SeaLevel ULTRA COMM+422 User manual

ULTRA COMM+422™
USER’S MANUAL
Part Number 3440
Sealevel Systems, Inc Phone: [phone]
155 Technology Place Fax: [phone]
P.O. Box 830 www.sealevel.com
Liberty, SC 29657

Contents
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................ 1
OVERVIEW ...........................................................................................1
WHAT’S INCLUDED .............................................................................1
FACTORY DEFAULT SETTINGS .............................................................1
CARD SETUP............................................................................. 2
ADDRESS SELECTION ...........................................................................2
JUMPER SELECTIONS............................................................................4
IRQ Selection................................................................................4
INTERRUPT MODES..............................................................................5
RS-485 ENABLE MODES ....................................................................6
Interface Mode Examples J1D –J4D..........................................7
Interface Mode Examples J1D –J4D (continued).....................8
LINE TERMINATION.............................................................................9
CLOCK MODES ..................................................................................10
BAUD RATES AND DIVISORS FOR THE ‘DIV1’ MODE.........................11
BAUD RATES AND DIVISORS FOR THE ‘DIV2’ MODE.........................12
INSTALLATION........................................................................ 13
OPERATING SYSTEM INSTALLATION..................................................13
For Windows Users.....................................................................13
Other Operating Systems............................................................13
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION ..................................................... 14
FEATURES .........................................................................................14
INTERRUPTS.......................................................................................15
WHY USE AN ISP?.............................................................................16
CONNECTOR PIN ASSIGNMENTS.........................................................17
DB-9 Pin Assignments................................................................17
DB-37 Connector Pin Assignments..........................................17
SPECIFICATIONS..................................................................... 18
ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS....................................................18
MANUFACTURING.............................................................................18
POWER CONSUMPTION......................................................................18
MEAN TIME BETWEEN FAILURES (MTBF)........................................18
PHYSICAL DIMENSIONS.....................................................................18
APPENDIX A -TROUBLESHOOTING....................................... 19
APPENDIX B -HOW TO GET ASSISTANCE............................. 21

APPENDIX C -ELECTRICAL INTERFACE................................ 22
RS-422............................................................................................22
RS-485............................................................................................22
APPENDIX D -ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS ............ 23
APPENDIX E -SILK-SCREEN.................................................. 24
APPENDIX F -COMPLIANCE NOTICES ................................... 25
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION STATEMENT ..................25
EMC DIRECTIVE STATEMENT...........................................................25
WARRANTY............................................................................ 26
Figures
Figure 1 -Available Address Combinations ....................................................2
Figure 2 -Address Selection Table..................................................................3
Figure 3 -Port to Connector Table...................................................................3
Figure 4 -Header J1A, Normal IRQ Mode ....................................................5
Figure 5 -Header J1A & J2A, Shared IRQ Mode .........................................5
Figure 6-Headers J1D-J4D, RS-422..............................................................7
Figure 7 -Headers J1D-J4D, RS-485 ‘Auto’ Enabled, with ‘No Echo’.......7
Figure 8 -Headers J1D-J4D, RS-485 ‘Auto’ Enabled, with ‘Echo’.............7
Figure 9 -Headers J1D-J4D, RS-485 ‘RTS’ Enabled, with ‘No Echo’ .......8
Figure 10 -Headers J1D-J4D, RS-485 ‘RTS’ Enabled, with ‘Echo’ ...........8
Figure 11 -Headers J1E -J4E, Line Termination..........................................9
Figure 12 -Clocking Mode 'Divide By 4’......................................................10
Figure 13 -Clocking Mode 'Divide By 2’......................................................10
Figure 14 -Clocking Mode 'Divide By 1’......................................................10
Figure 15 -Asynchronous Communications Bit Diagram.............................23
© 1998c Sealevel Systems, Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Introduction
Sealevel Systems ULTRA COMM+422 Page 1
Introduction
Overview
The Sealevel Systems ULTRA COMM+422 provides the PC with four
additional RS-422/485 serial ports for terminals, modems, printers, etc.
The unique feature of the ULTRA COMM+422 is the ability to be RS-485
compatible without the need for special software or drivers. This ability is
especially useful in Windows, Windows NT, and OS/2 environments where the
lower level I/O control is abstracted from the application program. This ability
means that the user can effectively use the ULTRACOMM+422 in an RS-485
application with existing (i.e. standard RS-232) software drivers.
Note: The ‘Auto Enable’ feature is not available on the p/n 3441.
What’s Included
The ULTRA COMM+422 is shipped with the following items. If any of these
items are missing or damaged, contact the supplier.
•ULTRA COMM+422 Serial I/O Adapter
•DB-37 to four DB-9 ‘Spider Cable’
•Serial Utility Software
•User Manual
Factory Default Settings
The ULTRA COMM+422 factory default settings are as follows:
Port # Base Address IRQ Electrical Specification
Port 1 280 10 RS-422
Port 2 288 5RS-422
Port 3 290 10 RS-422
Port 4 298 5RS-422
To install the ULTRA COMM+422 using factory default settings, refer to
Installation on page 13.
For your reference, record installed ULTRA COMM+422 settings below:
Port # Base Address IRQ Electrical Specification
Port 1
Port 2
Port 3
Port 4

Card Setup
Sealevel Systems ULTRA COMM+422 Page 2
Card Setup
The ULTRA COMM+422 contains several jumper straps, which must be set for
proper operation.
Address Selection
Each port on the ULTRA COMM+422 occupies eight consecutive I/O
locations. A DIP-switch is used to set the base address for these locations.
The ULTRA COMM+422 has a unique addressing scheme that allows it to be
completely compatible with Sealevel Systems’ older four port RS-422/485
interface adapter (p/n 3067) and provide for the ability to select address
combinations more commonly used.
The first addressing scheme allows the ULTRA COMM+422 to select the
addresses for its ports from a table of available address combinations.
The following table shows the addressing combinations available. If different
address combinations are required, please contact Sealevel Systems Technical
Support about a custom PAL option.
Switch6 Switch
7Switch 8Port 1Port 2Port 3Port 4
On On Off 3F8 2F8 3E8 2E8
On Off On 2F8 3E8 2E8 2E0
On Off Off 3E8 2E8 280 288
Off On On 500 508 510 518
Off On Off 580 588 590 598
Off Off On 1500 1508 1510 1518
Off Off Off 3220 3228 4220 4228
On On On Addresses set up by switches 1-5
Figure 1-Available Address Combinations
Note: Each COM: port in the system should have a unique address. Typically
COM1: -COM4: addresses are 3F8, 2F8, 3E8 and 2E8 Hex.
Refer to Appendix A for common address contentions.

Card Setup
Sealevel Systems ULTRA COMM+422 Page 3
The second mode of address selection provides the compatibility mode. In this
mode the DIP-switch sets the base address and the adapter occupies 32
consecutive I/O locations. The following table illustrates the location of each
port and its relationship to the other ports.
Note: For switches 1 -5 to become active, switches 6, 7 & 8 must be set in the
‘On’ or ‘Up’ position.
Switch Settings
Address lines àà A9 A8 A7 A6 A5
Address Selected 12345
280-29F Off On Off On On
2A0-2BF Off On Off On Off
380-39F Off Off Off On On
1A0-1BF On Off Off On Off
2E0-2FF Off On Off Off Off
Figure 2-Address Selection Table
The following illustration shows the correlation between the DIP-switch
setting and the address bits used to determine the base address. In the example
below, address 2E0 is selected as a base. Address 2E0 in binary is XX 10 111X
XXXX where X = a non-selectable address bit.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
ON
OFF
A9 A5
8
Port # Connector Location Address Example (Base=2E0)
11Base+0 2E0-2E7
22Base+8 2E8-2EF
33Base+16 2F0-2F7
44Base+24 2F8-2FF
Figure 3-Port to Connector Table

Card Setup
Sealevel Systems ULTRA COMM+422 Page 4
Jumper Selections
For ease of configuration, the headers are grouped by port. Port one headers
have a ‘J1’ prefix; Port two headers have the ‘J2’ prefix, etc. For example, the
header that controls the Port one IRQ selection is J1B; the header that controls
the Port 2 IRQ selection is J2B. The silk-screen also provides information for
configuring the adapter without the use of the manual. This is particularly
useful in field re-configuration.
IRQ Selection
Headers J1B through J4B select the interrupt request for each serial port. If
COM1: is selected, the corresponding jumper must be on the IRQ4 setting. If
COM2: is selected, the corresponding jumper must be on IRQ3.
3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12159
Figure 4 –Headers J1B –J4B, IRQ Selection
Note: Most communications software applications default COM3: to IRQ4 and
COM4: to IRQ3. This requires the sharing of interrupts between COM1:
and COM3:, and between COM2: and COM4:. While this is the default,
it is not always the preferred setting. Check your software configuration
instructions to determine the most appropriate IRQ selection.
Any two or more ports can share a common IRQ by placing the jumpers on the
same IRQ setting and setting the appropriate selections at J1A through J4A.
Consult your particular software for IRQ selection. If no interrupt is desired,
remove the jumper.

Card Setup
Sealevel Systems ULTRA COMM+422 Page 5
Interrupt Modes
Headers J1A through J4A select the interrupt modes for each port. Each port
must be set in the correct mode to insure proper operation.
‘N’ indicates the (N)ormal, single interrupt per port mode. ‘S’ Indicates the
(S)hared interrupt mode, which allows more than one port to access a single
IRQ. ‘M’ indicates the inclusion of a 1K ohm pull-down resistor required on
one port when sharing interrupts.
N
M
S
J1A
Figure 4-Header J1A, Normal IRQ Mode
Set the jumpers to ‘S’ for shared interrupt mode on all blocks sharing an IRQ
except one. Set that port block for ‘M’. This provides the pull-down resistor
circuit that makes sharing IRQs possible. If you are using more than one
ULTRA COMM+422 or a compatible adapter in a bus you should only have one
port set to ‘M’. The following example shows two ports sharing a single IRQ.
J1A NSM
J2A
N
S
M
Figure 5-Header J1A & J2A, Shared IRQ Mode
Set the jumper to ‘S’ if you are using more than one ULTRA COMM+422 in a
bus or to completely remove the pull-down resistor for hardware compatibility.
Setting the adapter in this configuration when it is not accompanied by a pull-
down resistor will prevent the ports from triggering an interrupt.

Card Setup
Sealevel Systems ULTRA COMM+422 Page 6
RS-485 Enable Modes
RS-485 is ideal for multi-drop or network environments. RS-485 requires a
tri-state driver (not dual-state) that will allow the electrical presence of the
driver to be removed from the line. The driver is in a tri-state or high
impedance condition when this occurs. Only one driver may be active at a time
and the other driver(s) must be tri-stated. The output modem control signal
Request To Send (RTS) is typically used to control the state of the driver.
Some communication software packages refer to RS-485 as RTS enable or
RTS block mode transfer.
One of the unique features of the ULTRA COMM+422 is the ability to be RS-
485 compatible without the need for special software or drivers. This ability is
especially useful in Windows, Windows NT, and OS/2 environments where the
lower level I/O control is abstracted from the application program. This ability
means that the user can effectively use the ULTRA COMM+422 in an RS-485
application with existing (i.e. standard RS-232) software drivers.
Headers J1D through J4D are used to control the RS-485 mode functions for
the driver circuit. The selections are ‘RTS’ enable (silk-screen ‘RT’) or ‘Auto’
enable (silk-screen ‘AT’). The ‘Auto’ enable feature automatically
enables/disables the RS-485 interface. The ‘RTS’ mode uses the ‘RTS’
modem control signal to enable the RS-485 interface and provides backward
compatibility with existing software products.
Position 3 (silk-screen ‘NE’) of J1D through J4D is used to control the
RS-485 enable/disable functions for the receiver circuit and determine the
state of the RS-422/485 driver. The RS-485 ‘Echo’ is the result of connecting
the receiver inputs to the transmitter outputs. Every 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) or it can
confuse the system if the software does not. To select the ‘No Echo’ mode
select silk-screen position ‘NE’.
For RS-422/530/449 compatibility remove the jumpers at J1D through J4D.
Examples on the following pages describe all of the valid settings for
J1D-J4D.