Equinox Systems MEGAPORT Quick user guide

Hardware
Reference
Manual
MEGAPORT
Serial I/O Boards
including
MEGAPORT:
MEGAPORT 12CS
MEGAPORT 24CS
MEGAPORT 12FM
MEGAPORT 12LD
MEGAPORT 24LD
MEGAPORT 12LD+12CS
MEGAPORT/2:
MEGAPORT/2 12CS
MEGAPORT/2 24CS
MEGAPORT/2 12FM
MEGAPORT/2 12LD
MEGAPORT/2 24LD
MEGAPORT/2 12LD+12CS
MEGAPORT/RS:
MEGAPORT/RS 12CS
MEGAPORT/RS 24CS
MEGAPORT/RS 12LD
MEGAPORT/RS 24LD
MEGAPORT/RS 12LD+12CS
e

ii MEGAPORTHardwareReferenceManual
Copyright Notice
© 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 Equinox Systems Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction without permission prohibited.
Trademarks
Equinox is a registered trademark of Equinox Systems, Inc. MEGAPORT is a
trademark of Equinox Systems, Inc. XENIX is a registered trademark of
Microsoft Corp. UNIX is a registered trademark of AT&T.
Disclaimer
Equinox makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents
hereof and specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or
fitness for any particular purpose. Information is subject to change without
notice and does not represent a commitment on the part of Equinox Systems Inc.
FCC Notice
NOTE: The equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for
Class A digital devices, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are
designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the
equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment gener-
ates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used
in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is
likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to
correct the interference at his own expense.
NOTE: This unit was tested with shielded cables on the peripheral devices.
Shielded cables must be used with the unit to insure compliance.
NOTE: The manufacturer is not responsible for any radio or TV interference
caused by unauthorized modifications to this equipment. Such modifications
could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
Document Reference Information
Document Title: MEGAPORT Hardware Reference Manual
Part Number: 560047/B
Date: March,1993
Control: Equinox Systems Inc., One Equinox Way
Sunrise,FL33351, 954-746-9000, Fax:[phone]

TableofContents iii
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION 1
Applicability 4
About This Manual 4
Equipment Checklist 5
Software Support 6
References 7
2 INSTALLING MEGAPORT BOARDS 9
The MEGAPORT Board 9
EISA Installations 10
Intermixing MEGAPLEX & MEGAPORT 10
Installing a Single MEGAPORT Board 11
Installing Multiple MEGAPORT Boards 13
PS/2-Type Hardware Configuration 15
RS/6000 Hardware Configuration 17
Installing the Round Cable 18
3 CONNECTING DEVICES TO CS & FM PORTS 19
CS Port Signals 20
Signal Names 20
Conversion to RS-232 Signal Names 20
Telco Connector Pinouts 21
FM Port Signals 24
Signal Names 24
Wiring to Terminal Devices 25
DB-25 Wiring 27
Modular Wiring 28
CS Port Full Modem Control Wiring 36
Special Considerations 38
Wiring Conventions 38
Non-Conventional Wiring 38

iv MEGAPORTHardwareReferenceManual
4 CONNECTING DEVICES TO LD PORTS 39
LD Port Signals 41
Signal Names 41
Conversion to RS-232 Signal Names 41
Telco Connector Pinouts 42
Wiring to Terminal Devices 45
LD Cabling Issues 45
LD Cabling Schemes 46
DB-25 Wiring 48
Modular Wiring 49
APPENDIX A DOCUMENT CHANGE REQUEST 55
APPENDIX B TECHNICAL SUPPORT PROCEDURES 57
Index 59

TableofContents v
e
MEGAPORT
MEGAPORT/2
MEGAPORT/RS
Serial I/O Boards
PN560047/B
Hardware
Reference
Manual

Introduction 1
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The Equinox MEGAPORT, MEGAPORT/2 and MEGAPORT/RS
family of multi-user boards provides the highest performance serial
I/O solution for UNIX, XENIX and AIX applications in ISA, EISA
and Micro Channel bus systems.
Except for the computer bus interface and an additional step in the
hardware configuration process, MEGAPORT/2 and MEGAPORT/RS
products are identical to their MEGAPORT counterparts. In this
manual the term MEGAPORT refers to all nineteen products:
ISA and EISA Bus Products:
●MEGAPORT 8CS: an 8-port board with standard RS-232
interface and modem control signals on all ports. This
board is not addressed in this manual; refer to the
MEGAPORT 8CS Hardware Reference Manual, Equinox
part number 560044.
●MEGAPORT 12CS: a 12-port board with standard RS-232
interface and modem control signals on all ports.
●MEGAPORT 24CS: a 24-port board with standard RS-232
interface and modem control signals on all ports.
●MEGAPORT 12FM: a 12-port board with standard RS-232
interface and full modem control signals on all ports.
●MEGAPORT 12LD: a 12-port board with on-board line
drivers for long distance applications which do not require
modem control signals.
●MEGAPORT 24LD: a 24-port board with on-board line
drivers for long distance applications which do not require
modem control signals.
●MEGAPORT 12LD+12CS: a 24-port board. The first 12
ports use on-board line drivers for long distance
applications which do not require modem control signals.
The second twelve ports provide the standard RS-232
interface with modem control signals on all ports.

2 MEGAPORTHardwareReferenceManual
Micro Channel Products for IBM PS/2 and NCR
3000 Systems:
●MEGAPORT/2 12CS: a 12-port board with standard RS-
232 interface and modem control signals on all ports.
●MEGAPORT/2 24CS: a 24-port board with standard RS-
232 interface and modem control signals on all ports.
●MEGAPORT/2 12FM: a 12-port board with standard RS-
232 interface and full modem control signals on all ports.
●MEGAPORT/2 12LD: a 12-port board with on-board line
drivers for long distance applications which do not require
modem control signals.
●MEGAPORT/2 24LD: a 24-port board with on-board line
drivers for long distance applications which do not require
modem control signals.
●MEGAPORT/2 12LD+12CS: a 24-port board. The first 12
ports use on-board line drivers for long distance
applications which do not require modem control signals.
The second twelve ports provide the standard RS-232
interface with modem control signals on all ports.
Micro Channel Products for IBM RISC System/6000:
●MEGAPORT/RS 12CS: a 12-port board with standard
RS-232 interface and modem control signals on all ports.
●MEGAPORT/RS 24CS: a 24-port board with standard
RS-232 interface and modem control signals on all ports.
●MEGAPORT/RS 12LD: a 12-port board with on-board
line drivers for long distance applications which do not
require modem control signals.
●MEGAPORT/RS 24LD: a 24-port board with on-board
line drivers for long distance applications which do not
require modem control signals.
●MEGAPORT/RS 12LD+12CS: a 24-port board. The first
12 ports use on-board line drivers for long distance
applications which do not require modem control signals.
The second twelve ports provide the standard RS-232
interface with modem control signals on all ports.

Introduction 3
All of these boards differ only in the bus interface, the number of
ports provided on each and in the methods used to connect the
boards to terminals, printers and modems.
CS
MEGAPORT models with CS in their name provide the tradi-
tional RS-232 interface, including two modem control signals,
which may be used for either DTR/DCD modem supervision or
RTS/CTS hardware flow control. The MEGAPORT 12CS and
24CS models come with a cable terminating in a 50-pin telco
connector which can be attached to a variety of splitters and
distribution panels for device connection. The MEGAPORT
8CS provides this interface at 8 modular jacks located directly
on the board’s mounting bracket.
FM
MEGAPORT models designated FM provide RS-232 interface
signals with full modem control and may be used for modem,
terminal and/or printer hardware flow control. The
MEGAPORT 12FM models come with a 12-port RJ-45 (ten pin
connector jacks) splitter for device connection and a 100-
conductor cable for connecting the board to the splitter.
LD
MEGAPORT models with LD in their name include a custom
interface which is compatible with RS-232, RS-422 and RS-423
devices. These boards are designed for applications requiring
long cable runs, beyond the limits of the standard RS-232
interface and operate with standard RS-232 devices at 38.4
Kbps to distances of up to 1000 feet.
This distance may be further extended to 3000 feet using an
Equinox LDA-232 line driver at the terminal end. LD boards
do not provide modem control signals and are designed for use
with terminals, printers and other non-modem devices.

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Applicability
This manual is applicable to the following Equinox products:
●MEGAPORT 12CS
●MEGAPORT 24CS
●MEGAPORT 12FM
●MEGAPORT 12LD
●MEGAPORT 24LD
●MEGAPORT 12LD+12CS
●MEGAPORT/2
●MEGAPORT/2 24CS
●MEGAPORT/2 12FM
●MEGAPORT/2 12LD
●MEGAPORT/2 24LD
●MEGAPORT/2 12LD+12CS
●MEGAPORT/RS 12CS
●MEGAPORT/RS 24CS
●MEGAPORT/RS 12LD
●MEGAPORT/RS 24LD
●MEGAPORT/RS 12LD+12CS
About This Manual
This manual is a complete technical reference to the hardware
installation and operation of all members of the MEGAPORT family
of high-performance multi-user boards, with the exception of the
MEGAPORT 8CS. It should be used in conjunction with one of the
MEGAPORT device drivers discussed below.
There is a considerable similarity in the installation and operation of
all MEGAPORT products. Throughout this manual, the term
MEGAPORT is used and applies to all members of the family.
Specific product names, such as MEGAPORT 12CS and
MEGAPORT/2 24LD are used to refer to issues which are specific to
that board.
This manual is organized as follows:
Chapter 1 - Introduction
Introduces the members of the MEGAPORT family and lists
the hardware and software provided with each MEGAPORT
board.
Chapter 2 - Installing MEGAPORT Hardware
Covers the system installation of MEGAPORT, MEGAPORT/2
and MEGAPORT/RS boards.