Product Description:

The X20cCS1030 is a serial communication interface module produced by B&R Automation within the X20 Fieldbus Input Output Modules series. Intended for point-to-point or multidrop links, the unit adds an isolated RS485/RS422 channel to a remote I/O slice, allowing controllers in the same rack to exchange status data and process variables with drives, sensors, and ancillary PCs on the factory floor. Its compact housing plugs directly into the X20 backplane and is addressable through the system bus.

At the heart of the module is a 16C550-Compatible UART that provides hardware support for asynchronous serial framing. A local FIFO sized at 1 kB reduces host processor interrupts when large telegrams are buffered. Data moves over the field line at up to 115.2 kbit/s, a rate suitable for many PLC command sequences and diagnostic exchanges. Electrical signaling follows the RS485/RS422 standard, and an integrated line-end resistor can be activated through software so no external jumper is required. The electronics draw only 0.01 W from the X20 bus, keeping thermal load on densely packed cabinets low. A single port is presented on the 12-pin X20TB12 terminal block, and the carrier can be clipped in either horizontal or vertical orientation without derating.

Internal logic and opto-isolation consume 1.44 W from the local 24 V supply, which must be included in the segment power budget. The housing meets the IP20 ingress protection rating, limiting use to enclosed electrical rooms but simplifying convection cooling. Up to 10 RS422 receivers can share the transmitter, while a multidrop architecture may include as many as 32 RS485 stations before signal quality requires repeaters. This allows networks to scale from a single drive link to a moderate field backbone using the same module and cabling.