The first products in the new line are Snap Tex cables, six feet (1.8 m) long jacketed, pre-wired cables that provide neat, bundled connections from analog and digital I/O modules to field devices, terminal strips, and breakout boards. Snap Tex cables snap neatly into the tops of Snap I/O modules and terminate with color-coded flying leads, pre-stripped and tipped, ready for wiring.
Three versions of Snap Tex cables are available, varying based on the internal bus connections required by the application. Customers have a choice of cables with even-numbered terminals commoned (Snap-Tex-CBE6), odd-numbered terminals commoned (SNAP-TEX-CBO6), or with wiring straight through (Snap-Tex-CBS6).
Next in the Snap Tex product family are several new breakout boards. The Snap-Tex-32 is a simple 32-channel breakout board with straight-through connections, designed primarily for use with the aforementioned Snap Tex cables and Snap analog or digital I/O modules.
The Snap-Tex-FB16-H and Snap-Tex-FB16-L breakout boards offer 16-channel terminations and provide a fuse and a fuse-blown indicator for each channel. With the use of an external power supply, these breakout boards also bus power to loads. The Snap-Tex-F16-H facilitates 120-240 volts, and the Snap-Tex-F16-L works with 12-24 volts. These breakout boards are used for digital inputs and outputs.
The Snap-Tex-MR10-16 and Snap-Tex-MR10-4 breakout boards are designed for high-current output switching. These boards feature mechanical relays that switch up to 10 amps per channel, expanding the switching ability of standard Snap I/O modules by 13 times. These boards include on/off indicators for each channel, and each can be wired as normally closed or normally open.
Rounding out the new Snap Tex line is an assortment of wiring harnesses (used for connecting field devices to high-density Snap I/O modules), jumper connection straps (used with digital I/O modules), DIN-rail mounting kits, module removal tools, and other accessories. Moving these previously available accessories under the Snap Tex line will help customers find the right parts for all of their wiring and installation needs.
“Our new Snap Tex product line serves as yet another example of our product research and development division responding to the stated needs of our customers,” says Mark Engman, Opto 22 President and CEO. “Many of our customers have expressed a desire for quicker, easier ways to mount and wire their I/O. Ultimately, Snap Tex, like all of our other product lines, is meant to provide the components, tools, and methods customers need to get their projects done faster, simpler, and in the manner they’re most comfortable with.”
