Comtrol 485 RocketPort - Manual

RocketPort® 485 Hardware Installation 1 of 8
Introduction
This Hardware Installation document discusses the
following information:
• Product overview
• RocketPort terminology
• Before installing the hardware
• Installing the hardware
• Supplying power to external devices
• Interface overview
• Interface connectors and building loopback plugs
- DB9
- DB25
- RJ45
• Setting ISA DIP switches
• Hardware specifications
• FCC notices
• Troubleshooting and creating diagnostics
• Contacting Technical Support
Product Overview
The RocketPort 485 series multiport serial card fits into
the ISA or EISA slot of a personal computer, and uses a 36
MHz processor specifically designed to process
asynchronous serial communications.
The RocketPort 485 series uses Application Specific
Integrated Circuits (ASICs) technology to replace most
hardware components, including:
• The processor
• Serial controller
• Bus interface logic and other miscellaneous logic
To eliminate memory mapping conflicts, the RocketPort
485 series is I/O mapped.
This Hardware Installation document discusses the
following RocketPort 485 serial controllers:
* Quadcables have the capability to be 8-port cards with
an 8-port interface. Most drivers view the 4-port as an
8-port card.
** For interface information, see the RocketPort Interface
Overview discussion later in this Card.
All RocketPort 485 series interface boxes support RS-232.
RocketPort 485 can be configured on Ports 1 and 2 for RS-
485 mode and Ports 3 through 8 can be configured to
supply +5V (±2%) at 0.5 amps.
Caution When using the RocketPort 485 with interfaces
other than the DB9 box, do not use the power pin
option. Using this option with Quad- or
Octacable interfaces may produce unacceptable
voltage loss under load.
You can install up to four RocketPort 485 cards in one PC,
for a total of 32 additional serial ports, and you can install
a combination of PCI-bus and ISA-bus RocketPort cards.
For driver installation, see the software installation and
configuration documentation or the driver readme file for
your operating system.
RocketPort Terminology
For the purposes of the following discussions, these
products are referred to as “RocketPort ISA” cards:
• RocketPort ISA-bus boards (any interface type
including 4J, 8J, Quadcable, and Octacable)
• RocketPort 485
These products are referred to as “RocketPort PCI” cards:
• RocketPort PCI-bus boards (any interface type
including 4J, Quadcable, and Octacable)
• RocketPort Plus
• RocketPort PCI 422
Name Ports Interface Type
Quadcable* 4
Includes a fanout cable with
standard DB25 or DB9 connectors.
8** 8 Requires one 8-port interface box.
Octacable 8
Includes a fanout cable with
standard DB25, DB9, or RJ45
connectors.
RocketPort
®
485
Hardware Installation