National Instruments PCI-232/2, Getting Started, Page: 15 / 64

Chapter 1 Introduction
© National Instruments Corporation 1-3 PCI Serial for Windows 95
cable to convert the 68-pin connector on the board to eight DB-9
connectors. Throughout this manual, references to PCI-232 and PCI-485
generally refer to either version.
The PCI-485 boards support four hardware transceiver control modes for
reliable communication with two-wire and four-wire devices. Refer to
Chapter 4,
Using Your Serial Hardware , for more information about
transceiver control modes.
All of the serial hardware uses standard 16550-compatible UARTs
(Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitters) for 100% compatibility
with standard PC COM ports. The serial hardware contains FIFOs
(First-In-First-Out buffers) for reduced susceptibility to interrupt latency
and faster transmission rates. Full Plug and Play compatibility gives you the
convenience of switchless configuration and installation. Refer to
Appendix A,
Specifications , for more information about the serial
hardware specifications and operating conditions.
NI Serial Software Overview
The NI Serial software for Windows 95 includes a native Windows device
driver that can provide full interrupt-driven, buffered I/O for multiple
COM ports. Using this driver, you can obtain a maximum baud rate
of 460.8 KBaud on the PCI-485 and 115.2 KBaud on the PCI-232, and you
can use any number of serial ports under Windows 95. The NI Serial
software also provides a configuration utility, which is integrated with the
Windows 95 Device Manager. Refer to Appendix A,
Specifications , for
more information about software specifications and recommended
operating conditions.
The NI Serial software includes the following components:
• Device driver
• Diagnostic test
• Configuration utility
The NI Serial software supports all National Instruments serial hardware,
including all AT, PCI, and PCMCIA versions.