PC-based I/O control systems are widely used in measurement and control system applications. But sometimes it is very difficult to meet the demands of critical timing control missions. As a result of the special features of FRnet, such as real I/O synchronization and fixed scan time, FRB boards can be added to PC-based systems to give additional PLC-like control functions, with no need to mix PC-based controllers with PLCs. The FRB-200U supports both 5V and 3.3V while the FRB-100/200 PCI card supports 5V PCI bus only. The FRB-200U (Universal PCI version) is fully compatible with the FRB-100/200.

Traditional high-channel-count I/O cards occupy several PC slots, and the bulky cables can be difficult to handle. Several FRB boards can be combined to work together to control thousands of I/O channels. Reduced cabling, lower labor costs, easy installation and higher reliability are the major advantages of an FRnet solution.

The FRB-100/200/200U is an isolated FRnet communication board. The FRB-100 has a single FRnet port, while the FRB-200/200U has two FRnet ports. Each FRnet port can control a maximum of 16 communication nodes, numbered from 0 to 15. Each single node of the remote I/O module can control a maximum of 16 DI/DO (8 DI and 8 DO) channels. In other words, each FRnet port can control a maximum of 256 DI/DO (128 DI and 128 DO) channels.