Black Box ME785A User manual

MAY 1994
ME785A
Mini Driver for Mac
CUSTOMER SUPPORT INFORMATION
Order toll-free in the U.S.: Call 877-877-BBOX (outside U.S. call 724-746-5500)
FREE technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: Call 724-746-5500 or fax [phone]
Mailing address: Black Box Corporation, 1000 Park Drive, Lawrence, PA 15055-1018
Web site: www.blackbox.com • E-mail: [email protected]
Mini Driver for MAC
S/N

1
FCC STATEMENT
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
AND
INDUSTRY CANADA
RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE STATEMENTS
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio-frequency energy,
and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions, may cause interference to radio communication.
It has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A computing
device in accordance with the specifications in Subpart B of Part 15 of FCC rules,
which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference
when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. Operation of
this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause interference, in which case
the user at his own expense will be required to take whatever measures may be
necessary to correct the interference.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible
for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emission from
digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulation of Industry Canada.
Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites
applicables aux appareils numériques de classe A prescrites dans le Règlement sur le
brouillage radioélectrique publié par Industrie Canada.
TRADEMARKS USED IN THIS MANUAL
Any trademarks mentioned in this manual are acknowledged
to be the property of the trademark owners.

2
MINI DRIVER FOR MAC
NORMAS OFICIALES MEXICANAS (NOM)
ELECTRICAL SAFETY STATEMENT
INSTRUCCIONES DE SEGURIDAD
1. Todas las instrucciones de seguridad y operación deberán ser leídas antes
de que el aparato eléctrico sea operado.
2. Las instrucciones de seguridad y operación deberán ser guardadas para
referencia futura.
3. Todas las advertencias en el aparato eléctrico y en sus instrucciones de
operación deben ser respetadas.
4. Todas las instrucciones de operación y uso deben ser seguidas.
5. El aparato eléctrico no deberá ser usado cerca del agua—por ejemplo,
cerca de la tina de baño, lavabo, sótano mojado o cerca de una alberca,
etc..
6. El aparato eléctrico debe ser usado únicamente con carritos o pedestales
que sean recomendados por el fabricante.
7. El aparato eléctrico debe ser montado a la pared o al techo sólo como sea
recomendado por el fabricante.
8. Servicio—El usuario no debe intentar dar servicio al equipo eléctrico más
allá a lo descrito en las instrucciones de operación. Todo otro servicio
deberá ser referido a personal de servicio calificado.
9. El aparato eléctrico debe ser situado de tal manera que su posición no
interfiera su uso. La colocación del aparato eléctrico sobre una cama,
sofá, alfombra o superficie similar puede bloquea la ventilación, no se
debe colocar en libreros o gabinetes que impidan el flujo de aire por los
orificios de ventilación.

3
NOM STATEMENT
10. El equipo eléctrico deber ser situado fuera del alcance de fuentes de calor
como radiadores, registros de calor, estufas u otros aparatos (incluyendo
amplificadores) que producen calor.
11. El aparato eléctrico deberá ser connectado a una fuente de poder sólo del
tipo descrito en el instructivo de operación, o como se indique en el
aparato.
12. Precaución debe ser tomada de tal manera que la tierra fisica y la
polarización del equipo no sea eliminada.
13. Los cables de la fuente de poder deben ser guiados de tal manera que no
sean pisados ni pellizcados por objetos colocados sobre o contra ellos,
poniendo particular atención a los contactos y receptáculos donde salen
del aparato.
14. El equipo eléctrico debe ser limpiado únicamente de acuerdo a las
recomendaciones del fabricante.
15. En caso de existir, una antena externa deberá ser localizada lejos de las
lineas de energia.
16. El cable de corriente deberá ser desconectado del cuando el equipo no
sea usado por un largo periodo de tiempo.
17. Cuidado debe ser tomado de tal manera que objectos liquidos no sean
derramados sobre la cubierta u orificios de ventilación.
18. Servicio por personal calificado deberá ser provisto cuando:
A: El cable de poder o el contacto ha sido dañado; u
B: Objectos han caído o líquido ha sido derramado dentro del
aparato; o
C: El aparato ha sido expuesto a la lluvia; o
D: El aparato parece no operar normalmente o muestra un cambio en
su desempeño; o
E: El aparato ha sido tirado o su cubierta ha sido dañada.

4
MINI DRIVER FOR MAC
CONTENTS
Chapter Page
1. Specifications ........................................................5
2. Description............................................................6
3. Installation ............................................................8
3.1 Connection to the Twisted-Pair
Interface ...................................................8
3.2 Twisted-Pair Connection—
RJ-11 or RJ-45 ..........................................9
3.3 Connection to the Mac Phone Port ..........10
3.4 Operating the Driver.................................11
Appendix..................................................................12

5
CHAPTER 1. Specifications
1. Specifications
Protocol — Asynchronous
Speed — 300 to 19,200 bps
Distance — Wire Gauge
Speed 19 AWG 24 AWG 26 AWG
19.200 2.5 mi (4.0 km) 1.8 mi (2.9 km) 1.2 mi (1.9 km)
9600 5.5 mi (8.9 km) 3.7 mi (6.0 km) 2.5 mi (4.0 km)
4800 7.5 mi (12.0 km) 5.0 mi (8.0 km) 3.0 mi (4.8 km)
2400 8.5 mi (13.7 km) 5.6 mi (9.0 km) 3.7 mi (6.0 km)
1200 9.0 mi (14.5 km) 6.2 mi (10.0 km) 4.3 mi (6.9 km)
Surge Protection (ME785A-SP) — High-speed surge
protection and transformer isolation
Control Signals — The single Mac control line, Handshake
In, turns on when the modem is connected
Operation — 4-wire unconditioned line (2 twisted-pair
wires), full duplex
Transmit Level — 0 dBm
Connectors — (1) mini 8-pin DIN; (1) S-screw terminal
block
Line Connection — RJ-11, RJ-45
Power — No power required; uses ultra-low power from
data and control signals
Size — 2."H x 1.7"W x 0.8"D (5.1 x 4.3 x 2.0 cm)

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MINI DRIVER FOR MAC
2. Description
The Mini Driver for Mac®gives you a long-distance
link to printers, terminal servers, or any other RS-232
device. It includes a mini 8-pin DIN plug that plugs
directly into the phone port of any Apple®
Macintosh®.
The Driver boasts a range of up to nine miles
(14.5 km) and supports speeds of up to 19.2 kbps
over two unconditioned twisted-pair wires.
Requiring no power supply, the Driver features built-
in transformer isolation that protects against ground-
potential differences and AC/DC over-voltages. That
makes it safe to link devices between buildings.
Measuring approximately two inches wide, the Mini
Driver for Mac is housed in a sturdy ABS plastic case.
It features either a modular RJ-11 or RJ-45 jack for
easy connection.
The SP model incorporates Silicon Avalanche
Diodes, which provide 600 watts per wire of
protection against harmful transient surges.
Note: The Mini Driver for Mac must be used in pairs.

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CHAPTER 2. Description
Features
• Connects directly to your Macintosh computer.
• Supports a range of up to nine miles (14.5 km).
• Supports speeds up to 19.2 kbps, full-duplex.
• No AC power or batteries required.
• Small size fits in tight locations.
• Includes RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors.
• Compatible with Mini Driver 15 (ME770A).
• SP model features Silicon Avalanche Diode surge
protection.
• Made in the U.S.A.

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MINI DRIVER FOR MAC
3. Installation
The Mini Driver for Mac is easy to install. This
section tells you how to properly connect the Driver
to the twisted-pair interface and Mac phone port—
and how to operate the unit.
3.1 Connection to the Twisted-Pair Interface
The Driver supports data-only communication
between a Mac and another Mac serial device. There
are two requirements for installation:
1. These units work in pairs. You must have on
Driver at each end of a 4-wire telephone cable.
2. To function properly, the Driver’s modular jacks
must be connected to two twisted pairs of metallic
wire. The pairs must be unconditioned, dry
metallic wire, between 19 and 26 AWG (higher
number gauges may limit distance). Do not use
standard dial-up telephone circuits or leased
circuits that run through signal-equalization
equipment.
For your convenience, the Driver comes with two
different twisted-pair interfaces—RJ-11 jack or RJ-45
jack.

9
CHAPTER 3: Installation
3.2 Twisted-Pair Connection—RJ-11 or RJ-45
The Driver’s RJ-11 and RJ-45 connectors on the
twisted-pair interface are pre-wired for a standard
AT&T®wiring environment (see Figure 1). The
table that follows describes signal/pin relationships.
Figure 1. AT&T standard modular color codes.
RJ-11 Signal RJ-45 Signal
1 ...........GND* 1.............N/C
2 ...........RCV- 2.............GND*
3 ...........XMT+ 3.............RCV-
4 ...........XMT- 4.............XMT+
5 ...........RCV+ 5.............XMT-
6 ...........GND* 6.............RCV+
7.............GND*
8.............N/C
1 - Blue
2 - Orange
3 - Black
4 - Red
5 - Green
6 - Yellow
7 - Brown
8 - Slate
1 - Blue
2 - Yellow
3 - Green
4 - Red
5 - Black
6 - White

10
MINI DRIVER FOR MAC
When you connect two Mini Drivers for Mac, you
must use a crossover cable. The diagram below
shows how you should construct a crossover cable for
an environment where both Drivers use 4-wire RJ-11
connectors. Use a similar method when you use an
RJ-45 connector or a combination of both RJ-11 and
RJ-45.
Signal Pin # Color** Color Pin # Signal
GND* 1 Blue .................White 6 GND*
RCV- 2 Yellow ..............Red 4 XMT-
XMT+ 3 Green...............Black 5 RCV+
XMT- 4 Red ..................Yellow 2 RCV-
RCV+ 5 Black ................Green 3 XMT+
GND* 6 White ...............Blue 1 GND*
* Connection to ground is optional.
** These are standard color codes. Your colors may be different.
3.3 Connection to the Mac Phone Port
Connect the Driver to your Mac with the 1-foot
(30-cm) extension cable that is included with your
shipment. Simply plug one end of the cable into the
Driver and the other end directly into the phone
(serial) port of your Mac.

11
CHAPTER 3: Installation
3.4 Operating the Driver
Once you’ve installed the Driver, it should operate
transparently—as if it were a standard cable
connection. Operating power comes from the
Macintosh computer’s data and control signals.
There is no ON/OFF switch.

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MINI DRIVER FOR MAC
Appendix
TD
TD
POWER
SUPPLY
XMT -
XMT +
TRANSFORMER
ISOLATION
TRANSIENT
SUPPRESSION
AMPLIFIER
( A = -1.5 )
o
SIGNAL CLAMPED TO
1 VOLT PK-PK
GND
+V
INVERTING
AMPLIFIER
SCHMITT
TRIGER
ACTIVE FILTERS
( 2 STAGES )
RCV +
RCV -
TRANSFORMER
ISOLATION
TRANSIENT
SUPPRESSION
RD
GND
HSKo
HSK1 2
6 3 4
+V
-V
6 6
SURGE PROTECTED
MODELS ONLY
SURGE PROTECTED
MODELS ONLY
Fig. A-1. This block diagram shows the internal functions of the Mini Driver for Mac.

1000 Park Drive • Lawrence, PA 15055-1018 • 724-746-5500 • Fax [phone]
© Copyright 1994. Black Box Corporation. All rights reserved.