Black Box USB Single-Port Hub IC266A User manual

SEPTEMBER 2001
IC266A
USB Single-Port Hub
(RS-422/485)
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-422/485)
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-422/485)
TRADEMARKS USED IN THIS MANUAL
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
4. Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.1 Electrical Interface Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.2 Switch Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Appendix A. Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
A.1 Before Calling Technical Support . . . . . . . . 16
A.2 Calling Black Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
A.3 Shipping and Packaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Appendix B. Electrical Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Appendix C. Asynchronous Communications . . . . 22
CONTENTS

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USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-422/485)
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
GND Ground 7 —
RDB RX+ Receive Positive 16 Input
RDA RX- Receive Negative 3 Input
CTSB CTS+ Clear to Send Positive 13 Input
CTSA CTS- Clear to Send Negative 5 Input
DSRB DSR+ Data Set Ready Positive 22 Input
DSRA DSR- Data Set Ready Negative 6 Input
DCDB DCD+ Data Carrier Detect Positive 10 Input
DCDA DCD- Data Carrier Detect Negative 8 Input
TDB TX+ Transmit Positive 14 Output
TDA TX- Transmit Negative 2 Output
RTSB RTS+ Request to Send Positive 19 Output
RTSA RTS- Request to Send Negative 4 Output
DTRB DTR+ Data Terminal Ready Positive 23 Output
DTRA DTR- Data Terminal Ready Negative 20 Output
NOTE
These assignments meet EIA/TIA.ANSI-574 DTE
specifications for DB25 type connectors.

8
USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-422/485)
2. Introduction
2.1 Overview
The USB Single-Port Hub (RS-422/485) equips the PC
with one USB to RS-530/422/485 asynchronous serial
port, providing a versatile interface for common
RS-530/422/485 needs. 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-422/485) is shipped with
the following items.
• USB Single-Port Hub (RS-422/485)
• 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-422/485) 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-422/485 transceiver
supports data rates up to 921.6 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-422/485)
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-422/485) 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.

11
CHAPTER 3: Installation
Connect the USB Single-Port Hub (RS-422/485) 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-422/485)
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 COM5: 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 (C0M5)
Ports (C0M & LPT)

14
USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-422/485)
4. Configuration
4.1 Electrical Interface Selection
The port on the USB Single-Port Hub (RS-422/485) can
be used as RS-530/422/485, RS-422, or 2-wire RS-485.
This is selectable via the DIP-switch SW1. The chart
below describes each of the positions’ functions. Please
refer to the next page for switch setting examples.
Switch SW1 ON enables, adds, and connects. SW1
position OFF disables, removes, and disconnects.
SW1 Function
1 RS-485 two-wire auto enable/disable (ON=Enable).
2 Echo enable/disable (ON=Disable).
3 Adds or removes the 120-ohm termination.
4 Adds or removes the 1 Kohm pull-up resistor in the
RS-422/RS-485 receiver circuit (Receive data only).
5 Adds or removes the 1 Kohm pull-down resistor in the
RS-422/RS-485 receiver circuit (Receive data only).
6 Connects TX+ to RX+ for RS-485 two-wire operation.
7 Connects TX- to RX- for RS-485 two-wire operation.
8 Not used.

15
CHAPTER 4: Configuration
4.2 Switch Examples
Please use these examples to configure your USB Single-
Port Hub (RS-422/485).
Figure 4-1. RS-530/422, 4-wire 485 master (default).
Figure 4-2. RS-485, 2-wire with echo.
Figure 4-3. RS-485, 2-wire no echo.

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USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-422/485)
Appendix A. Troubleshooting
A.1 Before Calling Technical Support
Serial Utility test software is supplied with the USB
Single-Port Hub (RS-422/485) 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-422/485) 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

17
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-422/485) 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.
5. Please note that if the card is configured for 2-wire
RS-485 with no echo, a loopback test is not
possible. The receiver in this case will be turned
off and the test will fail. If you plan on using this
device in two-wire mode, test the hub in RS-422
mode first. Then configure the hub for your
application.
A.2 Calling Black Box
If you determine that your USB Single-Port Hub
(RS-422/485) is malfunctioning, do not attempt to alter
or repair the unit. It contains no user-serviceable parts.
Contact Black Box at 724-746-5500.

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USB SINGLE-PORT HUB (RS-422/485)
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.
• 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-422/485):
• Package it carefully. We recommend that you use
the original container.
• If you are shipping the USB Single-Port Hub
(RS-422/485) 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.

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APPENDIX B: Electrical Interfaces
Appendix B. Electrical Interfaces
RS-530
RS-530 (EIA-530) compatibility means that RS-422 signal
levels are met, and the pinout for the DB25 connector is
specified. The EIA (Electronic Industry Association)
created the RS-530 specification to detail the pinout,
and define a full set of modem control signals that can
be used for regulating flow control and line status. The
RS-530 specification defines two types of interface
circuits. Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) and Data
Circuit-Terminating Equipment (DCE). The USB
Single-Port Hub (RS-422/485) is a DTE interface.
RS-422
The RS-422 specification defines the electrical
characteristics of balanced voltage digital interface
circuits. RS-422 is a differential interface that defines
voltage levels and driver/receiver electrical
specifications. On a differential interface, logic levels are
defined by the difference in voltage between a pair of
outputs or inputs. In contrast, a single-ended interface,
for example, RS-232, defines the logic levels as the
difference in voltage between a single signal and a