Product Overview
Advantech ADAM-4520 Isolated RS-232 to RS-422/485 Converter - 3000 VDC Isolation, Used
Condition
Used, clean, and in very good condition. Minor signs of handling, fully functional. The photos are of this exact unit. The light blue housing carries the gray circular ADAM label reading ADAM-4520, RS-232 to RS-422/RS-485 ISOLATED CONVERTER, with the SW2 baud rate table still crisp and fully legible. The back is molded MADE IN TAIWAN, carries a CE mark, a factory barcode label reading IAA3243087, and the molded mounting channel. The green 10-position plug-in screw terminal is present and complete, its slotted screws showing bright tool marks. The female DB-9 RS-232 connector is bright with both jackscrew standoffs in place. Light scuffing on the housing and faint scratches on the label surface show up under close light. Against the ruler the body measures approximately 12 cm long by 7 cm wide.
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Product Overview
The ADAM-4520 is an isolated converter module that transparently converts RS-232 signals into RS-422 or RS-485, extending the reach and stability of a serial link without touching your software. Isolation is rated 3000 VDC, keeping the host and the field side apart when the two ends sit on different grounds. The RS-232 side terminates in a female DB-9, visible in the photos with both jackscrew standoffs intact; the RS-422/485 side lands on a green 10-position plug-in screw terminal marked DATA+, DATA-, TX+, TX-, RX+, RX-, (R)+Vs and (B)GND. Configuration lives under the round front cover, and the label prints the whole SW2 reference table so you can set baud rate and mode without hunting for a manual. Supported rates run 1200 bps to 115.2 kbps, with RTS control and a switchable RS-422 mode. Power draw is modest at 0.8 W typical and 1 W maximum at 24 VDC. Molded MADE IN TAIWAN on the back, this is the module that quietly sat between a PC serial port and a multidrop network in thousands of ADAM installations.
Key Features
- Brand: ADAM (Advantech Data Acquisition Modules)
- Model: ADAM-4520
- Function: transparent RS-232 to RS-422/485 conversion
- Isolation voltage: 3000 VDC
- Supported baud rates: 1200 bps to 115.2 kbps
- RTS control and switchable RS-422 mode via SW2
- RS-232 interface: female DB-9
- RS-422/485 interface: 10-position plug-in screw terminal
- Power consumption: 0.8 W typical, 1 W max at 24 VDC
- Marked MADE IN TAIWAN with CE marking and factory barcode IAA3243087
Applications
- Controls technician linking a laptop or PC serial port to a multidrop RS-485 sensor loop on a plant floor
- Systems integrator pushing a serial run past the practical distance limit of RS-232 by converting to RS-422
- Maintenance electrician swapping a failed converter out of an existing ADAM module chain
- Test engineer bench-connecting older instrumentation to a modern host across an isolated serial hop
- SCADA technician bringing legacy serial field devices back onto a polling network
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I set the baud rate on this ADAM-4520?
The front label prints the SW2 reference table: position 1 for RTS control, positions 2 through 9 for 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600 and 115200 bps, and position 10 for 422 mode. Set SW2 to match the host and the field devices before wiring anything live.
What connectors does it use?
RS-232 comes in on a female DB-9, shown close up in the photos. RS-422 and RS-485 land on the green 10-position plug-in screw terminal, marked DATA+, DATA- for RS-485, TX+, TX-, RX+, RX- for RS-422, and (R)+Vs and (B)GND for power.
What isolation does it provide?
3000 VDC between the RS-232 side and the RS-422/485 side, which is the reason this module gets specified over a plain converter cable when the two ends of the link do not share a ground.
What does it need for power?
The listing figures are 0.8 W typical and 1 W maximum at 24 VDC, fed to the (R)+Vs and (B)GND terminals on the green block. No power supply or cabling is pictured, so plan on supplying your own.
It is used - what am I actually taking on?
You are buying this exact module, the one in the six photos, tool marks on the terminal screws and factory barcode label included. It is graded used, clean and functional, with minor signs of handling and nothing hidden by the camera. The photos are the spec here, so zoom in and buy the condition you can see, then confirm the SW2 settings against your own host before it goes into a live loop. Only one is in stock, and when it is gone the next one will be a different unit with different marks. This converter clears our free shipping line on its own, and orders leave the Idaho warehouse the same or next business day.
Advantech built the 4520 for plant floors where one stubborn RS-232 port had to reach a long run of RS-485 on the far side of the building. Taiwan-molded, still wearing tool marks on its terminal screws, it is ready for whatever network you put on the other end.
