User Manual for Assured Systems 104-COM232-8 Serial Communication Board

Quick guide from the manual

This manual provides instructions for the Assured Systems 104-COM232-8, 104-COM232-4, and 104-COM232-2 serial communication boards. These boards are designed in the PC/104 format and provide RS-232 communication. Warning: Always turn off computer power before installing or removing the board or connecting/disconnecting cables to avoid damage and voiding warranties.

Hardware Installation

Before installing the board, configure the jumpers for the desired base address and options. Ensure that the address ranges do not overlap with other functions in your system to prevent unpredictable behavior. The FINDBASE.EXE program provided on the CD can assist in selecting a base address.

1. Remove power from the PC/104 stack.
2. Assemble standoff hardware for stacking and securing the boards.
3. Plug the board onto the PC/104 connector on the CPU or onto the stack, ensuring proper pin alignment.
4. Install I/O cables onto the board's connectors.
5. Check all connections before powering up the system.
6. Run the provided sample programs from the CD to validate the installation.

Software Installation

The software provided on the CD must be installed prior to use. Follow the on-screen prompts for your specific operating system (DOS, Windows, or Linux). For Windows XP and NT4, specific manual configuration of COM ports via the Control Panel or Registry may be required to set base addresses and IRQs.

Option Selection

The operation of the serial communications section is determined by jumper installation. Refer to the Option Selection Map in the manual to locate jumpers. The board supports interrupt levels 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 11. The same interrupt is used for all channels and must be entered into the interrupt location in the EEPROM.

Programming

Port addresses and IRQs are selected by software through a control block, with the base address selected by jumpers. The board includes an onboard EEPROM to store these settings. Data can be written to the EEPROM by writing the address to the EEPROM Address register, then writing to or reading from the EEPROM Data register. A 2ms wait is required between EEPROM operations.

Specifications

• Ports: 8, 4, or 2 (varies by version)
• Type: RS-232
• Bus: PC/104, ISA
• UART: 16C654 (8-port uses 16L788)
• Throughput: Up to 230.4 kbps
• Operating Temperature: 0 to +60 °C
• Power Required: +5 VDC at 400 mA typical (800 mA max for 8-channel)