Black Box PC455C-R2, 5250 Specifications

Lets you send data
between an S/3X or
AS/400 and a PC.

Gives you extensive
control over printing
features.

Switches sessions
easily with direct­access or round-robin
hot key methods.

Emulates popular IBM
displays: 5251-11, 5291,
3180, and more!

Low memory
requirements.

Supports most file­transfer utilities.

E

mulation is the process that

enables one device to mimic the
functions of a different, otherwise
incompatible device. Our 5250 Half­Card Emulator lets you connect
IBM

®

or compatible PCs to an IBM

S/3X or AS/400

®

.

Once you’ve installed and
configured the card, your PC and its
printer can emulate host devices—
but you still have access to PC
applications, such as spreadsheet
or word-processing programs.
This communication with the IBM
3/3X or AS400 system can be made
over twinax or UTP cable (baluns,
however, are required for UTP
applications).

Each emulated display or printer
is called a session. During an active
session with the host, the card lets
you emulate displays attached via
the attached cable. The printer
attached to the PC emulates a
system printer even though it’s
attached to the PC. When data is
sent to and from the host, the card
forwards the information to the
correct session.

Because the sessions act
independently of each other and

Select as many as seven AS/400

or S/3X sessions—and bring them

right to your PC.

Key Features

5250 HALF-CARD EMULATOR

maintain separate communication
with the host, you can perform
several tasks at the same time. For
example, you can start a long job in
one session and then “hot key” to
another session to perform another
function.

Choose either four- or
seven-session mode, depending on
your application. Select seven­session mode, for example, when
you need extra AS/400 or S/3X
functions and power at your
desktop. If PC memory is low, then
switch to the four-session mode,
which supports three displays and
one printer.

Both modes give you a number
of features, such as:

• Multiple printer emulation so
you can use almost any PC
printer.

• PC file transfer so you can
send data back and forth
between the host and your PC.

• Diagnostics for identifying and
solving problems fast.

• Keyboard mapping from AT

®

,
PC/XT™, or Enhanced style
keyboards so you can set up
your keyboard the way you
like it.

• Easy-to-use printer controls
like truncate/wrap, line or form
feed, printer re-initialize, pitch
correction, and more.

Expanded functions

The 5250 Half-Card Emulator is
configured with software for either
reduced memory requirements (a
basic, low-feature option) or
expanded functions. The expanded
functions are Record/Playback,
5219 Printer Emulation, 3812 Printer
Emulation, and Command
Language. Here’s what they offer:

Record/Playback—This feature
lets you record a sequence of
keystrokes for later playback at
the press of one key. This feature
is especially helpful for information
you use often.

5219 Printer Emulation—For
HP

®

LaserJet®or LaserJet-type
printers. The HP LaserJet printer
will be automatically selected
during the 5219 emulation.

3812 Printer Emulation—Lets

an attached HP or IBM

®

4029 laser
printer emulate the IBM 3812
printer.

Black Box Corporation • 1000 Park Drive • Lawrence, PA 15055-1018 • Tech Support: 724-746-5500 • www.blackbox.com • e-mail: [e-mail]

© 2003. All rights reserved.

Black Box Corporation.

04/04/2002 #16940

(continued on page 2)

• (1) 5250 Half-Card Emulator

• (1) auto-terminate “V”
twinax cable/connector with
(2) twinax female connectors

• (1) 3.5" diskette

• (3) 5250 Emulation Software
for Windows (PC455-WIN)
diskettes

• (1) users’ manual with
keyboard templates

Approvals:

FCC A, VDE Bl; CE

Hardware Requirements:

IBM PC,

PC/XT

®

, AT®, or compatible with

8-bit ISA- or EISA-bus slot and

3.5" drive

IBM Systems Supported:

AS/400

®

and S/3X

®

Memory Requirements:

Four-session: 36K + 15K per printer

+ 32K upper memory block;

Seven-session: 61K + 15K per

printer + 32K upper memory
block

Operating Systems Supported:

DOS

3.3. or higher; Windows

®

3.1,

Windows 95/98

Software Requirements:

DOS version 3.0 or higher,
Windows 3.1

Display Emulations:

Four-session: 5251-11, 5291,

5292/3179-1;

Seven-session: All the above,

plus 3180, 3196, 3197C, 3197D

Maximum Configuration:

Seven
sessions (one must be a display;
otherwise, any combination)

Minimum Configuration:

One display

Printer Emulations:

Four-session:
IBM 5224/5225, 5256, 4210
(under 4214 emulation), 4214;

Seven-session: 3812 (non-IPDS™

HP LaserJet and IBM 4029,
4039, and 4049 only), and 5219
(HP LaserJet only)

Number of Sessions:

Four for low
memory requirements (three
displays and one printer); seven
sessions for expanded features

Indicator:

(1) Line Sync LED on the

rear bracket

Connector:

(1) 9-pin with auto-

terminating twinax V-connector

Temperature:

Operating: 32 to 110°F

(0 to 43°C);

Storage: -20 to +160°F

(-29 to +71°C)

Power:

From the PC bus

Size:

Half card

Weight:

Shipping: 1.1 lb. (0.5 kg)

Package Includes

Specifications

Ordering Information

ITEM CODE

5250 Half-Card Emulator......................................PC455C-R2

For UTP

connections, you’ll need…

Twinax↔Twisted-Pair Balun

with RJ-45, Pins 5 & 4 ..............................................IC258A

To use the 5250 Half-Card Emulator,
you’ll need:

• IBM PC, PC/XT, AT, or
compatible with 8-bit ISA­or EISA-bus slot

• 3.5" disk drive

• DOS version 3.0 or higher

• 512K RAM memory

• 16K (low-memory option) or
32K (standard option) free
upper-memory block.

Requirements

(continued from page 1)

Command Language—These
are special codes placed in the
document. The emulator card
recognizes these codes and passes
the proper commands to the printer
to control the output. You can use
the commands in either data­processing or word-processing
documents. There are three
command types: Font-Change,
Escape, and Command Pass-Thru,
which allows you to access all of
the built-in features of a printer even
if these features aren’t normally
available through the host software.

Quick to set up and use

The 5250 Half-Card Emulator is
designed for trouble-free operation.
Setup is quick with menu-driven
screens. There are no DIP
switches or jumpers to move,
and no IRQ is required for the
card. Plus, you can choose from
multiple languages—18 in all.

The card works with Windows
(under a DOS partition) or IOwin
software for Windows. Cut-and­paste capabilities, icons, and full­screen or sizable views can all be
used. In addition, you’re provided
with a unique printer control
screen that enables access to
the features of the printer.

Display sessions must be
signed onto separately, but printer
sessions start up automatically.
The software’s keyboard and
display screen are assigned to one
session at a time, and the current
session number and address are

displayed during emulation on the
bottom line of the screen. This
session status line also displays
information sent from the host
and highlights other information
regarding active sessions.

With the card, you can print
from DOS (using either a DOS print
command or a software program)
or from host applications on your
attached printer. What’s more, the
card automatically switches from
PC printing to host printing and vice
versa.

Used with the PC Support/36 ,
/38, or /400, which are IBM host/PC
communications programs, the
card provides access to virtual disk,
virtual printer, and shared folder
functions.

The card is also
compatible with I-O APPC, Client
Access/400, PC Support, Rumba

®

,

and most file-transfer utilities.

With its intelligent host/PC
print sharing capabilities, the
device monitors both twinax and
PC input lines for data and prints
the next incoming stream—all
without any intervention by you!
Line monitor diagnostics verify
all cabling on twinax lines as
well as the signal integrity.

When you power on your PC,
the card performs diagnostic testing
to detect any problems with its
hardware. Error messages are
generated by the card and software
during configuration, while starting
emulation, or during active
emulation.