SeaLevel ULTRA COMM+8.PCIe User manual

1
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
COMM+8.PCIe
User Manual | 7803e

2
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Contents
INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................................................................................................3
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED..............................................................................................................................................................................................4
HARDWARE DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................................................................................................6
PCI Express Board ..................................................................................................................................................6
68 PIN Board Connector.........................................................................................................................................6
DB25M Serial Connectors ......................................................................................................................................6
HARDWARE CONFIGURATION ..........................................................................................................................................................................................7
Address and IRQ selection .....................................................................................................................................7
Clock Modes...........................................................................................................................................................7
Baud Rates.............................................................................................................................................................7
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION ...............................................................................................................................................................................................8
Windows Installation ...............................................................................................................................................8
Linux Installation......................................................................................................................................................9
Upgrading to the Current SeaCOM Driver ...............................................................................................................10
Linux Support ...........................................................................................................................................................10
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION...............................................................................................................................................................................................11
RS-232 (CA-202 DB-25) CONNECTOR PIN ASSIGNMENTS ...............................................................................................11
RS-232 68-PIN).....................................................................................................................................................12
SPECIFICATIONS...............................................................................................................................................................................................................13
Environmental Specifications...............................................................................................................................13
Manufacturing.....................................................................................................................................................13
Power Consumption.............................................................................................................................................13
APPENDIX B – HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS.................................................................................................................................................................15
APPENDIX C – ELECTRICAL INTERFACE......................................................................................................................................................................16
APPENDIX D – ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS..............................................................................................................................................17
APPENDIX E – MECHANICAL DRAWING......................................................................................................................................................................18
APPENDIX F – COMPLIANCE NOTICES.........................................................................................................................................................................19
WARRANTY ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................20

3
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Introduction
The Sealevel COMM+8.PCIe is an eight-channel RS-232 PCI express Bus serial I/O adapter supporting data
rates up to 921.6Kbps.
The RS-232 compatibility allows for connection to devices utilizing the RS-232 electrical interface, such as
modems, data-entry terminals, and plotters.
The COMM+8.PCIe will operate on x1, x4, x8 or x16 PCIe bus slots.
Features
•OXPCIe958 buffered UART with 128-byte FIFOs
•Oscillator and clock prescaler support wide range of baud rates
•Supports 9-bit protocol framing
•Each port supports data rates to 921.6 kbps
•PCI Express x1 compliant
•Compatible with all standard size PCI Express slots
•All modem control signals implemented in RS-232 mode
•Included 36" cable terminates to eight DB25M connectors (Item# CA202)

4
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Before You Get Started
What’s Included
The COMM+8.PCIe is shipped with the following items. If any of these items are missing or damaged,
please contact Sealevel for replacement.
•COMM+8.PCIe Serial I/O Adapter
7803e – PCI Express Board with Low Profile PC Bracket
7803eS – PCI Express Board with Standard Height PC Bracket
•CA202 – 68 pin to (8) DB25 Male Cable
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.

5
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Optional Items
Depending upon your application, you are likely to find one or more of the following items useful with the
COMM+8.PCIe. All items can be purchased from our website (www.sealevel.com) by calling our sales team
at [phone].
Terminal Block Kit (Item# KT106)
Terminal Block Kit - TB06 + (2) CA127 Cables
Terminal Block Kit (Item# KT105)
Terminal Block Kit - TB05 + CA127 Cable

6
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Hardware Description
PCI Express Board
The 7803e is a low profile PCI Express 1.0a compliant board via single lane x1 slot. It can be used in any
single- or multi-lane PCI Express slot. It is available in standard height PCI Express as item# 7803eS.
68 PIN Board Connector
The board integrates a 68 pin female connector for interfacing the eight serial ports via the included cable.
DB25M Serial Connectors
The 7803e ships with an eight-port cable (Item# CA202) that includes eight DB25 male serial connectors.
The pin out for these connectors is detailed in the following Technical Description section.

7
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Hardware Configuration
Address and IRQ selection
The COMM+8.PCIe is automatically assigned I/O addresses and IRQs by your motherboard BIOS or by a
‘Plug-n-Play’ Operating System. Adding or removing other hardware or moving the adapter to another slot
may change the assignment of I/O addresses and IRQs.
Clock Modes
The COMM+8.PCIe derives a 62.5MHz clock from the PCI express link which is divided by a 8 bit clock
prescaler and a 16 bit clock divisor to provide a wide range of possible baud rates. Note that there are many
combinations that can give the same result (e.g. Prescaler=1 and Divisor = 8, Prescaler =2 and Divisor = 4,
or Prescaler=8 and Divisor = 1). As long as the calculated data rate is within +/- 2% you should communicate
fine.
Baud Rates
The following table shows some common data rates and the rates you should choose to achieve them
when using the COMM+8.PCIe.
For This Data Rate Clock Prescaler Choose This Divisor DLM:DLL
1200 bps 3.625 898
2400 bps 3.625 449
4800 bps 1.875 434
9600 bps 1.875 217
19.2K bps 1.375 148
38.4K bps 1.375 74
57.6K bps 22.625 3
115.2K bps 1 34
230.4K bps 1 17
460.8K bps 2.125 4
921.6K bps 2.125 2

8
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Software Installation
Windows Installation
Do not connect the hardware 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 Sealevel software
driver database.
2. Type in or select the part number (#7803e) for the adapter from the listing.
3. Select “Download Now” for SeaCOM for Windows.
4. The setup files will automatically detect the operating environment and install the proper
components. Follow the information presented on the screens that follow.
5. A screen may appear with text similar to: “The publisher cannot be determined due to the
problems below: Authenticode signature not found.” Please click 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.
6. During setup, the user 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 also included
to remove all registry/INI file entries from the system.
7. The software is now installed, and you can proceed with the hardware installation.
Do not connect the hardware until the software has been successfully installed. To install Sealevel
software, you must log in as an administrator or have administrator privileges in Windows.
To install Sealevel software, you must log in as an administrator or have administrator privileges
in Windows.

9
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Linux Installation
You MUST have “root” privileges to install the software and drivers.
The syntax is case sensitive.
SeaCOM for Linux can be downloaded here: https://www.sealevel.com/support/software-seacom-linux/.
It includes the README and the Serial-HOWTO help files (located at seacom/dox/howto). This series of
files both explains typical Linux serial implementations and informs the user about Linux syntax and
preferred practices.
User can use a program such as 7-Zip to extract the tar.gz file.
In addition, the software selectable interface settings can be accessed by referencing
seacom/utilities/7803emode.
For additional software support, including QNX, please call Sealevel Systems’ Technical Support, (864) 843-
4343. Our technical support is free and available from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through
Friday. For email support contact: [e-mail].
Linux Support
The 7803e is supported natively in Linux kernels 2.6.28 and later.
For additional software support, please call Sealevel Systems’ Technical Support, [phone]. Our
technical support is free and available from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. For
email support contact: [e-mail].

10
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
UPGRADING TO THE CURRENT SEACOM DRIVER
1. Download the current driver using the Instructions from the Where to Get Software section
above. Please take note of the destination directory it will save to.
2. Uninstall the currently loaded driver SeaCOM driver found in the Control Panel. Prior to
Windows Vista SeaCOM will be populated in ‘Add/Remove Programs’ list. In Vista and newer
OSs it will be found in the ‘Programs and Features’ list.
3. Navigate to the Device Manager and remove the Sealevel adapter by right clicking on the line
item choosing ‘Uninstall’. Depending on your product, it can be found under either ‘Multiport
Serial adapters’ or ‘Universal Serial Bus controllers’.
4. In the Device Manager under ‘Action’, choose ‘Scan for Hardware changes’. This will prompt
the installation of the adapter and associate it with the newly installed SeaCOM driver.
LINUX SUPPORT
The 7803e is supported natively in Linux kernels 2.6.28 and later.

11
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Technical Description
The COMM+8.PCIe provides eight RS-232 ports from a single PCIe slot.
The COMM+8.PCIe utilizes the OXPCIe954 UART. This chip features programmable baud rates, data format,
interrupt control and industry leading 128-byte transmit and receive FIFOs.
The UARTs are register compatible with 16C450, 16C550, 16C654 and 16C750 UARTs. The FIFO depth can
be changed to match the depth of these UARTs.
RS-232 (CA-202 DB-25) CONNECTOR PIN ASSIGNMENTS
Signal Name Pin # Mode
GND Ground 7
TD Transmit Data 2 Output
RTS Request To Send 4 Output
DTR Data Terminal Ready 20 Output
RD Receive Data 3 Input
CTS Clear To Send 5 Input
DSR Data Set Ready 6 Input
DCD Data Carrier Detect 8 Input
RI Ring Indicator 22 Input
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 ensure you get the best performance from your adapter. .

12
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
RS-232 68-PIN)
Port # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
TD 1 9 19 27 35 43 53 61
RD 2 10 20 28 36 44 54 62
RTS 3 11 21 29 37 45 55 63
CTS 4 12 22 30 38 46 56 64
DTR 5 13 23 31 39 46 57 65
DSR 6 14 24 32 40 48 58 66
DCD 7 15 25 33 41 49 59 67
RI 8 16 26 34 42 50 60 68
GND 17 17 18 18 51 51 52 52

13
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
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
All Sealevel Systems Printed Circuit boards are built to UL 94V0 rating and are 100% electrically tested.
These printed circuit boards are solder mask over bare copper or solder mask over tin nickel.
Power Consumption
Supply line +3.3 VDC
Rating 100 mA

14
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Appendix A – Troubleshooting
The adapter should provide years of trouble-free service. However, in the event that device appears to not
be functioning incorrectly, the following tips can eliminate most common problems 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. If you are utilizing an operating system prior to Windows 7, please contact Sealevel‘s Technical
support as directed below to receive more information regarding the utility software which will
determine if your product is functioning properly.
6. Only users running Windows 7 or newer should utilize the diagnostic tool ‘WinSSD’ installed in the
SeaCOM 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.
If these steps do not solve your problem, please call Sealevel Systems’ Technical Support, [phone].
Our technical support is free and available from 8:00 A.M.- 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time Monday through Friday.
For email support contact [e-mail].

15
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Appendix B – Handling Instructions
ESD Warnings
Electrostatic Discharges (ESD)
•A sudden electrostatic discharge can destroy sensitive components. Proper packaging and
grounding rules must therefore be observed. Always take the following precautions:
Transport boards and cards in electrostatically secure containers or bags.
•Keep electrostatically sensitive components in their containers, until they arrive at an
electrostatically protected workplace.
•Only touch electrostatically sensitive components when you are properly grounded.
•Store electrostatically sensitive components in protective packaging or on anti-static mats.
Grounding Methods
The following measures help to avoid electrostatic damages to the device:
•Cover workstations with approved antistatic material. Always wear a wrist strap connected to a
properly grounded workplace.
•Use antistatic mats, heel straps, and/or air ionizers for more protection.
•Always handle electrostatically sensitive components by their edge or by their casing.
•Avoid contact with pins, leads, or circuitry.
•Turn off power and input signals before inserting and removing connectors or connecting test
equipment.
•Keep work area free of non-conductive materials such as ordinary plastic assembly aids and
Styrofoam.
•Use field service tools such as cutters, screwdrivers, and vacuum cleaners that are conductive.

16
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
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 widespread 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 (-3 to -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.

17
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
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 Unil 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.
Figure 1 - 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 referred 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).
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

18
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Appendix E – Mechanical Drawing

19
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Appendix F – Compliance Notices
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Statement
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 the user’s 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”.
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 to prevent or correct the
interference.
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.

20
© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7803e Manual | SL925011/2022
Warranty
Sealevel's commitment to providing the best I/O solutions is reflected in the Lifetime Warranty that is
standard on all Sealevel manufactured I/O products. We are able to offer this warranty due to our control
of manufacturing quality and the historically high reliability of our products in the field. Sealevel products
are designed and manufactured at its Liberty, South Carolina facility, allowing direct control over product
development, production, burn-in and testing. Sealevel achieved ISO-9001:2015 certification in 2018.
Warranty Policy
Sealevel Systems, Inc. (hereafter "Sealevel") warrants that the Product shall conform to and perform in
accordance with published technical specifications and shall be free of defects in materials and
workmanship for the warranty period. In the event of failure, Sealevel will repair or replace the product at
Sealevel's sole discretion. Failures resulting from misapplication or misuse of the Product, failure to adhere
to any specifications or instructions, or failure resulting from neglect, abuse, accidents, or acts of nature
are not covered under this warranty.
Warranty service may be obtained by delivering the Product to Sealevel and providing proof of purchase.
Customer agrees to ensure the Product or assume the risk of loss or damage in transit, to prepay shipping
charges to Sealevel, and to use the original shipping container or equivalent. Warranty is valid only for
original purchaser and is not transferable.
This warranty applies to Sealevel manufactured Product. Product purchased through Sealevel but
manufactured by a third party will retain the original manufacturer's warranty.
Non-Warranty Repair/Retest
Products returned due to damage or misuse and Products retested with no problem found are subject to
repair/retest charges. A purchase order or credit card number and authorization must be provided in order
to obtain an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) number prior to returning Product.
How to obtain an RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization)
If you need to return a product for warranty or non-warranty repair, you must first obtain an RMA number.
Please contact Sealevel Systems, Inc. Technical Support for assistance:
Available Monday – Friday, 8:00AM to 5:00PM EST
Phone [phone]
Email [e-mail]
Trademarks
Sealevel Systems, Incorporated acknowledges that all trademarks referenced in this manual are the service
mark, trademark, or registered trademark of the respective company.