USB is gaining traction as a viable communications protocol on the factory floor

RTA responded with some exciting features and functionality that improve your USB communications, including two functional USB ports. Check all our USB products and all the enhancements our 435 and 460 USB gateways offer by clicking here.

Here are some of the advantages of USB.

• Easy connections with no screw terminals
• Standardized connectors that cannot be mistakenly plugged into the wrong receptacles
• A host device interface that can support devices with various levels of performance
• Hot-swappable device connections
• Expandability when you need to add another device
• Power on the bus to support devices that can exist without a separate power connection
• Low-cost implementation for device vendors (many embedded processors contain the USB host and/or device implementation)
• Wireless capabilities make it extremely attractive for cloud applications
• Incredible speed (480Mbit/s on 2.0 and 5Gbit/s on 3.0)

There are also a few drawbacks to using USB on the factory floor.

• The standard, low-cost USB connectors featured on most devices are not optimal for industrial applications with high vibrations, though ruggedized versions are available
• USB has a short run [USB 2.0 can reach 5m (16 ft), USB 3.0 can reach 3m (9 ft 10 in)]  
• Device drivers are geared more toward PCs than PLCs 
• USB has no isolation and any outside signal received by a USB port can make its way to the host
• If that signal is strong enough it can destroy electronics in the host 

View All RTA's USB Solutions