Second serial port for CompactRIO

[m3nth]

I would like to reiterate the question posted here.

Is it possible to add a second serial port to a CompactRIO chassis?

Using the FPGA seems like it would not actually be transmitting at RS-232 levels, and using an Ethernet-to-Serial Port converter sounds more promising, but that means having the drivers loaded properly.  Are these the only options, and are they even feasible?  Having a multi serial port module seems like it would be a nice addition to the CompactRIO suite.

[NoahR]

Hi m3nth,

Thanks for contacting National Instruments.  Right now, these are the two options that are available.  The CompactRIO currently comes with one serial port.  If you feel that additional serial ports are a good idea for the CompactRIO, please feel free to make a product suggestion for us by visiting www.ni.com/contact and clicking on the "feedback" link in the lower left under the "Product Feedback" category.  We are very receptive to any product suggestions that we receive and will definitely take them into consideration.  Thanks for your feedback!

[m3nth]

That doesn't really answer my question, which is: Are either of these actually known to have worked for someone trying to add a serial port?

[NoahR]

Hi m3nth,

The link involving using the FPGA and digital modules has been successful in the past with many people and like the tutorial says, a big part with this is converting to voltage using a voltage translator.  With respect to the ENET option, the link below can be used to direct you to the products that we have that you may want to try to implement multiple serial ports.  I've done some research and it appears that there shouldn't be an issue using the converters with a real-time system.  When using the ENET converters, keep in mind that it may cause some more latency in your network as opposed to regular serial transmission.  If you have any more questions, please let me know.  Thanks!

https://www.ni.com/en-us/shop/category/gpib-serial-and-ethernet.html?productId=118842

[Bassett_Hound]

Check out the following links too:

Can I Use the ENET-232 or ENET-485 in LabVIEW Real-Time?

RS-232 Interface using LabVIEW FPGA module

Bassett

[m3nth]

Good info.  Thanks.