Quatech QSC(LP)-100 User manual

QSC(LP)-100
Four Channel Low Profile RS-232
Asynchronous Communications Adapter
for PCI bus
User's Manual
QUATECH, INC. TEL: [phone]
5675 Hudson Industrial Parkway FAX: [phone]
Hudson, Ohio 44236 http://www.quatech.com

WARRANTY INFORMATION
Quatech, Inc. warrants the QSC(LP)-100 to be free of defects for
five (5) years from the date of purchase. Quatech, Inc. will repair or replace
any board that fails to perform under normal operating conditions and in
accordance with the procedures outlined in this document during the warranty
period. Any damage that results from improper installation, operation, or general
misuse voids all warranty rights.
Please complete the following information and retain for your records.
Have this information available when requesting warranty service.
DATE OF PURCHASE:
MODEL NUMBER: QSC(LP)-100
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Four Channel Low Profile RS-232
Asynchronous PCI Bus
Communications Adapter
SERIAL NUMBER:
ii QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual

2006, Quatech, Inc.
NOTICE
The information contained in this document cannot be reproduced in any
form without the written consent of Quatech, Inc. Likewise, any software
programs that might accompany this document can be used only in accordance
with any license agreement(s) between the purchaser andQuatech, Inc. Quatech,
Inc. reserves the right to change this documentation or the product to which it
refers at any time and without notice.
The authors have taken due care in the preparation of this document and
every attempt has been made to ensure its accuracy and completeness. In no event
will Quatech, Inc. be liable for damages of any kind, incidental or consequential,
in regard to or arising out of the performance or form of the materials presented in
this document or any software programs that might accompany this document.
Quatech, Inc. encourages feedback about this document. Please send any
written comments to the Technical Support department at the address listed on the
cover page of this document.
DOS, Windows 95/98/2000/ME, Windows NT are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Microsoft Corporation. OS/2 is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation. All other trademarks
or registered trademarks are property of their respective owners.
iii QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual

Declaration of Conformity
Manufacturer's Name: Quatech Inc.
Manufacturer's Address: 5675 Hudson Industrial Parkway
Hudson, Ohio 44236 (USA)
Application of Council Directive: 89/336/EEC
Standards to which
Conformity is Declared: * EN50081-1 (EN55022,
EN60555-2, EN60555-3)
* EN50082-1 (IEC 801-2,
IEC 801-3, & IEC 801-4)
Type of Equipment: Information Technology
Equipment
Equipment Class: Commercial, Residential, & Light
Industrial
Product Name: PCI Quad Serial Communications
Card
Model Number : QSC(LP)-100
iv QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual

38
10 Troubleshooting .................................
36
9 Specifications ......................................
35
8 PCI Resource Map ...............................
33
7 External Connections ............................
31
6.3.1 QTPCI.EXE ..................................... 30
6.3 DOS and other operating systems ................... 30
6.2 OS/2 ............................................... 30
6.1 Windows NT ....................................... 30
6 Other Operating Systems .......................
24
5.6.1 Changing Resource Settings with Device Manager .21
5.6 Viewing Resources with Device Manager ............ 19
5.5 Using the "New Hardware Found" Wizard .......... 19
5.4 Windows 95 ........................................ 18
5.3 Windows 98 ........................................ 17
5.2 Windows 2000 ...................................... 16
5.1 Windows Millennium ............................... 16
5 Windows Configurations ........................
15
4.4.2 Clock Rate Multiplier ............................ 14
4.4.1 Enhanced Serial Adapter Identification ........... 14
4.4 Options Register .................................... 13
4.3 Interrupt Status Register ............................ 13
4.2 Enabling the Special Registers ...................... 12
4.1 Base Address and Interrupt Level (IRQ) ............. 12
4 Address Map and Special Registers ...........
10
3 Hardware Installation ...........................
9
2.3 Force High-Speed UART Clock (X2, X4, or X8,
J3-J5) ...................................................
8
2.2 Enable Scratchpad Register (SPAD, J2) .............. 8
2.1 Factory Default Configuration ....................... 8
2 Hardware Configuration .........................
7
1 General Information ..............................
v QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual

1 General Information
The Quatech, Inc. QSC(LP)-100 provides four RS-232 asynchronous serial
communication interfaces for Low Profile IBM-compatible personal computer
systems using the PCI expansion bus. The QSC(LP)-100 uses Quatech's new
Enhanced Serial Adapter design. Legacy serial port data rates are limited to a
maximum of 115,200 bits per second. Quatech Enhanced Serial Adapters can
achieve data rates as high as 921,600 bits per second.
As a PCI device, the QSC(LP)-100 requires no hardware configuration.
The card is automatically configured by the computer's BIOS or operating system.
The four serial ports share a single interrupt line and are addressed in a
contiguous block of 32 bytes. A special interrupt status register is provided to
help software to manage the shared interrupt.
The QSC(LP)-100's serial ports are implemented using 16550 Universal
Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitters (UARTs). These UARTs contain hardware
buffers (FIFOs) which reduce processing overhead and allow higher data rates to
be achieved.
The QSC(LP)-100 is supported under several popular operating systems
and environments. Contact the sales department for details on current software
offerings. Most device drivers are available for download from the Quatech world
wide web site at http://www.quatech.com.
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 6

2 Hardware Configuration
The QSC(LP)-100 is automatically configured at boot time by the
computer's BIOS or operating system. There are no required switches or jumpers
to set for installation.
This chapter lists a number of optional jumper settings that control various
hardware features. Jumpers J2-J5 are grouped together at the end of the board
opposite the HD-44 connector. Any changes from the factory default should be
made before installing the QSC(LP)-100 in the computer.
2.1 Factory Default Configuration
Figure 2 shows the jumper configuration as shipped from the factory, with
two spare jumpers applied in neutral positions. Remove one or both and apply as
shown in following sections to set optional features.
SPAD
X2
X4
X8
J2
J3
J4
J5
Figure 2 --- Factory default jumper configuration
2.2 Enable Scratchpad Register (SPAD, J2)
In the default configuration, an Interrupt Status Register(see section 4.3)
and an Options Register (see section 4.4) replace the scratchpad (base address + 7)
of each UART. If the SPAD jumper is applied as in Figure 3, the UART
scratchpad registers are enabled, and the Interrupt Status Register and the Options
Register are not available.
SPAD
X2
X4
X8
J2
J3
J4
J5
Figure 3 --- Enable scratchpad registers
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 7

2.3 Force High-Speed UART Clock (X2, X4, or X8, J3-J5)
These jumpers force an increase of the UART input clock frequency by a
factor of two, four, or eight. This feature can allow legacy software to use baud
rates above 115,200 bits per second. It is also useful if the serial port device
driver does not directly support setting the higher baud rates through the Options
Register (see section 4.4).
If one of these jumpers is applied, it overrides any value written to the
Options Register to set the clock multiplier by software. The effective baud rate
will be either two, four, or eight times the value for which the UART itself is
programmed.
The factory default is none of these jumpers applied, which allows for
software control of the clock multiplier via the Options Register. The Options
Register powerup default is for a standard times-1 clock of 1.8432 MHz for
compatibility with standard serial ports.
SPAD
X2
X4
X8
J2
J3
J4
J5
Force times-eight clock
Baud rates u
p
to 921.6 kb
p
s
SPAD
X2
X4
X8
J2
J3
J4
J5
Force times-two clock
Baud rates u
p
to 230.4 kb
p
s
SPAD
X2
X4
X8
J2
J3
J4
J5
Factory default
software control
SPAD
X2
X4
X8
J2
J3
J4
J5
Force times-four clock
Baud rates u
p
to 460.8 kb
p
s
Figure 4 --- Clock multiplier jumper options
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 8

3 Hardware Installation
1. Turn off the power of the computer system in which the QSC(LP)-100 is
to be installed.
2. Remove the system cover according to the instructions provided by the
computer manufacturer.
3. Make any desired optional jumper setting changes.
4. Install the QSC(LP)-100 in any empty PCI expansion slot. The board
should be secured by installing the Option Retaining Bracket (ORB)
screw.
5. Replace the system cover according to the instructions provided by the
computer manufacturer.
6. Attach and secure the cable connectors to the desired equipment.
7. Turn on the power of the computer system.
The output of the QSC(LP)-100 is a 44-pin D-connector. A cable is
provided to convert the D-44 into four standard male D-9 connectors with all
control signals provided to each port (RTS, DTR, CTS, DSR, DCD, and RI).
X2
X4
X8
SPAD
Clock multiplier/
scratchpad select
Figure 5 --- Jumper/connector locations
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 9

4 Address Map and Special Registers
This chapter explains how the four UARTs and special registers are
addressed, as well as the layout of those registers. This material will be of interest
to programmers writing driver software for the QSC(LP)-100.
4.1 Base Address and Interrupt Level (IRQ)
The base address and IRQ used by the QSC(LP)-100 are determined by the
BIOS or operating system. Each serial port uses 8 consecutive I/O locations. The
four ports reside in a single block of I/O space in eight byte increments, for a total
of 32 contiguous bytes, as shown in Figure 6.
Base Address + 24 to Base Address + 31Serial 4
Base Address + 16 to Base Address + 23Serial 3
Base Address + 8 to Base Address + 15Serial 2
Base Address + 0 to Base Address + 7Serial 1
I/O Address RangePort
Figure 6 --- Port Address Map
All four serial ports share the same IRQ. The QSC(LP)-100 signals a
hardware interrupt when any port requires service. The interrupt signal is
maintained until no port requires service. Interrupts are level-sensitive on the PCI
bus. The base address and IRQ are automatically detected by the device drivers
Quatech supplies for various operating systems. For cases where no device driver
is available, such as for operation under DOS, Quatech supplies the "QTPCI"
DOS software utility for manually determining the resources used. Seesection
6.3.1 for details.
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 10

4.2 Enabling the Special Registers
The QSC(LP)-100 contains two unique registers, an Interrupt Status
Register and an Options Register. These registers are enabled when the SPAD
jumper (J6) is removed (factory default). They replace theUART Scratchpad
Register on accesses to register address 7.
The Interrupt Status Register and Options Register are accessed through
the scratchpad location of any UART. The DLAB bit of the UART (Line Control
Register, bit 7) is used to select between the two registers. The most recent write
of a DLAB bit in any UART selects between the two registers as shown in Figure
7.
Scratchpad RegistersappliedX Options Registerremoved1 Interrupt Status Registerremoved0
Register selected for
address 7 accesses
SPAD JumperDLAB Bit
Figure 7 --- DLAB bit selects between special registers
4.3 Interrupt Status Register
The read-only Interrupt Status Register can be used to quickly identify
which serial ports require servicing after an interrupt. Reading the Interrupt Status
Register will return the interrupt status of the entire QSC(LP)-100, as shown in
Figure 8. The individual bits are cleared as the interrupting ports are serviced.
The interrupt service routine should ensure that the interrupt status register reads
zero before exiting.
Port 1 --- 1 if interrupt pending0
Port 2 --- 1 if interrupt pending1
Port 3 --- 1 if interrupt pending2
Port 4 --- 1 if interrupt pending3
0 (not used)4
0 (not used)5
0 (not used)6
0 (not used)7 (MSB)
DescriptionBit
Figure 8 --- Interrupt Status Register
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 11

4.4 Options Register
The Options Register allows software to identify the QSC(LP)-100 as a
Quatech Enhanced Serial Adapter. It also allows software to set the UART clock
rate multiplier. Figure 9 shows the structure of the Options Register.
The powerup default of the Options Register is all bits zero.
Clock rate multiplier bit 0RR00
Clock rate multiplier bit 1RR11
(reserved, 0)-2
(reserved, 0)-3
(reserved, 0)-4
(reserved, 0)-5
ID bit 0ID06
ID bit 1ID17 (MSB)
DescriptionNameBit
Figure 9--- Options Register bit definitions
4.4.1 Enhanced Serial Adapter Identification
The ID bits are used to identify theQSC(LP)-100 as a Quatech Enhanced
Serial Adapter. Logic operations are performed such that the values read back
from these bits will not necessarily be the values that were written to them. Bit
ID1 will return the logical-AND of the values written to ID[1:0], while bit ID0
will return their exclusive-OR.
Software can thus identify a Quatech Enhanced Serial Adapter by writing
the ID bits with the patterns shown in the "write" column of Figure 10, then
reading the bits and comparing the result with the patterns in the "read" column.
Matching read patterns verify the presence of the Options Register.
0111 1001 1010 0000 ID0ID1ID0ID1 ReadWrite
Figure 10 --- ID bit write/read table
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 12

4.4.2 Clock Rate Multiplier
A standard RS-232 serial port operates at a clock speed of 1.8432 MHz.
In order to achieve higher data rates,Quatech Enhanced Serial Adapters can
operate at two times, four times or even eight times this standard clock speed.
This is controlled by the clock rate multiplier bits in the Options Register.
Software can determine the UART clock frequency by reading the clock
rate multiplier bits RR1 and RR0 in the Options Register as shown in Figure 11.
RR1 and RR0 can be set by writing to the Options Register if the X2, X4, and X8
jumpers (J3-J5) are all removed. If one of these jumpers is applied, the RR1 and
RR0 bits are forced to the appropriate value. Reading the Options Register will
always return the clock rate multiplier at which the board is operating.
921.6 kbaud14.7456 MHzX811 460.8 kbaud7.3728 MHzX401 230.4 kbaud3.6864 MHzX210
115.2 kbaud1.8432 MHz
X1
(default)
00
Maximum Data
Rate
UART Clock
Frequency
Clock Rate
Multiplier
RR0RR1
Figure 11 --- Rate Register bit definition
At powerup and reset, the Options Register is initialized to 0. The
QSC(LP)-100 will thus powerup in the x1 mode with software control of the
clock rate multiplier enabled as long as the X2, X4, and X8 jumpers are not
installed.
Software can control high baud rates through a combination of changing
the clock rate multiplier and the UART baud rate divisor. For example, a baud
rate of 230.4 kbps could be achieved by setting the clock rate multiplier to X2
mode (or by applying the X2 jumper) and setting a software application for 115.2
kbps.
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 13

5 Windows Configurations
5.1 Windows Millennium
1. After inserting the QSC(LP)- 100 for the first time the "Add New
Hardware Wizard" will begin. Select "Search for the best driver for your
device.". Check the "Removable media" and "Specify location" box.
Click the "Next" button.
2. Window will locate the proper INF file and copy the file from theCD.
Click the "Next" button.
3. The final dialog screen will verify the file copy from theCD.
Click the "Finish" button.
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 14

5.2 Windows 2000
1. After inserting a QSC(LP)-100 for the first time, the "Add New
Hardware Wizard will appear at start up. Click the "OK" button.
2. The following dialog box will appear. Insert the Quatech COM CD
(shipped with the device). Click the "OK" button.
3. The following dialog box will display the appropriate INF file on theCD
in the drive. Click the "OK" button.
4. Window will copy the INF file from the CD and display a final dialog
indication that the process is complete. Click the "Finish" button.
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 15

5.3 Windows 98
1. After inserting a QSC(LP)-100 for the first time, the "Add New
Hardware Wizard will appear at start up. Click the "Next" button.
2. Select "Search for the best driver for your device".
Click the "Next" button.
3. On the next dialog, select the "CD-ROM DRIVE" check box. Insert the
Quatech COM CD (shipped with the device) into the CD-ROM drive.
Click the "Next" button.
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 16

4. The following dialog box will display the appropriate INF file on the
diskette in the drive. Click the "Next" button.
5. Window will copy the INF file from the diskette and display a final dialog
indication that the process is complete. Click the "Finish" button.
5.4 Windows 95
Windows 95 maintains a registry of all known hardware installed in your
computer. Inside this hardware registry Windows 95 keeps track of all of your
system resources, such as I/O locations,IRQ levels, and DMA channels. The
"Add New Hardware Wizard" utility in Windows 95 was designed to add new
hardware and update this registry.
An "INF" configuration file is included with theQSC(LP)-100 to allow
easy configuration in the Windows 95 environment.
5.5 Using the "New Hardware Found" Wizard
The following instructions provide step-by-step instructions on installing
the QSC(LP)-100 in Windows 95 using the "New Hardware Found" wizard.
1. After booting the computer with a newly-installed QSC(LP)-100, the
"New Hardware Found" dialog box will appear. If you have never
installed a Quatech PCI communications adapter before, the dialog box
may simply indicate that it has found a "PCI Card."
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 17

2. Select the radio button for "Driver from disk provided by hardware
manufacturer." Click the "OK" button to continue.
3. An "Install From Disk" dialog box should pop up. Insert the disk with the
Quatech INF files on it, select the correct drive letter, and click the "OK"
button. Windows 95 automatically browses the root directory for an INF
file that defines configurations for Multi-function Adapters. If no INF
files are found, click the "Browse" button and search the Win95 sub
directory on the installation disk. You are not required to select the file
name. After finding the directory containing the INF files, Windows 95
will choose the correct file.
4. The "New Hardware Found" dialog box will appear again, this time for an
"Unknown Device."
5. Again select the radio button for "Driver from disk provided by hardware
manufacturer." Click the "OK" button to continue.
6. Another "Install From Disk" dialog box will pop up. The path should
already be pointing to the Quatech disk. Click the "OK" button to
continue.
7. You should now see the "Copying Files" dialog box as Windows 95 copies
the driver files from the disk..
8. The installation utility will ask for your Windows 95 installation disks.
Serial communication ports require two drivers supplied by Microsoft to
function: SERIAL.VXD and SERIALUI.DLL. Insert the disk or CD and
click "OK".
NOTE:
You may be able to skip this step if you are certain that your system has the latest
version of these files installed. If you do not have your Windows 95 install disks
immediately available, click "OK" anyway. A dialog box appears with an option
to Skip the files. Click the Skip button and the files will not be installed. This is
all right if the latest version of these drivers are currently in the
\WINDOWS\SYSTEM directory.
9. The "New Hardware Found" dialog will repeat for each of the serial ports
on the QSC(LP)-100 as each port is registered with Windows 95.
10. Installation is complete.
5.6 Viewing Resources with Device Manager
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 18

The following instructions provide step-by-step instructions on viewing
resources used by the QSC(LP)-100 in Windows using the "Device Manager"
utility. Select Start|Help from within Windows for additional information on this
utility.
1. Double click the "System" icon inside the Control Panel folder. This
opens up the System Properties box.
2. Click the "Device Manager" tab located along the top of the System
Properties box. This lists all hardware devices registered inside the
Windows registry. Additional information is available on any of these
devices by click on the device name and then selecting the "Properties"
button.
3. Double click the device group "Multi-function Adapters". The
QSC(LP)-100 model name should appear in the list of Multi-function
adapters.
4. Double click the QSC(LP)-100 model name and a properties box should
open for the hardware adapter.
5. Click the "Resources" tab located along the top of the properties box to
view the resources Windows has allocated for the QSC(LP)-100 match
the hardware configuration. Because PCI is a true plug-and-play bus,
do not attempt to modify the configuration values listed. Click
"Cancel" to exit without making changes.
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 19

Figure 12--- Windows Device Manager
6. The QSC(LP)-100 serial ports are also listed under the group Ports (COM
and LPT). Windows 95 does not assign COM1-COM4 to ports addressed
at nonstandard locations. The QSC(LP)-100 ports will be enumerated
starting with COM5 (or higher) even if lower logical numbers are
available.
7. Select any of the Quatech Serial Ports listed under the group Port (COM
and LPT) and click the "Properties" button. This action opens a properties
dialog for the specific COM port on the QSC(LP)-100.
8. Click the "Port Settings" tab and then click the "Advanced" button. The
QSC(LP)-100 driver will display a custom Advanced Port Settings control,
which allows the ports UART compatibility mode and FIFOthreshold
levels to be configured. The threshold values of full-scale for the transmit
buffer and 3/4-scale for the receive buffer shown below are optimal for
most applications. Note that the FIFO option for each of the
QSC(LP)-100's two ports is configured independently.
QSC(LP)-100 User's Manual 20