SEALEVEL 2807 SeaLINK+8.VC 8 Port USB to Serial Adapter User Manual

SEALEVEL 2807 SeaLINK+8.VC 8 Port USB to Serial Adapter User Manual

Introduction

Overview

The Sealevel Systems SeaLINK+8.VC (Item# 2807) is a USB device that equips the PC with eight RS-232 or RS-485 Asynchronous serial ports. The SeaLINK+8.VC supports RS-232 data rates up to 115.2K bps and RS-485 data rates up to 921.6K bps. The box does not need to be opened nor are there any dipswitches to set. The 2807 is housed in an attractive plastic enclosure with a high-retention USB type “B” connector that prevents accidental disconnection of the included USB cable.

The 2807 is USB bus powered, so no external power supply is required. For conveniently powering serial peripherals, ordering options allow an external power source up to be connected to a DC jack on the rear of the unit. The supplied power is fused and connected to pin 5 on each of the eight RJ45 connectors.

With the unique VersaCom multi-interface connector design included on the SeaLINK+8.VC, both RS-232 and two-wire RS-485 signals are always present and active on the RJ45 serial connectors. Simply select the appropriate pin out for RS-232 or two-wire RS-485 on a port-by-port basis.

The SeaLINK+8.VC is designed to be used with a variety of Operating Systems including Windows 98/ME/2000/XP. The SeaCOM API (Application Programmer Interface) software 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.

Sealevel USB Serial I/O Product Family

Before You Get Started

What’s Included
The SeaLINK+8.VC is shipped with the following items. If any of these items is missing or damaged, please contact Sealevel for replacement.

• Item# 2807 – SeaLINK+8.VC USB 8-Port Serial Device
• Item# CA179 – 72” USB ‘A’ to ‘B’ Device Cable
• Item# LB116 – RS-232 RJ45 Serial Loopback
• Item# LB115 – RS-485 RJ45 Serial Loopback

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+8.VC. All items can be purchased from our website (www.sealevel.com/) or by calling 864-843-4343.

• DB9 Male to RJ45 Modular Adapter (Item# RJ9P-232)
  Preconfigured for use with the SeaLINK+8.VC, this modular adapter converts the RJ45 RS-232 pinout from the SeaLINK+8.VC to a DB9 male RS-232 serial port. Standard CAT5 patch cables can be used to extend the serial port up to 50 feet away from the SeaLINK+8.VC…

• DB25 Male to RJ45 Modular Adapter (Item# RJ25P-232)
  Preconfigured for use with the SeaLINK+8.VC, this modular adapter converts the RJ45 RS-232 pinout from the SeaLINK+8.VC to a DB25 male RS-232 serial port. Standard CAT5 patch cables can be used to extend the serial port up to 50 feet away from the SeaLINL+16.VC.

• DB9 Male to RJ45 Modular Adapter (Item# RJ9P8)
  The RJ9P8 includes an RJ45 connector and converts it to a DB9 Male connector, which allows the use of standard twisted pair cabling. The RJ9P8 ships unassembled and can be configured for virtually any pin out.

• DB25 Male to RJ45 Modular Adapter (Item# RJ25P8)
  The RJ25P8 includes an RJ45 connector and converts it to a DB25 Male connector, which allows the use of standard twisted pair cabling. The RJ25P8 ships unassembled and can be configured for virtually any pin out.

• USB ‘A’ to ‘A’ Extension Cable, 3 Meters in Length (Item# CA214)
  The CA214 is a fully rated USB extension cable that allows adding 3 meters (USB maximum of 5 meters) to any existing USB cable. The cable has a type ‘A’ male connector on one end and a type ‘A’ female connector on the other end.

• RJ45 Patch Cable, 7’ in Length (Item# CA246)
  Standard 7’ CAT5 patch cable with one-to-one pinout.

• RJ45 Patch Cable, 10’ in Length (Item# CA247)
  Standard 10’ CAT5 patch cable with one-to-one pinout.

Installation & Configuration

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 proper driver download and installation instructions.

1. Begin by locating, selecting, and installing the correct software from the Sealevel software driver database.
2. Select the Part Number (2807) for your device from the listing.
3. Click the ‘Install Drivers’ button.
4. The setup file will automatically detect the operating environment and install the proper components.

To confirm that the SeaCOM driver has been successfully installed, click on the ‘Start’ button, and then select ‘All Programs’. You should see the ‘SeaCOM’ program folder listed.

You are now ready to proceed with connecting the 2807 to your system. Refer to the Hardware Installation section for details.

Windows NT is not USB aware and thus cannot support this device.

Hardware Installation

The SeaLINK+8.VC can be connected to any spare USB port.

Do not connect the device to a USB port on your motherboard until the software has been successfully installed.

1. Connect the SeaLINK+8.VC to a USB port with the supplied CA179 USB device cable.

2. The software drivers installed during setup will automatically recognize and configure the device.

3. You should see one or more “New Hardware Found” windows, indicating the actual device being created.
   The installation will repeat twice for each COM port (a total of 4 times on two port devices). This is a limitation in the way Windows installs USB serial devices.
   The installation will repeat twice for each COM port (a total of 16 times on the SeaLINK+8.VC). This is a limitation in the way Windows installs external serial devices.

4. Next, view your system’s Device Manager.

5. You should have new COM: ports in the Ports (COM & LPT) Device Class indicating the installation was successful.

6.  You can access your new COM: port by using the assigned COM: identifier. This assignment will vary from system to system.

7. To verify operation, use Sealevel Systems supplied WinSSD diagnostic utility. WinSSD can be found in the Start, Programs group.

The SeaLINK+8.VC is now ready for use.

All applications and drivers have been fully tested to maintain the integrity of your operating system.
Clicking on ‘Continue anyway’ will not harm your system in any way.

Technical Description

The SeaLINK+8.VC utilizes eight USB UARTs. These chips feature programmable baud rate, data format, 128-byte Dual Port TX Buffer, and 384-byte Dual Port RX Buffer. The transceivers support data rates up to 921.6K bps.

Connector Pin Assignments (RJ45)

DCD, DSR, and RI are inputs that are not brought out on the RJ45 connector. DSR and DCD are biased active, and RI is biased inactive.

Interface Selection

With the unique VersaCom multi-interface connector design, both RS-232 and two-wire RS-485 signals are always present and active on the RJ45 connectors. Simply select the appropriate pin out for RS-232 or twowire RS-485 on each individual port. The unused interface on each connector should be left unconnected.
All inputs have appropriate biasing to keep them in an inactive state. If the unused interface pins are connected to a cable, the outputs will attempt to drive the lines while the inputs will attempt to interpret any voltage on the line as data, which can limit cable length and may result in communication failure

Optional DC Power on Pin 5

The 2807 is USB bus powered, so no external power supply is required. For conveniently powering serial peripherals, ordering options allow an external power source up to be connected to a DC jack on the rear of the unit. The supplied power is connected to pin 5 on each of the eight RJ45 connectors. Each serial port utilizes an auto-resetting fuse rated at 500mA. Ordering options are shown below:

• Item# 2807-DC05
  Configured for 5VDC input power using a 2.1mm DC jack

• Item# 2807-DC12
  Configured for 12VDC input power using a 1.3mm DC jack

• Item# 2807-DC24
  Configured for 24VDC input power using a 1.3mm DC jack

Optional RJ45 to DB9 RS-232 Adapter

Preconfigured for use with Sealevel USB RJ45-enabled serial adapters, the RJ45 to DB9 modular adapter (item# RJ9P-232) converts the RJ45 RS-232 pin out to a DB9 male RS-232 serial port. Standard CAT5 patch cables can be used to extend the serial port up to 50 feet away from the RJ45 port. The pin out for the RJ9P-232 is shown below.

RS-485 Biasing and Termination

120W termination resistor always present between
Data+ and Data510W Biasing pull-up resistors on Data+
510W Biasing pull-down resistors on Data-

Electrical Characteristics

Features

• Provides eight RJ45 serial ports with status LEDs
• Allows RS-232 or RS-485 pin out selection on port-by-port basis
• Housed in rugged, attractive plastic enclosure
• Integrates transmit and receive LED indicators on each port
• High-retention USB type “B” connector prevents accidental disconnection of USB cable
• Powered by USB connection

Specifications

Environmental Specifications

Power Consumption

Physical Dimensions

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+8.VC is configured properly, Sealevel’s WinSSD utility and a loopback plug can be used to check communications. You can make a simple Loopback in the field by connecting the TX and RX pins. 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+8.VC 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+8.VC 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, 864-843-4343.
Our technical support is free and available from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time Monday through Friday.
For email support contact support@sealevel.com.

Appendix B – How To Get Assistance

Please refer to: Appendix A — Troubleshooting Guide prior to calling Technical Support.

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 web page on the Internet. Our home page address is www.sealevel.com. The latest software updates, and newest manuals are available via our web site.

Technical support is available Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM 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 IC485+ is a DCE device.

RS-485
RS-485 is backwardly compatible with RS-422; however, it is optimized for party line or multi-drop applications. The output of the RS-422/485 driver is capable of being Active (enabled) or Tri-State (disabled). This capability allows multiple ports to be connected in a multi-drop bus and selectively polled. RS-485 allows cable lengths up to 4000 feet and data rates up to 10 Megabits per second. The signal levels for RS-485 are the same as those defined by RS-422. RS-485 has electrical characteristics that allow for 32 drivers and 32 receivers to be connected to one line. This interface is ideal for multi-drop or network environments. RS-485 tri-state driver (not dual- state) will allow the electrical presence of the driver to be removed from the line. Only one driver may be active at a time and the other driver(s) must be tri-stated. RS-485 can be cabled in two ways, two wire and four wire mode. Two wire mode does not allow for full duplex communication and requires that data be transferred in only one direction at a time. For half-duplex operation, the two transmit pins should be connected to the two receive pins (Tx+ to Rx+ and Tx- to Rx-). Four wire mode allows full duplex data transfers. RS-485 does not define a connector pin-out or a set of modem control signals. RS-485 does not define a physical connector.

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 start 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 – 2807 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

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

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