PacComm TINY-2 Product manual

TECHNICAL REFERENCE MANUAL
for
PacComm Packet Controller Models
TINY-2 and MICROPO ER-2

TINY-2/MICRO-2 Technical Ref., 2. Ed 1989
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 4
Fea ures ................................................................................ 4
NET/ROM and ROSE Compa ibili y ........................................... 4
COMPUTER INTERFACING ................................................................. 5
RS-232 Por Signals ................................................................ 5
Nons andard RS-232C Serial Por s ........................................... 6
Serial Por Opera ion A TTL Levels .......................................... 7
Serial Da a Signal Defini ions .................................................. 7
RS-232C Handshaking Pro ocol ................................................ 9
RADIO INTERFACING ........................................................................ 10
Radio Connec or (J2) Pin Defini ions ........................................ 10
Direc Connec ion o Microphone and Speaker .......................... 10
Accessory Jack Connec ion ...................................................... 11
Ex ernal In erface Box ............................................................ 11
HARDWARE DESCRIPTION ................................................................ 12
LEDs ..................................................................................... 12
De ailed Circui Descrip ion ..................................................... 12
Modem Disconnec - J5 ........................................................... 13
ADJUSTMENTS ................................................................................. 16
Jumper Func ions ................................................................... 16
JP B: Li hium Ba ery .................................................... 16
JP D: NET/ROM + RFDCD ............................................. 16
JP L: Digi al Loopback .................................................. 16
JP RA: Audio Inpu Impedance ..................................... 16
JPAux: Auxiliary I/O ..................................................... 16
JP 8: Power Connec ion ................................................ 16
Trimpo /Varicap Adjus men s .................................................. 16
Baud Ra e Se ing .................................................................. 16
Audio Inpu Level ................................................................... 17
Transmi Level Se ing ............................................................. 17
Modem Receive Bias Adjus men ............................................. 18
Carrier De ec Level ................................................................ 18
Crys al Oscilla or Adjus men .................................................. 18
TROUBLESHOOTING ......................................................................... 19
Loopback es ing .................................................................... 20
Analog loopback .......................................................... 20
Digi al loopback ........................................................... 20
General Tes s ......................................................................... 20
S ep 1: Obvious Problems ............................................. 20
S ep 2: Power Supply ................................................... 21
Compu er Terminal In erface .................................................. 21
Packe Con roller won' sign on o he Compu er ............ 21
The Con roller prin s only gibberish ............................... 21
The Con roller won' accep commands ......................... 22

TINY-2/MICRO-2 Technical Ref., 2. Ed 1989
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O her Symp oms .................................................................... 22
TINY-2/MICRO-2 appears dead ..................................... 22
Modem won' key ransmi er ........................................ 22
Uncopyable ransmi ed packe s .................................... 22
Uncopyable received packe s ........................................ 23
DCD LED flickers excessively or s ays on ........................ 23
Transmi er locks in ransmi condi ion ........................... 23
APPENDICES
Node In erconnec ion Cables .................................................. 24
Dual TINY-2/MICRO-2 Node .......................................... 24
Dual Node, TINY-2/MICRO-2 and TNC-2(00) .................. 24
Triple Node .................................................................. 24
Compu er In erfacing Diagrams ............................................... 25
Radio In erfacing Diagrams ..................................................... 26
RS-232 Signal Table ................................................................ 27
Bi -Shif ed ASCII Charac er Table ............................................. 28
Schema ic .............................................................................. 29

TINY-2/MICRO-2 Technical Ref., 2. Ed 1989
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INTRODUCTION
This manual applies o bo h he TINY-2 and MICROPOWER-2 packe con rollers. These uni s share
he same basic design and in erface o radios and compu er erminals iden ically. The erm TINY-
2/MICRO-2 is used hroughou his manual o refer o bo h uni s when dealing wi h componen s
and procedures which are he same for bo h uni s.
The erms "Compu er and erminal" are used in erchangeably o refer o he compu er or erminal
used o communica e wi h he packe con roller. This is no mean o imply ha a compu er is nec-
essary for opera ion of a packe con roller.
Every effor has been made o make his manual comple e and accura e, however PacComm as-
sumes no responsibili y for damages incurred as a resul of using his documen a ion. PacComm
reserves he righ o make changes o equipmen specifica ions or documen a ion a any ime
wi hou no ice or obliga ion o previous purchasers. Your commen s and sugges ions for improve-
men are welcome.
Be sure o read any erra a, manual upda es, and sof ware release no es before opera ing he pack-
e con roller.
Features
Firmware
Comple ely TNC-2 firmware Compa ible
Suppor s all 'TAPR' commands plus many PacComm addi ions.
Personal Message Sys em (op ional on TINY-2)
Hardware
NMOS Z-80 CPU and SIO (MDLC) [MICROPOWER-2: CMOS]
4.9 MHz CPU clock speed
32k EPROM and 32k RAM
Typical Power Consump ion: 9 – 14 VDC @ 220 mA [40 mA]
Crys al con rolled IC modem suppor s 1200/2200 Hz ones
DE-9P (male) for RS-232 Compu er
TNC-2 ype modem disconnec header
Power, Connec , S a us, PTT, Carrier De ec LEDs
Ex ruded aluminum case 5 × 7 × 1 3/8 inches wi h gray, oven baked wrinkle finish
Me al end panels grounded o preven RFI
MICROPOWER-2 prin er por and hardware clock op ions
NET/ROM and ROSE Compatibility
The TINY-2/MICRO-2 are TNC-2 compa ible meaning ha an EPROM designed for a TNC-2 com-
pa ible (such as bo h NET/ROM and ROSE ne working EPROMs) will opera e in a TINY-2/MICRO-2.
Please refer o Appendix A for in erconnec ion cable Informa ion for dual/mul i-node uni s.

TINY-2/MICRO-2 Technical Ref., 2. Ed 1989
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COMPUTER INTERFACING
The TINY-2/MICRO-2 packe con roller communica es wi h he compu er or erminal hrough a se-
rial por using ei her RS-232C or "TTL" level signals. One of hese signal levels should properly in-
erface o mos compu ers. See he Appendices o his manual for specific compu er in erfacing in-
s ruc ions.
RS-232 Port Signals
The serial por connec ors on he TINY-2/MICRO-2 packe con roller are on he rear panel marked
"RS-232" and "TTL Compu er". The pins on he serial por connec or of packe con roller ha mus
be connec ed are shown in he following able. This is commonly called a " hree-wire" RS-232 ca-
ble.
RS-232 Serial Por "3 Wire" Cable Wiring for DB-25
Compu er DB-25 TINY-2/MICRO-2
1 and 7 –––––––– 5
2 ––––––––––––– 3
3 ––––––––––––– 2
RS-232 Serial Por "3 Wire" Cable Wiring for DE-9
Compu er DE-9 TINY-2/MICRO-2
5 and Shell ––––– 5
2 ––––––––––––– 2
3 ––––––––––––– 3
The packe con roller is configured as Da a Communica ions Equipmen (DCE), he echnical erm
for an RS-232C modem. Mos compu ers and erminals are configured as Da a Terminal Equipmen
(DTE). Specifically, he packe con roller connec or is an IBM "AT s yle" using a male DE-9 connec-
or, wired as DCE ra her han DTE. If you use an "AT" PC or por able Compu er wi h a 9-pin serial
por , you can wire cable connec or pins 2 hrough 8 direc ly (pin 2 o pin 2, e c.).
Pin 1 on he TINY-2/MICRO-2 is he Da a Carrier De ec (DCD) signal which goes high ( rue) when
he packe con roller is in he "connec ed" s a e. This is analogous o he DCD signal on elephone
modems, i.e. he pin is asser ed when a communica ion connec ion exis s. Pin 9 is used as an aux-
iliary radio carrier de ec inpu . This pin may also be used when wo or more packe con rollers are
ma ed for use wi h ne work firmware such as he NET/ROM or ROSE EPROM. More de ailed infor-
ma ion is presen ed la er in he manual.
Some compu ers require ha Clear To Send (CTS) of he compu er serial por connec or (pin 5 of a
DB-25 or pin 8 of a DE-9) be connec ed o an appropria e signal. O hers may require connec ions
for Da a Carrier De ec (DCD) (pin 8/pin 1) and Da a Terminal Ready (DTR) (pin 20/pin 4). You
may jumper he compu er's inpu and ou pu signals on DB-25 pins 4/5 (DE-9 pins 7/8), and on
DB-25 pins 6/8/20 (DE-9 pins 6/1/4) in addi ion o he connec ions shown in he "3 wire" RS-232
diagram above, or build an "8 wire" in erface cable as shown below:
Jumpering RTS/CTS and DTR/DSR/DCD at the Computer Gable End
DB-25: DE-9:
4 –––––– 5 7 –––––– 8
6 –––––– 8 –––––– 20 1 –––––– 4 –––––– 6

TINY-2/MICRO-2 Technical Ref., 2. Ed 1989
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"Eight-wire" RS-232 Cable
Compu er DB-25 or DE-9 o TINY-2/MICRO-2 DE-9P
1 –––––––– Shell –––––––– 5
2 ––––––––– 3 –––––––––– 3
3 ––––––––– 2 –––––––––– 2
4 ––––––––– 7 –––––––––– 7
5 ––––––––– 8 –––––––––– 8
6 ––––––––– 6 –––––––––– 6
7 ––––––––– 5 –––––––––– 5
8 ––––––––– 1 –––––––––– 1 "connec ed" signal
20 –––––––– 4 –––––––––– NC
Non-Standard RS-232C Serial Ports
NOTE: Some compu ers which require an ex ernal TTL o RS-232 adap er o suppor an RS-232 se-
rial por may be in erfaced o he TINY-2/MICRO-2 wi hou he RS-232 adap er uni by using he
TINY- 2/MICRO-2 TTL level signals.
Compu ers wi h non-s andard RS-232 serial por s mus mee he following condi ions:
Vol age levels sen by he compu er mus be grea er han +3 Vol s in one s a e and less han
-3 Vol s in he o her s a e.
The polari y of he signals mus conform o he RS-232C s andard, i.e. he low vol age s a e is
a logical "1" and he high vol age s a e is a logical "0".
Make or buy a cable ha provides he following connec ions:
The compu er serial por common (ground) pin mus be ied o he TINY-2/MICRO-2 serial por
connec or pin 5.
The signal line ha sends da a from he compu er mus be ied o he TINY-2/MICRO-2 con-
nec or pin 3.
The pin on which he compu er receives da a mus be ied o he TINY-2/MICRO-2 connec or
pin 2.
The documen a ion provided wi h he compu er or i s accessory serial por should clarify any re-
quiremen s for addi ional signals.

TINY-2/MICRO-2 Technical Ref., 2. Ed 1989
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Serial Port Operation At TTL Levels
The TINY-2/MICRO-2 packe con roller is designed o opera e wi h compu ers which have a TTL
level serial por wi hou requiring he use of an RS-232C adap er. This includes such popular com-
pu ers as he Commodore VIC-20, C-64, and C-128. TTL signals are rou ed hrough an 8 pin con-
nec or on he rear panel. TTL signal levels mus be grea er han +2.4 Vol s in one s a e and less
han +.4 Vol s in he o her s a e.
Use cau ion in connec ing he TTL cable o insure ha pin one of he cable is a ached o pin one
of he connec or. Pin one is clearly marked on he rear panel of he con roller. Pin one of he cable
connec or is marked wi h a red s ripe, Be sure o observe his marking bo h in cons ruc ing and a -
aching he cable.
TTL serial port signals used by the TINY-2/M1CRO-2 controller.
P3
Signal Name
Descrip ion
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Receive Da a
Carrier De ec
Frame Ground
Clear o send
Transmi Da a
Signal Ground
Reques o send
No Connec ion
Serial da a to compu er from he TlNY-2/MICRO-2
Goes high when connec ion exis s
Common ground for case and da a lines
Compu er Signal Clearing Con roller o send da a
Serial da a to he TINY-2/MICRO-2 from compu er
Common ground for bo h da a lines and case
Con roller signal o compu er when da a is ready
Serial Data Signal Definitions
This sec ion describes he pins used on he packe con rollers serial por connec ors. Since he pins
are defined wi h respec o he Da a Terminal Equipmen (DTE) (compu er) end of he circui , and
he packe con roller is wired as Da a Communica ions Equipmen (DCE) (modem), some s andard
pin names appear o be he reverse of he packe con roller func ion. A comple e RS-232 signal a-
ble appears in he Appendices.
Serial Port Pin Functions
Frame Ground (FG) is provided for a achmen o he chassis of he packe con roller and he
chassis of he a ached compu er erminal. This is common o he signal ground on he TINY-
2/MICRO-2.
Transmi Da a (TXD) is an inpu line o he packe con roller on which he a ached compu er
erminal device sends da a.
Receive Da a (RXD) is an ou pu line from he TINY-2/MICRO-2 on which i sends da a o he
a ached compu er erminal device.
Reques o Send (RTS) is an inpu o he packe con roller signaling ha he a ached compu -
er erminal device is ready o accep da a from he TINY-2/MICRO-2. This line is used for hard-
ware flow con rol.
Clear To Send (CTS) is an ou pu from he packe con roller signaling he a ached compu er
erminal device o send da a o he TINY-2/MICRO-2. This line is used for hardware flow con-
rol.
Da a Se Ready (DSR) is an ou pu from he packe con roller elling he a ached compu er
erminal device ha he packe con roller is opera ional. On he TINY-2/MICRO-2 his pin is
ied high (ready).
Signal Ground (SG) is he common, or re urn, pa h for all signals be ween he TINY-2/MICRO-2
and he a ached Compu er erminal device. I is common wi h he frame ground.

TINY-2/MICRO-2 Technical Ref., 2. Ed 1989
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Da a Carrier De ec (DCD) is an ou pu from he packe con roller. DCD reflec s he s a us of
he CON LED: I is high when a packe connec ion exis s and i is low when no connec ion ex-
is s. This Signal is useful when he packe con roller is used wi h elephone s yle and BBS sof -
ware, since he connec signal, like a modem carrier on he elephone, indica es he presence
of a user.
Da a Terminal Ready (DTR) is an inpu o he TINY-2/MICRO-2 signaling ha he a ached
compu er erminal device is ready o accep da a from he packe con roller. No used on he
TINY-2/MICRO-2.
The able below provides a cross reference o he pinou s of he indus ry s andard 25 pin connec-
or as used on many compu ers and erminals. The TNC-2 and PacComm TNC-200, and rela es
hem o he newer 9 pin connec ors used on many modem compu ers and he TINY-2/MICRO-2.
No e ha connec ing a DTE device o a DCE device using ei her 25 pin connec ors or 9 pin connec-
ors a bo h ends of he cable provides a 's raigh hrough' wiring of pin numbers, i.e. connec col-
umn 1 o column 4 OR connec column 2 o column 3. However, when a 25 pin connec or and 9
pin connec or are used on he same cable, i.e. column 1 o column 3, several pairs of signal lines
mus be crossed.
TINY-2/MICROPO ER-2 RS-232 Serial Port Signal Cross Reference
Conven ional
RS-232
Conven ional
RS-232 DTE DB-25
IBM AT
RS-232 DTE DE-9P
TINY/MICRO
RS-232 DCE DE-9P
TNC-2(00)
RS-232 DC DB-25
Defini ion
Pin
Nr.
Pin
Nr.
Pin
Nr.
Pin
Nr.
FG
TXD
RXD
RTS
CTS
DSR
SG
DCD
Tes
Tes
DTR
RI
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
20
22
shell
3
2
7
8
6
5
1
V+
V-
4
9
5
3
2
7
8
6
5
1
a
-
-
nc
9
b
1
2
3
nc
5
6
7
8
a
+12V
-12V
20
(23)
a
This line goes high when a connec ion exis s
b
RFDCD (Also used for mul i-node NET/ROM and ROSE)

TINY-2/MICRO-2 Technical Ref., 2. Ed 1989
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RS-232C Handshaking Protocol
The CTS and RTS lines of he TINY-2/MICRO-2 serial por (labeled P4 on he circui board and RS-
232C on he rear panel) are used by he TINY-2/MICRO-2 firmware for hardware "handshaking" o
con rol he flow of da a be ween he compu er and he packe con roller.
The TINY-2/MICRO-2 always asser s (makes rue) Da a Se Ready (DSR) on P4 pin 6 via a pullup
resis or. Thus, whenever he TINY-2/MICRO-2 is powered up, i signals o he compu er connec ed
o P4 ha he packe con roller is "on line".
The compu er erminal indica es i is ready o receive da a from he TINY-2/MICRO-2 by asser ing
i s Reques To Send (RTS) Signal on P4 pin 4. The packe con roller will send da a when RTS is as-
ser ed (if here is da a o be sen ). If he compu er is no ready o receive da a, i nega es (make
false) RTS o he TINY-2/MICRO-2. Thus, da a flow from he packe con roller o he compu er is
con rolled by he use of he RTS line.
The packe con roller asser s i s Clear To Send (CTS) Ou pu , P4 pin 5, whenever i is ready o re-
ceive da a from he compu er, if he TINY-2/MICRO-2's buffers fill, i will nega e CTS, signaling he
compu er o s op sending da a. The packe con roller will asser CTS when i is again ready o re-
ceive da a from he compu er. Thus, da a flow from he compu er o he packe con roller is regu-
la ed by he use of he CTS line. The CTS line is always oggled, even if "sof ware flow con rol" is
enabled in his direc ion.
If "sof ware flow con rol" is preferred, or if he compu er erminal serial I/O por does no imple-
men CTS/RTS and DTR/DSR handshaking, hen a hree wire cable should be used. If hese RS-
232 con rol lines are no connec ed hey will be pulled up (and hus asser ed) by resis ors a he
TINY-2/MICRO-2 end and proper opera ion will resul . However, a non-s andard serial por may
use some pins for o her purposes, such as supplying power o a peripheral device, so be sure ha
he sys em ei her implemen s he CTS, RTS and DSR handshake or has no connec ions o hese
pins of P4 wha soever. No e ha reference o RS-232C "compa ibili y" or he presence of a DB-25
ype connec or does no guaran ee ha you have a s andard RS-232C serial por !
The PacComm TINY-2/MICRO-2 packe con roller suppor s asynchronous compu er erminal baud
ra es of 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600 and 19,200. The por suppor s s andard pari y op ions as
well as 7- or 8-bi charac er leng hs. Fac ory se ings are 1200 bauds, eigh bi wordleng h, no par-
i y and one s op bi . (UK = 1200, 7, E, 1)
If you wan o in erface he TINY-2/MICRO-2 wi h a device configured as DCE, such as a ele-
phone modem or ano her packe con roller, a so-called "null modem" cable may be cons ruc ed o
in erchange he da a and handshake signals.

TINY-2/MICRO-2 Technical Ref., 2. Ed 1989
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RADIO INTERFACING
This sec ion describes how o connec he signal cable be ween he TINY-2/MICRO-2 and he ra-
dio. The in erconnec ion should be planned so as o minimize pickup of s ray audio and RF noise
by he lines. You should use shielded wire for all signal-carrying leads.
Read he remainder of his chap er carefully before s ar ing o in erface he packe con roller o
he radio.
Connec he TINY-2/MICRO-2 and radio according o one of he following me hods. Then urn on
he packe con roller and compu er and s ar he compu er communica ions program. Connec he
radio o a dummy load and lis en o he ransmission wi h ano her nearby radio. Se he ransmi
level by he procedure in he Adjus men s Chap er.
You should use shielded wire for all signal-carrying leads. If you no ice a significan hum level in
he moni ored audio, ake measures o remove i . If he ransmi er has an adjus able microphone
gain con rol, ry reducing he sensi ivi y of he ransmi er microphone circui and increasing he
signal level from he TINY-2/MICRO-2 o minimize hum or o her noise problems.
Radio Connector (J2) Pin Definitions
In erfacing he TINY-2/MICRO-2 o a radio involves connec ing he following signals a J2, he five
pin DIN connec or.
Pin 1 - Audio ou pu from he TINY-2/MICRO-2 o he ransmi er.
Pin 2 - Ground for bo h audio and PTT.
Pin 3 - Push- o- alk o allow keying he ransmi er.
Pin 4 - Receive audio from he receiver speaker or auxiliary jack o he TINY-2/MICRO-2.
Pin 5 - Op ional Radio Squelch inpu for RF Carrier De ec ion.
Radio Connec or Viewed from Rear of Packe Con roller
Direct Connection to Microphone and Speaker
The packe con roller was designed o allow hookup and es ing o be done wi hou any modifica-
ions o he radio or any signal level balancing devices in he cables. The direc in erconnec ion
me hod is useful if you devo e he radio exclusively o packe . If you share he radio be ween
packe and voice, you may wan o use he ex ernal in erface me hod below. The packe con rol-
ler's audio signals are fed direc ly in o he microphone connec or or similar auxiliary inpu of he
radio, and he TINY-2/MICRO-2 ou pu is adjus ed o give a proper modula ion level. The receiver
audio is aken from an auxiliary audio ou pu or Speaker jack and fed direc ly o he packe con rol-
ler.