Advantech PCM-3618 User manual

User Manual
PCM-3618
8-port RS-422/485 High-Speed
Module

PCM-3618 User Manual ii
Copyright
The documentation and the software included with this product are copyrighted 2008
by Advantech Co., Ltd. All rights are reserved. Advantech Co., Ltd. reserves the right
to make improvements in the products described in this manual at any time without
notice. No part of this manual may be reproduced, copied, translated or transmitted
in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of Advantech Co.,
Ltd. Information provided in this manual is intended to be accurate and reliable. How-
ever, Advantech Co., Ltd. assumes no responsibility for its use, nor for any infringe-
ments of the rights of third parties, which may result from its use.
Acknowledgements
Intel and Pentium are trademarks of Intel Corporation.
Microsoft Windows and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp.
All other product names or trademarks are properties of their respective owners.
Product Warranty (2 years)
Advantech warrants to you, the original purchaser, that each of its products will be
free from defects in materials and workmanship for two years from the date of pur-
chase.
This warranty does not apply to any products which have been repaired or altered by
persons other than repair personnel authorized by Advantech, or which have been
subject to misuse, abuse, accident or improper installation. Advantech assumes no
liability under the terms of this warranty as a consequence of such events.
Because of Advantech’s high quality-control standards and rigorous testing, most of
our customers never need to use our repair service. If an Advantech product is defec-
tive, it will be repaired or replaced at no charge during the warranty period. For out-
of-warranty repairs, you will be billed according to the cost of replacement materials,
service time and freight. Please consult your dealer for more details.
If you think you have a defective product, follow these steps:
1. Collect all the information about the problem encountered. (For example, CPU
speed, Advantech products used, other hardware and software used, etc.) Note
anything abnormal and list any onscreen messages you get when the problem
occurs.
2. Call your dealer and describe the problem. Please have your manual, product,
and any helpful information readily available.
3. If your product is diagnosed as defective, obtain an RMA (return merchandize
authorization) number from your dealer. This allows us to process your return
more quickly.
4. Carefully pack the defective product, a fully-completed Repair and Replacement
Order Card and a photocopy proof of purchase date (such as your sales receipt)
in a shippable container. A product returned without proof of the purchase date
is not eligible for warranty service.
5. Write the RMA number visibly on the outside of the package and ship it prepaid
to your dealer.
Part no. 2000361801 Edition 2
Printed in Taiwan April 2009

iii PCM-3618 User Manual
Declaration of Conformity
CE
This product has passed the CE test for environmental specifications when shielded
cables are used for external wiring. We recommend the use of shielded cables. This
kind of cable is available from Advantech. Please contact your local supplier for
ordering information.
CE
This product has passed the CE test for environmental specifications. Test conditions
for passing included the equipment being operated within an industrial enclosure. In
order to protect the product from being damaged by ESD (Electrostatic Discharge)
and EMI leakage, we strongly recommend the use of CE-compliant industrial enclo-
sure products.
FCC Class B
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installa-
tion. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if
not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful inter-
ference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference
will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interfer-
ence to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equip-
ment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the
receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
Technical Support and Assistance
1. Visit the Advantech web site at www.advantech.com/support where you can find
the latest information about the product.
2. Contact your distributor, sales representative, or Advantech's customer service
center for technical support if you need additional assistance. Please have the
following information ready before you call:
–Product name and serial number
–Description of your peripheral attachments
–Description of your software (operating system, version, application software,
etc.)
–A complete description of the problem
–The exact wording of any error messages

PCM-3618 User Manual iv
Warnings, Cautions and Notes
Document Feedback
To assist us in making improvements to this manual, we would welcome comments
and constructive criticism. Please send all such - in writing to: support@advan-
tech.com
Safety Instructions
1. Read these safety instructions carefully.
2. Keep this User Manual for later reference.
3. Disconnect this equipment from any AC outlet before cleaning. Use a damp
cloth. Do not use liquid or spray detergents for cleaning.
4. For plug-in equipment, the power outlet socket must be located near the equip-
ment and must be easily accessible.
5. Keep this equipment away from humidity.
6. Put this equipment on a reliable surface during installation. Dropping it or letting
it fall may cause damage.
7. The openings on the enclosure are for air convection. Protect the equipment
from overheating. DO NOT COVER THE OPENINGS.
8. Make sure the voltage of the power source is correct before connecting the
equipment to the power outlet.
9. Position the power cord so that people cannot step on it. Do not place anything
over the power cord.
10. All cautions and warnings on the equipment should be noted.
11. If the equipment is not used for a long time, disconnect it from the power source
to avoid damage by transient overvoltage.
12. Never pour any liquid into an opening. This may cause fire or electrical shock.
13. Never open the equipment. For safety reasons, the equipment should be
opened only by qualified service personnel.
14. If one of the following situations arises, get the equipment checked by service
personnel:
15. The power cord or plug is damaged.
16. Liquid has penetrated into the equipment.
17. The equipment has been exposed to moisture.
Warning! Warnings indicate conditions, which if not observed, can cause personal
injury!
Caution! Cautions are included to help you avoid damaging hardware or losing
data. e.g.
There is a danger of a new battery exploding if it is incorrectly installed.
Do not attempt to recharge, force open, or heat the battery. Replace the
battery only with the same or equivalent type recommended by the man-
ufacturer. Discard used batteries according to the manufacturer's
instructions.

v PCM-3618 User Manual
18. The equipment does not work well, or you cannot get it to work according to the
user's manual.
19. The equipment has been dropped and damaged.
20. The equipment has obvious signs of breakage.
21. DO NOT LEAVE THIS EQUIPMENT IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE
STORAGE TEMPERATURE MAY GO BELOW -20° C (-4° F) OR ABOVE 60° C
(140° F). THIS COULD DAMAGE THE EQUIPMENT. THE EQUIPMENT
SHOULD BE IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT.
22. CAUTION: DANGER OF EXPLOSION IF BATTERY IS INCORRECTLY
REPLACED. REPLACE ONLY WITH THE SAME OR EQUIVALENT TYPE
RECOMMENDED BY THE MANUFACTURER, DISCARD USED BATTERIES
ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER'S INSTRUCTIONS.
23. The sound pressure level at the operator's position according to IEC 704-1:1982
is no more than 70 dB (A).
Safety Precaution - Static Electricity
DISCLAIMER: This set of instructions is given according to IEC 704-1. Advantech
disclaims all responsibility for the accuracy of any statements contained
herein.Safety Precaution - Static Electricity
Follow these simple precautions to protect yourself from harm and the products from
damage.
To avoid electrical shock, always disconnect the power from your PC chassis
before you work on it. Don't touch any components on the CPU card or other
cards while the PC is on.
Disconnect power before making any configuration changes. The sudden rush
of power as you connect a jumper or install a card may damage sensitive elec-
tronic components.

PCM-3618 User Manual vi

vii PCM-3618 User Manual
Contents
Chapter 1 Overview...............................................1
1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................... 2
1.2 Features .................................................................................................... 2
1.3 Specifications ............................................................................................ 2
1.4 Initial Inspection ........................................................................................ 3
1.5 Board Layout............................................................................................. 3
1.6 Card Configuration .................................................................................... 3
1.7 Default Settings......................................................................................... 4
Table 1.1: PCM-3618 Default Configuration................................ 4
Chapter 2 Jumper and Switch Settings ..............5
2.1 Jumper and Switch Settings...................................................................... 6
Table 2.1: Interrupt Status Register SW1.................................... 8
Chapter 3 Software & Drivers ............................11
3.1 Operating Environment Selection ........................................................... 12
3.1.1 Driver Installation for DOS Users................................................ 12
3.2 Card Setup .............................................................................................. 12
3.2.1 ICOM Utility Setup for Windows 95/98/NT.................................. 13
3.3 Configuration........................................................................................... 13
3.4 Jumper Setting ........................................................................................ 14
3.5 Signal Wiring ........................................................................................... 15
Chapter 4 Hardware Installation ........................17
4.1 Hardware Installation .............................................................................. 18

PCM-3618 User Manual viii

Chapter 1
1Overview

PCM-3618 User Manual 2
1.1 Introduction
The PCM-3618 is a PC/104-compatible module with eight individually configurable
RS-422/485 ports. It works with PC/104 CPU modules to extend additional RS-2422/
485 ports. The PCM-3618 also features lots of functions such as high transmission
speed of 921.6 kbps, shared IRQ and more. It also provides high-performance
16C550 UART communication chip with 16-byte FIFO to reduce CPU load. This
makes the PCM-3618 especially suitable for multitasking environments.
The PCM-3618 comes with Windows 95/98/NT/ME configuration utility (Windows
2000/XP utility will soon be ready and allowed to download through our Web site).
The Windows con-figuration utility provides self-diagnostics and performance analy-
sis function for easy troubleshooting and debugging.
The PCM-3618 provides versatile function settings to meet users needs. These func-
tion settings include Shared IRQ mode setting and Speed mode setting. In Shared
IRQ set-ting, all of the eight ports of interrupt can be specified to one. This solves
problems of IRQ insufficiency within the embed-ded system. In Speed setting, the
PCM-3618 allows trans-mission rate up to 921.6 kbps. It improves the performance
of the system.
1.2 Features
Eight shared RS-422/485 serial ports
Automatic RS-485 data flow control
Transmission speeds up to 921.6 Kbps
Shared IRQ settings for each port
Windows configuration utility for Windows 95/98/NT/MEP.S. Windows 2000/XP/
CE driver will soon be available on our Web site
Built-in termination resistors
LED indicators: TX, RX
1.3 Specifications
Bus interface: PC/104 (ISA)
Number of ports: 8
I/O address: 0x000 ~ 0x3F8
UART: 8 x 16C550
IRQ: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15
Data bits: 5, 6, 7, 8
Stop bits: 1, 1.5, 2
Parity: none, even, odd
Speed (bps): 50 ~ 921.6 K
Connectors: Eight DB-9 male
Signal support: TxD+, TxD-, RxD-, CTS+, CTS-,RTS+ and RTS-
Surge protection: 1000 VDC
Temperature:
–Operating : 0 ~ 65°C (refer to IEC-68-1-1,2) ( 32~149°F)
–Storage : -25 ~ 80°C (-13~176°F)
Operation Humidity: 0% ~ 90% Relative Humidity, non-condensing

3 PCM-3618 User Manual
Chapter 1 Overview
1.4 Initial Inspection
We carefully inspected the PCM-3618 both mechanically and electrically before we
shipped it. It should be free of marks and scratches and in perfect electrical order on
receipt. Handle the board only by its edges. The static change on your body may
damage its integrated circuits. Keep the card in its anti-static package whenever it is
not installed. You can use this package to return the card if it should need repair.
1.5 Board Layout
1.6 Card Configuration
Each port on the PCM-3618 card requires configuration prior to use. The DIP
switches set the port to the appropriate I/O address (SW2) and different modes
(SW1). The jumpers set the port's IRQ.

PCM-3618 User Manual 4
1.7 Default Settings
The board is shipped with default settings. If you need to change these settings, how-
ever, see the following sections. Otherwise, you can simply install the card.
Table 1.1: PCM-3618 Default Configuration
Setting Default Configuration
JP3 IRQ 5
Speed mode 1x
IRQ mode Share
Base Address Address 300H
Vector Address Interrupt 280H
Standard/Enhanced Enhance
Operating System Windows 95/98/NT

Chapter 2
2Jumper and Switch
Settings

PCM-3618 User Manual 6
2.1 Jumper and Switch Settings
The PCM-3618 supports ENHANCED mode and SHAREDIRQ functionality. It can
fully meet your application needs for high speed and multiple ports. The detail of spe-
cific settings are described as follows:
Enhanced Mode (M0)
In enhanced mode, you can select a different base address. The base address deter-
mines the address for each port.
You use switches 1~7 of DIP switch SW2 to set the base address anywhere from hex
200 to 3F8. To set the base address, you have to calculate the base address as fol-
lows: (switch ON is "0", switch OFF is "1".)
The I/O address for the four ports are as follows:
Port I/O address
Port1 Base+00H
Port2 Base+08H
Port3 Base+10H
Port4 Base+18H
Port5 Base+20H
Port6 Base+28H
Port7 Base+30H
Port8 Base+38H

7 PCM-3618 User Manual
Chapter 2 Jumper and Switch Settings
Shared IRQ Selection (JP3)
Select an IRQ which is not in use by another card in the system. If you are installing
more than one PCM-3618, set them to different IRQ numbers. Jumper Bank JP3
controls the card IRQ. Simply place jumper on desired pin head.
Independent IRQ Mode
Interrupt Status Register Setup (SW1, Vector Address)
This feature on the PCM-3618 is utilized in the shared IRQ. When data arrives at one
of the eight ports, an interrupt will be generated in the interrupt register. The PC soft-
ware can read this, and identify immediately which port generated the interrupt. This
saves time and makes programming easier. When a data bit of the interrupt status
register is set to 0, the corresponding channel is selected to generate an interrupt. If
the bit is 1, then no interrupt is generated. DIP switch SW1controls the card's inter-
rupt status register, as shown in the following table.
Port Base address (SW2)
Base Address A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9
200-207 X X X X X X O
208-20F O X X X X X O
*300-307 X X X X X O O
3E8-3EF O X O O O O O
3F8-3FF O O O O O O O
X:ON O:OFF *:Default
Note! If your CPU module or card has serial interface ports, you will need to
adjust the I/O port addresses (or disable the ports) to avoid conflicts.
SW3 SW4
CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8
ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON
Auto Auto Auto Auto Auto Auto Auto Auto
ON: always high or low status for RS-422 mode( RS-422 Master)
OFF( Auto): automatically sense direction of data flow for RS-485( RS-422 Slave)

PCM-3618 User Manual 8
The user may change the interrupt status address via SW1.Please note that the
address decoder will occupy a continuous, 16-byte area related to the switch setting.
For example, if you set the switch to 210H, then the address 210H to 21FHwill all be
decoded. The various DIP switch settings (SW1) for the interrupt status register are
shown in the table.
Table 2.1: Interrupt Status Register SW1
Bit Function
0Port1
1Port2
2Port3
3Port4
4Port5
5Port6
6Port7
7Port8
A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 Interrupt Register
ON ON ON ON ON ON 000H
OFF ON ON ON ON ON 010H
ON OFF ON ON ON ON 020H
OFF OFF ON ON ON ON 030H
ON ON OFF ON ON ON 040H
OFF ON OFF ON ON ON 050H
ON OFF OFF ON ON ON 060H
OFF OFF OFF ON ON ON 070H
ON ON ON OFF ON ON 080H
OFF ON ON OFF ON ON 090H
ON OFF ON OFF ON ON 0A0H
OFF OFF ON OFF ON ON 0B0H
ON ON OFF OFF ON ON 0C0H
OFF ON OFF OFF ON ON 0D0H
ON OFF OFF OFF ON ON 0E0H
OFF OFF OFF OFF ON ON 0F0H
ON ON ON ON OFF ON 110H
OFF ON ON ON OFF ON 110H
ON OFF ON ON OFF ON 120H
OFF OFF ON ON OFF ON 130H
ON ON OFF ON OFF ON 140H
OFF ON OFF ON OFF ON 150H
ON OFF OFF ON OFF ON 160H
OFF OFF OFF ON OFF ON 170H
ON ON ON OFF OFF ON 180H

9 PCM-3618 User Manual
Chapter 2 Jumper and Switch Settings
OFF ON ON OFF OFF ON 190H
ON OFF ON OFF OFF ON 1A0H
OFF OFF ON OFF OFF ON 1B0H
ON ON OFF OFF OFF ON 1C0H
OFF ON OFF OFF OFF ON 1D0H
ON OFF OFF OFF OFF ON 1E0H
OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF ON 1F0H
ON ON ON ON ON OFF 200H
OFF ON ON ON ON OFF 210H
ON OFF ON ON ON OFF 220H
OFF OFF ON ON ON OFF 230H
ON ON OFF ON ON OFF 240H
OFF ON OFF ON ON OFF 250H
ON OFF OFF ON ON OFF 260H
OFF OFF OFF ON ON OFF 270H
ON ON ON OFF ON OFF 280H
OFF ON ON OFF ON OFF 290H
ON OFF ON OFF ON OFF 2A0H
OFF OFF ON OFF ON OFF 2B0H
ON ON OFF OFF ON OFF 2C0H
OFF ON OFF OFF ON OFF 2D0H
ON OFF OFF OFF ON OFF 2E0H
OFF OFF OFF OFF ON OFF 2F0H
ON ON ON ON OFF OFF 300H
OFF ON ON ON OFF OFF 310H
ON OFF ON ON OFF OFF 320H
OFF OFF ON ON OFF OFF 330H
ON ON OFF ON OFF OFF 340H
OFF ON OFF ON OFF OFF 350H
ON OFF OFF ON OFF OFF 360H
OFF OFF OFF ON OFF OFF 370H
ON ON ON OFF OFF OFF 380H
OFF ON ON OFF OFF OFF 390H
ON OFF ON OFF OFF OFF 3A0H
OFF OFF ON OFF OFF OFF 3B0H
ON ON OFF OFF OFF OFF 3C0H
OFF ON OFF OFF OFF OFF 3D0H
ON OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF 3E0H
OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF 3F0H

PCM-3618 User Manual 10
Speed Selection
The PCM-3618 employs a unique speed option that allows the user to choose either
normal speed mode (1x) or high speed mode (8x). Speed mode is selectable at
SPEED ofSW2.
Normal Speed
To select the baud rate commonly associated with COM ports, such as 2400, 4800,
9600? 115.2Kbps, place the switch as follows.
High Speed
To increase up to eight times of the transmission rate in nor-mal mode, (e.g. if
115.2Kbps is selected, the rate can be in-creased up to 921.6 Kbps), place the switch
as follows.

Chapter 3
3Software & Drivers

PCM-3618 User Manual 12
3.1 Operating Environment Selection
Set jumper 8 (JP8) to correspond with your desired software operating environment.
Connect the left two pins of JP8 to operate in DOS or Windows 3.1 mode, as shown
below. Connect the right two pins to operate in Windows 95/98/NT mode.
3.1.1 Driver Installation for DOS Users
Make a duplicate copy of the driver diskette in case the original disk becomes lost or
damaged. Copy the files to a sub directory on your hard disk if you wish.
3.2 Card Setup
The PCM-3618's driver determines the configuration of the installed cards by reading
a data file, GEN-DRV.CNF. When you first install the PCM-3618, and each time you
change the card's address and IRQ, you will need to run the card setup program to
save the settings to the configuration file. Program files should be installed to the
HDD. Insert the driver disk in your computer, type DOSINST from the A: (or
B:)prompt and press enter. Once the files have been installed, type SETUP from the
\COMLIB\BIN prompt and press ENTER. After the screen shows up, move the cursor
bar (using the arrow keys or the mouse) to the general serial board field and press
ENTER. When you finish setting up the ports, press the ESC key to return to the pre-
vious windows. Press F10 to save the new configuration or ESC to quit without sav-
ing. The setup program will then create a new configuration data file GEN-DRV.CNF.
Its a simple example program capable of sending and receiving data after each port
is opened with selected communication parameters. As Windows 3.x features multi-
tasking, multiple windows for the ports can appear simultaneously under TTY. How-
ever, Terminal, the application provided by Windows is limited to COM1~COM4.
After completing the installation, restart Windows. And additional line "comm.drv =
sercomm.drv", will appear for the PCM-3618 in the [boot] section of the Windows
SYSTEM.INI file. In addition, a Windows group "PC-ComLIB Standard COMM Driver"
will be generated for reconfiguration, driver removal, etc. At this point, you are ready
to execute applications that support Windows COMM API calls.