-way, serial I/O technology that carries data in packets, similar to the way it is transferred over Ethernet. Unlike standard PCI technology, the PCIe bus is no longer a single parallel data bus through which all data is routed at a set rate. PCIe is an assembly of serial, point-to-point wired and individually clocked 'lanes' which each consist of two pairs of data lines carries data upstream and downstream. 

"Brainboxes is now seeing more and more companies incorporating PCIe slots into PC and server designs, which is speeding up the move to the new technology," comments Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes. "Current forecasts show that PCIe slots will have replaced PCI in the majority of PCs by late 2009. "Brainboxes' new range of PX serial cards offer reliable and high-speed serial communications, while our software and support reassure our customers that reliability or compatibility are never issues they need to worry about".

The Brainboxes 'PX' PCIe range benefits from a complete suite of software included with the cards and an acclaimed lifetime customer support package - elements that have made Brainboxes the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world. Brainboxes PX cards are compliant with PCIe version 1.0a and supplied software includes sample programs and test and terminal software, complete with source code. PX cards incorporate signed drivers for Microsoft Server 2008, Vista, XP, and Server 2003 in x32 bit x64 bit editions and Windows 2000.

Brainboxes, a leader in serial and Bluetooth connectivity, today launched their first RS422/485 product in its new range of VX ExpressCard compact serial cards - VX-023. The cards use the exclusive Boost software developed by Brainboxes to provide excellent compatibility with legacy serial applications. ExpressCard is the next generation of PC Card technology currently being introduced to new notebook computers and is the future of add-on connectivity for the laptop PC, which is under continual pressure to be smaller and thinner.

NEW Release - ExpressCard products can be based on either USB or PCI Express communications. The VX-023 1 Port RS422/485 1MegaBaud is the latest product in the range and the first Brainboxes serial product range to be based on USB technology. The Boost.USB software included with the range has been through an extensive program of testing with legacy devices. This rigour in testing, together with an acclaimed customer support package are some of the elements that have made Brainboxes the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

"The ExpressCard format is the future of add-on connectivity for laptop PCs with this continual pressure for reduction in size," commented Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes. "The high speeds and high data integrity of Brainboxes cards makes them perfectly matched to demands of PC users looking to add reliable and fault-free connectivity to their laptops. This provides an excellent solution to the large number of companies that need to connect to serial devices from their new laptops"

Brainboxes offers a full range of connectivity options in the range, with one and two port cards available for both RS232 and RS422/485 communications. ExpressCard is a simple expansion option, especially for laptop PCs where space is limited. An ExpressCard takes up as little as half the space of a PC Card and a type 1 ExpressCard measures only 34x25x5mm. The ExpressCard is also hot swappable so a PC can stay active when expansion options are added or removed, enabling communications, memory and security options to be easily added to a PC with minimum impact.

All Brainboxes ExpressCard serial cards are fully RoHS compliant. They come with full suite of software including drivers for Microsoft Windows Vista and XP (x32 bit and x64 bit editions) and all have Brainboxes' lifetime support and warranty.

“Brainboxes’ engineers have worked very hard over recent months to ensure that customers purchasing our serial products will be able to move seamlessly over to Windows Server 2008,” said Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes. “Our close working relationship with Microsoft ensures we gain very early access to new operating systems in development. At this point the Brainboxes’ R&D team immediately start working to develop compatible drivers so that our products are available to those adopting the new system from date of release.”

Windows Server 2008 will enable information technology professionals to maximise control over their company’s infrastructure with unprecedented availability and management capabilities.  It will also lead to an appreciably more secure, reliable and robust server environment than previously and areas that have been improved include networking, advanced security features, remote application access, centralised server role management, performance and reliability monitoring tools, failover clustering, deployment and the file system.

Brainboxes’ serial cards available for Windows Server 2008 include the recently launched PCI Express RS232 and RS422/485 range, together with the well-established and popular PCI products.

The first new PCIe cards to be launched are eight port cards - the PX-279 (DB9) and PX-275 (DB25), available in December from Brainboxes distributors worldwide. The cards are supplied with Brainboxes’ acclaimed Serial Solutions software, which is installed in hundreds of thousands of systems worldwide and is recognised to provide industry leading stability and reliability. The PX-279 and PX-275 cards both offer eight RS232 ports to add reliable and high-speed connectivity via any standard PCIe slot (x1, x2, x4, x8 or x16 lane slots). True megabaud line drivers carry information at 921,600 baud, and 32 byte FIFOs with a user definable trigger level ensure the highest levels of data integrity, reducing the likelihood of dropped packets.

PCI Express is a 2-way, serial I/O technology that carries data in packets, similar to the way it is transferred over Ethernet. Unlike standard PCI technology, the PCIe bus is no longer a single parallel data bus through which all data is routed at a set rate. PCIe is an assembly of serial, point-to-point wired and individually clocked ‘lanes’ which each consist of two pairs of data lines carries data upstream and downstream.

“Brainboxes is now seeing more and more companies incorporating PCIe slots into PC and server designs, which is speeding up the move to the new technology,” comments Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes. “Current forecasts show that PCIe slots will have replaced PCI in the majority of PCs by late 2009. “Brainboxes’ new range of PX serial cards offer reliable and high-speed serial communications, while our software and support reassure our customers that reliability or compatibility are never issues they need to worry about”.

The Brainboxes ‘PX’ PCIe range benefits from a complete suite of software included with the cards and an acclaimed lifetime customer support package – elements that have made Brainboxes the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world. Brainboxes PX cards are compliant with PCIe version 1.0a and supplied software includes sample programs and test and terminal software, complete with source code. PX cards incorporate signed drivers for Microsoft Vista, XP, and Server 2003 in x32 bit x64 bit editions and Windows 2000.

“PCIe has grown rapidly from less than 10 million slots three years ago, to its current levels of 200-300 million” continued Evans. “Initially many companies preferred to stick with the PCI technology that they are familiar with, but as PCI slots decrease and are replaced by PCIe, this will no longer be an option. By providing the PX range Brainboxes will ensure a smooth transition for customers from one technology to the next. Current trends show that the usage of PCIe slots will continue to rise to a predicted figure of over 300 million a year in 2010*.”

* Figures taken from In-Stat Report ‘PCI Express, the Journey to 2.0’

The VX-001 1 Port RS232 is the first product in the range and the first Brainboxes product to be based on USB technology. The Boost.USB software included with the range has been through an extensive program of testing with legacy devices. This has included a beta testing program specifically with customers known to have problems connecting with standard USB to serial products. This rigour in testing, together with an acclaimed customer support package are some of the elements that have made Brainboxes the serial card supplier of choice for companies around the world.

“The ExpressCard format is the future of add-on connectivity for laptop PCs with this continual pressure for reduction in size,” commented Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes. “The high speeds and high data integrity of Brainboxes cards makes them perfectly matched to demands of PC users looking to add reliable and fault-free connectivity to their laptops. This provides an excellent solution to the large number of companies that need to connect to serial devices from their new laptops”

Brainboxes offers a full range of connectivity options in the range, with one and two port cards available for both RS232 and RS422/485 communications.

ExpressCard is a simple expansion option, especially for laptop PCs where space is limited. An ExpressCard takes up as little as half the space of a PC Card and a type 1 ExpressCard measures only 34x25x5mm. The ExpressCard is also hot swappable so a PC can stay active when expansion options are added or removed, enabling communications, memory and security options to be easily added to a PC with minimum impact.

All Brainboxes ExpressCard serial cards are fully RoHS compliant.  They come with full suite of software including drivers for Microsoft Windows Vista and XP (x32 bit and x64 bit editions) and all have Brainboxes’ lifetime support and warranty.

These prestigious awards acknowledge all that is best in British manufacturing in the North West of England and it is the first time that Brainboxes have taken part. The Manufacturing Institute's aim is to salute the ingenuity, productivity and commitment of the region's manufacturers with these Business Awards. The Institute looks for companies that have travelled far on their continuous improvement journey and seek serial business improvers who are wholly commited in their quest to be world class.

The selection process to find the winners of the Business Awards was rigorous. Each nominated company had to go through a half-day assessment visit by a representative from the Manufacturing Institute, adding substantial credibility to the Awards.

Receiving both awards, Brainboxes' Chairman Eamonn Walsh said, "Our policy of recognising, adopting and championing industry best practice has sharpened our cutting edge and enabled us to manage and drive change. It is an acknowledged fact that small business can be far more dynamic and reactive to the market than larger enterprises. Brainboxes' size has meant that we can keep moving forward and win more business.

"This award recognises what we have known for some time - that with the best in-house practices, and a great team, a small company can cut a blazing trail in the world.  This is the reason that Brainboxes can offer the world's largest PC makers UK designed and manufactured PC add-in cards, providing world class performance at a competitive cost."

Brainboxes, the Liverpool-based specialists in serial technology and tailored Bluetooth wireless systems, has offices centrally located in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. The company attributes this major win to the commitment it has put in to its operation in the Far East such as a dedicated Brainboxes Japan local language website and downloadable translated data sheets.

“The chance to work with a world leader such as Ricoh is a great opportunity and an endorsement of our presence in Japan,” said Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes.  “I am certain that Brainboxes was first considered because of our proven track record in Bluetooth innovation, export experience, local presence in Japan and the fact that we are able to react swiftly to requests from companies such as Ricoh.”

Brainboxes Sales Manager, Owen Scullion, recently had the opportunity to join a 34-company strong EU Trade Mission, as one of the only two British companies invited, on a visit to Japan.  “The Japanese IT market is huge and there are very real opportunities to grow in it but it does require patience and great attention to detail,” he observed.  “No company should think that it can arrive in Japan and start trading from day one - it takes time to understand the business culture. What we have learnt, however, is that when you do get it right the benefits make the wait and effort worthwhile.”

For RS, choosing a partner to work with is all about the supplier understanding customers’ demands and being able to match them.  “We are well-established and when we take on a new partner it is very much a case of looking for new areas that we can expand into,” said Julian Wood, at RS. “We are continually looking for new projects and extra qualities we can bring into the mix for our customers.  We look to established brands, such as Brainboxes, with customer resonance to help us to take a foothold in new markets - one that is well known for quality products, design, reliability and consistency.”

RS prides itself on being professional and needs to partner with other brands that fit that part of the jigsaw and match its ethos as a progressive company.  Brainboxes is a good fit with this model as both companies share a desire to understand customers’ problems and then produce a product that provides a solution.  Both believe that this is the only way to meet the ever-increasing demands of customers in a technology led market. Forty years ago everything RS sold was own-brand but in the last 20 years it has moved into selling manufacturers’ brands. Whilst RS does have own brand products, a brand such as Brainboxes has a resonance which RS looks to build on.  “The quality and the positioning that Brainboxes has within the market means that we would never re-brand their products,” added Wood. The market is now stabilising and RS will be looking to increase its own branded range in the future. When RS looks for a partner it wants one with the right products to move it forward and into new areas. Increasingly for customers it is no longer about finding a product, buying it and taking delivery on time.  It is now about ensuring they get the right feedback to select the right product alongside the right application to maximise their own business. The challenge in bringing a product to market now comes from developing the value behind the product.

RS are able to act as a bridge between the customer and Brainboxes .  “We see it as part of our role to have this two-way communication so that the customers’ feedback gets to Brainboxes and likewise the customer is aware of new developments,” concluded Wood. “It is a big opportunity to take a customer’s learning and understanding of a product and utilise that information so that suppliers can take this on board and adapt products to fit customers needs better. Brainboxes respond well to this input. ”

Stephen Evans, Managing Director of Brainboxes commented, “People often ask what value resellers actually add but we have found that working closely with RS proves a great combination.  One of the interesting things about RS is the breadth and depth of its customer base and the fact that it has moved from the industrial market to embrace more sophisticated products.  We gain valuable end user feedback from RS which enables us to design and manufacture products with future proof solutions to exceed customers’ expectations.”

RS has a central management team for Europe and Brainboxes’ products appear in most European markets and also in the Far East.  “Brainboxes like RS are keen to develop strategies to expand their export markets , “ commented Dave Cole, RS “Brainboxes are very much ahead of the game, their products have international country accreditations, are Microsoft approved and already have Vista enabled products. As many PCs don't have a serial port on them so Brainboxes PCI products are invaluable. Brainboxes also help us by providing a full range of localised data sheets for the countries we sell them in, making life easier for our sales team.”

This well-established relationship recently led to Brainboxes supplying ultra-compact (UC) low profile serial cards to RS for its new mission critical SAP servers. RS prides itself on a fast and efficient electronic stocking and ordering system and the Brainboxes UC cards play a vital role in ensuring the fast connectivity and fail-proof operation of the system. 

This driver is suitable for all UC, UP, PM and CC part code serial cards in: 
· Windows Vista 32-bit 
· Windows Vista 64-bit

“We have found the move into Europe an interesting challenge,” comments Stephen Evans, managing director of Brainboxes.  “Our experience has been that new European partners and resellers need to have the confidence that a company is really serious about operating in mainland Europe before they will commit.  They want to see a consistent presence on the ground with full support in place. This provides the security that when contracts are signed everything will run smoothly.  To show our commitment to this process we have taken on two new members of our sales force whose skills compliment those already within the team.”

The appointment of Canadian Pierre Kowlessar enhances the language skills within the company as he is fluent in French and German. Kowlessar moved to Brainboxes from a UK publishing house where he was a sales executive/project manager.  Prior to that hewas based in Germany with a software company working as a sales executive in International Business Development. He has a degree in marketing and international business from Carlton University, Ottawa, Canada.

Craig Johnson brings his experience of working in the IT Distribution Channel as a sales account manager for CMS Computers and as sales manager for Europa Computers to Brainboxes. 

These roles involved selling systems, components & software to distributors, resellers, system integrators and included both public & corporate sectors. The considerable experience that Johnson has in selling IT hardware, building a channel and supporting resellers and distributors, fits perfectly with the ongoing activity and expansion strategy already in place at Brainboxes. “We have been very pleased with the progress we have made into Europe this year and are look forward to consolidating our presence there in 2007,” concluded Evans. “

You will find Brainboxes on stand 210 showcasing its new range of PCI Express, Serial Cards, ExpressCards and the latest in Bluetooth wireless technology.

Now in its 12th year, the Embedded Systems Show is the UK’s largest event for system engineering and embedded software development. Alongside the core exhibition, the Embedded Systems Show includes a technical conference, vendor speaking programme and exhibitor product demonstrations.

Members of the Brainboxes' team will be on hand at the exhibition to share the company's tremendous success with the process.

Brainboxes was experiencing rapid growth and needed to increase the throughput of its established products while introducing a range of newly developed wireless products based on Bluetooth technology.  Realising that streamlining its production would help to achieve this, the company contacted The Manufacturing Institute, which delivers the MAS service in the North West. Together they mapped out the process from receipt of order to despatch and identified that they could: improve manufacturing throughput; improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE); reduce change-over times; reduce rework by improving 'right first time' through the use of FMEA and increase labour productivity.

By applying this process rigorously Brainboxes has managed to improve its changeover / setup times by 30 percent, reduced stocktaking days from 12 person days to five person days and increased its productivity volumes by 75 percent. All of these improvements have been seen since the company's adoption of lean manufacturing.

"At Brainboxes we asked how we could compete against the low cost techniques," says Eamonn Walsh, Chairman and Technical Director of Brainboxes. "However, adopting them is not just for a week, it is a company lifestyle change. You have to apply it, then re-apply it and then do it again so you drill right down to basics. In the UK, if companies adopt the best practice of lean manufacturing methods and apply them to all manufacturing in the UK, electronics or otherwise, then the industry will be transformed for the good.  If not, unreformed manufacturing will fall by the wayside."

"Forget the GI and Atkins diets, the Lean programme will add muscle to any enterprise," advises Dr Julie Madigan, chief executive of The Manufacturing Institute. "Many of the region's manufacturers have toned up their processes through embracing lean thinking, but fewer have gone all the way to extend this good practice throughout the entire business and beyond through their supply chain. Fewer still apply lean practice to their products, which can typically cut cost by up to 25%."

Brainboxes, which recently celebrated its 21st anniversary, now has two of its staff working on Six Sigma projects. Black belt Dave Ritchie, who was previously Brainboxes’ hardware team leader, now has the full time job of leading Six Sigma-based improvement projects throughout the company. Xiaolong Shi, is a Six Sigma green belt, and Shi’s recent project involved successfully resolving variations in stock level.  As a green belt, Shi dedicates two days a week to the task and she is due to start a new Six Sigma project.  Everyone in the company has undergone an entry level Six Sigma course.  Brainboxes will implement a six-year plan that will see between 20 and 30 percent of its staff trained to green belt or black belt level in Six Sigma methods.

Six Sigma is designed to enhance performance by improving the efficiency of specific areas of a business, from production to administration, and involves collecting data from a particular problem process and performing statistical analysis to find the root causes of the problem. Brainboxes is already enjoying the success of its company’s commitment to this strategy.  Dave Ritchie recently completed a nine-month project on defects on the surface mount production line, which resulted in sustained process improvement of 80 percent.

Eammon Walsh, managing director of Brainboxes commented, “The methodologies of Six Sigma are leading to improvements and developments in our products and services that are setting new standards of performance, value and quality for Brainboxes.  News of this has certainly impressed some of our existing customers.” Walsh continued, “Our success to date with Six Sigma, and our commitment to it, has proven that such process enhancements can work just as well in a company our size, as they do in large multinationals. Six Sigma is part of our on-going drive to improve our business processes.”

Six Sigma employs the concepts Statistical Analysis, Design of Experiments, Creative Thinking, and Change Management and Pokayoke (Japanese term meaning ‘error proofing’) and some concepts of lean production. Six Sigma was made famous in the 1980s by Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric, but its tenets remains just as relevant in today's business environment.

As part of Brainboxes commitment to supporting the latest technologies, the driver includes new processor affinity features for greater flexibility and performance on Multicore, Multiprocessor and Hyperthreading enabled machines. This enables users to specify to run sections or the whole of the serial solutions driver on a single processor, allowing greater flexibility in load management with other processes and applications running on the system. This is all set from a simple menu accessed from device manager.

The new driver also benefits from enhanced accuracy and control of the FIFO Trigger levels and a host of other new features, such as better modem control for all serial cards, and improved performance with serial mice and other low data rate peripherals.

The uninstall application has also been revised and now allows re-installation without a reboot or ‘hotplug’ of the card. This makes it faster and easier for engineers to update the drivers.

Over 500 family businesses, including Brainboxes, gathered last friday at St Georges hall for a glittering celebration at the 2005 'Merseyside Family Business Awards'.

The event was the first time a competition has been created to recognise and celebrate the unique contribution family businesses have made to the regions economy, history and culture and is thought to be the largest in the UK.

The competition attracted 160 entries and a huge amount of interest and support from the wider business community.

The judging panel looked at a wide range of areas including family dynamics, length of trading, contribution to the Merseyside economy, special achievements, contribution to the community and promotion of Merseyside outside of the region.

Addressing the finalists on the night, MSIF's Managing Director Fund Manager said: "We are overwhelmed by entries and support for the campaign to raise awareness of family business issues. Tonight you are all winners in your own right. You have demonstrated unique talents, truly outstanding achievements and thoroughly deserve this recognition. You have made the region proud".

This award is just one in a long list of Brainboxes recent achievements such as European Electronics Industry Manufacturer of the Year Award 2005 and Microsoft Tech-Ed Best Mobile Computing Product 2005.

This hatrick clearly demonstrates the company's ability to design and manufacture Serial and Bluetooth products of exceptional quality and reliability whilst maintaining the qualities of a true family business.

Eamonn Walsh, managing director of Brainboxes commented, "We are seeing huge changes in UK manufacturing and we need to encourage more companies to retain their manufacturing in Europe - therefore we have to express our appreciation to Elektra for having an award category to shine light on this sector which in spite of contributing 20% of the UK's GDP, is increasingly considered unfashionable." Walsh continued, "In this industry the strong not only survive but continue to thrive by being first implement the necessary changes to stay ahead."

This was reflected by the Elektra judges who commented: "the winning manufacturer [Brainboxes] demonstrated how it is possible to succeed in a very competitive industry where most other suppliers enjoy low manufacturing costs in south east Asian countries"

Brainboxes has been a long time advocate of why companies should retain manufacturing in the UK. To stop the migration of UK manufacturing overseas Walsh has suggested companies try to be more intelligent with their manufacturing. Lowering wage bills by re-establishing manufacturing overseas is the easy way out rather than dealing systematically with the root causes of high cost manufacturing.

Walsh continued, "the only way forward for all UK businesses is by implementing the correct lean manufacturing, removing the waste in current systems, streamlining processes and concentrating on creating value that customers will pay for"

"Manufacturing contributes 20 percent of the UK's GDP, so we must not downplay the effect of a declining manufacturing sector on the country's overall employment rate and economy. We can't afford to let all of our manufacturing migrate overseas."

"Toyota, Honda and Nissan continue to manufacture in the UK to great effect - they clearly see the benefits of being based here. They know that manufacturing adds value to raw materials and that creates profit."

Mark Anderson, Chairman of VBug UK and category judge, explained that Brainboxes' CompactFlash and serial products stood out from the other finalists because of "the ease of configuration of the devices along with the wide range of uses this application can be utilised for." He went on to comment that "the judges were particularly impressed with the wide range of applications being developed."

On collecting the award Eamonn Walsh, managing director of Brainboxes, said, "It is really good to have our confidence in these products reinforced by winning such a prestigious award.  It was good to learn that it was not only our current products that impressed the judges but also Brainboxes commitment to continual development."

"All of the products that were evaluated for the Best of Microsoft Tech·Ed 2005 Europe awards were of exceptional quality but the winners stood out amongst the competition for providing the best strategic importance to the market, the highest competitive advantage to the organisation, and the most value to the customer", said Mike Otey, Senior Technical Editor for Windows IT Pro Magazine.
 
Liverpool-based Brainboxes has over 20 years experience in tailoring and manufacturing PC serial connectivity solutions to customers' requirements. Brainboxes also offers a full range of high-performance Bluetooth adaptors to enable customers in such sectors as retail, medical, manufacturing, finance and banking to remove the cables from their devices and benefit from wireless connectivity.

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Brainboxes who successfully design and manufacture all their products from their Liverpool Headquarters, have seen their International sales grow substantially since 2000. This success has been attributable to their persistent investment in innovative technologies such as Bluetooth, maintaining core skills locally and aggressively pursuing International trade opportunities.

For more information see the Brainboxes BB16CF950+ overview page.