B&B 232PCI1B, 232PCI2B, 232PCI1A, 232PCI2A User Manual

Single and Dual Port PCI Bus CE

RS-232 Serial Card

232PCI1A 232PCI1B
232PCI2A 232PCI2B

Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502

Each of these models is an RS-232 serial card and uses the same printed circuit
board. The “1” and “2” suffix designates the number of ports on the card. The “A”
models are equipped with 16550A UARTs with 16 byte transmit and receive buffers.
The “B” models come with 16850 UARTs with 128 byte transmit and receive buffers.
The model number of each card is printed on a sticker on the board.

This product designed and manufactured in Ottawa, Illinois USA

of domestic and imported parts by

International Headquarters

B&B Electronics Mfg. Co. Inc.

707 Dayton Road -- P.O. Box 1040 -- Ottawa, IL 61350 USA

Phone [phone] -- General Fax [phone]

Home Page: www.bb-elec.com

Orders e-mail: [e-mail] -- Fax [phone]

Technical Support e-mail: [e-mail] -- Fax [phone]

European Headquarters

B&B Electronics Ltd.

Westlink Commercial Park,Oranmore, Co. Galway, Ireland

Phone [phone] -- Fax [phone]

Home Page: www.bb-europe.com

Orders e-mail: [e-mail]

Technical Support e-mail: [e-mail]

 2000 B&B Electronics -- Revised November 2002

Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual Cover Page

B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax [phone]

B&B Electronics Ltd – Westlink Comm. Pk. – Oranmore, Galway, Ireland – Ph [phone] – Fax [phone]

 2000 B&B Electronics . No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any

means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or any information storage and retrieval
system without written consent. Information in this manual is subject to change without notice, and does not
represent a commitment on the part of B&B Electronics.

B&B Electronics shall not be liable for incidental or consequential damages resulting from the furnishing,
performance, or use of this manual.

All brand names used in this manual are the registered trademarks of their respective owners. The use of
trademarks or other designations in this publication is for reference purposes only and does not constitute an
endorsement by the trademark holder.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INFORMATION......................................1

INTRODUCTION........................................................................................1

DESCRIPTION........................................................................................... 1

FEATURES................................................................................................ 1

SPECIFICATIONS ......................................................................................2

CHAPTER 2: SETUP.......................................................................... 4

INSPECTION .............................................................................................4

4X BAUD RATE OPTION.......................................................................... 6

INSTALLING THE CARD............................................................................6

PINOUTS ..................................................................................................7

CHAPTER 3: WINDOWS INSTALLATION.....................................8

WINDOWS 95 AND WINDOWS 98............................................................. 8

CONTINUED NEXT PAGE WINDOWS 2000 PROFESSIONAL ....................... 16

WINDOWS 2000 PROFESSIONAL............................................................17

WINDOWS NT 4.0..................................................................................22

APPENDIX A: 232PCIXX I/O SCHEMATIC...............................A-1

APPENDIX B: RS-232 PINOUTS .................................................. B-1

APPENDIX C: TROUBLESHOOTING WITH COMTEST.........C-1

APPENDIX D: RENAMING COM PORTS - WIN 95/98/ME...D-1

RENAMING PCI COM PORTS USING THE PNP COM RENAME UTILITY ..D-1

APPENDIX E: DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY..................E-1

Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual Table of Contents i

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Chapter 1:

GENERAL INFORMATION

Introduction

The B&B Electronics 232PCI1A, 232PCI1B, 232PCI2A and
232PCI2B serial interface cards are designed for IBM compatibles
with a PCI Bus. The PCI design is Plug and Play compatible which
allows the driver and Operating System to select the IRQ and
addresses used by the card.

If you are writing your own applications, be sure the communications
routine used supports Windows communication drivers and a wide
range of COM ports.

Description

The 232PCI1x is a one port card and the 232PCI2x is a two port
card. All versions offer high speed RS-232 communications with the
4X clock option enabled. Buffered, high speed UARTs (16550A or

16850) make it ideal for high speed (modem) and multitasking
applications.

Features

• IBM compatible, PCI Version 2.1 bus

• Supports baud rates to 460.8K baud with 4X clock option

enabled

• One or two port high speed RS-232 serial card

• Supports all standard RS-232 lines: TD, RD, RTS, CTS, DTR,

DSR, DCD, RI and Signal Ground.

• Drivers for Windows 95,98, 2000, and NT 4.0

• Available models:

Model 232PCI1A – 1 Port with 16 byte FIFO 16550A UARTs

Model 232PCI1B – 1 Port with 128 byte FIFO 16850 UARTs

Model 232PCI2A – 2 Ports with 16 byte FIFO 16550A UARTs

Model 232PCI2B – 2 Ports with 128 byte FIFO 16850 UARTs

Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual 1

B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax [phone]

B&B Electronics Ltd – Westlink Comm. Pk. – Oranmore, Galway, Ireland – Ph [phone] – Fax [phone]

Specifications

Bus: PCI bus version 2.1
Slot: Requires one PCI slot
Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.2 in (15.8 x10.7 cm)
I/O Connections:9pin male D-sub (DB9M) connectors
OS Supported:Windows 95,98, 2000, and NT 4.0
Baud rates: 460.8K baud maximum
UARTs: 16550A 16 byte TX and RX buffers (232PCI1/2A), or

16850 128 byte TX and RX buffers (232PCI1/2B)
Character length: 5, 6,7,or 8 bits
Parity: Even, odd or none
Stop bits: 1, 1.5, or 2
RS-232 Control Lines Drivers/Receivers:

Device:75185 Transceiver

High level output voltage: 6.0 V minimum
Low level output voltage: −6.0 V minimum
Output current limited to: ±10 mA

Input high threshold voltage: 1.5 V maximum
Input low threshold voltage: 0.75 V minimum
Device will withstand: ±30 V

RS-232 Data Lines Drivers/Receivers:

Device: SP211H Transceiver

High level output voltage: 5.0 V minimum
Low level output voltage: −5.0 V minimum
Output current limited to: ±25 mA

Input high threshold voltage: 1.7Vmaximum
Input low threshold voltage: 0.8 V minimum
Device will withstand: ±15 V

Max Power Consumption: All ports loaded

232PCI1x 232PCI2x

Voltage

(V)

+5

+12

-12

Total 297.0 1.919 410.0 2.918

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Current

(mA)

235.0 1.175 286.0 1.430

31.0 0.372 62.0 0.744

31.0 0.372 62.0 0.744

Power

(W)

Current

(mA)

Power

(W)

Accessories:

Software: Driver Disk (3.5) for Windows 95/98/2000/NT 4.0

PCI/USB COM Port Utility Disk (3.5)

Manual: Instruction Manual (this booklet)

Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual 3

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B&B Electronics Ltd – Westlink Comm. Pk. – Oranmore, Galway, Ireland – Ph [phone] – Fax [phone]

Chapter 2:

SETUP

Inspection

Your 232PCIxx serial card was tested for proper operation before
shipment. It should be in perfect mechanical and electrical condition
upon receipt.

The data clock speed is set by one jumper to x1 (normal) operation
or to x4 operation. Dual port cards share the single master clock.

CAUTION: ELECTROSTATIC SENSITIVE DEVICE

Use ESD precautions for safe handling.

Before removing the card from the anti-static protective packaging.

• Discharge any static electricity buildup on your body by touching

a large grounded metal surface or the metal chassis on
equipment connected to earth ground by a 3-wire power cord.

• Avoid touching the gold connectors or other parts on the card

except as necessary. After setting the jumper, ground yourself
to the computer chassis before and while inserting the card.

• Remove AC power from the computer and unplug the power

cord before inserting the card.

• Retain the ESD bag for handling the card.

Save the packaging for storage or shipping.

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Figure 1. Silk Screen Plot of 232PCIxx PCB

Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual 5

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4X Baud Rate Option

Baud rates higher than 115,200 are possible with the 232PCIxx
card. Jumper JP1 controls the clock frequency supplied to the
UARTs. By moving this jumper to the “*4” (left) position, the clock
frequency is increased from 1.8432 to 7.3728 MHz. This multiplies
all UART baud rates by 4 times. For example, if the software is set
for 57.6K baud, the actual baud rate will be increased by a factor of
four to 230.4K baud. In many systems, these higher baud rates can
improve throughput significantly. However, remember that baud
rates and actual throughput are only proportional if the system can
keep up with the communications, otherwise increasing the baud
rate effectively only increases the idle time between characters.

Installing the Card

1. Ground yourself by touching the metal chassis of the computer

to discharge any static electricity.

2. Turn the power to your computer off and unplug the power cord.

3. Remove the cover of the computer.

4. Locate a free PCI expansion slot.

5. Remove the expansion slot cover. Save the screw for

installation of the 232PCIxx card.

6. Install the card into the unused slot. Be certain that the card is

inserted completely (fully seated) in the slot.

7. Secure the card with the mounting screw from step 5.

6. Replace the cover, plug in the power cord, and power up the

system.

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Table 1: RS-232 Pinouts

Name Description Direction DB9M

Pin

DCD Data Carrier Detect Input 1

RD Receive Data Input 2

TD Transmit Data Output 3
DTR Data Terminal Ready Output 4
GND Signal Ground ----- 5
DSR Data Set Ready Input 6

RTS Request to Send Output 7
CTS Clear to Send Input 8

RI Ring Indicator Input 9

Pinouts

ThemaleDB-9 male connectors on the 232PCIxx cards are
configured as standard DTE RS-232 serial ports. Table 1 lists signal
names and pin numbers.

232PCIXX4502 Manual Chapter 2 7

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Chapter 3:

WINDOWS INSTALLATION

Windows 95 and Windows 98

Any prior installation using previous B&B serial drivers must be
removed before installing the new drivers. (Refer to page 16.)

Windows 98 screens are shown for this section. Windows 95isabit
different with fewer steps and the screen names and text shown
differs. Windows 95 differences are noted (

1. Configure the card for x1 or x4 Clock Speed.

2. Install the card in the slot, start the computer.

3. Windows will detect the PCI card, start the Add New Hardware

Wizard, and begin driver installation. When installation is

complete,Windows will set the hardware addressing & interrupt

using the drivers and the Plug and Play function of the Operating

System.

4. The driver installation proceeds in two parts, the first part installs

the driver for the PCI Serial card, the second part installs the

serial driver for the Com Port A & B (Port A=Port 1, Port B=2).

NOTE: The single or dual-port RS-232 PCI Serial Adapter cards will
be identified as the 3PCISD1 (232PCI1x) or 3PCISD2 (232PCI2x) by
the drivers. They are functionally the same to the Operating
System, except for the number of ports supported.

W95:…)

continued next page

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5. After new hardware is detected, this screen will appear.

(W95: This screen is named Update Device Driver Wizard).

6. Click Next to continue.

(W95: Insert the Driver Disk in Drive,

thenclickNext-skiptostep9)

continued next page

Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual 9

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