October 19, 2015 / News
Contents
New features including: Win 10, PoE, Multiple Connections and more
Brainboxes is excited to announce the release of new improved firmware and device driver for our range of Ethernet to serial products. Now available from Brainboxes website.
Full Windows 10 Support
Brainboxes Ethernet to serial device servers can now be communicated with from Windows 10 using Brainboxes virtual com port. This means that legacy Windows applications can be used with Brainboxes Ethernet to serial devices in windows 10. Or if you are developing new applications, you can use Brainboxes Virtual Com ports across all versions of Windows (from Win 2000 and XP upwards).
Multiple Connections to one serial port
Brainboxes Ethernet to serial devices now allow 2 simultaneous connections per serial port, in raw TCP mode. This means the brainboxes ethernet to serial device will handle the serial connection (with or without flow control) and multiple devices can connect to it. This is useful for:
- Redundancy, e.g. a second computer can monitor data coming from the serial port
- 2 sources both requiring up to date data from the serial device
.
Full API for C# and VB to communicate with ES devices
Writing a new application? Brainboxes has worked closely with a number of our customers to develop a fully functional .NET API to make it easy to write applications in C# and Visual Basic which require Ethernet to serial. Setting the Ethernet to Serial Devices to raw TCP mode, means that no drivers needs to be installed on any of the Windows/Linux PCs the application is used. The API provides built in features like:
- Notifications if the device goes offline/online
- Notifications if the device becomes connected/disconnected
- Support from .NET v2.0 upwards
- Example code
- Great integration with Linq/PLinq
For example code and downloading instructions click here
Turn FIFO On/Off Feature
Legacy machines often have difficult FIFO, configuration settings which often make it difficult for Ethernet to Serial communication. Brainboxes latest software include FIFO On/Off feature allowing compatibility with legacy machines.
Plus fixes for multiple other issues including:
- Security Digest authentication is not working properly is now fixed.
- F/W Crash after setting Raw TCP mode and then change back to Telnet.
- UART always initialized as FULL duplex even port is set to half-duplex causing some issue on RS485 line.
- Fix for Advanced Connection Validation issue, when in RAW TCP mode, can’t force COM port to connect in RFC2217 mode.
- Fix for Raw TCP mode leaking null bytes during port opening.
- Fix port CGI issue on setting serial tunnelling CGI call.
- Fix Xon/Xoff Throughput low baud rate issue.
- Fix FIFO disable check box is not working.
- Fix for RFC2217 client test.
- Workaround for 2 stopbit issue, by setting 1 stopbit and delay 1 bit time between each character transfer.
- PoE ES device fixes on 2nd Port Half duplex issue.
- Fix webpage issues.
- Add Multiple Raw TCP connection support. 2 Raw TCP connections per Serial port. Set serial port to “Raw TCP” Mode.
- Fix 4&8 port ES devices webpage not loading issue.
- Add Extra handshaking status before putting data into FIFO when FIFO is off and serial port is set to 2 stopbits to ensure faster response to handshaking
DRIVER BUG FIXES/IMPROVEMENTS - Fix for Advanced Connection Validation issue, when in RAW TCP mode, can’t force COM port to connect in RFC2217 mode.
- Connection check timer recursive call causing BSOD is now fixed.
- Half Duplex test bug fixes. 2nd Port Duplex mode gets overwritten in f/w due to Driver setting is now fixed.
- Introduce Write request delay in driver for classic mode write are disable by default.
- Fix for BSOD on ExSetTimerResolution due to API get executed on DISPATCH Level.
