CoolGear USB2-8COMi-TB User manual

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USB2-8COMi-TB USB 2.0 to Industrial 8-Port RS232/422/485 Adapter
The USB2-8COMi-TB USB to octal industrial serial adapter is designed to
make RS-422 and RS-485 port expansion quick and simple. Connecting
to a USB port on your computer or USB hub, the USB to industrial serial
adapter instantly adds four RS-232/422/485 multi-electrical interface
serial communication ports to your system. By taking advantage of the
Plug-and-Play, and Hot-Plug features of the USB bus, the USB2-8COMi-
TB industrial serial adapter makes it easier than ever to add 8 industrial
communication ports to your system.
By plugging the USB octal industrial serial adapter to the USB port, the
adapters are automatically detected and installed. There are no IRQ &
COM port conflicts, since the port doesn’t require any additional IRQ, DMA, memory as resources on the system. The RS-
232 or RS-422/485 port functions as a native Windows COM port, and it is compatible with Windows serial
communication applications. Each port is individually configurable. The adapter is designed with external; switches to
set RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485 ports and different operation modes conveniently.
Specifications & Features
•Supports USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 transfer speeds from 1.5 up to 480 Mbps, automatic link and speed detection.
•Adds eight high-speed RS-232/422/485 serial ports via USB connection.
•2K byte receive buffer.
•2K byte transmit buffer for high speed data throughput.
•Requires no IRQ, DMA, I/O port.
•Data rates: 300 bps to 921.6K bps.
•Each serial port supports 5-pin screw-lock-type terminal block connector.
•Auto-transmit buffer control for 2-wire RS-485 half-duplex operation.
•Biasing and Termination resistors installed on-board.
•Supports RS-232 3-wire signals: RxD, TxD, GND
•Supports RS-422, RS-485 4-wire signals: TxD-, TxD+, RxD+, RxD-
•Supports RS-485 2-wire signals: data-, data+
•Monitor LEDS of TxD, RxD indicating port status
•AC to DC-12V, 1A switching power supply included
•Virtual COM port drivers available for Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, 2003, 2000
•Industrial grade metal case with DIN-rail ears for Din-rail mounting.
•Chipset: Genesys GT852G 4-port USB 2.0 hub chip + FTDI FT4232H USB 2.0 to quad UART chip

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USB2-8COMi-TB Specification Table
Serial Ports
8-Port RS-232/422/485
RS-232 Signals
TxD, RxD, GND
RS-422 Signals
TxD-, TxD+, RxD+, RxD-
RS-485 Signals
TxD-, TxD+, RxD+, RxD-, GND (4 wire)
Data-, Data+, GND (2 wire)
Connectors
Eight 5-pin screw-lock-type terminal block connectors
Protection
15KV ESD protection and 600W surge protection for all serial signals
Chipset
Genesys GT852G 4-port USB 2.0 hub chip + FTDI FT4232H USB 2.0 to quad UART chip
Environmental
Environment
Operating Temperature
0°C to 60°C
Storage Temperature
-40°C to 85°C
Humidity
0 to 80% RH. Non-condensing
Safety Approvals
CE, FCC
Pin-out Information
The following information describes the 5-pin screw-lock-type-terminal block connector.
RS-232 Pin-out for 5-pin Screw-Lock-Type Terminal Block connector
Pin Name
Pin Type
Description
TxD- (Data-)
X
No Function
TxD+(Data+)
X
No Function
RxD+ (TxD)
Output
TxD : Transmit RS-232 Data
RxD- (RxD)
Input
RxD : Receive RS-232 Data
GND
Ground
GND : Signal Ground

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RS-422 Pin-out for 5-Pin Screw-Lock-Type Terminal Block Connector
Pin Name
Pin Type
Description
TxD- (Data-)
Output
TxD- : Transmit RS-422 Data, negative polarity
TxD+(Data+)
Output
TxD+ : Transmit RS-422 Data, positive polarity
RxD+ (TxD)
Input
RxD+ : Receive RS-422 Data, positive polarity
RxD- (RxD)
Input
RxD- : Receive RS-422 Data, negative polarity
GND
Ground
GND : Signal Ground
RS-485 Full Duplex (4 Wire) Pin-out for 5-Pin Screw-Lock-Type Terminal Block Connector
Pin Name
Pin Type
Description
TxD- (Data-)
Output
TxD- : Transmit RS-485 Data, negative polarity
TxD+(Data+)
Output
TxD+ : Transmit RS-485 Data, positive polarity
RxD+ (TxD)
Input
RxD+ : Receive RS-485 Data, positive polarity
RxD- (RxD)
Input
RxD- : Receive RS-485 Data, negative polarity
GND
Ground
GND : Signal Ground
RS-485 Half Duplex (2 Wire) Pin-out for 5-Pin Screw-Lock-Type Terminal Block Connector
Pin Name
Pin Type
Description
TxD- (Data-)
Output/Input
Data- : Transmit/Receive RS-485 Data, negative polarity
TxD+(Data+)
Output/Input
Data+ : Transmit/Receive RS-485 Data, positive polarity
RxD+ (TxD)
X
No Function
RxD- (RxD)
X
No Function
GND
Ground
GND : Signal Ground
Power Output
The picture below shows a 2-pin screw-lock-type terminal block connector. It provides a lockable terminal power
connector to supply 5V, 500mA power to external devices requiring power.

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The table below shows the pin-out of the 2-pin terminal block for power output on the quad serial adapter.
Pin Name
Pin Type
Description
+ 5V
Power Output
Supply DC + 5V, 500mA to each connected device
GND
Ground
GND : Signal Ground
Hardware Setting and Installation USB2-8COMi-TB
There are eight 4-pin DIP switches on the bottom of the metal case. The DIP switches are used to select the serial mode
of operation. You’ll need to open the bottom of the case by removing the protective metal plate to access and set the
DIP switch settings to RS-232 mode, or RS422, or RS-485 mode as per the requirements of your application.
The operation mode configuration settings are listed as follows:
SW1 (Port-1), SW2 (Port-2), SW3 (Port-3), SW4 (Port-4)
SW5 (Port-5), SW6 (Port-6), SW7 (Port-7), SW8 (Port-8)
Operation Mode
In1
In2
In3
In4
RS-232
Standard RS-232 Mode
OFF
ON
ON
ON
RS-422
Full Duplex (4 wire)
ON
ON
ON
ON
RS-485
Full Duplex (4 Wire)
ON
OFF
ON
ON
Half Duplex (2 Wire)
-With Echo
ON
OFF
OFF
ON
Half Duplex (2 Wire)
-Without Echo
ON
OFF
OFF
OFF
Enable Termination and Biasing for RS-422/485 Mode
There are eight 6-pin DIP switches on the bottom of the metal case. The DIP switches are used to enable 120 Ohm
termination resistors and 750 Ohm biasing resistors of TxD and RxD. To enable termination and biasing for RS-422/485

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mode you’ll need to open up the plate located at the bottom of the metal case and set the DIP switches to enable
termination and biasing.
Settings below are listed as follows for termination and biasing resistors configuration options.
S1 (Port-1), S2 (Port-2), S3 (Port-3), S4 (Port-4)
S5 (Port-5), S6 (Port-6), S7 (Port-7), S8 (Port-8)
DIP Switches
Function
Pin1
On
OFF
Pull-up TxD+ to VCC by 750 Ohm Bias resistor
No Function
Pin2
ON
OFF
Enable TxD 120 Ohm termination resistor
No Function
Pin3
ON
OFF
Pull-down TxD- to GND by 750 Ohm Bias resistor
No Function
Pin4
ON
OFF
Pull-up RxD+ to VCC by 750 Ohm Bias resistor
No Function
Pin5
ON
OFF
Enable RxD 120 Ohm termination resistor
No Function
Pin6
ON
OFF
Pull-down RxD- to GND by 750 Ohm Bias resistor
No Function
Note: Sometimes when operating in RS-422 or RS-485, it is necessary to configure termination and biasing of the data
transmission lines. Generally this must be done in the cabling, since this depends on the installation of connections.
Before applying the option, check you cable specification for proper impedance matching.
Proper Wiring for RS-422/485 Operation
This section will provide proper wiring information about RS-422 and RS-485 data communication. It is necessary to have
the basic knowledge, to avoid or find errors in data transmission. Failures in Cabling are responsible for the vast majority
of transmission problems.
RS-422 and RS-485 Transmission Technique
The RS-422 and RS-485 use the same balanced transmission method. Signals are not transmitted as voltage on a single
wire, as RS-232 does. Instead two wires are used; when one carries high voltage, the other one carries low voltage. The

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signal is defined by the difference in voltage between those two wires. This hardens the transmission against noise.
Usually twisted pair cables are used, which further reduces the sensitivity for noise.
To make sure the signals meet the common voltage range, the GND of sender and receiver must be connected
somehow. To insure the signals are in the valid voltage range and the differential voltage can be correctly sensed by the
receiver, the GND lines of the transmitter and receiver must be connected.
RS-422 signals connected
The following diagram shows RS-422 signals connected.

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RS-422 and RS-485 4-Wire Scheme
The RS-422 requires dedicated wire pairs for transmit and receive. The transmit wires are used to send data to as many
as 10 receivers, as stated in the specifications of RS-422. Since the USB quad industrial serial adapter uses RS-485 line
driver technology, up to 32 receivers are possible. The following diagram shows RS-422 and RS-485 4-wire scheme:
RS-485 2-Wire Scheme
The following diagram shows RS-485 2-Wire Scheme:

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Installing Windows Drivers
Windows Update
In most cases, the Windows driver of the USB quad industrial serial adapters will be installed from Windows Update
website automatically.
Install in Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Server 2012, 2008 R2
Connect your computer to Internet and plug the USB quad industrial serial adapter to the USB port. The driver will be
installed automatically via Internet.
Install in Windows Server 2003 and 2008
Connect you computer to the Internet and plug the USB quad industrial serial adapter into the USB port, when asked to
install the drivers, allow your computer to search the Internet to load and install the drivers from Windows Update
website automatically.
Manual Windows Drivers Installation
If no suitable drivers are automatically found, then the following procedure should be followed.
Firstly, download the latest Windows driver of the USB quad industrial serial adapter from
http://www.ftdichip.com/FTDrivers.htm , and save them to a known folder on the PC. The desktop can be used so that
the driver folder can be easily located.
To locate that “Device Manager” on Windows, press the “Start” button and select “Control Panel” (right click “Start”
button for Windows 10, 8.1)