SeaLevel SeaLINK+2/PC.SC User manual

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2228 Manual | SL9205 8/2021
SeaLINK+2/PC.SC
User Manual | 2228

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2228 Manual | SL9205 8/2021
Contents
CONTENTS............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 2
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
OPTIONAL ITEMS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
INSTALLATION & CONFIGURATION .................................................................................................................................................................................7
HARDWARE INSTALLATION............................................................................................................................................................................................12
VERIFYING INSTALLATION..............................................................................................................................................................................................16
HARDWARE CONFIGURATION ........................................................................................................................................................................................17
HARDWARE DESCRIPTION ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 21
ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS .......................................................................................................................................................................................22
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS.........................................................................................................................................................................................24
APPENDIX A –TROUBLESHOOTING.............................................................................................................................................................................25
APPENDIX B –HOW TO GET ASSISTANCE..................................................................................................................................................................28
APPENDIX C –ELECTRICAL INTERFACES....................................................................................................................................................................29
APPENDIX D –ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS............................................................................................................................................. 31
APPENDIX E –CAD DRAWINGS - 2228 ......................................................................................................................................................................32
APPENDIX F –COMPLIANCE NOTICES.........................................................................................................................................................................33
WARRANTY ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................34

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2228 Manual | SL9205 8/2021
Introduction
Overview
The Sealevel’s SeaLINK® 2228 is a dual-port embedded USB to multi-interface serial adapter intended for
mounting directly to a computer chassis, eliminating the need for an external converter, and providing a
clean, professional installation. All configuration and electrical interface selections are handled through the
driver, so you never need to open the enclosure to set jumpers or switches. Each serial port is individually
software configurable for RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485 with the electrical interface settings maintained
locally, allowing the host computer to be repaired or upgraded without reconfiguring the serial ports.
Sealevel SeaCOM USB software drivers and utilities make installation and operation easy for Windows
98SE, ME, 2000, XP, and Vista operating systems. Once the software is installed, plug the 2228 into an
available USB port and each port is recognized as a standard COM port by the host system enabling
compatibility with legacy software. Serial data rates to 921.6K bps are supported.
The 2228 includes a standard sized PC bracket and ships with an internal USB cable (Item# CA260) that is
compatible with many EBX and larger sized motherboards with 0.1" USB header connectors. For EPIC and
smaller sized motherboards, an internal USB cable with a 2mm header connector (Item# CA383) is
available as an option. Standard operating temperature range is 0°C to 70°C and extended temperature
range (-40°C to 85°C) is optional.
Features
•Each port is individually software configurable for RS-232, RS-422, and two-wire or four-
wire RS-485
•High speed UART with 128-byte Tx FIFO and 384-byte Rx FIFO
•Automatic hardware RS-485 enable/disable
•Two DB9M connectors –each serial port supports data rates to 921.6K bps
•Powered by USB host connection
•Full modem control signals implemented in RS-232 mode
•Includes 14” internal USB header cable (Item# CA260)

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2228 Manual | SL9205 8/2021
Before You Get Started
What’s Included
The SeaLINK+2/PC.SC is shipped with the following items. If any of these items is missing or damaged,
please contact Sealevel for replacement.
•2228 –USB to RS-232/422/485 Two Port Serial Interface Adapter
•CA260 –Internal USB Header Cable, 14” in Length (compatible with many EBX and larger
sized motherboards with 0.1" USB header connectors)
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. 2228 Manual | SL9205 8/2021
Optional Items
Depending upon your application, you are likely to find one or more of the following items useful. All items
can be purchased from our website (http://www.sealevel.com) or by calling our sales team at 864-843-
4343.
Cables
Internal USB Cable for 2mm Box Headers
(Item# CA383)
The CA383 cable has a 1x4 2mm Molex connector for
connecting to Sealevel embedded USB products. The
other end has a 1x4 2mm box header connector found
on very small motherboards.
Internal USB Cable for 2mm Molex Connectors
(Item# CA382)
The CA383 cable has a 1x4 2mm Molex connector for
connecting to Sealevel embedded USB products. The
other end has a 1x4 2mm Molex connector compatible
with Sealevel embedded USB hubs and other devices.
DB9F to DB25M (RS-232) Extension Cable
(Item# CA177)
The CA177 is a standard AT-style RS-232 modem cable
with a DB9F connector on one end and a DB25M
connector on the other. This cable is 72 inches in length.
DB9F to DB9M Extension Cable
(Item# CA127)
The CA127 allows users to extend a DB9 cable up to six
feet. The connectors are pinned one-to-one so the cable
is compatible with any device or cable that has DB9
connectors.

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OPTIONAL ITEMS, CONTINUED
Terminal Blocks
Terminal Block –DB9F to 9 Screw Terminals
(Item# TB05)
The TB05 terminal block breaks out a DB9 connector to
nine screw terminals to simplify field wiring of serial
connections including RS-422 and RS-485 networks.
The TB05 is designed to connect directly to Sealevel
DB9 serial cards or any cable with a DB9M connector.
Terminal Block –Dual DB9F to 18 Screw Terminals
(Item# TB06)
The TB06 terminal block breaks out dual DB9
connectors to 18 screw terminals to simplify field wiring
of serial connections including RS-422 and RS-485
networks. The TB06 is designed to connect directly to
Sealevel dual port DB9 serial cards or any cable with
DB9M connectors.
Adapters and Converters
DB9F to RJ45 Modular Adapter
(Item# RJ9S8)
The RJ9S8 is a DB9 female to RJ45 adapter. It can be
configured without tools, and it is an excellent choice
for using available infrastructure wiring.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2228 Manual | SL9205 8/2021
Installation & Configuration
SeaCOM Software Installation
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista™ Operating Systems
Do not connect the device to a USB port until the software has been successfully installed.
1. To obtain the most current software driver package from Sealevel’s website, download from here:
•SeaCOM for Windows
•SeaCOM for Linux
2. Click on the SeaCOM link in the ‘Downloads’ section to download the current driver.
3. Once downloaded, double-click on the executable to launch the InstallShield wizard and initiate
the driver installation.
To install Sealevel Systems software, you must log in as an administrator or have administrator
privileges in Windows.

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SOFTWARE INSTALLATION, CONTINUED
4. When the ‘SeaCOM - InstallShield Wizard’ window appears, click the ‘Next’ button to initiate the
software installation.
5. When the ‘License Agreement’ window appears, accept the terms, and click ‘Next’ to continue.
You can click the ‘Print’ button to print out a copy of the agreement for your records. If you do
not accept the terms of the agreement, the installation will stop.

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SOFTWARE INSTALLATION, CONTINUED
6. When the ‘Ready to Install the Program’ window appears, click the ‘Install’ button to install the
software. The files will be automatically installed into the ‘C:\Program Files (x86)’ folder on
your computer.
7. A dialog box will appear, as shown, with important information. Click the ‘OK’ button to continue.
8. During installation, you may receive a warning dialog stating, “The publisher cannot be
determined due to the problems below: Authenticode signature not found.” Click the ‘Yes’
button to proceed with the installation. This declaration means that SeaCOM has not been
certified by Microsoft’s testing labs.
All SeaCOM software and drivers have been fully tested by Sealevel. Clicking ‘Yes’ will not harm
your system.

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SOFTWARE INSTALLATION, CONTINUED
9. If SeaCOM has been previously installed on your computer, you do not need to install it again.
If you are upgrading SeaCOM, you should remove the previous version before installing the
latest version. Refer to the ‘Uninstall & Upgrade Instructions’ section of this manual; otherwise,
click ‘OK’ to continue.
10. The setup file will automatically detect the operating environment and install the proper
components. Once the installation is complete, click ‘Finish’ and close the SeaCOM installer
window.
11. You have completed the software driver installation process.
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.

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SOFTWARE INSTALLATION, CONTINUED
Linux Installation
Refer to Linux Archives - Sealevel. This link contains valuable information on installing your serial adapter
in the various Linux releases. Also included is a series of files explaining proper Linux syntax and typical
Linux serial implementations.
Third Party Software Support
Third party software support for many HMI/MMI and other process control software is also available from
the Sealevel software database. For the most up to date information on third party software support, please
visit the 3rd-Party Software Archives - Sealevel.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2228 Manual | SL9205 8/2021
Hardware Installation
Do not connect the device to a USB port on your motherboard until the software has been
successfully installed.
The 2228 requires no user hardware configuration and can be installed in any spare PC bracket location.
To install the 2228, locate an available PC slot in your system. Remove the blank plate and install the 2228
and secure the screw or tab (included with your system). Alternatively, the bracket can be removed, and the
board can be panel mounted. Connect the embedded USB cable to the board and plug into an available
USB header connector on the motherboard.
The following instructions were tested with Windows XP and may vary based on your version of Windows.
Once the device has been installed, power up the system. The Found New Hardware wizard will appear
first for the root hub and then for each port that you are installing. Follow the instructions on the following
page to finish installation.
The installation will repeat twice for each COM port (a total of 4 times on two port devices). This is a
limitation in the way Windows installs USB serial devices.
1. A ‘Found New Hardware’ alert will appear above the system tray as shown below.
2. The ‘Found New Hardware Wizard’ will appear.

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HARDWARE INSTALLATION, CONTINUED
3. Choose ‘No, not this time’ and click ‘Next’ to proceed.
4. Choose ‘Install the software automatically’ and click ‘Next’.

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HARDWARE INSTALLATION, CONTINUED
5. The ‘Hardware Wizard’ will search for the proper drivers; however, it may be interrupted by a
message stating that the hardware has not passed Windows certification. Click on ‘Continue
Anyway’.
All SeaCOM software and drivers have been fully tested by Sealevel. Clicking ‘Continue anyway’ will
not harm your system.
6. The appropriate drivers for your SeaLINK device and version of Windows will be installed as
shown.

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HARDWARE INSTALLATION, CONTINUED
7. Click ‘Finish’ to complete the installation of your hardware.
8. The ‘Found New Hardware Wizard’ appears a second time; repeat steps 4-8.
9. When the ‘Found New Hardware’ alert informs you that your hardware is installed and ready to
use, you can proceed with verifying the installation to check functionality and/or locate the
COM port assignments, if necessary.

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Verifying Installation
To confirm that the serial ports have been successfully installed, look in Device Manager under ‘Ports (COM
& LPT)’. The COM assignments will be included with the associated COM numbers in parentheses.
To access Device Manager in Windows 10:
1. Right-click on the Start button (Windows logo).
2. In the fly-out menu, click ‘Device Manager’.
3. Continue with step 4 below.
To access Device Manager in Windows 7:
1. Right-click on ‘Computer’ in the Start menu.
2. Click ‘Manage’ in the fly-out menu to launch the ‘Computer Management’ console window.
3. In the left pane under ‘System Tools’, click ‘Device Manager’.
4. In right pane near the bottom, expand the ‘Ports (COM & LPT)’ section by clicking the ‘>’ symbol.
Your system will assign the next available COM numbers, which will vary by computer (COM 6-7 as
shown in this example).
5. You should now see the COM assignments with the associated COM numbers in parentheses.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2228 Manual | SL9205 8/2021
Hardware Configuration
Electrical Interface Mode Selection
The SeaLINK 2228 offers RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485 (full and half duplex) modes. The electrical interface
is a software selectable feature that can be accessed and changed using the Sealevel SeaCOM driver via
Device Manager. To select the electrical interface, follow the steps below:
1. Open Device Manager and locate ‘Ports (COM&LPT)’ following the steps above. You
should see each of the 2228’s ports listed.
2. Select one of the ports by right-clicking on it and selecting ‘Properties’ from the fly out
menu. The serial port properties menu will appear
3. Click on the ‘Interface Settings’ tab.
The Sealevel SeaCOM driver adds the ‘Interface Settings’ tab. If this tab is missing, SeaCOM is not
correctly installed.
4. Select the appropriate electrical interface for your application and click on ‘OK’.

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HARDWARE CONFIGURATION, CONTINUED
The electrical interface settings are maintained across multiple computers. Once the SeaCOM
software driver has been installed on target computers, the 2228 can easily be moved from one
computer to another without having to configure the electrical interface at each computer.
Interface Biasing
1K-ohm pull up/pull down combination resistors bias the receiver inputs and are handled automatically for
each mode. The pull-up (PU) and pull-down (PD) resistor settings are shown in the table below.
Mode
PU Setting
PD Setting
RS-232
Always Off
Always Off
RS-422
Always Off
Always Off
RS-485
Always On
Always On
Line Termination
A 120-ohm resistor is across each RS-422/485 input. If multiple devices are configured in an RS-485
network, only the devices on each end should have the termination in place.
Termination configuration is software selectable for both full- and half-duplex RS-485. By default, line
termination is disabled, and this configuration can be set by placing a check next to ‘Enable Termination’
in the ‘RS-485 Advanced Configuration’ field, as shown in the image below.

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HARDWARE CONFIGURATION, CONTINUED
Electrical Specificiations

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HARDWARE CONFIGURATION, CONTINUED
ECHO
The RS-485 ‘Echo’ is the result of connecting the receiver inputs to the transmitter outputs. Each 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), but it can also confuse the system if the software
cannot support echoing.
Echo configuration is software selectable for half-duplex RS-485. By default, ECHO is disabled, and this
configuration can be set by placing a check next to ‘Enable Echo’ in the ‘RS-485 Advanced Configuration’
field, as pictured below.