Red Lion announces the release of our Ethernet expansion card for the Data Station Plus and Modular Controller series. This new expansion card provides a second Ethernet port for communication on two distinct Ethernet networks simultaneously.

Both the Data Station and Modular Controller series support 10 simultaneous Ethernet protocols, as well as three serial protocols, providing unprecedented protocol conversion and device integration. The addition of a second Ethernet port allows communication with devices on two separate networks without the addition of an industrial router, saving cost as well as configuration time.

The ability to isolate machine level networks from the enterprise network benefits both process engineers and IT managers - the engineer can assign a fixed IP address for the port connected to his PLCs, drives, etc., while allowing the IT personnel to either pick their own IP address or to use DHCP to configure the enterprise port.

The XCENET card can be fitted to any Data Station Plus, as well as the LE, SX or GT versions of the Modular Controller series Master. All of these products are configured via Red Lion's free Crimson® software.