SeaLevel SeaLINK/PC.SC User manual

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2128 Manual | SL9206 6/2021
SeaLINK/PC.SC
User Manual | 2128

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 2128 Manual | SL9206 6/2021
Contents
CONTENTS...........................................................................................................................................................2
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED ...............................................................................................................................4
INSTALLATION & CONFIGURATION...................................................................................................................7
HARDWARE DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................................15
ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS.........................................................................................................................16
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS..........................................................................................................................18
APPENDIX A –TROUBLESHOOTING................................................................................................................19
APPENDIX B –HOW TO GET ASSISTANCE .....................................................................................................20
APPENDIX C –ELECTRICAL INTERFACES ......................................................................................................21
APPENDIX D –ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS ..................................................................................22
APPENDIX E –CAD DRAWINGS - 2128............................................................................................................23
APPENDIX F - COMPLIANCE NOTICES ............................................................................................................24
WARRANTY ........................................................................................................................................................25

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Introduction
Sealevel’s SeaLINK® 2128 is a single-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. The serial port is 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 port.
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 2128 into an available
USB port and the serial 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 2128 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
•Serial port is 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
•One DB9M connector –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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Before You Get Started
What’s Included
The SeaLINK/PC.SC is shipped with the following items. If any of these items are missing or damaged,
please contact Sealevel for replacement.
•2128 –USB to RS-232/422/485 Single Port Serial Interface Adapter
•CA260 –Internal USB Header Cable, 14” in Length
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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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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Terminal Blocks
Adapters and Converters
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.
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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Installation & Configuration
SeaCOM Software Installation
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista™ Operating Systems
Do not install the Adapter in the machine until the software has been fully installed.
1. Begin by locating, selecting, and installing the correct software from the Sealevel software
driver database.
2. Select the Part Number (2128) for your device from the listing.
3. Click the ‘Download Now’ button ‘SeaCOM for Windows V3.75.’
4. The setup file will automatically detect the operating environment and install the proper
components.
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.
For additional software support, please call Sealevel Systems’ Technical Support, [phone]. Our
technical support is free and available from 8:00AM-5PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. For
email support contact: supp[email protected].
3RD PARTY SOFTWARE SUPPORT
For the most up to date information on third party software support, please visit
https://www.sealevel.com/support/3rd-party-software-support/.

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Hardware Installation
Do not connect the device to a USB port on your motherboard until the software has been
successfully installed.
The 2128 requires no user hardware configuration and can be installed in any spare PC bracket location.
To install the 2128, locate an available PC slot in your system. Remove the blank plate and install the 2128
and secure the screw or tab (included with your system). Alternately, 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 (twice on single 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 (the single port model name will
be “SeaLINK/PC.SC”).
2. The ‘Found New Hardware Wizard’ will appear.

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3. Choose ‘No, not this time’ and click ‘Next’ to proceed.
4. Choose ‘Install the software automatically’ and click ‘Next’ (the single port model name will be
“SeaLINK/PC.SC”).
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.

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6. The appropriate drivers for your SeaLINK device and version of Windows will be installed as shown
(the single port model name will be “SeaLINK/PC.SC”).
7. Click ‘Finish’ to complete the installation of your hardware (the single port model name will be
“SeaLINK/PC.SC”).
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 drivers have been successfully installed, you can look in Device Manager under ‘Ports
(COM &LPT)’ and each of the ports you installed will be included on the list with their associated COM
numbers. To access Device Manager, follow the steps below:
1. Right-click on the ‘My Computer’ icon on your desktop or in the Start menu.
2. Click on ‘Properties’ in the fly out menu to launch the ‘System Properties’ window.
3. Click on the ‘Hardware’ tab and then click on the ‘Device Manager’ button.
4. When Device Manager launches, look under ‘Ports (COM & LPT)’ to verify that the serial ports have
been correctly installed (screenshot of 2228 shown; only one port will be listed for the 2128).
Your system will assign the nest available COM numbers which may vary for each computer used.

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Hardware Configuration
Electrical Interface Mode Selection
The 2128 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 the 2128’s port listed.
2. Select the port 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 (screenshot of 2228 shown).
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’.
The electrical interface settings are maintained across multiple computers. Once the SeaCOM
software driver has been installed on target computers, the 2128 can easily be moved from one
computer to another without having to configure the electrical interface at each computer.

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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 (screenshot of 2228 shown).

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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 (screenshot of 2228 shown).

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Hardware Description
Standard Height PC Bracket
The 2128 includes a standard-height PC bracket intended for mounting directly to a computer chassis. The
board can be installed in any available PC slot in your computer. The PC bracket can be removed and the
board panel-mounted using the included jack screws.
Embedded USB Connector
The 2128 has a right-angle 4-pin 2mm locking header connector. The header is used for attaching the
included USB cable (Item# CA260), which connects to most common motherboards. Additional cables are
available as accessories. The mating connector is Molex# 35507-0400.
DB9M Serial Connectors
The 2128 includes one DB9M serial connector with full modem control signals implemented in RS-232
mode. Pin outs for the connector is included in the following Electrical Specifications section.

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Electrical Specifications
The 2128 connects to a single USB port and provides one RS-232/422/485 software configurable serial
port. The 2128 utilizes high speed USB/UARTs with 128-byte Tx FIFOs and 384-byte Rx FIFOs. The chips
feature programmable baud rates and data rates to 921.6K bps.
Connector Pinouts
RS-232 (DB9 Male)
Pin #
Signal
1
DCD
2
RX
3
TX
4
DTR
5
GND
6
DSR
7
RTS
8
CTS
9
RI
RS-422 & RS-485 Four-Wire (DB9 Male)
Pin #
Signal
1
RX+
2
RX-
3
TX-
4
TX+
5
GND
Pins 6-9 are ‘no connect’.

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RS-485 Two-Wire (DB9 Male)
Pin #
Signal
3
DATA-
4
DATA+
5
GND
Pins 1, 2, 6-9 are ‘no connect’.

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Technical Specifications
Environmental Specifications
Specification
Operating
Storage
Temperature Range
0º to 70º C (32º to 158º F)
-50º to 105º C (-58º to 221º F)
Humidity Range
10 to 90% R.H. Non-Condensing
10 to 90% R.H. Non-Condensing
Manufacturing
This device should be plugged directly into a USB port on your computer capable of supplying 200 mA per
port. Some computers running on battery power may not provide the 200mA necessary to power this device.
Physical Dimensions
Length
2.9 inches (7.4 cm)
Width
2.4 inches (6.0 cm)
Height
0.6 inches (15.2 cm)
Power Requirements
This device should be plugged directly into a USB port on your computer capable of supplying 200 mA per
port. Some computers running on battery power may not provide the 200mA necessary to power this device.

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Appendix A –Troubleshooting
The adapter should provide years of trouble-free service. However, in the event that it appears to be
functioning incorrectly, the following tips can eliminate most common problems without the need to call
Technical Support.
1. Ensure that the Sealevel Systems SeaCOM software has been installed on the machine so that
the necessary files are in place to complete the installation. To confirm installation, click on
the Windows ‘Start’ button and then select ‘All Programs’. You should see the ‘SeaCOM’
program folder listed.
The SeaCOM driver must be installed before the adapter is connected to your computer.
2. Check to make sure that USB support is enabled and functioning properly in the operating
system. The presence of the ‘Universal Serial Bus controllers’ listing in Device Manager will
confirm that USB support is enabled in Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, or Vista operating
systems.
3. While Device Manager is open, locate the COM ports (described under “Verifying Installation”
in the Installation and Configuration section of this manual).
4. Once you have confirmed that the COM ports are listed in Device Manager, you can use the
Sealevel WinSSD utility, and a loopback plug to test communications. Detailed help is included
in the WinSSD utility.
•If you have a loopback plug, put it on the DB9 connector that you want to test. If you
don’t have a loopback plug, contact Technical Support for assistance.
•If you’re testing RS-485 mode, you’ll need to have ECHO enabled otherwise the
following test will fail. Refer to the Hardware Configuration section for instructions on
enabling ECHO.
•To test communications, launch the WinSSD utility in the SeaCOM folder under the
‘Start’ menu.
If these steps do not solve your problem, please call Sealevel Systems’ Technical Support, [phone].
Our technical support is free and available from 8:00AM-5PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. For
email support contact: [e-mail].

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Appendix B –How To Get Assistance
Please refer to: Appendix A -- Troubleshooting Guide prior to calling Technical Support.
Begin by reading through the Trouble Shooting Guide in Appendix A. If assistance is still
needed, please see below.
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.
Sealevel Systems provides an FAQ section on its web site. Please refer to this to answer many
common questions. This section can be found at http://www.sealevel.com/faq.asp.
Sealevel Systems maintains a web page on the Internet. Our home page address
is www.sealevel.com. The latest software updates, and newest manuals are available via our
web site.
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 [phone].
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.