SEALEVEL Versa Comm+4.LPCI Low Profile PCI 4-Port RS-232 Serial Interface User Manual

SEALEVEL Versa Comm+4.LPCI Low Profile PCI 4-Port RS-232 Serial Interface

Introduction

The Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.LPCI provides the PC with four RS-232 asynchronous ports. The VERSA COMM+4.LPCI allows for connection to any device utilizing the RS-232 electrical interface, such as modems, data-entry terminals, and plotters.The VERSA COMM+4.LPCI ships with a Low Profile PCI bracket that will only work in a Low Profile PCI slot. If you need a standard size PCI bracket, please order Item# 7406S.

Before You Get Started

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

• VERSA COMM+4.LPCI Serial I/O Adapter
• Item# 7406 ships with a Low Profile PCI bracket
• Item# 7406S ships with a standard size PCI bracket
• HDB-44 to Four Connector Fan Out Cable
• Item# CA199, HDB-44 to four DB-25M fan out cable, ships with Item# 7406
• Item# CA200, HDB-44 to four DB-9M fan out cable, ships with Item# 7406-DB9

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

Clock Modes
The VERSA COMM+4.LPCI employs a unique clocking option that allows the end user to select from divide by 4 and divide by 1 clocking modes. This mode is selected at E1.To select the Baud rates commonly associated with COM: ports (i.e., 2400, 4800, 9600, 19.2, … 115.2K Bps) place the jumper in the divide by 4 mode (silk-screen DIV4).

To select the maximum data rate (460.8K bps) place the jumper in the divide by 1 (silk-screen DIV1) position.

Address and IRQ Selection
The VERSA COMM+4.LPCI is automatically assigned I/O addresses and IRQs by your motherboard BIOS. Adding or removing other hardware may change the assignment of I/O addresses and IRQs

Baud Rates and Divisors for the ‘DIV1’ Mode
The following table shows some common data rates and the rates you should choose to match them if using thAe adapter in the ‘Div1’ mode.

If your communications package allows the use of Baud rate divisors, choose the appropriate divisor from the following table:

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 [email protected] 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.  Type in or select the part number (#7406) for the adapter from the listing.
3.  Select “Download Now” for SeaCOM for Windows.
4.  The setup files will automatically detect the operating environment and install the proper components. Follow the information presented on the screens that follow.
5.  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.
6.  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.
7.  The software is now installed, and you can proceed with the hardware installation.

Linux Installation
You MUST have “root” privileges to install the software and drivers. The syntax is case-sensitive.  SeaCOM for Linux can be downloaded here: https://www.sealevel.com/support/software-seacom-linux/. It includes the README and the Serial-HOWTO help files (located at seacom/dox/howto). This series of files both explains typical Linux serial implementations and informs the user about Linux syntax and preferred practices. User can use a program such as 7-Zip to extract the tar.gz file. In addition, the software selectable interface settings can be accessed by referencing seacom/utilities/7406mode. For additional software support, including QNX, 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: [email protected].

Physical Installation

The adapter can be installed in any 3.3 or 5V PCI expansion slot and contains several jumper straps for each port that must be set for proper.Do not install the Adapter in the machine until the software has been fully installed.

1.  Turn off PC power. Disconnect the power cord.
2.  Remove the PC case cover.
3.  Locate an available PCI slot and remove the blank metal slot cover.
4.  Gently insert the PCI adapter into the slot. Make sure that the adapter is seated properly.
5.  Replace the screw. (This is required to ensure FCC Part 15 compliance.)
6.  Install the cable. (CA199 or CA200)
7.  Replace the cover.
8.  Connect the power cord

Technical Description

The VERSA COMM+4.LPCI utilizes the 16C854 UART. This chip features a programmable baud rate, data format, interrupt control and a 128-byte input and output FIFO and is functionally 4 16C850 UARTs.
Connector Pin Assignments
DB-25 Female (RS-232 DTE)

DB-9 Male (EIA-574 DTE)

Card Edge DB-44 Female

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

221º F)
Humidity Range| 10 to 90% R.H. Non-Condensing| 10 to 90% R.H. Non- Condensing

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.
Power Consumption

Physical Dimensions

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 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.  If you are utilizing an operating system prior to Windows 7, please contact Sealevel by calling (864)
6. 3- 4343 or emailing [email protected] to receive more information in regard to the utility
7.  Only users running Windows 7 or newer should utilize the diagnostic tool ‘WinSSD’ installed in the SeaCOM folder on the Start Menu during the setup process. First find the ports using the Device Manager, then use ‘WinSSD’ to verify that the ports are functional.
8.  Always use the Sealevel Systems diagnostic software when troubleshooting a problem. This will help eliminate any software issues and identify any hardware conflicts.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 [email protected].

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.asp.
4.  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 website.
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 [email protected].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
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 20K bps / 50 ft. The absolute maximum data rate may vary due to line conditions and cable lengths. RS-232 often operates at 38.4K bps 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) denote a binary 1 (mark). 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 Sealevel Systems Adapter is a DTE interface.

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

Appendix F – Compliance Notices
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 users 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:

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
• Software: SeaCOM - Linux - Sealevel
• WinSSD Software Utility Overview - Sealevel

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