SeaLevel UltraCOMM+2.LPCIe User manual

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7205e Manual | SL9239 12/2022
UltraCOMM+2.LPCIe
User Manual | 7205e and 7205eS

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7205e Manual | SL9239 12/2022
Contents
CONTENTS...........................................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 3
BEFORE YOU GET STARTED ...............................................................................................................................4
HARDWARE DESCRIPTION ................................................................................................................................. 5
HARDWARE CONFIGURATION............................................................................................................................6
SOFTWARE INSTALLATION ................................................................................................................................8
HARDWARE INSTALLATION .............................................................................................................................10
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION ...............................................................................................................................19
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS..........................................................................................................................23
APPENDIX A – TROUBLESHOOTING................................................................................................................24
APPENDIX B – HANDLING INSTRUCTIONS.....................................................................................................29
APPENDIX C – ELECTRICAL INTERFACE ........................................................................................................30
APPENDIX D – ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS ..................................................................................31
APPENDIX E – MECHANICAL DRAWING .........................................................................................................32
APPENDIX F – COMPLIANCE NOTICES...........................................................................................................33
WARRANTY ........................................................................................................................................................34

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© Sealevel Systems, Inc. 7205e Manual | SL9239 12/2022
Introduction
The Sealevel COMM+2.LPCIe (Item# 7205e) provides a PCI Express 1.0a compliant interface adapter with
two asynchronous serial ports for industrial automation and control applications. The serial ports are field
selectable for RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485 and support data rates to 921.6K bps.
Configure both ports as RS232 for standard serial COM: port requirements. Choose the RS-422 mode for
long distance device connections up to 4000ft. where noise immunity and high data integrity are essential.
Select RS-485 and capture data from multiple peripherals in an RS485 multi-drop network. Up to 31 RS-
485 devices can be connected to each port to automate your data collection. You can even mix the ports
in any of the interface combinations to provide maximum flexibility to your application.
In RS-485 mode, the transmitter is automatically enabled in hardware, eliminating the need for application
software control. This allows the 7205e to be used with standard serial communications applications and
removes the risk of bus contention and data corruption. In RS-232 mode, all modem control signals are
implemented for maximum compatibility with a wide range of serial peripherals. The Sealevel SeaCOM
software driver and utilities make installation and operation easy XP, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and
Linux operating systems.
The 7205e ships with a low profile PC bracket for use in systems with a low profile PCI Express slot. If you
need a standard size PC bracket, order the 7205eS.
Features
•PCI Express two-port serial interface adapter
•Each port configurable for RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485
•High performance 16C950 UART with 128-byte FIFOs
•Each port supports data rates to 921.6K bps
•Oscillator and clock prescalar support wide range of baud rates
•Supports 9-bit protocol framing
•PCI Express 1.0a compliant via X1 connector
•Compatible with all low profile and standard size PCI Express slots
•All modem control signals implemented in RS-232 mode
•Includes 36” cable that terminates to two DB9M connectors

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Before You Get Started
What’s Included
Depending on the PC bracket ordered, the 7205e is shipped with the following items. If any of these items
are missing or damaged, please contact Sealevel for replacement.
•COMM+2.LPCIe – Two-Port RS-232/422/485 Serial Interface
7205e – PCI Express Board with Low Profile PC Bracket
7205eS – PCI Express Board with Standard Height PC Bracket
•CA203 – DB25F to (2) DB9M Cable, 36” 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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Hardware Description
PCI Express Board
The 7205e 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# 7205eS.
DB25M Board Connector
The board integrates a DB25 male connector for interfacing the two serial ports via the included cable.
DB9M Serial Connectors
The 7205e ships with a two-port cable (Item# CA203) that includes four DB9 male serial connectors. The
pin out for these connectors is detailed in the following Technical Description section.

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Hardware Configuration
There are two sets of 7-position dipswitches on the board that are used to set the electrical interface,
termination, and biasing. The dipswitch located at ‘SW1’ is labeled ‘PORT 1’ and configures the first serial
port. The dipswitch located at ‘SW2’ is labeled ‘PORT 2’ and configures the second serial port. The labels
and description of the function for each switch are detailed in the following table.
Dipswitch Settings
Switch
Description
M1 Sets the electrical interface mode (with M0)
M0 Sets the electrical interface mode (with M1)
T Adds or removes 120 termination
PU Adds or removes 1K pull-up resistor in RS-422/485 mode
PD Adds or removes 1K pull-down resistor in RS-422/485 mode
L Connects TX– to RX– for RS-485 two-wire operation
L Connects TX+ to RX+ for RS-485 two-wire operation
The location of the dipswitches is outlined in green in the image below. The default configuration settings
are shown in drawing.

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Electrical Interface Modes
Each port on the 7205e can be individually configured for RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485 mode. The first two
switches labeled ‘M1’ and ‘M0’ are used to select the electrical interface. To simplify installation and testing
the board is shipped in RS-422 mode. Use the settings in the table below to assist you in configuring the
electrical interface.
M1
M0
Interface
OFF OFF RS-232
OFF ON RS-422 [Default]
ON OFF RS-485 ECHO Enabled
ON ON RS-485 No ECHO
Termination & Biasing Resistors
Typically, each end of the RS-485 bus must have line terminating resistors enabled (RS-422 should
terminate the receive end only). A 120 ohm resistor is across each RS-422/485 input in addition to a 1K
ohm pull-up and pull-down combination that biases the receiver inputs. Use the switches detailed in the
table below to customize the interface to your specific requirements.
If using the board in an RS-485 two-wire network, enable the two switches labeled ‘L’, which tie the
positive/negative transmit/receive pairs together.
Switch Default Description
T ON Adds 120Ω termination, OFF to remove
PU ON Adds 1K Ω pull-up resistor in RS-422/485
Off to remove
PD ON Adds 1K Ω pull-down resistor in RS-422/485
OFF to remove
L OFF ON to connect TX– to RX– for RS-485 two-wire
L OFF ON to connect TX+ to RX+ for RS-485 two-wire

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Software Installation
Windows Installation
Do not install the Adapter in the machine 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.
To install Sealevel software, you must log in as an administrator or have administrator privileges in
Windows.
1. Begin by locating, selecting, and installing the correct software Sealevel SeaCOM
Asynchronous Serial Software Suite
2. Select the “SeaCOM for Microsoft Windows” from the listing.
3. Select “Download” 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.

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8. The following dialog box may appear, as shown below. Click the ‘OK’ button to continue.
All Sealevel Systems software drivers have been fully tested by Sealevel. Clicking ‘OK’ will
not harm your system.
9.
The following dialog box may appear, as shown below. Click the ‘OK’ button to
continue.
This is a notification that if you are upgrading from a previous driver version, you should
remove the associated Device Manager hardware entries and reinstall the adapter after the
installing the SeaCOM software.
10. The setup file will automatically detect the operating environment and install the
proper components. Next follow the information presented on the screens that
follow.
11. Refer to the Physical (Hardware) Installation section to connect and install your
adapter.

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Upgrading To The Current SeaCOM Driver
1. Download the current driver using the Instructions from the 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. Single port ISA cards and PCMCIA cards will need to be uninstalled under ‘Ports (COM &
LPT)’.
5. 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.
Hardware Installation
Do not install the PCI Express board until the software has been successfully installed.
The 7205e is shipped configured for RS-422 mode. If you intend to use RS-232 or RS-485 modes, configure
the adapter before installation.
Once you have installed the software, install the 7205e into an available PCI Express slot and boot the
computer. The drivers that were installed during the software installation process will automatically be
used to configure the adapter.
Once the hardware installation begins, the Found New Hardware wizard will appear three times –
first for the parent multi-interface, and then two more times for each serial port.

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The following instructions are applicable to the Windows XP operating system and may vary depending on
your version of Windows.
1. After the software installation is complete, install the 7205e into an available PCI Express
slot and boot the computer.
2. A ‘Found New Hardware’ alert will appear above the system tray.
3. The ‘Found New Hardware Wizare’ will appear.
4. Choose ‘No, not this time’ and click ‘Next’ to proceed.
5. Choose ‘Install the software automatically’ and click ‘Next’.

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6. 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.
7. The appropriate drivers for your SeaLINK device and version of Windows will be installed as
shown.

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8. Click ‘Finish’ to complete the installation of your hardware.
9. The ‘Found New Hardware Wizard’ appears two more times – once for each serial port;
repeat steps 4-8.
10. 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.
Verifying Installation
To confirm that the serial port has been successfully installed, look in Device Manager under ‘Ports (COM
& LPT’ and the COM assignment will be included with the associated COM number in parentheses.
To access Device Manager, follow the steps below:
1. Right click on ‘My Computer’ icon on your desktop or 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 ‘Multi-Port Serial Adapters’ section by clicking the arrow
‘>’ symbol. This shows the parent device is installed correctly.

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5. Below that section, expand the ‘Ports (COM & LPT)’ section.
6. You should now see the COM assignment with the associated COM number in parentheses.
Your system will assign the next available COM numbers, which will vary by computer (COM3 and
COM4 as shown in this example).
Uninstall & Upgrade Instructions
The SeaCOM software program adds entries to the system registry that are necessary for specifying the
operating parameters for your device. To completely remove the hardware and associated software, follow
the steps in the order they appear.
To upgrade to the latest version of SeaCOM, follow the instructions to uninstall the hardware and software,
followed by the upgrade instructions.
Start with the hardware installed in a PCI Express slot. Do not remove until instructed to do so.
There are two methods for removing the software references from the Windows OS: Device Manager and
Control Panel. Each method is described below.

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Remove Hardware Using Device Manager
To access Device Manager, follow the steps below:
1. Right click on ‘My Computer’ icon on your desktop or 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 ‘Multi-port serial adapters’ section by clicking
the arrow ‘>’ symbol.
5. Locate the ULTRA COMM+2.LPCIe device in the listing.
6. Right click on the entry for the 7205e device and click ‘Uninstall’ in the fly out menu.

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7. Confirm that you want to uninstall the device by clicking the ‘OK’ button. This will remove
the hardware, COM ports and all registry entries from your computer. Clicking the ‘Cancel’
button will keep the device installed.
8. The window will refresh and the entry for the device will no longer appear. Proceed with
removing the software on the following pages.
Remove Software Using Control Panel
Make sure you have first removed the hardware using the instructions on the previous page before
removing the software, otherwise remnants of the configuration settings will be left on your system. Keep
the device installed until the software has been completely uninstalled.
1. Access the Control Panel by clicking the ‘Start’ button, and then ‘Control Panel’.
2. In the Control Panel window, double-click the ‘Add or Remove Programs’ icon (In Windows Vista
and 7, it will be labeled ‘Programs and Features’).
3. The Add or Remove Programs window will list all currently installed software on your system. It
may take a while to load all of the software installed. Locate the entry for ‘SeaCOM’ and click to
highlight.
4. Click the ‘Remove’ button.

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5. The ‘SeaCOM – InstallShield Wizard’ window will appear along with a dialog box asking you to
confirm. Click the ‘Yes’ button to continue.
6.
7. When the uninstallation completes, click the ‘Finish’ button to close the window. Click the ‘Ok’
button on the dialog box.
If you are upgrading, leave the device installed and proceed to the Upgrade Instructions section.
If you want to completely remove the hardware and software from your computer, power down your
computer, remove the device from the PCI Express slot, and then reboot your computer to complete the
uninstallation.

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Upgrade Instructions
With the device still installed in a PCI Express slot, install the latest version of SeaCOM. You can
download the latest version of SeaCOM from the product page on the Sealevel website. Follow the
software installation steps detailed in the preceding ‘Software Installation’ section.
1. Once the SeaCOM software has been installed successfully, access Device Manager.
2. At the top of the ‘Device Manager’ window, click ‘Action’, and then click ‘Scan for Hardware
Changes’.
3. The ‘Found New Hardware Wizard’ window will appear. Select ‘No, not this time’, and then
click the ‘Next’ button.
4. Refer to the ‘Hardware Installation’ instructions in the preceding section to complete the
upgrade.
5. 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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Technical Description
Each serial port utilizes a 16C950 UART featuring programmable baud rates, data format, interrupt control
and industry-leading 128-byte transmit and receive FIFOs. This high-
performance UART includes 9-bit framing support and is fully software compatible with legacy 16550
applications. In addition, the 14.7456 oscillator and UART’s flexible clock prescaler supports the widest
range of standard and non-standard baud rates to 921.6K bps. Refer to Appendix C for cable length
limitations.
Connector Pin Assignments
Board Connector (DB25 Male)
The 7205e board includes a DB25 male connector for attaching the included cable (Item# CA203). The
pin out for the DB25M connector is shown in the table below.
Port 1 Pin# Port 2 Pin# RS-232 RS-422/485
1
11
RD
RD –
2
12
CTS
CTS –
3
13
DCD
RD +
4
14
TD
TD –
5
15
RTS
RTS –
6
16
DSR
RTS +
7
17
DTR
TD +
8
18
RI
CTS +
9
10
GND
GND

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Cable Pin Assignments
The 7205e includes a cable (Item# CA203) with a DB25 female connector terminating to a pair of DB9 male
connectors. The DB25F connector on the cable plugs into the DB25M connector on interface board. The
DB9M connectors are compatible with a variety of serial peripherals. The pin assignments for the supported
electrical interfaces are shown in the tables below.
RS-232 (DB9 Male)
These RS-232 pin assignments meet EIA/TIA/ANSI-574 DTE specifications for DB9 type connectors.
Pin # Signal Name Mode
1
DCD
Data Carrier Detect
Input
2
RD
Receive Data
Input
3
TD
Transmit Data
Output
4
DTR
Data Terminal Ready
Output
5
GND
Ground
6
DSR
Data Set Ready
Input
7
RTS
Request To Send
Output
8
CTS
Clear To Send
Input
9
RI
Ring Indicator
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 insure you get the best performance from your adapter.