SeaLevel C4-104.ULTRA User manual

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 3540 Manual | SL9117 9/2022
C4-104.ULTRA
User Manual | 3540

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 3540 Manual | SL9117 9/2022
Contents
CONTENTS...........................................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 3
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED ...............................................................................................................................4
CARD SETUP ........................................................................................................................................................6
INSTALLATION ..................................................................................................................................................10
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................................13
SPECIFICATIONS ...............................................................................................................................................17
APPENDIX A – TROUBLESHOOTING................................................................................................................18
APPENDIX B – HOW TO GET ASSISTANCE .....................................................................................................19
APPENDIX C – ELECTRICAL INTERFACE ........................................................................................................20
APPENDIX D – ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS ..................................................................................21
APPENDIX E – SILK SCREEN – 3540 ...............................................................................................................22
WARRANTY ........................................................................................................................................................23

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 3540 Manual | SL9117 9/2022
Introduction
The C4-104.ULTRA is the first PC/104 serial interface module to provide four software-selectable RS-
232/422/485 ports. RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485 mode may be selected independently via software
command for each of the four ports, eliminating the need for setting jumpers or DIP switches. The board is
designed using the XR16C864 UART, which provides a 128-byte FIFO, 8 times larger than boards designed
with 16C550 compatible parts. The larger buffers allow error free operation even in high-speed applications.
In RS-485 mode the C4-104.ULTRA offers automatic control of the RS-485 driver enable for trouble free
network master arbitration. Additionally, the C4-104.ULTRA allows RS-485 network termination, critical to
robust multi-drop communication, to be selectively added to the circuit via a simple software command.
The RS-232 compatibility allows for connection to devices utilizing the RS-232 electrical interface, such as
modems, data-entry terminals, and plotters.
RS-422 provides excellent communications for long distance device connections up to 4000ft., where noise
immunity and high data integrity are essential.
RS-485 is optimized for ‘Multi-Drop’ or ‘Party-line’ operations selecting data from multiple peripherals (as
many as 31 devices can be connected on an RS-485 bus). The C4-104.ULTRA is optimized for RS-485 with
automatic driver enable, and automatic suppression of RS-485 ‘Echo’ as options, further simplifying
integration.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 3540 Manual | SL9117 9/2022
Before You Get Started
What’s Included
The C4-104.ULTRA is shipped with the following items. If any of these items is missing or damaged,
contact the supplier.
•C4-104.ULTRA Serial I/O Adapter
Advisory Conventions
Warning
The highest level of importance used to stress a condition where damage could result to the
product, or the user could suffer serious injury.
Important
The middle level of importance used to highlight information that might not seem obvious or a
situation that could cause the product to fail.
Note
The lowest level of importance used to provide background information, additional tips, or other
non-critical facts that will not affect the use of the product.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 3540 Manual | SL9117 9/2022
Optional Items
Depending upon your application, you are likely to find one or more of the following items useful with the
C4-104.ULTRA. All items can be purchased from our website (www.sealevel.com) or by calling our sales
team at 864-843-4343.
Cables Options
•CA228 - Terminates the C4-104.ULTRA’s 40 pin header to four DB9M connectors.
This termination provides the standard DB9 pin out for RS-232 (EIA/TIA574) in RS-
232 mode and the Sealevel Systems’ DB9 standard for RS-422/485.
•CA110/CA143 – This combination of cables also terminates the C4-104.ULTRA’s 40
pin header to four DB9M connectors. The CA110 provides a bulkhead mountable
DB37 Male connector and the CA143 provides a DB37 to 4 DB9 male connectors via
a 36 inch ‘Spider’ cable. This combination also provides the standard DB9 pin out for
RS-232 (EIA/TIA574) in RS-232 mode and the Sealevel Systems’ DB9 standard for
RS-422/485.
•CA222/TB10 – This combination of cables also terminates the C4-104.ULTRA’s 40
pin header to four DB9M connectors via a bulkhead mountable terminal block
assembly. It provides 4 DB9 male connectors that can easily be integrated into the
Sealevel Systems Relio line of embedded I/O servers. This combination also provides
the standard DB9 pin out for RS-232 (EIA/TIA574) in RS-232 mode and the Sealevel
Systems’ DB9 standard for RS-422/485.
•DB103 - The DB103 is designed to convert a Sealevel DB9 Male connector to a pinout
compatible with AC24AT and AC422AT Opto-22 ISA bus cards. This allows Optomux
devices to be controlled from any Sealevel RS-422 board with a DB9 Male connector.
•CA190 - This cable allows any Sealevel RS-422 adapter with a DB-9 to connect
directly to a Sony (or compatible) 207M "9 Pin" connector.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 3540 Manual | SL9117 9/2022
Card Setup
The C4-104.ULTRA contains a single 4 position DIP-Switch that provides the Address selection for the
adapter and a jumper strap which provides the IRQ selection for the adapter.
Address Selection
Each port on the C4-104.ULTRA occupies sixteen consecutive I/O locations. A DIP-switch is used to set
the base address for these locations. The following table shows the addressing options available. If
different address options are required, please contact Sealevel Systems Technical Support about a custom
PAL option.
SW1-1
SW1-2
SW1-3
Port 1
Port 2
Port 3
Port 4
OFF
OFF
ON
300
310
320
330
OFF
ON
OFF
400
410
420
430
OFF
ON
ON
500
510
520
530
ON
OFF
OFF
600
610
620
630
ON
OFF
ON
1500
1510
1520
1530
ON
ON
OFF
3220
3230
3240
3250
ON
ON
ON
4220
4230
4240
4250
Figure 1 - Address Selection Table
Refer to Appendix A for common address contentions.
Port Enable / Disable
All four ports on the can be enabled or disabled by setting the three switches in the ‘Off’ position. The port
is enabled when a valid I/O selection is made. If the adapter is disabled, be sure to disable the interrupt
request by removing the IRQ jumper.
Interrupt Modes
DIP-Switch positions ‘S’ and ‘M’ on switch SW1 selects the interrupt mode for the adapter.
With the ‘S’ selected, the adapter is in a (S)hared interrupt mode, which allows more than one adapter to
access a single IRQ. Any two or more PC-104 adapters can share a common IRQ by placing the jumpers on
the same IRQ setting and setting the appropriate selections for interrupt mode.
‘M’ indicates the inclusion of a 1K-ohm pull-down resistor required on one adapter when sharing interrupts.
Set the switch to ‘S’ for shared interrupt mode on all adapters sharing an IRQ. On one of the adapters sharing
an interrupt set the switches for both ‘S’ and for ‘M’. This provides the pull-down resistor circuit that makes

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 3540 Manual | SL9117 9/2022
sharing IRQs possible. If you are using more than one compatible adapter in a bus you should only have
one port set to ‘M’.
Header E1 (IRQ Selection)
The C4-104.ULTRA has a single interrupt selection jumper for all four of the ports, which should be set
prior to use, if an interrupt is required by your application software. Consult the user manual for the
application software being used to determine the proper setting.
Figure 2 - Header E1, IRQ Selection (IRQ 3 shown selected)
Clock Modes
The C4-104.ULTRA utilizes a 14.7456 MHz oscillator. This is eight times faster than the standard COM: port
oscillator, which typically is 1.8432 MHz. This allows the adapter to achieve a maximum data rate of 921.6Kbps. The
following sections outline the baud rate calculations and instructions for achieving your desired baud rate.
Baud Rates and Oscillator value
The following table shows some common data rates and the rates you should choose to achieve them
when using the C4-104.ULTRA. If the O/S of choice is Windows 95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP, the oscillator
value (14.7456 MHz) should be entered into the ‘Advanced Tab’ on 95/98/Me/2000/XP Device Manager
applet. Typically this is done automatically when the Sealevel Software driver is loaded.
When using Windows NT, the ‘Advanced Ports’ applet in the Control Panel should be launched and the
oscillator value entered manually in the ‘Advanced’ tab, or all data rates will be eight (8) times the selected
rate. For example if a data rate of 19.2Kbps is selected, the actual data rate will be 153.6Kbps.
When using any other OS (i.e. Linux, or QNX) the following table should be used.
For this Data Rate
Choose this Data Rate
1200 bps
150 bps
2400 bps
300 bps
4800 bps
600 bps
9600 bps
1200 bps
19.2K bps
2400 bps
3 4 5 7 9 10 11 12 15

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57.6 K bps
4800 bps
115.2 K bps
14.4K bps
230.4K bps
28.8K bps
460.8K bps
57.6 K bps
If your communications package allows the use of Baud rate divisors, choose the appropriate divisor from
the following table:
For this Data Rate
Choose this Divisor
1200 bps
768
2400 bps
384
4800 bps
192
9600 bps
96
19.2K bps
48
38.4K bps
24
57.6K bps
12
115.2K bps
8
230.4K bps
4
460.8K bps
2
921.6K bps
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Programmable Features
Each of the ports on the C4-104.ULTRA can be individually configured as an RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485
interface. This is a software selectable feature. Electrical Interface selection (RS-232/422/485), RS-
422/485 termination, and RS-485 ‘Echo’ control are selected via the ‘Control’ port (Base + 8). If the Sealevel
Software Windows drivers are used, this is accomplished as a function of the Device Manager.
Power up default (D3-D0 = 0) = RS-485 without termination.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 3540 Manual | SL9117 9/2022
D3
D2
D1
D0
Control Word Written to
Base +8
Echo
422/485
Termination
Mode
Hex
RS-232
X
X
X
1
1
RS-422 no termination
X
1
0
0
4
RS-422 with termination
X
1
1
0
6
RS-485 no termination no echo
0
0
0
0
0
RS-485 no termination with echo
1
0
0
0
8
RS-485 with termination no echo
0
0
1
0
2
RS-485 with termination with
echo
1
0
1
0
A
Line Termination
Typically, each end of the RS-485 bus must have line-terminating resistors (RS-422 terminates at the receive
end only). One of the unique features of the C4-104.ULTRA is its ability to select this termination via a
control word in the control port. It is completely software selectable, thus reducing the complexity of
cabling typically found in RS-485 implementations. Typically a 120-ohm resistor is across each RS-422/485
input in addition to a 1K-ohm pull-up/pull-down combination that biases the receiver inputs. The C4-
104.ULTRA mimics this typical termination electrically. If multiple C4-104.ULTRA adapters are configured
in an RS-485 network, only the boards on each end should have the termination in place.
RS-485 ‘Echo’
The RS-485 ‘Echo’ is the result of connecting the receiver inputs to the transmitter outputs. Every time a
character is transmitted; it is also received. This can be beneficial if the software can handle echoing (i.e.
using received characters to throttle the transmitter) or it can confuse the system if the software does not.
An RS-485 ‘No Echo’ option is selected by writing the correct control word to the control port.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 3540 Manual | SL9117 9/2022
Installation
Software Installation
Windows Installation
Do not install the Adapter in the machine until the software has been fully installed.
Only users running Windows 7 or newer should utilize these instructions for accessing and
installing the appropriate driver via Sealevel’s website. If you are utilizing an operating system
prior to Windows 7, please contact Sealevel by calling 864.843.4343 or emailing
[email protected] to receive access to the proper driver download and installation
instructions.
1. Begin by locating, selecting, and installing the correct software from the website -
SeaCOM software.
2. Select the “SeaCOM for Windows” download link.
3. The setup file will automatically detect the operating environment and install the
proper components.
To confirm that the SeaCOM driver has been successfully installed, click on the ‘Start’ button, and then
select ‘All Programs’. You should see the ‘SeaCOM’ program folder listed.
You are now ready to proceed with connecting the 3540 to your system. Refer to the Hardware
Installation section for details.