Firecomms Ltd of Cork, Ireland and Tongxiang, China (which manufactures fiber-optic solutions and optical transceivers for communications networks) has launched a range of 5Mb RedLink fiber optic receivers with an extended temperature operating range of up to 95°C for the industrial command, control and communications markets. The firm is debuting the new receivers in booth #651 at the SPS IPC Drives 2015 Electric Automation (Systems and Components) international exhibition & conference in Nuremberg, Germany (24-26 November).
The new receivers have been specifically designed to be compatible with the ever increasing component operating temperatures of 21st century insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) driver and control modules. The FM05MHIR and FM05MVIR receivers extend the operating range of plastic optic fiber (POF) receivers up to +95°C, enabling the optical component to remain part of the next-generation IGBT technology backbone.
"Customer feedback, like extending our temperature range, constantly informs and directs our product roadmap," notes VP of marketing Michael O'Gorman. "This new product represents the first step in a comprehensive NPI [new product introduction] roadmap which will ensure Firecomms customers have optical solutions compatible with the demands of next-generation drives," he adds.
"Our customers' products operate in the harshest of environments and are regularly exposed to temperature extremes," says chief technology officer John Lambkin. "For example, a locomotive sitting in the searing heat of the desert will experience internal ambient temperature at the top end of the standard industrial range of -40°C to 85°C," he adds. "We are now challenged to meet a component specification beyond the traditional industry norms."
Firecomms says that its RedLink devices are in use by some of the largest industrial conglomerates in applications such as electric trains, high-voltage grid stations, and wind and solar energy converters. The firm uses in-house designed photonics as well as transmitter and receiver ICs together with an internal production facility to control its supply chain. Firecomms says that its vertical integration around the core technologies used in fiber-optic transceivers enables it to respond flexibly to demands while maintaining tight control of major cost drivers.
