ICP DAS USA VEX-114 User manual

VXC-112(i)(A)U/142(i)AU/182i(A)U/114(iA)U/144(i)U, VEX-114(i)/144(i) , VEX-112(i)/142(i) User’s Manual (Ver. 1.5
Aug.10 2012) -----1
VXC/VEX Cards User’s Manual
VXC-112(A)U/112iAU, VXC-142(A)U/142i(A)U,
VXC-182i(A)U, VXC-114U/114iAU, VXC-144U/144iU
VEX-114/114i, VEX-144/144i, VEX-112/112i, VEX-142/142i
Warranty
All products manufactured by ICP DAS are warranted against
defective materials for a period of one year from the date of delivery to
the original purchaser.
Warning
ICP DAS assumes no liability for damages consequent to the use of
this product. ICP DAS reserves the right to change this manual at any
time without notice. The information furnished by ICP DAS is believed to
be accurate and reliable. However, ICP DAS assumes no responsibility
for its use, or for any infringements of patents or other rights of third
parties resulting from its use.
Copyright
Copyright 2007 by ICP DAS. All rights are reserved.
Trademark
The names used for identification only may be registered
trademarks of their respective companies.

VXC-112(i)(A)U/142(i)AU/182i(A)U/114(iA)U/144(i)U, VEX-114(i)/144(i) , VEX-112(i)/142(i) User’s Manual (Ver. 1.5
Aug.10 2012) -----2
Tables of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................................................................3
1.1 FEATURES...........................................................................................................................................6
1.2 SPECIFICATIONS..................................................................................................................................6
1.3 PRODUCT CHECK LIST.........................................................................................................................8
1.4 ORDERING INFORMATION.....................................................................................................................8
1.5 OPTIONS .............................................................................................................................................9
2. HARDWARE CONFIGURATION.................................................................................................................................11
2.1 BOARD LAYOUT.................................................................................................................................11
2.2 COM PORT MAPPING AND BOARD ID.................................................................................................14
2.3 PIN ASSIGNMENT...............................................................................................................................16
2.4 HARDWARE INSTALLATION .................................................................................................................20
3. SOFTWARE INSTALLATION......................................................................................................................................21
3.1 WINDOWS NT 4.0..............................................................................................................................22
3.2 WINDOWS 2000 ................................................................................................................................25
3.3 WINDOWS XP/2003...........................................................................................................................29
3.4 WINDOWS VISTA................................................................................................................................37
3.5 WINDOWS 7 ......................................................................................................................................42
3.6 LINUX................................................................................................................................................47
4. PROGRAMMING REFERENCE...................................................................................................................................50
4.1 PCI HARDWARE IDS..........................................................................................................................50
4.2 I/O ADDRESS MAPPING .....................................................................................................................51
4.3 UART REGISTER...............................................................................................................................53
4.4 PROGRAMMABLE BAUD RATE ............................................................................................................54
4.5. CUSTOMIZED BAUD RATE ..................................................................................................................56

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Aug.10 2012) -----3
1. Introduction
The VXC/VEX multi-port serial card enables user to increase additional communication
ports on the PC. It’s the on-top-of-the-list choice while you are managing to connect lots of
outer devices through your PC; every VXC/VEX card ensures you fluent communication in both
time-critical applications and industrial fields. With simply a VXC/VEX card, it has never been
that easy for integration of a PC with many other devices, like PLCs, FAB machines, meters,
controller devices, laboratory instruments, modems, card readers, serial printers, RFID readers,
bar code readers, sensors, etc.
COM-Selector:
Each VXC/VEX card is equipped with a COM-Selector (Dip Switch) for the COM port
number selection (automatically or manually). It’s an important and innovative feature for the
VXC/VEX family.
The COM-Selector provides the following advantages:
•Simplifies the COM port number selection instead of using configuration utility
programs.
•Users can specify the COM port number of the VXC/VEX
card as exactly what they want, no matter which PCI slot
it is located at.
•Automatically select an available COM port number is
supported by setting the COM-Selector (dip switch) to 0
(default).
•No need to install configuration utility and to study its
operation for different OS.
•Prevents confusion. Other PnP COM port devices easily confuse users because of
adopting the dynamic COM port number setting.
•Easy replacement of an existing card by setting the dip-switch to be the same COM
port number.
•Great for mass system installation, since setting the dip-switch to be the same COM
port number is very easy.

VXC-112(i)(A)U/142(i)AU/182i(A)U/114(iA)U/144(i)U, VEX-114(i)/144(i) , VEX-112(i)/142(i) User’s Manual (Ver. 1.5
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ESD Protection
The VXC/VEX cards offer TVS diode ESD protection technology, protecting your system
from being damaged by the high potential voltages.
Under normal operating conditions, the TVS diode presents high impedance (appears as an
open circuit) to the protected component. When the voltage is beyond the limits, the TVS diode
avalanches providing a low impedance path for the transient current. As a result, the transient
current is diverted away from the protected components and shunted through the TVS diode.
The device returns to a high impedance state after the transient threat passes.
Up To 128 Bytes Hardware FIFO:
The VXC/VEX cards offer TVS diode ESD protection technology, protecting your system
from being damaged by the high potential voltages.
VXC/VEX Cards are equipped with 16 or 128 bytes hardware FIFO for each port. Large
hardware FIFO is useful to prevent data lost when your system works on heavy loading, and
even helpful while you are running on a multi-task operating system, such as Windows,
Linux…etc.
Up To 128 KB COM Port Buffer:
The VXC/VEX card driver for Windows features a 128 KB maximum software FIFO for each
port (default is 4 KB). It’s practical for large file transmission.

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Self-Tuner:
The VXC/VEX card is equipped with a “Self-Tuner” chip to control the sending/receiving
direction of RS-485 ports automatically.
Without the help of Self-Tuner, users need to enable RS-485 transmitter before sending,
and disable the transmitter after finishing sending. The timing to enable and disable transmitter
(direction control) is the major issue on many communication problems, and it is very difficult to
debug.
The built-in Self-Tuner on VXC/VEX cards effectively gets rid of this direction control issue
and also simplifies software programming for communication applications.
Isolation:
Some VXC/VEX cards offer photo isolation to protect your computer and equipment against
damages in harsh environment.
Photo coupler is a device that uses a short optical
transmission path to transfer a signal between elements of a
circuit, typically a transmitter and a receiver. This keeping them
electrically isolated — since the signal goes from an electrical
signal to an optical signal, the electrical contact along the path is
broken.
It can help cutting down on ground loops, common mode
voltages and block voltage spikes, provide electrical isolation, and
offer significant protection from serious over-voltage conditions in one circuit affecting the other.
Short Card Design:
The “Short Card” design is suitable for compact-sized computer, especially for IPC (Industrial
Personal Computer) and servers.
Universal PCI (3.3 V and 5 V):
The Universal PCI card works with both new 3.3 V PCI bus that has been widely-used in
servers, and traditional 5 V PCI bus. The universal PCI interface will be the standard for every
card from ICP DAS in the near future.

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1.1 Features
Universal PCI V2.2, supports 5 V and 3.3 V PCI bus / PCI Express bus
COM-Selector
Provides surge protection
128 Byte UART FIFO
1.2 Specifications
VXC-
112(A)U
VXC-
112iAU
VXC-
182i(A)U
VXC-
142(A)U
VXC-
142i(A)U
VXC-
144U
VXC-
144iU
VXC-
114U
VXC-
114iAU
Bus
Universal PCI (5 V and 3.3 V)
Connector
Male DB-9
Female DB-37
RS-232
2-ports
2-ports
1-ports
-
-
-
-
4-ports
4-ports
RS-422/485
-
-
1-ports
2-ports
2-ports
4-ports
4-ports
-
-
Self-tuner or
equivalence
design
--Yes
(COM1) Yes Yes Yes Yes --
Isolation
-
2.5 kV
2.5 kV
-
2.5 kV
-
2.5 kV
-
2.5 kV
COM-
Selector
Yes
UART
16C950 Compatible
Baud rate
50 ~ 115200 bps
Data bits
5, 6, 7, 8
Parity Bit
None, Even, Odd, Mark, Space
Stop Bits
1, 1.5, 2
FIFO size
128 Bytes
Operating
Temperature
0 ~ 50oC
Storage
Temperature
-20 ~ 70 oC
Humidity
0 ~ 90 % non-condensing
Dimensions
(mm)
130
X105
130
X105
130
X105
130
X105
130
X105
129
X83
129
X83
129
X83
129
X83

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VEX-144
VEX-144i
VEX-114
VEX-114i
VEX-142
VEX-142i
VEX-112
VEX-112i
Bus
PCI Express
Connector
Female DB-37
Male DB-9
RS-232
-
-
4-ports
4-ports
-
-
2-ports
2-ports
RS-422/485
4-ports
4-ports
-
-
2-ports
2-ports
-
-
Self-tuner or
equivalence
design
Yes Yes ------
Isolation
-
2.5 kV
-
2.5 kV
-
2.5 kV
-
2.5 kV
COM-
Selector
Yes
UART
16C950 Compatible
Baud rate
50 ~ 115200 bps
Data bits
5, 6, 7, 8
Parity Bit
None, Even, Odd, Mark, Space
Stop Bits
1, 1.5, 2
FIFO size
128 Bytes
Operating
Temperature
0 ~ 50oC
Storage
Temperature
-20 ~ 70 oC
Humidity
0 ~ 90 % non-condensing
Dimensions
(mm)
114
X101
114
X101
110
X110
110
X110
110X94 110X94 110X94 110X94

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1.3 Product Check List
The package includes the following items:
•One VXC/VEX series card
•One ICP DAS software CD
•One Quick Start
It is recommended that you read the Quick Start to see the software driver location
first.
1.4 Ordering Information
Model
Description
VEX-112
PCI Express, 2-port RS-232 communication board
VEX-112i
PCI Express, 2-port Isolated RS-232 communication board
VEX-142
PCI Express, 2-port RS-422/485 communication board
VEX-142i
PCI Express, 2-port Isolated RS-232 communication board
VEX-114
PCI Express, 4-port RS-232 communication board
VEX-114i
PCI Express, 4-port Isolated RS-232 communication board
VEX-144
PCI Express, 4-port RS-422/485 communication board
VEX-144i
PCI Express, 4-port Isolated RS-422/485 communication board
VXC-112(A)U
Universal PCI, 2-port RS-232 communication board
VXC-112iAU
Universal PCI, 2-port Isolated RS-232 communication board
VXC-114U
Universal PCI, 4-port RS-232 communication board
VXC-114iAU
Universal PCI, 4-port Isolated RS-232 communication board
VXC-142(A)U
Universal PCI, 2-port RS-422/485 communication board
VXC-142i(A)U
Universal PCI, 2-port Isolated RS-422/485 communication board
VXC-144U
Universal PCI, 4-port RS-422/485 communication board
VXC-144iU
Universal PCI, 4-port Isolated RS-422/485 communication board
VXC-182i(A)U Universal PCI, 1-port Isolated RS-422/485 and 1-port RS-232 communication
board
Attention!
If any of these items are missing or damaged, contact the dealer from whom you
purchased the product. Save all shipping materials and the carton in case you need to
ship or store the product in the future.

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1.5 Options
Item Description VXC- 112(A)U
/112iAU
VXC-
182i(A)U VXC- 142(i)(A)U
VEX-
112/VEX-
112i
VEX-
142/VEX-
142i
CA-PC09F
9-pin Female D-
sub
connector with
plastic cover





DN-09-2/
DN-09-2F
I/O Connector
Block with DIN-Rail
Mounting and two
9-Pin male Header





CA-0910F
9-pin Female-
Female D-sub
cable, 1 M





CA-0910N
9-pin Female-
Female D-sub
cable, 1 M Null
Modem Cable



--
CA-0915
9-pin Male-Female
D-sub cable, 1.5M





CA-
090910
9-pin Female D-
sub
& (9-wire) RS-422
Cable, 1 M -


-

CA-0903
9-pin Female D-
sub
& 5-wire RS-232
cable, 30 cm


- - -
CA-0910
9-pin Female D-
sub
& 3-wire RS-232
cable, 1 M


- - -

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Item Description VXC-114(iA)U
VEX-114(i)
VXC-144(i)U
VEX-144(i)
CA-4002
37-pin Male D-sub
connector with plastic
cover


DN-37 I/O Connector Block
(Pitch= 5.08 mm) with
DIN-Rail Mounting
Include: One CA-3710
(37-pin Male-Male D-sub
cable 1.0 M)


CA-3710
37-Pin Male-Male D-sub
cable 1 M (45º)


CA-3710D
37-Pin Male-Male D-sub
cable 1M (180º)


CA-3720
DB-37 Male-Male D-sub
cable 2 M Cable(45 º)


CA-3720D
37-Pin Male-Male D-sub
cable 2 M (180º)


CA-9-3715D
DB-37 Male(D-sub) to 4-
Port DB-9 Male(D-sub)
cable 1.5 M (180 º)



VXC-112(i)(A)U/142(i)AU/182i(A)U/114(iA)U/144(i)U, VEX-114(i)/144(i) , VEX-112(i)/142(i) User’s Manual (Ver. 1.5
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2.Hardware configuration
2.1 Board Layout
Board layout of the VXC-114U/114iAU/144U/144iU
SW1
CON1

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Aug.10 2012) -----12
Board layout of the VXC-112(A)U/112iAU/142(A)U/142i(A)U/182i(A)U
Board layout of the VEX-114/114i/144/144i
SW1
CON1
CON2
CON1

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Board layout of the VEX-112/112i/142/142i
CON1
CON2

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2.2 COM Port Mapping and Board ID
The Board ID and COM port mapping are the same, which is set by the SW1 DIP switch.
The SW1 DIP switch has different functions under different OS.
For DOS users, the SW1 DIP switch acts as Board ID. When there are two or more multi-
port serial cards in a single system, it is difficult to identify individual card number. For easier
identification, the VXC/VEX series card includes a Board ID function.
For Windows users, the SW1 DIP switch acts as COM port number selector and the COM
port number is depending on the Board ID. If the Board ID is 0, then the driver finds a valid
number for each port. If the Board ID is not 0, then the driver uses the “Board ID” to be the first
COM port number and uses the “Board ID +1” to be the next COM port number and so on.
For Linux users, it’s the same as Windows users but for TTY device number selector.
The configuration examples are as follows.
SW1
ON
8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Note:
It’s recommended to select a unique COM port number (Board ID) by users. This
helps users to clear identify and fix the card-number and port-number in a system.
Warning:
The port will not work if the COM port number is conflicted under Windows or Linux
system. In that case, users should try other COM port numbers.
Usually, the COM1 and COM2 are reserved by systems. And it’s recommended to
reserve the COM3 and COM4 if you will have other Plug&Play serial ports in the future.
This prevents conflict.

VXC-112(i)(A)U/142(i)AU/182i(A)U/114(iA)U/144(i)U, VEX-114(i)/144(i) , VEX-112(i)/142(i) User’s Manual (Ver. 1.5
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SW1 DIP Switch 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Board ID=0x00 (Default)
COM = Auto-defined
OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF
Board ID=0x03
COM = 3/4/5/6 OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF ON ON
Board ID=0x05
COM = 5/6/7/8 OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF ON OFF ON
Board ID=0x07
COM = 7/8/9/10 OFF OFF OFF OFF OFF ON ON ON
Board ID=0x09
COM = 9/10/11/12 OFF OFF OFF OFF ON OFF OFF ON
Board ID=0x14
COM = 20/21/22/23 OFF OFF OFF ON OFF ON OFF OFF
Board ID=0x1E
COM = 30/31/32/33 OFF OFF OFF ON ON ON ON OFF
Board ID=0x28
COM = 40/41/42/43 OFF OFF ON OFF ON OFF OFF OFF
Board ID=0x32
COM = 50/51/52/53 OFF OFF ON ON OFF OFF ON OFF
Board ID=0x3C
COM = 60/61/62/63 OFF OFF ON ON ON ON OFF OFF
Board ID=0x64
COM = 100/101/102/103 OFF ON ON OFF OFF ON OFF OFF
Board ID=0x96
COM = 150/151/152/153 ON OFF OFF ON OFF ON ON OFF
Board ID=0xC8
COM = 200/201/202/203 ON ON OFF OFF ON OFF OFF OFF
．
．
．
Board ID=0xFF
COM = 255/256/x/x ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON
Note: If multi-port serial board is 2-port VXC card the COM number is the first two numbers.

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2.3 Pin Assignment
2.3.1 VXC-112(A)U/VXC-112iAU/VEX-112(i) Pin Assignment
2.3.2. VXC-142(i)(A)U/VEX-142(i) Pin Assignment
RS-232 Cable Wiring (Null Modem)
Warning:
The RS-
485 bus is a differential (balanced)
signal, thus you cannot wire the Data+ with Data-
directly for a single port loop-back test. It will not
work at all!

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2.3.3. VXC-114(iA)U/VEX-114(i) Pin Assignment
DB-37 to 4-port DB-9 (CA-9-3715D)
RS-232 Cable Wiring (Null Modem)

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2.3.4. VXC-144(i)U/VEX-144(i) Pin Assignment
DB-37 to 4-port DB-9 (CA-9-3715D)
Warning:
The RS-485 bus is a differential (balanced)
signal, thus you cannot wire the Data+ with
Data- directly for a single port loop-back
test. It will not work at all!

VXC-112(i)(A)U/142(i)AU/182i(A)U/114(iA)U/144(i)U, VEX-114(i)/144(i) , VEX-112(i)/142(i) User’s Manual (Ver. 1.5
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2.3.5. VXC-182i(A)U Pin Assignment
CN1: Isolation RS-422/485 port
CN2: RS-232 port
Warning:
The RS-
485 bus is a differential (balanced)
signal, thus you cannot wire the Data+ with Data-
directly for a single port loop-back test. It will not
work at all!
RS-232 Cable Wiring (Null Modem)

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2.4 Hardware Installation
To install your VXC/VEX series cards, complete the following steps:
1. Refer to Chapter 3 for installing driver first
2. Shut down and power off your computer
3. Remove all covers from the computer
4. Select an empty PCI slot
5. Remove the PCI slot cover from the PC
6. Carefully insert your VXC/VEX card into the PCI slot
7. Attach the cable to the connector
8. Replace the PC cover
9. Power on the computer
Warning:
Static electricity can easily damage computer equipment. Ground yourself by touching
the chassis of the computer before touching any boards.
Note:
It’
s recommended to install driver first, since some OS (operating system such as
Windows 2000) may ask you to restart the computer again after driver installation. This
reduces the times to restart the computer.