RocketPort® 485 Hardware Installation
1 of 8
Introduction
This Hardware Installation document discusses the
following information:
•
Product overview
•
RocketPort terminology
•
Before installing the hardware
Supplying power to external devices
•
Interface connectors and building loopback plugs
Troubleshooting and creating diagnostics
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
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
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
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
