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
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.
Page 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INFORMATION......................................1
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 Manual1
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
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
232PCI1x232PCI2x
Voltage
(V)
+5
+12
-12
Total297.01.919410.02.918
2Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual
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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.
6Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual
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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
8Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
The computer will finish Com driver installation for Port A, then
search, find and install the driver for Port B without requiring any
more user input.
16. Wait for the process to complete.
17. You can now remove the driver disk, close the Windows, and
check the new ports with your software.
Then select the Device Manager Tab.
Click the B&B Electronics Serial Adapters device to view the
adapter. If you want other details, Select Properties.
Click Ports (COM & LPT) to view the COM numbers assigned by
Windows to the card.
The single port card will have 3PCISD1 Port A (COMx) and the dual
port card will have 3PCISD2 Port A (COMx) and Port B (COMx).The
COM port numbers will normally be COM5, COM6, if available.
14Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
NOTE: The 232PCI1x will be identified as 1-Port PCI Serial Adapter
(3PCISD1). The 232PCI2x will be identified as the 2-Port PCI Serial
Adapter (3PCISD2). The cards and drivers are functionally the same
to the Operating System.
18. You can now remove the driver disk, close the Windows, and
check the new ports with your software.
If your software requires accessing a COM port below COM5, and
you have unused COM numbers not occupied by a FAX/Modem or
other device, you can re-assign the PCI card COM numbers using
our B&BPnPCOM Rename utility. Refer to Appendix D.
To verify the installation, open My Computer, Control Panel,
System (or Start, Setting, Control Panel, System).
Removal of Card And Drivers
If you need to remove the card from your system or remove the
current driver before installing a possible future driver upgrade:
1.Open My Computer, Control Panel, System (or Start, Setting,
Control Panel, System).
2.Select the Device Manager Tab. (See figure on previous page.)
3.Click B&B Electronics Serial Adapters, then Select the 2-Port
PCISerialAdapter(3PCISD2)or 1-Port PCI Serial Adapter
(3PCISD1).
4.Click the Remove button.
5.Close the Windows, and Open My Computer, Drive C:
6.Open the Windows directory on your Hard Drive, then Open the
Inf folder, then Other. (If the Inf folder is not shown, it is hidden;
Select View, Folder Options, Files and Folders, Show all files.
Win95: Select View, Options, View, Show all files.)
Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual15
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
The computer will complete the installation of the driver for the card,
then search for the Com driver for Port A, then for Port B (if present)
without requiring any more user input.
Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual19
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
11. Open My Computer, Control Panel, System, then select the
Hardware tab on System Properties.
12. Select Device Manager, then view the hardware list.
Under B&B Electronics Serial Adapters, the PCI Serial Adapter
(3PCISD1) or 2-Port PCI Adapter (3PCISD2) is installed. This is the
single port 232PCI1 or dual port 232PCI2 card.
Under Ports, COM3 was assigned to Port A , and COM4 was
assigned to Port B. (Port 1 is Port A, Port 2 is Port B)
NOTE: The 232PCI1x will be identified as PCI Serial Adapter
(3PCISD1). The 232PCI2x will be identified as 2-Port PCI Serial
Adapter (3PCISD2). The cards and drivers are functionally the same
to the Operating System.
13. Remove the driver disk and check the ports with your software.
20Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
If you need to remove the card from your system or remove the
current driver before installing a possible future driver upgrade:
1.Click on
3PCISD1 Port A
under Ports (COM & LPT) and select
Uninstall (right click). Repeat for Port B. (The 232PCI1x
identifies as 3PCISD1, the 232PCI2x identifies as 3PCISD2.)
2.Next Click on
PCI Serial Adapter (3PCISD1 or 3PCISD2)
B&B Electronics. Select Uninstall.
3.Remove the two sets of driver files from the Windows INF
directory. (These are named by the OS in the sequence of
installation. On a clean system they are:Oem0.inf &Oem0.PNF
and Oem1.inf &Oem1.PNF. The .inf versions should be verified
by opening it with Notepad, then checking that it is a B&B
Electronics file. The PNF version is a compiled copy of the
same information.)
You can use the Find,
B&B
text
within the files.
File or Folder
function to search for the
You may need to set your Views (under My Computer) to show
all files and folders if the INF directory and .inf files are not
visible.
4. Shut down the system and remove the card.
under
Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual21
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
2.Install the card in the slot, start the computer, andlogonto
Windows NT 4.0 as an Administrator or ask your system
administrator to install the software.
3.Open the Control Panel. (Select Start, Settings.)
4.Select Add/Remove Programs.
continued next page
22Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
12. Verify 1 or 2 new COMPorts.(shown here as COM5:&COM6:)
If you have 1 or 2 new COM ports, the installation is complete.
Select the port, select Settings, Advanced. You should obtain the
message,"
for this COM port.
There are no user configurable Advanced I/O parameters
"
Check the ports with your software or with a Loopback test.
NOTE: In the above example, a serial mouse is connected to the
port which would usually be COM1. NT does not show it. COM2 is
the second built-in serial port.
Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual25
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
You can check details of the serial card setup using Windows NT
Diagnostics, found under Administrative Tools. This can show the
Resources used such as addresses and IRQ.
Windows Diagnostics will not allow changing anything.
The above shows 2 ports using one PCI card interrupt.
continued next page
26Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
If you have any trouble starting your system after installing the card,
the card may not be properly seated in the slot. Remove and reinsert it or try a different slot.
If you are unable to communicate with the card using your software
and hardware devices:
1.Check your pinouts. Computer RS-232 ports are always
configured as DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) devices. Some
devices (such as printers, video recorders/editors, cameras)
are also configured as DTE. When two similar DTE devices
are interconnected, a "NULL MODEM" cable is needed (refer
to Appendix B, Table 2, for cabling).A"serial printer cable" is
usually wired as a null modem cable.
2.Some RS-232 connections use only Receive and Transmit
(plus signal common/ground). Sometimes the device "loops
back" the CTS/RTS line pair and the DTR/DSR line pair, but
other times, the loopback must be done within your connection
cable/connector. Refer to the hardware manual for the device
connected.
3.Use the COMTest program provided on the PCI/USB COM
Port Utility Disk with a loop back to check the card. A loopback
connection for RS-232 connects the Transmit output to the
Receive input (pins #2 ontheDB9M connector).
4.Try another software package for troubleshooting.
5.Check our website for available FAQ's or troubleshooting hints.
6.Call B&B Electronics Technical Support for troubleshooting
assistance.
USA Office
Technicians are available at (815) 433-5100 to answer your
questions from 8 AM - 5 PM weekdays (Central Time).
European Office
Technicians are available at +353 91-792444 to answer your
questions from 8:30 AM – 5 PM weekdays (GMT Time).
Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 Manual29
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
Included on the PCI/USB COM Port Utility Disk is a test program
called COMTest. It can be installed on your “Programs” menu for
use by inserting the disk and running Setup.
COMTest is a simple 32-bit Windows (Windows 95,98, or NT)
COM port Test program. It is a simple tool that can be used to
troubleshoot RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485 serial communications. It
allows multiple ports, at any address and IRQ, to be opened at any
given time. ComTest is available on B&B Electronics Mfg. Co.
websites: www.bb-elec.com
or www.bb-europe.com.
Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 ManualAppendix CC-1
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
Renaming PCI COM Ports Using the PnP COM Rename Utility
CAUTION: You must be using Windows 95/98 or ME. This utility is
not designed for NT or other Windows versions.
This program edits the registry directly, it will only change entries
related to B&B PCI or USB Serial Ports. Improper use of this
program can cause conflicts with other COM Ports installed on your
computer.
Renaming COM ports will only affect software that accesses COM
ports through Windows, not software that accesses ports from DOS
or at the hardware level.
This program should only be used after all serial ports have been
installed.
Windows 95/98 and ME automatically assigns COM port
numbers starting at COM5 when the port is not at the standard base
addresses for COM1 to COM4.
If your software refuses to access COM ports above COM4, and
you have unused COM numbers that you want to be able use with
your B&B PCI Serial Card, this utility can be used to rename some
or all of the ports to the unused COM numbers.
First, check the ports list shown in the Device Manager, then
check any Modem or FAX device to make sure that the port number
isn't being used for a FAX/Modem or Network Redirector.
If you have built-in ports you want to disable from the BIOSin
order to use your PCI card at that COM number, first remove the
port with the Device Manager. Then re-boot to the BIOS, disable the
port with hardware settings, Exit with a "Save Settings", then re-start
Windows Next, verify the port number is not present. Then use the
Rename utility to rename the PCI card ports as needed.
ToRemoveaPort: Choose Settings, Control Panel, System,
Device Manager, then select the port to highlight it. Click Remove
below the window. To remove all B&B PCI ports, select the B&B
Serial Adapter. This clears registry entries for the card and ports.
Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 ManualAppendix DD-1
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
Manufacturer’s Name:B&B Electronics Manufacturing Company
DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
Manufacturer’s Address:P.O. Box 1040
Model Numbers:232PCI1A/B, 232PCI2A/B
Description:Single/Dual Port RS-232 PCI Serial Card
Type:Light industrial ITE equipment
Application of Council Directive: 89/336/EEC
Standards:EN 50082-1
William H. Franklin III, Director of Engineering
707 Dayton Road
Ottawa, IL 61350 USA
EN 61000 (-4-2, -4-3, -4-4, -4-5, -4-6)
Documentation Number 232PCIXX4502 ManualAppendix EE-1
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104