SeaLevel SeaLINK+8/232.RJ User manual

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2804 Manual | SL9171 6/2021
SeaLINK+8/232.RJ
User Manual | 2804

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2804 Manual | SL9171 6/2021
Contents
CONTENTS...........................................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................3
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED ...............................................................................................................................5
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS.....................................................................................................7
PHYSICAL INSTALLATION.................................................................................................................................. 8
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION .................................................................................................................................9
ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS .....................................................................................................................11
SPECIFICATIONS ...............................................................................................................................................12
APPENDIX A –TROUBLESHOOTING................................................................................................................13
APPENDIX B –HOW TO GET ASSISTANCE .....................................................................................................14
APPENDIX C –ELECTRICAL INTERFACE ........................................................................................................15
APPENDIX D –ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS ..................................................................................16
APPENDIX E –SILK SCREEN - 2804 PCB.........................................................................................................17
APPENDIX F –COMPLIANCE NOTICES...........................................................................................................18
WARRANTY ........................................................................................................................................................19

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2804 Manual | SL9171 6/2021
Introduction
The Sealevel Systems SeaLINK+8/232.RJ (Item# 2804) is a USB device that equips the PC with eight RS-
232 Asynchronous serial ports that support TX, RX, RTS, and CTS and data rates up to 115.2K baud. The
2804 is housed in an attractive plastic enclosure with a high-retention USB type "B" connector that prevents
accidental disconnection of the included USB cable.
The 2804 is USB bus powered, so no external power supply is required. For conveniently powering serial
peripherals, ordering options allow an external power source up to be connected to a DC jack on the rear of
the unit. The supplied power is fused and connected to pin 5 on each of the eight RJ45 connectors.
The SeaLINK+8/232.RJ is designed to be used with a variety of Operating Systems including Windows
98/ME/2000/XP. The SeaCOM API (Application Programmer Interface) included on CD with the
SeaLINK+8/232.RJ provides a variety of useful high-level function calls implemented as a Windows
dynamic link library (DLL). In addition to the API, SeaCOM includes sample code and utilities to simplify
software development.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2804 Manual | SL9171 6/2021
Sealevel USB Serial I/O Product Family
Model #
Part #
Description
SeaLINK+232
2101
- 1-Port RS-232 DB25
SeaLINK+232
2105
- 1-Port RS-232 DB9
SeaLINK+485
2102
- 1-Port RS-422/485/530 DB25
SeaLINK+232I
2103
- 1-Port Isolated RS-232 DB25
SeaLINK+485I
2104
- 1-Port Isolated RS-422/485/530 DB25
SeaLINK+422
2106
- 1-Port RS-422 Cable DB9
SeaLINK+232.PC
2108
- 1-Port Embedded RS-232 Box Header
SeaLINK+2/232
2201
- 2-Port RS-232 DB9
SeaLINK+2/485
2202
- 2-Port RS-422/485 DB9
SeaLINK+2
2203
- 2-Port RS-232/422/485 DB9
SeaLINK+2/232.PC
2208
- 2-Port Embedded RS-232 Box Header
SeaLINK+4/232
2401
- 4-Port RS-232 DB9
SeaLINK+4/485
2402
- 4-Port RS-422/485 DB9
SeaLINK+4
2403
- 4-Port RS-232/422/485 DB9
SeaLINK+4/232.RJ
2404
- 4-Port RS-232 RJ45
SeaLINK+4.VC
2407
- 4-Port RS-232/485 VersaCom
SeaLINK+8/232
2801
- 8-Port RS-232 DB9
SeaLINK+8/485
2802
- 8-Port RS-422/485 DB9
SeaLINK+8
2803
- 8-Port RS-232/422/485 DB9
SeaLINK+8/232.RJ
2804
- 8-Port RS-232 RJ45
SeaLINK+8.VC
2807
- 8-Port RS-232/485 VersaCom
SeaLINK+16/232.RJ
2161
- 16-Port RS-232 RJ45
SeaLINK+16.VC
2167
- 16-Port RS-232/485 VersaCom

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2804 Manual | SL9171 6/2021
Before You Get Started
What’s Included
The SeaLINK+8/232.RJ is shipped with the following items. If any of these items is missing or damaged,
please contact Sealevel for replacement.
•Item# 2804 –SeaLINK+8/232.RJ USB 8-Port Serial Device
•Item# CA179 –72” USB ‘A’ to ‘B’ Device Cable
•Item# LB116 –RS-232 RJ45 Serial Loopback
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. 2804 Manual | SL9171 6/2021
Optional Items
Depending upon your application, you are likely to find one or more of the following items useful for
interfacing the SeaLINK+8/232.RJ. All items can be purchased from our website (http://www.sealevel.com)
or by calling 864-843-4343.
•DB9 Male to RJ45 Modular Adapter (Item# RJ9P-232)
Preconfigured for use with the SeaLINK+8/232.RJ, this modular adapter converts the RJ45 RS-232
pinout from the SeaLINK+8/232.RJ to a DB9 male RS-232 serial port. Standard CAT5 patch cables
can be used to extend the serial port up to 50 feet away from the SeaLINK+8/232.RJ.
•DB25 Male to RJ45 Modular Adapter (Item# RJ25P-232)
Preconfigured for use with the SeaLINK+8/232.RJ, this modular adapter converts the RJ45 RS-232
pinout from the SeaLINK+8/232.RJ to a DB25 male RS-232 serial port. Standard CAT5 patch cables
can be used to extend the serial port up to 50 feet away from the SeaLINK+8/232.RJ.
•DB9 Male to RJ45 Modular Adapter (Item# RJ9P8)
The RJ9P8 includes an RJ45 connector and converts it to a DB9 Male connector, which allows the
use of standard twisted pair cabling. The RJ9P8 ships unassembled and can be configured for
virtually any pin out.
•DB25 Male to RJ45 Modular Adapter (Item# RJ25P8)
The RJ25P8 includes an RJ45 connector and converts it to a DB25 Male connector, which allows the
use of standard twisted pair cabling. The RJ25P8 ships unassembled and can be configured for
virtually any pin out.
•USB ‘A’ to ‘A’ Extension Cable, 3 Meters in Length (Item# CA214)
The CA214 is a fully rated USB extension cable that allows adding 3 meters (USB maximum of 5
meters) to any existing USB cable. The cable has a type ‘A’ male connector on one end and a type ‘A’
female connector on the other end.
•RJ45 Patch Cable, 7’ in Length (Item# CA246)
Standard 7’ CAT5 patch cable with one-to-one pinout.
•RJ45 Patch Cable, 10’ in Length (Item# CA247)
Standard 10’ CAT5 patch cable with one-to-one pinout.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2804 Manual | SL9171 6/2021
Software Installation Instructions
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista™ Operating Systems
Do not connect the device to a USB port until the software is installed.
1. Begin by locating, selecting, and installing the correct SeaCOM software from the Sealevel software
driver database.
2. Select the Part Number (2804) for your device from the listing.
3. The setup file will automatically detect the operating environment and install the proper
components. Follow the information presented on the installation screens that follow.
4. A screen may appear with the declaration: “The publisher cannot be determined due to the
problems below: Authenticode signature not found.” Please select the ‘Yes’ button and proceed
with the installation. This declaration simply means that the Operating System is not aware of the
driver being loaded. It will not cause any harm to your system.
5. During setup, you may specify installation directories and other preferred configurations. This
program also adds entries to the system registry that are necessary for specifying the operating
parameters for each driver. An uninstall option is included to remove the driver and all registry/INI
file entries from your system.
6. Proceed with the physical installation of your SeaLINK USB serial adapter.
Windows NT is not USB aware and thus cannot support this device.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2804 Manual | SL9171 6/2021
Physical Installation
The SeaLINK+8/232.RJ can be connected to any spare USB port.
Do not connect the device to a USB port until the software is installed.
1. Connect the SeaLINK+8/232.RJ to a USB port with the supplied CA179 USB device cable.
2. The software drivers installed during setup will automatically recognize and configure the device.
3. You should see one or more “New Hardware Found” windows, indicating the actual device being
created.
The installation will repeat twice for each COM port (a total of 16 times on the SeaLINK+8/232.RJ).
This is a limitation in the way Windows installs external serial devices.
4. Next, view your system’s Device Manager.
5. You should have new COM: ports in the Ports (COM & LPT) Device Class indicating the installation
was successful.
6. You can access your new COM: port by using the assigned COM: identifier. This assignment will
vary from system to system.
7. To verify operation use Sealevel Systems supplied WinSSD diagnostic utility. WinSSD can be found
in the Start, Programs group.
The SeaLINK+8/232.RJ is now ready for use.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2804 Manual | SL9171 6/2021
Technical Description
The SeaLINK+8/232.RJ utilizes eight USB UARTs. These chips feature programmable baud rate, data
format, 128 byte Dual Port TX Buffer, and 384 byte Dual Port RX Buffer. The transceivers support data rates
up to 921.6K bps.
Connector Pin Assignments (RJ45)
Signal
Name
Pin #
Mode
NC
No Connect
1
RTS
Request To Send
2
Output
TX
Transmit Data
3
Output
GND
Ground
4
NC
No Connect
5
RX
Receive Data
6
Input
CTS
Clear To Send
7
Input
NC
No Connect
8
DCD, DSR, and RI are inputs that are not brought out on the RJ45 connector. DSR and DCD are
biased active, and RI is biased inactive.

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2804 Manual | SL9171 6/2021
Optional DC Power on Pin 5
The 2804 is USB bus powered, so no external power supply is required. For conveniently powering serial
peripherals, ordering options allow an external power source up to be connected to a DC jack on the rear of
the unit. The supplied power is connected to pin 5 on each of the eight RJ45 connectors. Each serial port
utilizes an auto-resetting fuse rated at 500mA. Ordering options are shown below:
•Item# 2804-DC05
Configured for 5VDC input power using a 2.1mm DC jack
•Item# 2804-DC12
Configured for 12VDC input power using a 1.3mm DC jack
•Item# 2804-DC24
Configured for 24VDC input power using a 1.3mm DC jack
Optional RJ45 to DB9 RS-232 Adapter
Preconfigured for use with Sealevel USB RJ45-enabled serial adapters, the RJ45 to DB9 modular adapter
(item# RJ9P-232) converts the RJ45 RS-232 pin out to a DB9 male RS-232 serial port. Standard CAT5 patch
cables can be used to extend the serial port up to 50 feet away from the RJ45 port. The pin out for the
RJ9P-232 is shown below.