SEALEVEL 2108 SeaLINK+232.PC Embedded USB to 1-Port RS-232 DB9 Serial Interface Adapter User Manual

SEALEVEL 2108 SeaLINK+232.PC Embedded USB to 1-Port RS-232 DB9 Serial

Interface Adapter

Introduction

The Sealevel Systems SeaLINK+232.PC equips the PC with a single USB to RS-232 Asynchronous serial port and is intended for mounting directly to the PC’s chassis, eliminating the need for external converters and providing a clean, professional installation. The board is USB bus powered and installs inside a low profile computer chassis in a spare bracket location. The SeaLINK+232.PC includes a 14″ USB header cable (Item# CA260) that connects to most motherboard USB box header connectors and uses only one USB port per serial port.
The SeaLINK+232.PC is designed to be used with a variety of Operating Systems including Windows 98/ME/2000/XP. The SeaCOM API (Application Programmer Interface) included on CD with the SeaLINK+232.PC provides a variety of useful high-level function calls implemented as a Windows dynamic link library (DLL). In addition to the API, SeaCOM includes sample code and utilities to simplify software development.

Other Sealevel Serial I/O Products

Before You Get Started

What’s Included
The SeaLINK+232.PC is shipped with the following items. If any of these items are missing or damaged, please contact Sealevel for replacement.

• SeaLINK+232.PC Adapter

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.

Optional Items

Depending upon your application, you are likely to find one or more of the following items useful for interfacing the SeaLINK+232.PC. All items can be purchased from our website (https://www.sealevel.com/) or by calling 864-843-4343.

DB9 Female to DB25 Male 72″ Standard RS-232 Cable (Item# CA177)
The CA177 connects to a DB9 Male serial port and converts it to a DB25 Male RS-232 connector.

DB9 Female to RJ45 Modular Adapter (Item# RJ9S8)
The RJ9S8 connects to any DB9 connector and converts it to an RJ45 connector, which allows the use of standard twisted pair cabling. The RJ9S8 ships unassembled and can be configured for virtually any pin out.

Software Installation Instructions

Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/VistaTM Operating Systems
Do not connect the device to a USB port until the software is installed.

1. Begin by locating, selecting, and installing the correct software from the Sealevel software driver database.

2. Select the Part Number for your device from the listing.

3. The setup file will automatically detect the operating environment and install the proper components. Follow the information presented on the installation screens that follow.

4. A screen may appear with the declaration: “The publisher cannot be determined due to the
   problems below: Authenticode signature not found.” Please select 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, you 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 included to remove the driver and all registry/INI file entries from your system.

6. Proceed with the physical installation of your SeaLINK USB serial adapter.
   Windows NT is not USB aware and thus cannot support this device.

3rd Party Software Support
Third party software support for many HMI/MMI and other process control software is included on the product installation CD. For the most up to date information on third party software support, please visit https://www.sealevel.com/support/3rd-party-software-support/.

Physical Installation

The SeaLINK+232.PC can be installed in any spare bracket location. Do not install the Adapter in the machine until the software has been fully installed.
The SeaLINK+232.PC can be connected to any header type USB connector that supports the Intel assigned connector pinout. The SeaLINK+232.PC will require no user hardware configuration. Once you have installed the software simply plug the SeaLINK+232.PC into an available USB connector on the motherboard. The drivers that were installed during setup will automatically be used to configure the adapter. You should see one or more “New Hardware Found”, indicating the actual port being created. If you view your systems’ Device Manager at this point, you should have a new “COM” port in the Ports (COM & LPT) Device Class. You can access your new COM: port by using the assigned COM: identifier. This assignment will vary from system to system. At this point, the hardware is recognized. To verify operation use Sealevel Systems supplied WinSSD diagnostic utility. WinSSD can be found in the Start, Programs group.

Technical Description

The SeaLINK+232.PC utilizes a USB UART. This chip features programmable baud rate, data format, 128 byte Dual Port TX Buffer, and 384 byte Dual Port RX Buffer. The RS-232 transceiver supports data rates up to 460.8K baud. Refer to Appendix C for cable length limitations.

Connector Pin Assignments (DB9 Male)

These assignments meet EIA/TIA/ANSI-574 DTE specifications for DB-9 type connectors.

Electrical Characteristics

Features

• Dual bracket mountable and low profile
• No system resources are required (i.e., I/O ports or IRQs)
• Input power protection

Specifications

Temperature Range

(-58º to 221º F)

Power Requirements

• +5VDC @ 50 mA

Physical Dimensions (excluding bracket)

Manufacturing
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.

Appendix A ­ Troubleshooting

Sealevel Software is supplied with the Sealevel Systems adapter and may be used in the troubleshooting procedures. Using this software and following these simple steps can eliminate most common problems without the need to call Technical Support.

1. If your adapter isn’t working, first check to make sure that USB support is enabled in the System
   BIOS and it is functioning properly in the operating system. This can be done by using either the Windows 98/ME or Windows 2000 Device Manager.

2. Ensure that the Sealevel Systems software has been installed on the machine so that the necessary
   files are in place to complete the installation.

3. When the SeaLINK+232.PC is configured properly, Sealevel’s WinSSD utility and the supplied
   loopback plug can be used to check communications. The supplied loopback plug connects TD to RD. If you decide to test the Modem Control Signals, a full pin loopback plug will be required. Details on loopback plugs are included within WinSSD. Contact Sealevel Systems if you need further assistance.

4. When testing the SeaLINK+232.PC in loopback mode, you should see both the TD and RD echoed
   as data on the screen. The loopback test first transmits a HEX pattern, 55AA, and then an ASCII string of data. If this test passes, then the SeaLINK+232.PC is ready for use in your application.

5. Always use the Sealevel Systems diagnostic software when troubleshooting a problem. This will eliminate any software issues from the equation. If these steps do not solve your problem, please call Sealevel Systems’ Technical Support, (864) 8434343. Our technical support is free and available from 8:00AM-5PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday. For email support contact support@sealevel.com.

Appendix B ­ How To Get Assistance

Begin by reading through the Trouble Shooting Guide in Appendix A. If assistance is still needed please see below. 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. 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.asp. 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. 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.

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 or EIA/TIA-232. 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 is 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 at distances less than 50 ft. The absolute maximum data rate may vary due to line conditions and cable lengths. 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. The RS-232 and the EIA/TIA-574 specification define two types of interface circuits, Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) and Data Circuit-Terminating Equipment (DCE). The SeaLINK+232.PC is a DTE device.

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. A starting bit followed by a pre-defined number of data bits (5, 6, 7, or 8) defines character boundaries for asynchronous communications. The end of the character is defined by the transmission of a pre-defined number of stop bits (usually 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 pre-defined 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 ­ 2108 PCB

Appendix F ­ Compliance Notices

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, 8:00AM to 5:00PM 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.

References

• FAQs - Sealevel
• Sealevel - I/O & Computing Products, Engineering and Manufacturing
• Software Driver Search - Sealevel

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