Black Box IC265A User manual

SEPTEMBER 2001
IC265A
USB Single-Port Hub (RS-232)
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]

1
FCC AND IC RFI STATEMENTS/CE NOTICE
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 J 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.
EUROPEAN UNION DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
This equipment complies with the requirements of the
European EMC Directive 89/336/EEC.

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USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-232)
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.

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USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-232)
TRADEMARKS USED IN THIS MANUAL
IBM®is a registered trademark of International Business
Machines Corporation.
UL®is a registered trademark of Underwriters
Laboratories Incorporated.
Windows®is a registered trademark of Microsoft
Corporation.
Any other trademarks mentioned in this manual are
acknowledged to be the property of the trademark owners.

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Contents
Chapter Page
1. Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.2 Connector Pin Assignments (DB25 Male) . . . 7
2. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.1 Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.2 What the Package Includes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 Technical Description. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.4 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3. Installation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.1 Operating System Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.2 System Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Appendix A. Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
A.1 Before Calling Technical Support . . . . . . . . 14
A.2 Calling Black Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
A.3 Shipping and Packaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Appendix B. Electrical Interface RS-232. . . . . . . . . 17
Appendix C. Asynchronous Communications . . . . 19
CONTENTS

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USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-232)
1. Specifications
1.1 General
Manufacturing: UL®94V0 rating; 100% electrically
tested; solder mask over bare copper or solder mask
over tin nickel.
Connectors: (1) DB25 male; (1) USB Type B
Indicators: LEDs: (1) USB Enabled, (1) TX, (1) RX
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): Greater than
150,000 hours
Temperature Tolerance: Operating: 32 to 122°F (0 to
50°C); Storage: -4 to +158°F (-20 to +70°C)
Relative Humidity: Operating and Storage: 10 to 90%
noncondensing
Power: Supply line: + 5 VDC; Rating: 50 mA
Size: 1"H x 2.3"W x 3.8"D (2.5 x 5.8 x 9.7 cm)

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CHAPTER 1: Specifications
1.2 Connector Pin Assignments (DB25 Male)
Name Pin # Mode
TD Transmit Data 2 Output
RTS Request to Send 4 Output
DTR Data Terminal Ready 20 Output
GND Ground 7 —
RD Receive Data 3 Input
DCD Data Carrier Detect 8 Input
DSR Data Set Ready 6 Input
CTS Clear to Send 5 Input
RI Ring Indicator 22 Input
NOTE
These assignments meet EIA/TIA.ANSI-574 DTE
specifications for DB25 type connectors.

8
USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-232)
2. Introduction
2.1 Overview
The USB Single-Port Hub (RS-232) equips the PC with
one USB to RS-232 asynchronous serial port, providing a
versatile interface for common RS-232 needs (modem,
mouse, and plotter). The advantage of this product over
more traditional approaches is that it doesn’t require
opening the computer case, nor does it require
resources such as I/O ports or IRQs. It does require a
system that supports USB both in terms of hardware and
operating system.
2.2 What the Package Includes
The USB Single-Port Hub (RS-232) is shipped with the
following items.
• USB Single-Port Hub (RS-232)
• USB cable for connecting to upstream host/hub
• Software
• This users’ manual

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CHAPTER 2: Introduction
2.3 Technical Description
The USB Single-Port Hub (RS-232) uses a USB UART.
This chip features programmable baud rate, data
format, a 128-byte dual-port TX buffer, and a 384-byte
dual-port RX buffer. The RS-232 transceiver supports
data rates up to 460.8 kbps.
2.4 Features
• Hot-pluggable device that doesn’t require opening
the case.
• No system resources are required (no I/O ports or
IRQs).
• LED status indicators for “USB Enabled,” “TX,”
and “RX.”

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USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-232)
3. Installation
3.1 Operating System Installation
Choose Install Software at the beginning of the CD.
Select the Serial I/O software drivers and install
SeaCOM.
3.2 System Installation
The screen shots pictured in this section are taken from
a Windows®Me installation. Your particular operating
system may differ slightly from what is shown based on
your version of Windows.
The USB Single-Port Hub (RS-232) can be connected to
any upstream Type “A” port either at the PC host or an
upstream hub. The Hub is hot-pluggable, meaning
there is no need to power down your computer before
installation.
The USB Single-Port Hub (RS-232) requires no user
hardware configuration since there are no jumpers
present on the card.

11
CHAPTER 3: Installation
Connect the USB Single-Port Hub (RS-232) to an
upstream Host or Hub.
Figure 3-1. New Hardware Found screen.
This indicates that the system has recognized the new
device and will now locate a driver.
Figure 3-2. Add New Hardware Wizard screen.
Add New Hardware Wizard
< Back Next> Cancel
Windows has found the following new hardware:
USB Single-Port Hub
Windows can automatically search for and install software
that supports your hardware. If your hardware came with
installation media, insert it now and click Next.
What would you like to do?
Automatic search for a better driver (Recommended)
Specify the location of the driver (Advanced)
New Hardware Found
Windows has found new hardware and is locating the software for it.
USB Single-Port Hub

12
USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-232)
Since you have already installed the software by running
“Setup,” simply click “Next” to proceed. The drivers that
were installed during setup will automatically be used to
configure the adapter.
Figure 3-3. Hardware installation finished screen.
Windows has now located a driver and installed the
software. Click “Finish” to proceed. You should see one
more “New Hardware Found,” indicating the actual port
being created. If you view your system’s Device Manager
at this point, you should have a new “COM” port in the
Ports (COM & LPT) Device Class. It should look similar
to the illustration on the next page.
Add New Hardware Wizard
< Back Finish Cancel
USB Single-Port Hub
Windows has finished installing the new hardware device.

13
CHAPTER 3: Installation
Figure 3-4. System Properties, Device Manager tab.
You can access your new COM port by using the
assigned COM identifier. In this case, it is COM4: but
this assignment will vary from system to system. At this
point, the hardware is recognized. To verify operation,
use the supplied WinSSD diagnostic utility. WinSSD can
be found in the Start, Programs group.
OK Cancel
PrintRemoveRefreshProperties
General Device Manager Hardware Profiles Performance
System Properties
View device by type View device by connection
Disk Drives
Floppy disk controllers
Hard disk controllers
Keyboard
Monitors
Network adapters
SCSI controllers
Display adapters
CD ROM
Mouse
Multi-function adapters
Computer
Communications Port (C0M1)
Printer Port (LPT1)
USB Single-Port Hub (C0M4)
Ports (C0M & LPT)

14
USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-232)
Appendix A. Troubleshooting
A.1 Before Calling Technical Support
Serial Utility test software is supplied with the USB
Single-Port Hub (RS-232) and will be used in the
troubleshooting procedures. Using this software and
following these simple steps, most common problems
can be eliminated without calling 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. Make sure that the systems software has been
installed on the machine so that the necessary files
are in place to complete the installation.
3. When the USB Single-Port Hub (RS-232) is
configured properly, the USB Enabled LED (EN)
will be lit. This should allow you to use the
WinSSD utility and the supplied loopback plug to
check communications. The supplied loopback
plug connects TX to RX. If you decide to test the

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APPENDIX A: Troubleshooting
Modem Control Signals, a full pin loopback plug
will be required. Details on loopback plugs are
included within WinSSD.
4. When testing the USB Single-Port Hub (RS-232) in
loopback mode, you should see both the TX and
RX LEDs flashing as well as seeing echoed 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 Hub is ready for use in
your application.
A.2 Calling Black Box
If you determine that your USB Single-Port Hub
(RS-232) is malfunctioning, do not attempt to alter or
repair the unit. It contains no user-serviceable parts.
Contact Black Box at 724-746-5500.
Before you do, make a record of the history of the
problem. We will be able to provide more efficient and
accurate assistance if you have a complete description,
including:
• the nature and duration of the problem.
• when the problem occurs.

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USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-232)
• the components involved in the problem.
• any particular application that, when used,
appears to create the problem or make it worse.
A.3 Shipping and Packaging
If you need to transport or ship your USB Single-Port
Hub (RS-232):
• Package it carefully. We recommend that you use
the original container.
• If you are shipping the USB Single-Port Hub
(RS-232) for repair, make sure you include
everything that came in the original package.
Before you ship, contact Black Box to get a Return
Authorization (RA) number.

17
APPENDIX B: Electrical Interface RS-232
Appendix B. 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 wide-spread
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.

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USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-232)
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 USB Single-Port Hub (RS-232) is a DTE
device.

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APPENDIX C: Asynchronous Communications
Appendix C. 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. Character boundaries for
asynchronous communications are defined by a starting
bit followed by a pre-defined number of data bits (5, 6,
7, or 8). 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.