SEALEVEL 3410 Versa Comm+4 User Manual

SEALEVEL 3410 Versa Comm+4

Product Information

The Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4 is a device that provides the PC with four RS-232 asynchronous ports. It allows for connection to any device utilizing the RS-232 electrical interface, such as modems, data-entry terminals, and plotters.

The factory default settings for the VERSA COMM+4 are as follows:

Product Usage Instructions

Installation
To install the VERSA COMM+4 using the factory default settings, please refer to the Installation section of the user manual.

Before You Get Started

What’s Included
The VERSA COMM+4 is shipped with the following items. If any of these items are missing or damaged, please contact the supplier.

• VERSA COMM+4 device
• Advisory Conventions

Advisory Conventions

Warning:
The highest level of importance used to stress a condition where damage could result in the product or the user suffering serious injury.

Important:
The middle level of importance used to highlight information that might not seem obvious or a situation that could cause the product to fail.

Note:
The lowest level of importance used to provide background information, additional tips, or other non-critical facts that will not affect the use of the product.

Card Setup

Address Selection
The VERSA COMM+4 contains several jumper straps that must be set for proper operation. Each port on the VERSA COMM+4 occupies 8 consecutive I/O locations. A DIP-switch is used to set the base address for these locations.

Be careful when selecting the base address as some selections may conflict with existing ports. The following table shows several examples that typically do not cause a conflict:

• The DIP-switch setting corresponds to the address bits used to determine the base address. Setting the switch On or Closed corresponds to a 0 in the address, while leaving it Off or Open corresponds to a 1.
• Refer to Appendix A in the user manual for common address contentions.

Port Enable/Disable
Each port on the VERSA COMM+4 can be enabled or disabled using switch position 8 on the DIP-switch. The port is enabled with the switch On or Closed and disabled when Off or Open. If any port is disabled, be sure to disable the interrupt request for that port by removing the IRQ jumper.

Introduction

Overview

The Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4 provides the PC with four RS-232 asynchronous ports. The VERSA COMM+4 allows for connection to any device utilizing the RS-232 electrical interface, such as modems, data-entry terminals, and plotters.

Factory Default Settings
The VERSA COMM+4 factory default settings are as follows:

To install the VERSA COMM+4 using factory default settings, refer to the Installation section of this manual.

For your reference, record installed VERSA COMM+4 settings below:

Before You Get Started

What’s Included

The VERSA COMM+4 is shipped with the following items. If any of these items are missing or damaged, contact the supplier.

• VERSA COMM+4 Serial I/O Adapter
• “Spider” Cable providing 4 DB-25 connectors.

Advisory Conventions

• Warning
  The highest level of importance used to stress a condition where damage could result to the product, or the user could suffer serious injury.

• Important
  The middle level of importance used to highlight information that might not seem obvious or a situation that could cause the product to fail.

• Note
  The lowest level of importance used to provide background information, additional tips, or other non-critical facts that will not affect the use of the product.

Card Setup

The VERSA COMM+4 contains several jumper straps which must be set for proper operation.

Address Selection
Each port on the VERSA COMM+4 occupies 8 consecutive I/O locations. A DIP- switch is used to set the base address for these locations. Be careful when selecting the base address as some selections conflict with existing ports. The following table shows several examples that typically do not cause a conflict. SW4 sets the I/O address for port 1, SW3 sets the address for port 2, SW2 sets the address for port 3 and SW1 sets the address for port 4.

Address

|

Binary

|

Switch Position Setting

---|---|---
Hex| A9 A0| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7
280-287| 1010000XXX| Off| On| Off| On| On| On| On

2A0-2A7

|

1010100XXX

|

Off

|

On

|

Off

|

On

|

Off

|

On

|

On

2E8-2EF

|

1011101XXX

|

Off

|

On

|

Off

|

Off

|

Off

|

On

|

Off

2F8-2FF

|

1011111XXX

|

Off

|

On

|

Off

|

Off

|

Off

|

Off

|

Off

3E8-3EF

|

1111101XXX

|

Off

|

Off

|

Off

|

Off

|

Off

|

On

|

Off

300-307

|

1100000XXX

|

Off

|

Off

|

On

|

On

|

On

|

On

|

On

328-32F| 1100101XXX| Off| Off| On| On| Off| On| Off
3F8-3FF| 1111111XXX| Off| Off| Off| Off| Off| Off| Off

Figure 1 – Address Selection Table

The following illustration shows the correlation between the DIP-switch setting and the address bits used to determine the base address. In the example below, address 300 is selected as a base. Address 300 in binary is XX11 0000 0XXX where X = a non-selectable address bit.

Setting the switch “On” or “Closed” corresponds to a “0” in the address, while leaving it “Off” or “Open” corresponds to a “1”.

Port Enable/Disable
Each port on the VERSA COMM+4 can be enabled or disabled with switch position 8 on the DIP-switch. The port is enabled with the switch “On” or “Closed” and disabled when “Off” or “Open”. If any port is disabled, be sure to disable the interrupt request for that port by removing the IRQ jumper.

IRQ Selection
Headers E1, E2, E3 and E4 select the IRQ for each serial port. If COM1: is selected, this jumper must be on the IRQ4 setting. If COM2: is selected, this jumper must be on IRQ3.

Most communications software applications default COM3: to IRQ4 and COM4: to IRQ3. This requires the sharing of interrupts between COM1: and COM3:, and between COM2: and COM4:. While this is the default, it is not always the preferred setting. Check your software configuration instructions to determine the most appropriate IRQ selection.

Interrupt Mode Options
Header E5 selects the interrupt mode for each port. Each port must be set in the correct mode to insure proper installation.

“N” indicates the (N)ormal, single interrupt per port mode. “S” Indicates the (S)hared interrupt mode, which allows more than one port to access a single IRQ. Any two or more ports can share a common IRQ by placing the jumpers on the same IRQ setting and setting the appropriate selections at E5. Consult your particular software for IRQ selection. If no interrupt is desired, remove the jumper. “M” indicates the inclusion of a 1K ohm pulldown resistor required on one port when sharing interrupts.

Set jumpers to “S” for shared interrupt mode on all blocks sharing an IRQ except one. Set that port block for “M”. This provides the pull-down resistor circuit that makes sharing of IRQs possible. If you are using more than one VERSA COMM+4 or a compatible card in a bus you should only have one port set to “M”. The following example shows all four ports sharing a single IRQ.

Set jumper to “S” if you are using more than one VERSA COMM+4 in a bus or you wish to completely remove the pull-down resistor for hardware compatibility. Setting the board in this configuration when it is not accompanied by a pull- down resistor will prevent the ports from triggering an interrupt.

The above example shows the correlation between jumper block E5 and the interrupt jumpers (E1-E4). This example shows the VERSA COMM+4 shipping configuration with COM1: & COM3: sharing interrupt 4 and COM2: & COM4: sharing interrupt 3.

Physical Installation

The VERSA COMM+4 can be installed in any of the PC expansion slots, but to access the “AT” or (E)ISA IRQ’s (10, 11, 12, 15) it must be installed in one of the 16 bit slots. The VERSA COMM+4 contains several jumper straps for each port which must be set for proper operation prior to installing the card into the computer.

1. Turn off PC power. Disconnect the power cord.
2. Remove the PC case cover.
3. Locate an available slot and remove the blank metal slot cover.
4. Gently insert the VERSA COMM+4 into the slot. Make sure that the adapter is seated properly.
5. Replace the screw.
6. Install the “Spider” Cable
7. Replace the cover.
8. Connect the power cord.

Installation is complete.

Software Installation

Windows Installation
Do not install the Adapter in the machine until the software has been fully installed.

Only users running Windows 7 or newer should utilize these instructions for accessing and installing the appropriate driver via Sealevel’s website. If you are utilizing an operating system prior to Windows 7, please contact Sealevel by calling 864.843.4343 or emailing support@sealevel.com to receive access to the legacy driver download and installation instructions.

1. Begin by locating, selecting, and installing the SeaCOM Asynchronous Serial Software Suite from Sealevel’s website.
2. Select the “Download SeaCOM for Windows.”
3. The setup files will automatically detect the operating environment and install the proper components. Follow the information presented on the screens that follow.
4. A screen may appear with text similar to: “The publisher cannot be determined due to the problems below: Authenticode signature not found.” Please click the ‘Yes’ button and proceed with the installation. This declaration simply means that the operating system is not aware of the driver being loaded. It will not cause any harm to your system.
5. During setup, the user may specify installation directories and other preferred configurations. This program also adds entries to the system registry that are necessary for specifying the operating parameters for each driver. An uninstall option is also included to remove all registry/INI file entries from the system.
6. The software is now installed, and you can proceed with the hardware installation.

Other Operating Systems
Refer to the appropriate section of the Serial Utilities Software. For additional software support, please call Sealevel Systems’ Technical Support, 864-843-4343. Our technical support is free and available from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. For email support contact: support@sealevel.com.

Technical Description

The Sealevel VERSA COMM+4 provides 4 additional serial ports for terminals, modems, printers, etc. The VERSA COMM+4 can be configured as COM1: through COM4:, or as any other I/O address (up to 3FF HEX), providing total compatibility with most communications software and languages. The VERSA COMM+4 utilizes the 16550 UART chip. This chip features programmable baud rate, data format, interrupt control and a 16-byte fifo.

Features

• Provides a COM1: through COM4: Turnkey Solution
• Four RS-232 Ports with full modem control signals
• Individually Selectable Addresses
• Selectable/Sharable Interrupts (IRQ’s 2(9)-7,10,11,12,& 15 )
• 4 DB-25 male connectors provided using the Sealevel Systems “Spider Cable”

Modem Control Signal Considerations
Some software packages require the use of the modem handshake signals such as CTS or DCD. Refer to your application software manual to determine the requirements for modem control signals. If no requirements are mentioned, a safe configuration is to tie DTR to DSR and DCD, and tie RTS to CTS. This configuration will typically satisfy the modem control signal requirements for most communications software.

Connector Pin Assignments

RS-232

Please terminate any control signals that are not going to be used. The most common way to do this is connect RTS to CTS and RI. Also, connect DCD to DTR and DSR. Terminating these pins, if not used, will help insure you get the best performance from your adapter.

Specifications

Environmental Specifications

to 158º F)
Humidity Range| 10 to 90% R.H. Non-Condensing| 10 to 90% R.H. Non- Condensing

Manufacturing

• IPC 610-A Class-III standards are adhered to with a 0.1 visual A.Q.L. and 100% Functional Testing.
• All Sealevel Systems Printed Circuit boards are built to UL 94V0 rating and are 100% electrically tested. These printed circuit boards are solder mask over bare copper or solder mask over tin nickel.

Power Consumption

Physical Dimensions

Appendix

Appendix A – Troubleshooting
The adapter should provide years of trouble-free service. However, in the event that device appears to not be functioning incorrectly, the following tips can eliminate most common problems without the need to call Technical Support.

1. Identify all I/O adapters currently installed in your system. This includes your on-board serial ports, controller cards, sound cards etc. The I/O addresses used by these adapters, as well as the IRQ (if any) should be identified.
2. Configure your Sealevel Systems adapter so that there is no conflict with currently installed adapters. No two adapters can occupy the same I/O address.
3. Make sure the Sealevel Systems adapter is using a unique IRQ. While the Sealevel Systems adapter does allow the sharing of IRQ’s, many other adapters (i.e. SCSI adapters & on-board serial ports) do not. The IRQ is typically selected via an on-board header block. Refer to the section on Card Setup for help in choosing an I/O address and IRQ.
4. Make sure the Sealevel Systems adapter is securely installed in a motherboard slot.
5. Use the supplied diskette and User Manual to verify that the Sealevel Systems adapter is configured correctly. The supplied diskette contains a diagnostic program “SSD” that will verify if an adapter is configured properly. This diagnostic program is written with the user in mind and is easy to use. Refer to the “README” file on the supplied diskette for detailed instructions on using “SSD”.
6. The following are known I/O conflicts: • The 278 and 378 settings may conflict with your printer I/O adapter.
   • 3B0 cannot be used if a Monochrome adapter is installed.
   • 3F8-3FF is typically reserved for COM1:
   • 2F8-2FF is typically reserved for COM2:
   • 3E8-3EF is typically reserved for COM3:
   • 2E8-2EF is typically reserved for COM4:
7. Please refer to your included diskette for any post production manual updates and application specific information.
8. Always use the Sealevel Systems diagnostic software when
9. Troubleshooting a problem. This will eliminate the software issue from the equation.

If these steps do not solve your problem, please call Sealevel Systems’ Technical Support, 864-843-4343. Our technical support is free and available from 8:00 A.M.- 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time Monday through Friday. For email support contact support@sealevel.com.

Appendix B – How To Get Assistance
Please refer to Troubleshooting Guide prior to calling Technical Support.

1. Begin by reading through the Trouble Shooting Guide in Appendix A. If assistance is still needed please see below.
2. When calling for technical assistance, please have your user manual and current adapter settings. If possible, please have the adapter installed in a computer ready to run diagnostics.
3. Sealevel Systems provides an FAQ section on its web site. Please refer to this to answer many common questions. This section can be found at http://www.sealevel.com/faq.htm.
4. Sealevel Systems maintains a Home page on the Internet. Our home page address is www.sealevel.com. The latest software updates, and newest manuals are available via our FTP site that can be accessed from our home page.
5. Technical support is available Monday to Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time. Technical support can be reached at 864-843-4343. For email support contact support@sealevel.com.

RETURN AUTHORIZATION MUST BE OBTAINED FROM SEALEVEL SYSTEMS BEFORE RETURNED MERCHANDISE WILL BE ACCEPTED. AUTHORIZATION CAN BE OBTAINED BY CALLING SEALEVEL SYSTEMS AND REQUESTING A RETURN MERCHANDISE AUTHORIZATION (RMA) NUMBER.

Appendix C – Electrical Interface

RS-232
Quite possibly the most widely used communication standard is RS-232. This implementation has been defined and revised several times and is often referred to as RS-232-C/D/E or EIA/TIA-232-C/D/E. It is defined as “Interface between Data Terminal Equipment and Data Circuit- Terminating Equipment Employing Serial Binary Data Interchange” The mechanical implementation of RS-232 is on a 25 pin D sub connector. The IBM PC computer defined the RS-232 port on a 9 pin D sub connector and subsequently the EIA/TIA approved this implementation as the EIA/TIA-574 standard. This standard has defined as the “9-Position Non Synchronous Interface between Data Terminal Equipment and Data Circuit-Terminating Equipment Employing Serial Binary Data Interchange”. Both implementations are in widespread use and will be referred to as RS-232 in this document. RS-232 is capable of operating at data rates up to 20 Kbps / 50 ft. The absolute maximum data rate may vary due to line conditions and cable lengths. RS-232 often operates at 38.4 Kbps over very short distances. The voltage levels defined by RS-232 range from -12 to +12 volts. RS-232 is a single ended or unbalanced interface, meaning that a single electrical signal is compared to a common signal (ground) to determine binary logic states. A voltage of +12 volts (usually +3 to +10 volts) represents a binary 0 (space) and -12 volts (-3 to -10 volts) denotes a binary 1 (mark). The RS-232 and the EIA/TIA574 specification define two types of interface circuits Data Terminal Equipment

Appendix D – Asynchronous Communications
Serial data communications implies that individual bits of a character are transmitted consecutively to a receiver that assembles the bits back into a character. Data rate, error checking, handshaking, and character framing (start/stop bits) are pre-defined and must correspond at both the transmitting and receiving ends.

Asynchronous communications is the standard means of serial data communication for PC compatibles and PS/2 computers. The original PC was equipped with a communication or COM: port that was designed around an 8250 Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART). This device allows asynchronous serial data to be transferred through a simple and straightforward programming interface. Character boundaries for asynchronous communications are defined by a starting bit followed by a pre-defined number of data bits (5, 6, 7, or 8). The end of the character is defined by the transmission of a pre-defined number of stop bits (usual 1, 1.5 or 2). An extra bit used for error detection is often appended before the stop bits.

This special bit is called the parity bit. Parity is a simple method of determining if a data bit has been lost or corrupted during transmission. There are several methods for implementing a parity check to guard against data corruption. Common methods are called (E)ven Parity or (O)dd Parity. Sometimes parity is not used to detect errors on the data stream. This is referred to as (N)o parity. Because each bit in asynchronous communications is sent consecutively, it is easy to generalize asynchronous communications by stating that each character is wrapped (framed) by predefined bits to mark the beginning and end of the serial transmission of the character. The data rate and communication parameters for asynchronous communications have to be the same at both the transmitting and receiving ends. The communication parameters are baud rate, parity, number of data bits per character, and stop bits (i.e. 9600,N,8,1).

Appendix E – Silk Screen

Appendix G – Compliance Notices

FCC Statement

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Statement
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in such case the user will be required to correct the interference at the user’s expense.

EMC Directive Statement
Products bearing the CE Label fulfill the requirements of the EMC directive (89/336/EEC) and of the low-voltage directive (73/23/EEC) issued by the European Commission. To obey these directives, the following European standards must be met:

• EN55022 Class A – “Limits and methods of measurement of radio interference characteristics of information technology equipment”
• EN55024 – “Information technology equipment Immunity characteristics Limits and methods of measurement”.
• This is a Class A Product. In a domestic environment, this product may cause radio interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate measures to prevent or correct the interference.
• Always use cabling provided with this product if possible. If no cable is provided or if an alternate cable is required, use high quality shielded cabling to maintain compliance with FCC/EMC directives.

Warranty

Sealevel’s commitment to providing the best I/O solutions is reflected in the Lifetime Warranty that is standard on all Sealevel manufactured I/O products. We are able to offer this warranty due to our control of manufacturing quality and the historically high reliability of our products in the field. Sealevel products are designed and manufactured at its Liberty, South Carolina facility, allowing direct control over product development, production, burn- in and testing. Sealevel achieved ISO-9001:2015 certification in 2018.

Warranty Policy
Sealevel Systems, Inc. (hereafter “Sealevel”) warrants that the Product shall conform to and perform in accordance with published technical specifications and shall be free of defects in materials and workmanship for the warranty period. In the event of failure, Sealevel will repair or replace the product at Sealevel’s sole discretion. Failures resulting from misapplication or misuse of the Product, failure to adhere to any specifications or instructions, or failure resulting from neglect, abuse, accidents, or acts of nature are not covered under this warranty.

Warranty service may be obtained by delivering the Product to Sealevel and providing proof of purchase. Customer agrees to ensure the Product or assume the risk of loss or damage in transit, to prepay shipping charges to Sealevel, and to use the original shipping container or equivalent. Warranty is valid only for original purchaser and is not transferable. This warranty applies to Sealevel manufactured Product. Product purchased through Sealevel but manufactured by a third party will retain the original manufacturer’s warranty.

Non-Warranty Repair/Retest
Products returned due to damage or misuse and Products retested with no problem found are subject to repair/retest charges. A purchase order or credit card number and authorization must be provided in order to obtain an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) number prior to returning Product.

How to obtain an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization)
If you need to return a product for warranty or non-warranty repair, you must first obtain an RMA number. Please contact Sealevel Systems, Inc. Technical Support for assistance:

• Available Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM EST
• Phone 864-843-4343
• Email support@sealevel.com.

Trademarks
Sealevel Systems, Incorporated acknowledges that all trademarks referenced in this manual are the service mark, trademark, or registered trademark of the respective company.

© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 3410 Manual | SL9148 12/2022.

References

• Sealevel - I/O & Computing Products, Engineering and Manufacturing
• FAQs - Sealevel
• SeaCOM Software Overview - Sealevel

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