Page 1
Hardwar e Manual
3 Port RS232
3+1 Port RS232
1.0 EDITION MAY 1 998
Page 2
Guarantee.
FULL 36 MONTHS GUARANTEE.
We guarantee your Serial Port Card for a full 36 months from
purchase, parts and labour, provided it has been used in the
specified manner. In the unlikely event of failure return your
interface to your Dealer, with proof of purchase, who will
determine whether to repair or replace this product with an
equivalent unit.
COPYRIGHT.
COPYRIGHT © 1985-1998.
All rights reserved. No part of this hardware, circuitry or manual
may be duplicated, copied, transmitted or reproduced in any way
without the prior written consent o f the Manufactur er .
Due to the Manufacturers commitment to quality, software is
subject to continuous improvements: information regarding
upgrades can be obtained from your supplier.
Serial Solutions is supplied to you by
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
IBM, COMPAQ, Hewlett Packard, H.P. and EPSON are
trademarks of the relevant co mpanies. Windows is a tr ademark of
Microsoft.
Page 3
PCI 3Port RS232 Introduction
PCI 3 PORT RS232
PCI 3+1 PORT RS232
These products conform to the follow ing sta ndards :
CE Standard: EN55022:1987 Class B
IEC 801-2: 1991 Level 2
IEC 801-3: 1984 Level 2
IEC 801-4: 1988 Level 2
TIA / EIA: 232 - E
Intro 1
Page 4
Introduction PCI 3 PORT RS232
PCI 3 PORT RS232 &
PCI 3+1 PORT RS232 MANUAL
OUTLINE CONTENTS
Chapter 1 - Serial Solutions Software.
Chapter 2 - PCI 3 Port RS232 & PCI 3+1 P ort RS232
Specifications.
Chapter 3 - PCI 3 Port RS232 & PCI 3+1 P ort RS232
Soft w are Co nfigurati on G uide.
Chapter 4 - RS232 Pinouts and P or t Cabli ng
The Layout Of This M anual
Chapter 1 - Serial Solutions Software, is an overview of
the included software package for our range of serial port cards.
Buy it fr om you r de ale r now!
Chapter 2 - PCI 3 Port RS232 & PCI 3+1 P ort RS232
Specifications,
specifications, details of how to install the optional parallel port
and shows you how to install your PCI 3 Port RS232 card.
gives details of the PCI 3 Port RS232
Chapter 3 - PCI 3 Port RS232 & PCI 3+1 P ort RS232
Software Configuration Guide
configure your operating system to allow t rouble free operation of
your PCI 3 Port RS232 card. Installation procedures are for
Windows 95 / 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windo ws 3.x and DOS.
, shows you how to
Chapter 4 - RS232 Pinouts and Port Cabling - gives
details of the 9 and 25 pin RS232 pin outs, cabling and connections.
Intro 2
Page 5
PCI 3Port RS232 Introduction
Table Of Contents.
CHAPTER 1..................................................................................5
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................5
Introducing Ser ial Solution Software. .................................... 5
Serial Solutions For DOS.......................................................5
Serial Solutions For Windows 3.x.......................................... 7
Serial Solutions For Windows 95........................................... 8
Serial Solutions For Windows NT. ........................................ 8
Complete Documentation and Technical Backup................... 8
CHAPTER 2..................................................................................9
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................... 9
PCI RS232 CARD FEATURES. ....................................................9
Configuring PCI Cards. ....................................................... 12
RS232 Cabling and Pinouts ................................................. 12
HARDWARE INSTALLATION...................................................... 12
PROBLEMS!.............................................................................. 13
CHAPTER 3................................................................................ 14
INTRODUCTION........................................................................ 14
INSTALLING PORTS IN MICROSOFT WINDOWS 95 & 98............. 14
PCI 3Port RS232 Card Settings In Windows 95 & 98.......... 17
PCI 3Port RS232 Port Settings In Windows 95 & 98........... 17
CONFIGURING PORTS IN MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT 4.0 ............ 20
Software Installation............................................................ 20
Examining Card Configurat ion. ........................................... 21
Configuring Ports. ............................................................... 22
Advanced Port Settings........................................................ 23
Uninstalling Serial Solutions PCI......................................... 24
CONFIGURING PORTS IN WINDOWS 3.X..................................... 25
Determining PCI 3Port RS232 Resources............................ 25
Windows 3.x Software Installation.......................................26
Intro 3
Page 6
Introduction PCI 3 PORT RS232
Serial Port Installation.......................................................... 27
Configuring The COM Ports................................................ 29
Delet ing Ports in Windows. .................................................30
Restarting Windows............................................................. 30
CONFIGURING PORTS IN DOS...................................................31
Determining PCI 3Port RS232 Resources............................ 31
NEWCOM.SYS Parameters.................................................32
Configuring And Installing NEWCOM.SYS........................ 33
Modifying Command Line Parameters.................................34
CHAPTER 4 ................................................................................ 35
INTRODUCTION........................................................................ 35
The RS232 Standard............................................................35
Serial Port Pin Outs. ............................................................ 35
9 Pin D Serial Port RS232 Cables........................................ 36
9 Pin D Serial Port Connection To Another PC. ................... 37
9 Pin D Serial Port To A Modem......................................... 39
9 Pin D Serial Port Loop Back Connector............................ 39
INDEX ........................................................................................ 41
Intro 4
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Serial Solutions
Chapter 1
SERIAL
SOLUTIONS
SOFTWARE.
Introduction.
This chapter is a brief description of the Serial Solutions
software package included with this product; extra copies or
licenses for extra copies are available fro m YOUR DEALER.
Introducing Seria l Solution Software.
The perfect partner for any Serial Port is Serial So lutions
Software! Serial Solutions is a fully featured suite of programs
designed to squeeze the most fro m PC serial communications.
Serial So lutions is made up of the following components: -
Serial Solutions for DOS
Serial Solutions for Windows 3.x
Serial Solutions for Windows 95
Serial Solutions for Windows NT
All the S e rial Solution s drive rs h ave the followi n g fe at ures: -
• Drivers for PC FIFO UARTs e.g. 16550 as well as the new
improved 32 byte 16650 and 64 byte 16750 UARTs.
• Support for any mix of RS232, RS422 and RS485 handshake
schemes.
• Support for wider range of Baud rates and for more than 4
serial ports.
Serial Solutions For DOS.
Serial Solutions for DOS consists of the following
programs: -
Chapter 1 Page 5
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Serial Solutions PCI 3 Port RS232
NewCOM.sys A device driver, it supports COM1 to COM16,
allowing 16 serial port s to be used under DOS.
It also includes an interrupt handler for
enhanced performance with user definable
buffer sizes. Accessible from all DOS
languages, it is the heart of the Serial Solution.
It has extensive handshaking support,
implementing both hardware handshaking
using any c o mbin at ion o f t he D TR, DS R, CT S,
RTS, and DCD lines, and a software handshake
using the XON/XOFF protocol.
NewCOM24.sys A device driver providing support for 24 ports.
NewCOM32.sys A device driver providing support for 32 ports.
NewMode.exe A replacement for the DOS ’mode com...’
command. NewMode is used to set the serial
parameters, including the port address, IRQ
line used, the baud rate, parity and data and
stop bit options. Baud rates supported are from
110 baud to 115,200 baud! Included is a very
handy query mode that reports the settings of
the various serial ports. Flexible and fast!
EASY programs. The EASY disk contains short, simple to
understand and use EASYBAS, EASYC and
EASYPAS programs, providing straight
forward, file type I/O to serial ports with debug
information. Use these FIRST, base your
sample applications on them. Source code,
make files and compi led ready to run programs
supplied.
TERM programs A suite of larger terminal emulation programs
written in C (Cterm), Assembly language
(Aterm), Pascal (Pasterm), BASIC (BASterm)
and FORTRAN (FORterm) show how to
access the NEWBIOS routines as well as the
simple file I/O to ports. They contain many
lines of code and are thus harder to grasp. They
Chapter 1 Page 6
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Serial Solutions
demonstrate in depth serial port programming
in a variety of languages but they are also
useful tools for using serial devices.
Comt est.exe Co mte st is a sho rt bu t inva lua ble pro gra m tha t is
used to check that the serial port at a particular I/O
address is functioning correctly and is connected
to the particular IRQ line. The program correctly
identifies the UART type by employing the built
in loop back capability of the PC seria l port chip, a
full test of the baud rate generator, transmitting
and receiving buffer, parity enable and start stop
bit is performed. There is no need for a second
serial port or a cable when usi ng this utili ty.
Serial Solutions For Windows 3.x
Serial Solutions for Windows 3.x works with Windows 3.0,
3.1 and 3.11 as well as Windows For Workgroups 3.11.
Serial Solutions for Windows 3.x consists of the following
programs: Setup.exe The install ro utine for the package.
Port.DLL Enhanced Control Panel applet. Allows
configuration of extra serial ports from the
Windows Control Panel. Supports single as well
as multiport car ds using shared inter r upts.
BbLynx.drv Replacement for COMM.DRV.
LynxAPI.dll Enhancement to the Windows Comms API’s
allowing support for more than 9 ports.
Term.exe Terminal program.
EasyCWIN C source code, project files and read y to run.exe
program for an easy to understand Windows
terminal program. Learn how to write Windows
comms apps correctly the easy way.
Chapter 1 Page 7
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Serial Solutions PCI 3 Port RS232
Serial Solutions For Windows 95.
Windows 95 has an improved communication API and
directly supports up to 255 ports. Our Windo ws 95 driver support s
the shared interrupt mechanism used on our multiport cards. Serial
Solutions for Windows 95 consists of the following programs: SSCards.inf The information file to aid the installation
process "Have Disk....”
Ssmod em.i nf Setup file for Ser ial Solutions mo dems .
sscardui.dll
ssportui.dll The device manager configuration DLLs and…
ssenum.vxd
ssv485.vxd ...the virtual device drivers providing the shared
ssvel.vxd interrupt handlers and dispat ch ro ut ines etc for the
ssmult.v xd various Serial Solut ions serial cards.
ssm485.vxd
Serial Solutions For Wind ows NT.
Windows NT has an improved communication API and
directly supports up to 255 ports. Serial Solutions for Windows
NT consists of the following programs: Setup.exe Expands into the Control Panel applet and
associated files which allows the configuration of
all ports on Serial Solutions serial cards.
Ssmod em.i nf Setup file fo r Serial Solution s mod em s.
Complete Documenta tion and Technical Bac kup.
We believe in supplying complete documentation with
every package we sell. The Serial Solut ion Software Package is no
exception, it has an attractive manual in an A5 binder, containing
over 150 pages of in-depth technical detail with comprehensive
indexes and table of contents. We guarantee your Ser ial Solution
Software package for a full 12 months from purchase. A complete
technical backup service is available to ensure that you get the
maximum performance out of your investment.
Chapter 1 Page 8
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Specifications
Chapter 2
PCI 3 PORT RS232 & PCI 3+1
PORT RS232
SPECIFICATIONS
Introduction.
This chapter details the specifications of the PCI 3Port
RS232 and PCI 3+1 Port RS232 serial card. The difference
between the two cards is simply the presence of a port header close
to the external ports. These half-sized cards will work happily in
any PCI 2.0 (or greater) compliant PC compatible.
PCI RS232 Card Features.
• Three or 4 independent 9 pin D RS232 Serial ports.
• Reliable communications up to 50 feet, 15m, and beyo nd!
• Word length of 5, 6, 7 or 8 bits.
• Even, Odd, None, Mark or Space parity options.
• 1 start bit always sent.
• 1, (1.5 for 5-bit data wo r d length) or 2 stop bits.
• Full modem control TXD, RXD, DS R, DCD, DTR, RTS , CTS
and RI signals.
• Fully double buffered for reliable asynchronous operation.
• High-speed integrated circuitry ensures operation with fast PC’s
e.g. 450MHz PentiumII and above WITHOUT extra wait states.
Chapter 2 Page 9
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Specifications PCI 3 Port RS232
Figure 2-1. PCI 3Port RS232 Card.
P
O
R
T
#1
Optional Printer Port
P
O
R
T
#2
P
O
R
T
#3
Dimensions: 5 x 3 in, 120 x 85 mm
I/O Connection: Serial Port 1: 9 pin Male D type.
Serial Port 2: 9 pin Male D type.
Serial Port 3: 9 pin Male D type.
Weight: 84g
Chapter 2 Page 10
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Specifications
Figure 2-2. PCI 3+1 Port RS232 Card.
P
O
R
T
#1
P
O
R
P
O
R
T
#2
P
O
R
T
#3
T
#4
Dimensions: 5 x 3 in, 120 x 85 mm
I/O Connection: Serial Port 1: 9 pin Male D type.
Serial Port 2: 9 pin Male D type.
Serial Port 3: 9 pin Male D type.
Serial Port 4: 9 pin Male D type on optional
flylead head e r.
Weight: 85g
Chapter 2 Page 11
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Specifications PCI 3 Port RS232
Configuri ng PCI Ca rds.
PCI cards, by definition, require no hardware configurat ion
and can be inst alled "directly from the box".
RS232 Cabling and Pi nouts
For further details of the RS232 standard, pinouts and how
to make vario us types of cables, refer to chapter 4, "RS232 Pinouts
and Cabling."
Hardware Installati on.
STEP 1: Before the PC card can be inst alled the power to the PC
MUST be switched OFF, and the lead removed from the PC.
STEP 2: Remove the PC case.
Figure 2-4. Removing Blanking C over
STEP 3: Choose an empt y expansion slot.
Remove the blanking cover protecting the
slot on the PC back panel (Figure 2-4).
KEEP the blanking cover screw safely for
late r.
Figure 2-5. Inserting the PC Serial Card.
STEP 4: Now insert the PCI Serial card in
the slot. Be careful to ensure that the gold
plated PCB fingers fit neatly into the
expansion connector. Press down firmly
but evenly on the top of the PC Serial
card (Figure 2-6).
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Specifications
STEP 5: The connectors should fit neatly through the slot’s
aperture to the outside world.
STEP 6: Now replace the system unit’s cover by carefully sliding it
down and back over the system unit. Replace the cover mounting
screws.
STEP 7: After attaching all the monitor and keyboard cables,
power up the PC. Do not forget the mains power cable! The PC
should then pow er on in the normal wa y.
Problems!
If the system fails to power up normally check the following:
i.) Ensure that t he PC Serial card is insta lled corr ectly.
ii.) Ensure that other car ds in the PC have not been upset.
iii.) Ensure that the power is connected and the PC is switched ON!
If al l thes e ha ve bee n chec ked a nd t he PC st ill do es no t po wer up
then inspect the area surrounding the card to ensure that any
potentially harmful bits of metal etc. are not present. If the
problem persists ask your dealer to check the card or contact the
HELP line as given on Intro. page 2.
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Software Configuration PCI 3 Port RS232
Chapter 3
PCI 3PORT & PCI 3+1 PORT
RS232 SOFTWARE
CONFIGURATION GUIDE
Introduction.
This section contains the installat ion procedures of the PCI
3Port RS232 card, with the Windows 95, Windows NT DOS, and
Windows 3.x operating systems.
As previously noted, the install procedure for the 3Port and
3+1 Port PCI RS232 cards are the same, with the only difference
being the reported card and port name in Windows 95 and NT 4.0;
instances where t his o ccur s will be clearly labe led.
The setup procedures in this chapter assume that your PC
has only one serial port pr esent .
Installing Ports In Microsoft Windows 95 & 98.
Although covering the installation of the PCI 3Port RS232
into the Windows 95 operating system, the procedure is also valid,
with only minor differences, in the Windows 98 Operating
System. The Windows 95 environment now supports up to 255
standard serial ports, RS232, RS422, RS485 etc.
To obtain a trouble free mix-and- mat ch o f the COM ports:
• Switch off your computer, insert your PCI 3Port RS232 card
into a free PCI slot, as described in the section "Hardware
Installation" in Chapter 2, and switch your computer on again.
• During the booting process, Windows 95 will detect PCI 3Port
RS232, but will disp lay it simply as a "PCI CARD", a nd you
will briefly see a message box to this effect.
• Windows will then display the "Update Device Dr iver Wizard",
which asks you to “insert any disk which came with the PCI
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Software Configuration
card”. Insert the Windows 95 installation disk into an
appropriate drive and click 'Next'.
• The Wizard should then display something similar to following:
3+1 users, this entry will
appear as:
PCI 3+1 Port RS232
• Click Finish.
• A "Copying Files…" window should now appear. Click 'OK'
when it asks you to insert the disk.
• After copying the file, Windows 95 will then detect each of the
serial ports in turn and inst all them as communications port s.
When the "Device Manager" is viewed:
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Software Configuration PCI 3 Port RS232
• PCI 3Port Users: PCI 3Port RS232 will appear under the
"Multi-function adapters" bra nch, and three Communicat ions
Ports will appear under the "Ports (COM & LPT) b ran ch ."
• PCI 3+1Port RS232 Users: PCI 3+1 Port RS232 will appea r
under the "Multi-function adapters" branch and four
Communications Po rts will appear under the "Ports (COM &
LPT) branch."
For most users who have 4 or less COM ports the new
ports will appear as COM5 and above, as pictured below; for users
with more than 5 COM ports t he new ports will appear as the first
available COM po rt s.
PCI 3Port RS232 users:
PCI 3+1Port RS232 users:
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Software Configuration
PCI 3Port RS232 Card Setti ngs I n Windows 95 & 98.
• Select the PCI 3Port RS232 card from the "Multi-Function
Adapter" entry in Device Manager and click on properties to
view the cards general properties; clicking on the Serial
Solutions tab produces:
PCI 3Port RS232 users:
PCI 3+1Port RS232 users:
In this window, the COM port assignment may be changed,
simply by selecting a new COM port value from the pull down
menu relevant to the port. However, COM port usage ot her than
those for the PCI 3Port RS 232 card itself are not checked, so it is
advisable to first check which COM ports are in use - port
availability can be checked by viewing the Device Manager.
PCI 3Port RS232 Port Sett ings In Windows 95 & 98.
Double clicking on a Communicat ions Port that belongs to
a PCI 3Port RS232 card will display general properties window for
that port (in this case COM5). Selecting the Port Settings tab
produces:
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Software Configuration PCI 3 Port RS232
Settings available in these windows are:
1. Baud Rate - determines the baud rate at which the
selected port operates. Maximum Setting is 115200.
2. Data Bits.
3. Parity.
4. Stop Bits.
Change to suit remote device.
5. Flow Control.
6. Advanced - clicking on this will display the following
window:
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Software Configuration
Set tings availab le in this window are:
• Use FIFO Buffers - turns the selected ports FIFO
buffer on or off. It is strong ly recommended that the
FIFO for both ports is le ft enabled .
• Receive B uffer - These sett ings allow the se lection
of a receiver FIFO trigger setting. Selecting a low
value will allow the interrupt to be serviced
quicker, which is good for slow machines. If you
have a fast machine, sett ing a high value will g ive
yo u more time fo r multi-ta sking op er ations .
• Transmit Buffer - These settings allow the
selection of a transmitter FIFO trigger setting.
Selecting a low value will send fewer data-bytes per
interrupt, and this is recommended if you are
communicating to a slower machine. Selecting a
high value will send more data-bytes per interrupt,
and will give more time for multi-tasking
operations.
• Defaults: when clicked this button restores the
advanced sett ings for the se lect ed po rt to:
Use FIFO Buffers: On (Checked)
Receive Buffer: High (14)
Transmit Buffer: High (14)
7. Restore Defaults - when clicked, resets the selected
COM port to the following values:
Baud Rate: 9600
Data Bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop Bit s: 1
Flow Co ntrol: Xo n / Xof f
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Software Configuration PCI 3 Port RS232
Configuring Ports In Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Provides built in support for 255
standard serial ports. To setup your PCI 3 Port Serial card you
should follow these st eps. Plea se not e that to change any k ind of
hardware configuration under Windows NT you must be logged in
as a user with Administrator level privileges, if you do not have
these please cont act your system administrat or.
Software Installation.
Insert the PCI 3port RS232 into your PC, as described in
chapter 2, and restart. Place the suppl ied floppy disk t itled "Serial
Solutions for Windows NT" in a suitable drive and from the S tart
Menu choose Run and enter a:\setup (where a: is the path to
the floppy drive with the installation disk).
• Inst a llShie ld wil l t he n insta ll t he d r ive r so ft w ar e a u to matica l ly -
it will then copy the necessary files and start itself. This
automatically detect s your new PCI serial card(s) and does not
require any further system restarting.
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Software Configuration
Examining Card Configuration.
Go to Control Panel (Start/Settings/Control Panel) and
double click on Serial Solutions PCI:
You will be presented with a Serial Solutions PCI Port
Configuration window:
PCI 3+1Port RS232
users, these entr ies under
card will appear as:
PCI 3+1Port RS232
Card.
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Software Configuration PCI 3 Port RS232
Configuri ng Ports.
To view the settings of a port, select it and click on
settings, and then click on t he resources tab:
Set tings availab le in this window are:
1. Baud Rate - determines the baud rate at which the
selected port operates. Maximum rate is 115200.
2. Data Bits.
3. Parity.
4. Stop Bits.
5. Flow C o ntrol.
6. Advanced - see the section below, titled "Advanced
Port Settings."
Change to suit remote device.
7. Restore Defaults - when clicked, resets the selected
COM port to the following values:
Baud Rate: 9600
Data Bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop Bit s: 1
Flow Control: Hardware
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Software Configuration
Advanced Port Settings.
• When the Advanced button of Port Settings is selected the
follow ing dialogue is displaye d:
Set tings availab le in this window are:
1. Use FIFO Buffers - turns the selected ports FIFO
buffer on or off. It is strongly recommended that the
FIFO for both ports is le ft enabled .
2. Receive Bu ffer - These settings allow t he selection of a
receiver FIFO trigger setting. Se lect ing a low value wi ll
allow the interrupt to be serviced quicker, which is
good for slow machines. If you have a fast machine,
sett ing a high va lue will g ive you mo re time for multitasking operations.
3. Transmit Buffer - These set tings allow the selection of
a transmitter FIFO trigger setting. Selecting a low value
will send fewer data-bytes per interrupt, and this is
recommended if you are communicating to a slower
machine. Selecting a high value will send more databytes per interrupt, and will give more time for multitasking operations.
4. Defaults: when clicked this button restores the
advanced sett ings for the se lect ed po rt to:
Use FIFO Buffers: On (Checked)
Receive Buffer: High (14)
Transmit Buffer: High (1 4)
Chapter 3 Page 23
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Software Configuration PCI 3 Port RS232
Uninstalling Serial Solutions PCI.
To uninst a ll Serial Solutions PCI:
• From Control Panel, open “Devices”, select SSPCI, and click
the “STOP” button. This stops the device driver cont rolling the
PCI cards serial ports, this ensures that the driver file is
removed.
• “C lose” t he devices app let .
• Also from Control Panel, open the Add/Remove programs
applet, then close the Control Panel, this ensures that the
control pane l app licatio n is removed.
• Select from the list Serial So lutions PCI.
• Click the Add/Remove button.
Windows NT will then uninstall the Serial Solutions PCI driver,
control panel applet, and all reg istry keys that were created by the
or igin a l insta ll.
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Software Configuration
Configuring Ports in Wind ows 3.x
The Windows 3.x-installation procedure consists of two
steps after the PCI 3port RS232 CARD is inserted:
1. Determining the resources that the PCI 3Port RS232 Card has
claimed.
2. Informing Windows 3.x of those resources.
Determining PCI 3Port RS232 Resources.
• Insert the card into a PC, as described in Chapter 2.
• Run BBC ARD S. EX E, fro m the s upp lie d D OS ut il it y disk t it led
"Serial Solutions Utility Disk" by typing the following:
A:\PCI\BBCARDS
Where A:\ is the drive containing the supplied disk.
BBCARDS.EXE will return a string that looks similar to
the following (values contained in the string may differ in
individual PC’s due to resource availabilit y):
PCI 3Port RS232 users:
card 1 is on bus 0, device 16, function 0
Card ID=5, revision 2: 3Port RS232
interrupt line 11 has been assigned
3 sets of 16550-compatible registers are at I/O
address 0140
PCI 3+1Port RS232 users:
card 1 is on bus 0, device 16, function 0
Card ID=7, revision 2: 3+1Port RS232
interrupt line 11 has been assigned
4 sets of 16750-compatible registers are at I/O
address 0140
• Note down YOUR IRQ and I/O address, which in our case
here are:
The IRQ = 11
The I/O address = 0140
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Software Configuration PCI 3 Port RS232
Windows 3.x Software Installati on.
Place the supplied Serial Solut ions for Windows 3.x disk in
a suitable drive. From File Manager choose ‘Run’ and enter
a:\setup (where a: is the path to the floppy drive with the
installation disk).
• Click OK, the Setup Program Main Scre en is displaye d:
By default, all component options will be installed,
sele cting t he "Del All" bu tton wil l se lect a ll ins talled compo nents
for deletion and "Add All" chooses all uninstalled components for
installation; options may not be changed when the components are
installed. For further details on the Component Options consult the
README.TXT file on the supplied disk.
If only logical ports COM1 to COM9 are to be used then
de-select the Comms API library option in the "Install" column.
This library is only necessary to allow the use of logical ports
greater than COM9 e.g. COM10, COM11 etc.
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Software Configuration
• When you have made your choice of Component Options click
Continue and when the setup program has fin ished select t he
Done button.
Note: If the Serial Port driver options has been select ed, after the
setup program has finished, Windows will display a restart
message - answer Yes and Serial Solutions will be ready to run
upon Windows restarting.
Serial Port Installation.
• From Main, select Control Panel:
• Click on Se rial P orts:
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Software Configuration PCI 3 Port RS232
The following dialo gue w ill be displayed:
To add a COM port:
• Click on the add button and a W indo w s imilar to the following
wil l be displa ye d :
• In Standard Settings:
• In the COM Base field, enter the value 0140.
Note: COM ports are defined with an i/o addr ess r ange,
which in this case, begins at 0140 and all subsequent
ports have an i/o address that is 8 higher than the
previous. i.e. if COM2 has an address of 0140h, then
COM3 has an address of 0148h.
• In the IRQ field, enter the value 11.
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Software Configuration
Note: The values used in the above section were those
returned by the BBCARDS program, as described in the
above section.
When you have finished, click on OK. A restart message
wil l be d is p la ye d ; t o sa ve time r e st a r t o n ly w he n bo t h p o rt s
have been added and correctly configured.
• Repeat the above process to add the other COM ports of the
PCI 3Port RS232, the COM base for the second port will be
0148, the third 0150 (the fourth for 3+1 Port users will be
0158); the IRQ value will remain the same. After adding the
remaining COM ports the COM Ports Window will look
similar to the following:
Configuri ng The COM P orts.
• Fro m the COM Ports window choose the port t hat you wish to
configure and click on Settings - the following dialogue will
be dis played:
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Software Configuration PCI 3 Port RS232
Note: A port that has been added has t he default values of:
Baud Rate: 9600
Data Bits: 8
Parity: None
top Bits: 1. 0
Flow: None
Change the communicat io ns Settings in the COM Ports t o
match the baud rate, parity settings etc. of the remote serial device.
Deleting Ports in Windows.
The Delete button can be used to discard the entries of
ports that have been removed from the system.
Note. Never try to leave out a serial port number when
using the delete button, because Windo ws may aut omatically shift
ser ial port number s whic h resu lts in a mis-ma tch o f set ting s in t he
Serial Ports Applet (COM1-COM4 only).
Re sta rting Windows.
Whenever certain values have been e nt ered or changed in
the hardware settings window, a message prompting to restart
Windows will appear. Only after having made ALL the necessary
changes rest art Windows so t hat the new settings come into effect .
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PCI 3 Port RS232 Software Configuration
Configuri ng Ports In D OS.
The DOS installation procedure consists of two steps after
the PCI 3Port RS232 card is inserted:
1. Determining the resources that the PCI 3Port RS232 has
claimed.
2. Informing the Serial Solutions DOS device driver of those
resources.
Determining PCI 3Port RS232 Resources.
• Insert card into PC, as described in Chapt er 2.
• Run BBC ARD S. EX E, fro m the s upp lie d D OS ut il it y disk t it led
"Serial Solutions Utility Disk" by typing the following:
A:\PCI\BBCARDS
Where A:\ is the drive containing the supplied disk.
BBCARDS.EXE will return a string that looks similar to
the following (values contained in the string may differ in
individual PC’s due to resource availabilit y):
PCI 3Port RS232 users:
card 1 is on bus 0, device 16, function 0
Card ID=5, revision 2: 3Port RS232
interrupt line 11 has been assigned
3 sets of 16550-compatible registers are at I/O
address 0140
PCI 3+1Port RS232 users:
card 1 is on bus 0, device 16, function 0
Card ID=7, revision 2: 3+1Port RS232
interrupt line 11 has been assigned
4 sets of 16750-compatible registers are at I/O
address 0140
• Note down IRQ and I/O which in this case:
The IRQ = 11
The I/O address = 0140
Chapter 3 Page 31
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Software Configuration PCI 3 Port RS232
NEWCOM.SYS Parameters.
The NewCOM.SYS device driver in cluded with the PCI 3 Port RS232
driver software is used to set up the card in DOS and has the
follow ing syntax:
NEWCOM.SYS /A port address, /I IRQ,range /B number buffer
/S buffer /H hardware handshake
Where /A port address specif ie s C OM po rt nu mber fo llowed b y a
hexadecimal address in the form /Ax,y where x is COM
port range and y is I/O address.
/I IRQ, range specifies card interrupt and COM port range. The
COM port range specifies the COM port(s). Range may be a
single port OR a range of ports.
/B number buffer is used to set the number of pairs of
buffers to be allocated to port s and is a decimal number in
the range 1-maxport.
/S buffer Set size of all buffers in byt es, buffer is rounded
to the nearest power of 2 and must be a decimal number in
the range 32 to 32768. For any serial port opened two
buffer s of size buffer are allocated, one for input and the
other for output.
/H hardware handshake se lec ts whic h har dw are han ds hak e
type to use on the specified ports. This is used in the
follo wing ma nner: /H range, hs where range spec ifies t he
COM port or ports and hs selects handshake type.
Handshake types availa ble are:
Type 0 RS232 DTR/CTS - The PC only transmits
Chapter 3 Page 32
when CTS is input true. When the PC is able to
receive its sets DTR output true. The DSR and
Page 35
PCI 3 Port RS232 Software Configuration
DCD inputs are ignored. The RTS output line
is set true just in case the external serial device
needs a true signal.
Type 4 3 Wire Handshake - Really no handshake at all
since the PC transmits irrespective of the
handshake lines. The 3 wires are TxD, RxD and
Ground, no other lines are required. Thus the
CTS , DSR a nd DCD inputs are ignored. The RTS
and DTR output lines are set true just in case t he
external serial device needs a true signal.
Note: If hardware handshaking is not specified in the
NEWCOM.SYS parameters, type 4, 3 Wire
Handshake is selected automatically.
Configuri ng And Installing NEWCOM .SYS
To lo ad t he Serial Solutions for DOS device driver an entry
needs to be added to the CONFIG.S YS file. Any simp le text editor,
EDIT for example, can edit the CONFIG.SYS file for example. The
installation procedure given below is for a PCI 3 Port RS232 as
COM 5 - COM6.
The parameter required by the NEWCOM.SYS driver are
those returned by the BBCARDS.EXE application earlier. A brief
explanation for the parameters required by NEWCOM.SYS
follows:
Port Address.
/A5-7,0140
COM ports 5,6 and 7 are defined, with an i/o address r ange
that begins at 0140h with the next port having an i/o address that is
8 higher than the previous. i.e. COM5 has an address of 0140h,
therefore COM6 will have an address of 0148h.
Chapter 3 Page 33
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Software Configuration PCI 3 Port RS232
IRQ, Rang e.
/I 11,5-7
11 is the IRQ and since the COM port range is COM5 -
COM6 range is entered as 5-6.
Number Buffer.
/B7
Six buffers are defined, though only four ports are in use this is because buffers in DOS are assigned in a sequential order
from COM1. Since the PCI 3 Port RS232 has been assigned COM
port values of 5 to 7, all preceding COM ports, must have bu ffers
assigned to t he m also.
Bu ffer Size .
/S512
Buffer size set to 512 bytes.
Hardware Handshaking.
/H,4
Type 4, 3 Wire Handshake selected for all ports. Type 4, 3
Wire Handshake select ed for all port s.
Modifyi ng C ommand Line Par a meters.
When "assembled" the NEWCOM.SYS command line
looks like…
DEVICE=NEWCOM.SYS /A5-7,0140 /I 11,5-7 /B7 /S 512 /H,4
…and should be entered into the CONFIG.SYS file. Once you are
sure that these parameters have been entered correctly, restart your
PC and your PCI 3 Port RS232 should be ready to use
immed ia te ly. Sa mp le t ermin al a pp lic at ions are pr ov ided o n "S er ial
Solutions Disk 1 & 2" enabling co mmunications to be established
to your peripherals quickly and easily.
Chapter 3 Page 34
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PCI 3 Port RS232 RS232 Pinouts and Cabling
Ground
Chapter 4
RS232 PINOUTS AND PORT
CABLING.
Introduction.
This chapt er gives details of the 9 and 25 pin RS232 p in out s,
cabling and connections, with informat ion o n how to connect t he
serial ports of two PCs and how to make a self-test loop back
connector.
The RS232 Standard.
The RS232 standard is ancient in computer industry terms.
Introduced in 1962, it is now wide ly established. RS232 is a slow
speed, short distance, single ended transmission system (i.e. only
one wire per signal). Typical RS232 maximum cable length is 50
feet with a maximum data rate of 20K bits per second.
Figure 4-1. RS232 Point To Point C onnection.
DTTL
TTLR
Ground
RS232C STANDARD
1 Driver 1 Receiver
Line Length Max Data Rate
50 Feet = 15m 20 Kbits/sec
Serial Port Pin Outs.
The pinouts of the 9 and 25 pin Ma le D connectors are given
below.
Chapter 4 Page 35
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RS232 Pinouts and Cabling PCI 3 Port RS232
Figure 4-2. Serial Port RS232 Pin Outs.
9 Pin connector:
PIN 6 - DATA SET READY (DSR)
PIN 7 - REQUEST TO SEND (RXD)
PIN 8 - CLEAR TO SEND (CTS)
PIN 9 - RING INDICATOR (RI)
PIN 1 - DATA CARRIER DETECT (DCD)
PIN 2 - RECEIVED DAT A (RXD)
PIN 3 - TRANSMITTED DATA (TXD)
PIN 4 - DA TA TERMINAL READY (DTR)
PIN 5 - GROUND (GND)
25 Pin connector:
PIN 2 - TRANSMITTED DATA (TXD)
PIN 3 - RECEIVED DATA (RXD)
PIN 4 - REQUEST TO SEND (RXD)
PIN 5 - CLEAR TO SEND (CTS)
PIN 6 - DATA SET READY (DSR)
PIN 20 - RING INDICATOR (RI)
PIN 22 - DATA TERMINAL READY (DTR)
PIN 7 - GROUND (GND)
PIN 8 - DAT A CA RRIER DETECT (DCD)
9 Pin D Serial Port RS232 Cables.
To connect to the AT style RS232 Serial Port you will need a
cable terminating in a 9 way female D connector. It is sound
practice to use cables with screws fitted that will allow you to
fasten the cable securely to the PC card.
In gener al, you will nee d to mak e up a " cros s over " cable to
correctly interface the PC to the RS232 port of another computer
or device. Traditionally, making up the cross o ver cable has been
considered a black art. However, prov ided you have t he pin outs
and handshake requirements of both sides of your RS232
connection, the cross over cable becomes a matter of common
sense. The cross over cable is simply to ensure that the right
signals going out of one RS232 port go int o the appro priate lines
of the other RS232 port.
Chapter 4 Page 36
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PCI 3 Port RS232 RS232 Pinouts and Cabling
9 Pin D Serial Port Connection To Another PC.
Suppose we want to connect the AT style 9 pin D Ser ial Port
to the serial port of another IBM PC. See Figure 4-3.
1) Connect the earth lines.
Line 5 of Serial Port 2 to lines 1 & 7 of the other PC.
This gives the two devices a common earth level.
2) Connect the Transmit and Receive l ines t ogether.
Line 3, TXD, Port 2 goes to line 3, RXD, of the other PC.
Line 2, RXD, Port 2 go es to line 2, TXD, of the other PC.
This allows each to receive the data transmitted by the
other.
3) Co nnect the Port 2 DTR line, p in 4 to the other PC DCD,
pin 8 and CTS, pin 5, lines.
Also, connect up the other PC DTR line, pin 20 to the Port
2 DCD, pin 1 and CTS, pin 8, lines.
This allows the receiving device to signal when it can no
longer accept data. The receiving device sets DTR false
when it is unable to receive any more data. The sending
device reads DTR on its CTS and DCD pins. It should sto p
sending when CTS goes false.
4) Connect the Port 2 RT S line, pin 7, to the other PC DS R
line, pin 6. Also, connect the other PC RTS line, p in 4, to
the Port 2 DSR line, pin 6.
T his RTS line is used to let the other device know that it is
ready for data exchange.
Chapter 4 Page 37
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RS232 Pinouts and Cabling PCI 3 Port RS232
5236718
4
123456789
Figure 4-3. 9 Pin D Serial Port To Other PC Cable.
AT SERIAL PORT Side Other PC SERIAL PORT Side.
9 PIN D CONNECTOR 9 PIN D CONNECTOR
SCHEMATIC REPRESENTATION:
5
3
2
7
6
4
8
1
ACTUAL REPRES ENTATION:
5
9
4
8
3
7
2
6
1
9 PIN D CONNECTOR 25 PIN D CONNECTOR
SCHEMATIC REPRESENTATION
5
3
2
7
6
4
8
1
ACTUAL REPRESENTATION
Chapter 4 Page 38
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PCI 3 Port RS232 RS232 Pinouts and Cabling
9 Pin D Serial Port To A Modem.
If you are connecting a MODEM to a 9 pin D Serial Port then
you will NOT need a cro ss over cable and a straight through cable
connected as the 9 to 25 pin adapter given in Figure 4-5.
9 Pin D Serial Port Loop Back Connector.
A loop back connector can be used to echo RS232 data
transmitted by a serial port back into its own RS232 receiver. In
this way, the function of the seria l port can be tested.
For an AT style Serial Port use the a female 9 wa y connector
wired as in Figure 4-4.
Figure 4-4. 9 Pin D Serial Loop Back Connector.
9 PIN D CONNECTOR 25 PIN D CONNECTOR
SCHEMATIC REPRESENTATION
5
3
2
7
6
4
8
1
ACTUAL REPRESENTATION
Chapter 4 Page 39
Page 42
RS232 Pinouts and Cabling PCI 3 Port RS232
Figure 4-5. 9 To 25 Way Adapter.
This adapter cable makes the AT st yle 9-pin seria l po rt, look like
the standard PC 25 pin serial port. It is NOT a cross over cable!
9 Pin AT SERIAL PORT 25 Pin PC SERIAL PORT
9 Pin Female D Connector 25 Pin Male D Connector
SCHEMATIC REPRESEN TAT IO N:
5
1
2
3
4
6
7
8
9
ACTUAL REPRESENTA TION:
Chapter 4 Page 40
Page 43
PCI 3 Port RS232 Index
Index
16450 / 16550..............................................................................1
adapter................................................................................. 39, 40
asynchronous............................................................................... 6
baud / baud rate........................................................................ 2, 3
BBCARDS.EXE.............................................................21, 28, 30
bits............................................................................................. 34
buffer / buffered................................................................... 2, 3, 6
cable................................................................ 3, 10, 34, 35, 39, 40
Changing COM numbers in Windows 95................................... 14
command ..................................................................................... 2
Configuring Ports In DOS.......................................................... 28
Configuring Ports In Windows 3.X............................................ 21
Configuring ports in Windows 95 & 98...................................... 14
Configuring Ports In Windows NT 4.0....................................... 18
connectors .............................................................................. 9, 34
cross over........................................................................35, 39, 40
CTS ................................................................................... 2, 6, 36
data word length ........................................................................... 6
DCD.................................................................................. 2, 6, 36
Determining PCI Dual RS232 Resources In DOS....................... 28
Determining PCI Dual RS232 Resources in Windows 3.x .......... 21
device driver...................................................................28, 29, 30
DSR................................................................................... 2, 6, 36
DTR................................................................................... 2, 6, 36
emulation.....................................................................................3
FIFO............................................................................................ 1
handshake .......................................................................... 1, 2, 35
insta llation ............................................................................. 4, 11
Installing Ports In DOS.............................................................. 28
Installing ports in Windows 3.x.................................................. 23
Installing Ports In Windows 95 & 98..........................................11
Installing Ports in Windows NT 4.0 ........................................... 16
interrupts...................................................................................... 4
loop back...........................................................................3, 34, 39
Index
Page 44
Index PCI 3 Port RS232
mode............................................................................................2
modem.........................................................................................6
NEWCOM.SYS.........................................................................29
parity........................................................................................2, 3
pin outs ................................................................................ 34, 35
port / ports............................ 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 16, 34, 35, 36, 39, 40
Port Address...............................................................................30
protocol........................................................................................2
receive........................................................................................36
RI .................................................................................................6
RS232.......................................................1, 6, 7, 8, 11, 34, 35, 39
RS422 / RS485.............................................................................1
RTS....................................................................................2, 6, 36
RXD.......................................................................................6, 36
serial port............................................ 1, 2, 3, 4, 16, 34, 36, 39, 40
shared interrupt ........................................................................4, 5
SISR...........................................................................................29
speed............................................................................................6
technical .......................................................................................5
TXD.......................................................................................6, 36
Uninstalling Serial Solutions PCI for Windows NT....................20
Windows.............................................................2, 3, 4, 1, 3, 4, 16
Index
Page 45
ALSO AVAILABLE FROM YOUR SUPPLIER
VELOCITY SERIAL RANGE
1 Megabaud serial comms
IEEE488 CARDS
AT VELOCITY
RS232
VELOCITY
RS422/485
PCI SERIAL RANGE
PCI RS232 2 PORT
PCI RS232 4 PORT
PCI RS232 8 PORT
PCI VELOCITY RS422/485
PCI VELOCITY RS232
PCI OPTO DUAL RS422/485
STANDARD SERIAL RANGE
AT TWIN 9
RS232
AT 1 PORT RS232
AT 3 PORT RS232
AT LPT RS23 2
AT OPTO DUAL RS232
AT QUAD RS232
AT LYNX 8 PORT RS232
AT RS232/422/485
AT DUAL RS422/485
AT QUAD RS422/485
AT OPTO DUAL RS422/485
MODEMS
PC IEEE
PC ELITE
PRO488 SOFTWARE
CONVERTER BOXES
RS232 ↔ IEEE ↔ LPT
PSI BOX PLUS+
PSI CABLE SET
DIO CARDS
PC DIO24
PC DIO 48
PC DIO 192
RELAY 16
OPTO ISOLATED DIO CARDS
High voltage, high current DIO
cards
PC OPTO
DIO16D
PC OPTO IN24D
PC OPTO
OUT24D
PC OPTO OUT
48D
PC OPTO
DIO48D
V34+ EMBEDDED
PCI V34+
INTERNAL
A/D 1200 RANGE
30 - 100 kHz range 12 bit A/D cards
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