SeaLevel COMM+4.PCI User manual

Part # 7401
Sealevel Systems, Inc
155 Technology Place
P.O. Box 830
Liberty, SC 29657 USA
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
www.sealevel.com
VERSA COMM+4.PCI
USER MANUAL
TM

Contents
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1
OVERVIEW ...........................................................................................1
WHAT’S INCLUDED..............................................................................1
CARD SETUP............................................................................. 2
CLOCK MODES.....................................................................................2
BAUD RATES AND DIVISORS FOR THE ‘DIV1’ MODE............................3
BAUD RATES AND DIVISORS FOR THE ‘DIV2’ MODE............................4
ADDRESS AND IRQ SELECTION.............................................................4
INSTALLATION.......................................................................... 5
OPERATING SYSTEM INSTALLATION ....................................................5
For Windows Users.......................................................................5
Other Operating Systems ..............................................................5
SYSTEM INSTALLATION .......................................................................5
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION ....................................................... 6
INTERRUPTS.........................................................................................6
WHY USE AN ISP?...............................................................................7
CONNECTOR PIN ASSIGNMENTS...........................................................7
DB-25 (RS-232 DTE) (DB-25 MALE)....................................7
DB-9 (EIA-574 DTE) (DB-9 MALE)......................................8
DB-37 (DB-37 MALE).............................................................8
SPECIFICATIONS....................................................................... 9
ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS.......................................................9
POWER CONSUMPTION........................................................................9
MEAN TIME BETWEEN FAILURES (MTBF)..........................................9
PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS........................................................................9
APPENDIX A -TROUBLESHOOTING....................................... 10
PCI COM NUMBER SELECTION IN WINDOWS 95/98.........11
APPENDIX B -HOW TO GET ASSISTANCE............................. 12
APPENDIX C -ELECTRICAL INTERFACE................................ 13
RS-232.............................................................................................13
APPENDIX D -ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS ............ 14
APPENDIX E -SILK-SCREEN.................................................. 15
APPENDIX F -COMPLIANCE NOTICES ................................... 16

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION STATEMENT...................16
EMC DIRECTIVE STATEMENT ...........................................................16
WARRANTY............................................................................ 17
Figures
Figure 1 -Clocking Mode ‘Divide By 4’.........................................................2
Figure 2 -Clocking Mode ‘Divide By 2’.........................................................2
Figure 3 -Clocking Mode ‘Divide By 1’.........................................................2
Figure 4 -Asynchronous Communications Bit Diagram...............................14
© 1999a Sealevel Systems, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Introduction
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 1
Introduction
Overview
The Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI provides the PC with four
RS-232 asynchronous ports. The VERSA COMM+4.PCI allows for connection
to any device utilizing the RS-232 electrical interface, such as modems,
data-entry terminals, and plotters.
What’s Included
The VERSA COMM+4.PCI is shipped with the following items. If any of these
items are missing or damaged, contact the supplier.
•VERSA COMM+4.PCI Serial I/O Adapter
•DB-37 to four DB-25 ‘Spider Cable’ (DB-9 Spider Cable is
available)
•Serial Utility Software
•User Manual

Card Setup
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 2
Card Setup
Clock Modes
The VERSA COMM+4.PCI employs a unique clocking option that allows the
end user to select from divide by 4, divide by 2 and divide by 1 clocking modes.
This mode is selected at J5.
To select the Baud rates commonly associated with COM: ports (i.e. 2400,
4800, 9600, 19.2, … 115.2K Bps) place the jumper in the divide by 4 mode
(silk-screen DIV4).
DIV1
DIV2
DIV4
Figure 1-Clocking Mode ‘Divide By 4’
To double these rates up to a maximum rate for 230.4K bps place the jumper in
the divide by 2 (silk-screen DIV2) position.
DIV1
DIV2
DIV4
Figure 2-Clocking Mode ‘Divide By 2’
To select the maximum data rate (460.8K bps) place the jumper in the divide by
1 (silk-screen DIV1) position.
DIV1
DIV2
DIV4
Figure 3-Clocking Mode ‘Divide By 1’

Card Setup
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 3
Baud Rates and Divisors for the ‘Div1’ mode
The following table shows some common data rates and the rates you should
choose to match them if using the adapter in the ‘Div1’ mode.
For this Data Rate Choose this Data Rate
1200 bps 300 bps
2400 bps 600 bps
4800 bps 1200 bps
9600 bps 2400 bps
19.2K bps 4800 bps
57.6 K bps 9600 bps
115.2 K bps 19.2K bps
230.4K bps 57.6 K bps
460.8K bps 115.2 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 384
2400 bps 192
4800 bps 96
9600 bps 48
19.2K bps 24
38.4K bps 12
57.6K bps 8
115.2K bps 4
230.4K bps 2
460.8K bps 1

Card Setup
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 4
Baud Rates and Divisors for the ‘Div2’ mode
The following table shows some common data rates and the rates you should
choose to match them if using the adapter in the ‘Div2’ mode.
For this Data Rate Choose this Data Rate
1200 bps 600 bps
2400 bps 1200 bps
4800 bps 2400bps
9600 bps 4800 bps
19.2K bps 9600 bps
38.4K bps 19.2K bps
57.6 K bps 38.4K bps
115.2 K bps 57.6 K bps
230.4 K bps 115.2 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 192
2400 bps 96
4800 bps 48
9600 bps 24
19.2K bps 12
38.4K bps 8
57.6K bps 4
115.2K bps 2
230.4K bps 1
Address and IRQ selection
The VERSA COMM+4.PCI is automatically assigned I/O addresses and IRQs
by your motherboard BIOS. Only the I/O address may be modified by the user.
Adding or removing other hardware may change the assignment of I/O
addresses and IRQs.

Installation
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 5
Installation
Operating System Installation
For Windows Users
Start by choosing Install Software at the beginning of the CD. Choose
Asynchronous COM: Port Software, SeaCOM.
Other Operating Systems
Refer to the appropriate section of the Serial Utilities Software.
System Installation
The VERSA COMM+4.PCI can be installed in any of the PCI expansion slots
and contains a single jumper strap that must be set for proper operation. Please
see the Card Setup section of the manual for information on this jumper.
1. When running Windows 9x/NT install software before installing adapter.
2. Turn off PC power. Disconnect the power cord.
3. Remove the PC case cover.
4. Locate an available PCI slot and remove the blank metal slot cover.
5. Gently insert the VERSA COMM+4.PCI into the slot. Make sure that the
adapter is seated properly.
6. Replace the screw.
7. Replace the cover.
8. Connect the power cord.
Installation is complete.

Technical Description
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 6
Technical Description
The VERSA COMM+4.PCI utilizes the 16C554 UART. This chip features
programmable baud rate, data format, interrupt control and a 16-byte input and
output FIFO, and is functionally 4 16C550 UARTs. The 16C654 UART is also
available on this card, which has a 64-byte FIFO as opposed to the 16-byte
FIFO available in the 16C554.
Interrupts
A good description of an interrupt and its importance to the IBM PC can be
found in the book ‘Peter Norton’s Inside the PC, Premier Edition’:
“ One of the key things that makes a computer different from any other kind of
man-made machine is that computers have the capability to respond to the
unpredictable variety of work that comes to them. The key to this capability is a
feature known as interrupts. The interrupt feature enables the computer to
suspend whatever it is doing and switch to something else in response to an
interruption, such as the press of a key on the keyboard.”
A good analogy of a PC interrupt would be the phone ringing. The phone ‘bell’
is a request for us to stop what we are currently doing and take up another task
(speak to the person on the other end of the line). This is the same process the
PC uses to alert the CPU that a task must be preformed. The CPU upon
receiving an interrupt makes a record of what the processor was doing at the
time and stores this information on the ‘stack’; this allows the processor to
resume its predefined duties after the interrupt is handled, exactly where it left
off. Every main sub-system in the PC has it’s own interrupt, frequently called
an IRQ (short for Interrupt ReQuest). The following IRQ table will define the
system IRQs as well as show typically free IRQs.
In these early days of PCs Sealevel Systems decided that the ability to share
IRQs was an important feature for any add-in I/O card. Consider that in the IBM
XT the available IRQs were IRQ0 through IRQ7. Of these interrupts only IRQ2-
5 and IRQ7 were actually available for use. This made the IRQ a very valuable
system resource. To make the maximum use of these system resources
Sealevel Systems devised an IRQ sharing circuit that allowed more than one
port to use a selected IRQ. This worked fine as a hardware solution but
presented the software designer with a challenge to identify the source of the
interrupt. The software designer frequently used a technique referred to as
‘round robin polling’. This method required the interrupt service routine to
‘poll’ or interrogate each UART as to its interrupt pending status. This method
of polling was sufficient for use with slower speed communications, but as
modems increased their through put abilities this method of servicing shared
IRQs became inefficient.

Technical Description
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 7
Why use an ISP?
The answer to the polling inefficiency was the Interrupt Status Port (ISP). The
ISP is a read only 8-bit register that sets a corresponding bit when an interrupt
is pending. Port 1 interrupt line corresponds with Bit D0 of the status port,
Port 2 with D1 etc. The use of this port means that the software designer now
only has to poll a single port to determine if an interrupt is pending.
The ISP is at Base+7 on each port (Example: Base = 280 Hex, Status Port =
287, 28F… etc.). The VERSA COMM+4.PCI will allow any one of the
available locations to be read to obtain the value in the status register. All four
status ports on the VERSA COMM+4.PCI are identical, so any one of the four
can be read.
Example: This indicates that Channel 2 has an interrupt pending.
Bit Position: 76543210
Value Read: 00000010
Note: Bits 4 –7 are not driven and can report back as a 1 or a 0. Most
application software will mask the unused bits to determine if an interrupt is
pending.
Connector Pin Assignments
DB-25 (RS-232 DTE) (DB-25 MALE)
Signal Name Pin # Mode
GND Ground 7
TD Transmit Data 2Output
RTS Request To Send 4Output
DTR Data Terminal Ready 20 Output
RD Receive Data 3Input
CTS Clear To Send 5Input
DSR Data Set Ready 6Input
DCD Data Carrier Detect 8Input
RI Ring Indicator 22 Input
Technical Note: Please terminate any control signals that are not going to be
used. The most common way to do this is connect RTS to CTS and RI. Also,
connect DCD to DTR and DSR. Terminating these pins, if not used, will help
insure you get the best performance from your adapter.

Technical Description
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 8
DB-9 (EIA-574 DTE) (DB-9 MALE)
Signal Name Pin # Mode
GND Ground 5
TD Transmit Data 3Output
RTS Request To Send 7Output
DTR Data Terminal Ready 4Output
RD Receive Data 2Input
CTS Clear To Send 8Input
DSR Data Set Ready 6Input
DCD Data Carrier Detect 1Input
RI Ring Indicator 9Input
DB-37 (DB-37 MALE)
Port # 1234
GND 33 14 24 5
TD 35 12 26 3
RTS 17 30 821
DTR 34 13 25 4
RD 36 11 27 2
CTS 16 31 722
DSR 18 29 920
DCD 37 10 28 1
RI 15 32 623

Specifications
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 9
Specifications
Environmental Specifications
Specification Operating Storage
Temperature Range 0º to 50º C
(32º to 122º F) -20º to 70º C (-4º to 158º F)
Humidity Range 10 to 90% R.H.
Non-Condensing 10 to 90% R.H. Non-Condensing
Power Consumption
Supply line +12 VDC -12 VDC +5 VDC
Rating 60 mA 100 mA 250 mA
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
Greater than 150,000 hours. (Calculated)
Physical Dimensions
Board length 4.9 inches (12.446 cm.)
Board Height including Goldfingers 3.3 inches (8.382 cm.)
Board Height excluding Goldfingers 2.975 inches (7.557 cm.)

Appendix A -Troubleshooting
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 10
Appendix A -Troubleshooting
Serial Utility test software is supplied with the Sealevel Systems adapter and
will be used in the troubleshooting procedures. By using this software and
following these simple steps, most common problems can be eliminated
without the need to call Technical Support.
1. Identify all I/O adapters currently installed in your system. This includes
your on-board serial ports, controller cards, sound cards etc. The I/O
addresses used by these adapters, as well as the IRQ (if any) should be
identified.
2. Configure your Sealevel Systems adapter so that there is no conflict with
currently installed adapters. No two adapters can occupy the same I/O
address.
3. Make sure the Sealevel Systems adapter is using a unique IRQ The IRQ is
typically selected via an on-board header block. Refer to the section on
Card Setup for help in choosing an I/O address and IRQ.
4. Make sure the Sealevel Systems adapter is securely installed in a
motherboard slot.
5. When running DOS, Windows 3.x or other operating systems refer to the
Serial Utilities software for that operating system and the User Manual to
verify that the Sealevel Systems adapter is configured correctly. The
supplied software contains a diagnostic program 'SSD' that runs under DOS
and will verify if an adapter is configured properly. This diagnostic
program is written with the user in mind and is easy to use. Refer to the
DIAG.txt file in the dos\diag directory for detailed instructions on using
'SSD'.
6. For Windows 95/98 and Windows NT, the diagnostic tool 'WinSSD' is
installed in the Sealevel folder on the Start Menu during the setup process.
First find the ports using the Device Manager, then use 'WinSSD' to verify
that the ports are functional.
7. Always use the Sealevel Systems diagnostic software when
troubleshooting a problem. This will help eliminate any software issues
and identify any hardware conflicts.

Appendix A -Troubleshooting
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 11
PCI COM NUMBER SELECTION IN WINDOWS 95/98
When installing a multi-port PCI card in Windows 95 the default starting COM:
number assigned to the first port will be COM:5 if no COM:5 exists. If there is
a COM: 5, 6, etc., the next available COM: number will be assigned to the first
port with all additional ports following in ascending order.
To change the first two ports so that Windows assigns them COM: 3 and COM:
4 port enumeration double click the Systems icon in control panel or right
click on My Computer and choose properties which will bring you to System
Properties. Choose the Device Manager tab and double click on the Multi-
Function Adapter heading. This will show all the information concerning the
Sealevel adapter. Choose the Resources tab, which will show all resources
assigned to the multi-function adapter. Uncheck the Use Automatic Settings
box. Notice that with a two port card there will be three input/output, (I/O),
ranges listed. With a four port card there will be five input/output, (I/O), ranges
listed. The first I/O range is for the PCI bus and should not be changed. The
second and third I/O ranges are the ones that need to be changed in order to
have those ports enumerated as COM: 3 and COM: 4. Double click on the
second I/O range which will allow you to change the address. Highlight the
entire I/O range and type: 03e8–03ef for COM: 3. Click OK. Windows will
inform you that you have made modifications that may affect other devices.
Click OK. Next double click on the third I/O range. Highlight the entire I/O
range and type: 02e8–02ef for COM: 4. Again Windows will inform you that
you have made modifications that may affect other devices. Click OK.
Following these steps will change the COM: number assignments on the first
two ports to
COM: 3 and 4.

Appendix B -How To Get Assistance
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 12
Appendix B -How To Get Assistance
Please refer to Appendix A -Troubleshooting prior to calling Technical
Support.
1. Read this manual thoroughly before attempting to install the
adapter in your system.
2. When calling for technical assistance, please have your user
manual and current adapter settings. If possible, please have the
adapter installed in a computer ready to run diagnostics.
3. Sealevel Systems maintains a Home page on the Internet. Our
home page address is www.sealevel.com. The latest software
updates, and newest manuals are available via our FTP site that can
be accessed from our home page.
4. Technical support is available Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to
5:00 p.m. eastern time. Technical support can be reached at (864)
843-4343.
RETURN AUTHORIZATION MUST BE OBTAINED FROM SEALEVEL
SYSTEMS BEFORE RETURNED MERCHANDISE WILL BE ACCEPTED.
AUTHORIZATION CAN BE OBTAINED BY CALLING SEALEVEL
SYSTEMS AND REQUESTING A RETURN MERCHANDISE
AUTHORIZATION (RMA) NUMBER.

Appendix C -Electrical Interface
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 13
Appendix C -Electrical Interface
RS-232
Quite possibly the most widely used communication standard is RS-232. This
implementation has been defined and revised several times and is often
referred to as RS-232-C/D/E or EIA/TIA-232-C/D/E. It is defined as
“Interface between Data Terminal Equipment and Data Circuit-Terminating
Equipment Employing Serial Binary Data Interchange”. The mechanical
implementation of RS-232 is on a 25-pin D sub connector. The IBM PC
computer defined the RS-232 port on a 9 pin D sub connector and subsequently
the EIA/TIA approved this implementation as the EIA/TIA-574 standard. This
standard has defined as the “9-Position Non-Synchronous Interface between
Data Terminal Equipment and Data Circuit-Terminating Equipment
Employing Serial Binary Data Interchange”. Both implementations are in
wide spread use and will be referred to as RS-232 in this document. RS-232 is
capable of operating at data rates up to 20K bps / 50 ft. The absolute maximum
data rate may vary due to line conditions and cable lengths. RS-232 often
operates at 38.4K bps over very short distances. The voltage levels defined by
RS-232 range from -12 to +12 volts. RS-232 is a single ended or unbalanced
interface, meaning that a single electrical signal is compared to a common
signal (ground) to determine binary logic states. A voltage of +12 volts (usually
+3 to +10 volts) represents a binary 0 (space) and -12 volts (-3to -10 volts)
denote a binary 1 (mark). The RS-232 and the EIA/TIA-574 specification
define two types of interface circuits Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) and Data
Circuit-Terminating Equipment (DCE). The Sealevel Systems Adapter is a DTE
interface.

Appendix D -Asynchronous Communications
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 14
Appendix D -Asynchronous Communications
Serial data communications implies that individual bits of a character are
transmitted consecutively to a receiver that assembles the bits back into a
character. Data rate, error checking, handshaking, and character framing
(start/stop bits) are pre-defined and must correspond at both the transmitting
and receiving ends.
Asynchronous communications is the standard means of serial data
communication for PC compatibles and PS/2 computers. The original PC was
equipped with a communication or COM: port that was designed around an
8250 Universal Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (UART). This device
allows asynchronous serial data to be transferred through a simple and
straightforward programming interface. A starting bit followed by a pre-defined
number of data bits (5, 6, 7, or 8) defines character boundaries for
asynchronous communications. The end of the character is defined by the
transmission of a pre-defined number of stop bits (usually 1, 1.5 or 2). An extra
bit used for error detection is often appended before the stop bits.
Remain Idle or
next start bit
Odd, Even
or
Unused
STOP
P
BIT
5 to 8 Data Bits
Idle state of
line
1
0
1
1.5
2
Figure 4-Asynchronous Communications Bit Diagram
This special bit is called the parity bit. Parity is a simple method of determining
if a data bit has been lost or corrupted during transmission. There are several
methods for implementing a parity check to guard against data corruption.
Common methods are called (E)ven Parity or (O)dd Parity. Sometimes parity
is not used to detect errors on the data stream. This is refereed to as (N)o
parity. Because each bit in asynchronous communications is sent
consecutively, it is easy to generalize asynchronous communications by stating
that each character is wrapped (framed) by pre-defined bits to mark the
beginning and end of the serial transmission of the character. The data rate and
communication parameters for asynchronous communications have to be the
same at both the transmitting and receiving ends. The communication
parameters are baud rate, parity, number of data bits per character, and stop bits
(i.e. 9600,N,8,1).

Appendix E -Silk-Screen
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 15
Appendix E -Silk-Screen
3.3 "
4.9"

Appendix F -Compliance Notices
Sealevel Systems VERSA COMM+4.PCI Page 16
Appendix F -Compliance Notices
Federal Communications Commission Statement
FCC -This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for
Class A digital device, 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
generates, 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 such case the user will be required to
correct the interference at his own expense.
EMC Directive Statement
Products bearing the CE Label fulfill the requirements of the
EMC directive (89/336/EEC) and of the low-voltage directive
(73/23/EEC) issued by the European Commission.
To obey these directives, the following European standards must be met:
•EN55022 Class A-“Limits and methods of measurement of radio
interference characteristics of information technology equipment”
•EN55024-‘Information technology equipment Immunity
characteristics Limits and methods of measurement.
•EN60950 (IEC950) -“Safety of information technology
equipment, including electrical business equipment”
Warning
This is a Class A Product. In a domestic environment this product may cause
radio interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate
measures.
Always use cabling provided with this product if possible. If no cable is
provided or if an alternate cable is required, use high quality shielded cabling to
maintain compliance with FCC/EMC directives.