IC292A USB to RS-232/422/485 Interface Converter, 4-Port Connect up to four DB9 serial devices BLACK BOX to a USB port. ® Configurable via software; no jumpers or switches to set. Customer Support Information Order toll-free in the U.S.: Call 877-877-BBOX (outside U.S. call 724-746-5500) FREE technical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: Call 724-746-5500 or fax 724-746-0746 • Mailing address: Black Box Corporation, 1000 Park Drive, Lawrence, PA 15055-1018 • Web site: www.blackbox.
FCC and IC RFI Statement/NOM Statement FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION AND INDUSTRY CANADA RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE STATEMENTS This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio-frequency energy, and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause interference to radio communication.
NOM Statement 4. Todas las instrucciones de operación y uso deben ser seguidas. 5. El aparato eléctrico no deberá ser usado cerca del agua—por ejemplo, cerca de la tina de baño, lavabo, sótano mojado o cerca de una alberca, etc. 6. El aparato eléctrico debe ser usado únicamente con carritos o pedestales que sean recomendados por el fabricante. 7. El aparato eléctrico debe ser montado a la pared o al techo sólo como sea recomendado por el fabricante. 8.
NOM Statement 16. El cable de corriente deberá ser desconectado del cuando el equipo no sea usado por un largo periodo de tiempo. 17. Cuidado debe ser tomado de tal manera que objectos liquidos no sean derramados sobre la cubierta u orificios de ventilación. 18.
Trademarks Used in this Manual Trademarks Used in this Manual Black Box and the Double Diamond logo are registered trademarks of BB Technologies, Inc. Windows and Windows Vista are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Any other trademarks mentioned in this manual are acknowledged to be the property of the trademark owners. 724-746-5500 | blackbox.
Table of Contents Table of Contents 1. Specifications ........................................................................................ 7 2. Overview ........................................................................................ 8 2.1 Introduction..................................................................................... 8 2.2 Features ........................................................................................ 8 2.3 What’s Included.....................................
Chapter 1: Specifications 1. Specifications Interface — (4) RS-232/422/485 serial ports, (1) USB Maximum Data Rate — Up to 921.
Chapter 2: Overview 2. Overview 2.1 Introduction The USB to Multi RS-232/422/485 Interface Converter (IC292A) provides an easy way to connect up to four DB9 serial devices to a single USB port. All configuration and electrical interface selections are handled through the driver, so you don’t have to open the enclosure to set jumpers or switches. The serial port is software configurable for RS-232, RS-422, or RS-485 (full- and half-duplex).
Chapter 2: Overview 2.3 What’s Included The interface converter ships with the following items. If any of these items is missing or damaged, contact Black Box Technical Support at 724-746-5500 or info@blackbox.com. • USB to RS-232/422/485 Interface Converter, 4-Port • (1) 6-ft. (1.8-m) USB Type A to high-retention USB Type B cable • Software and this user’s manual on CD-ROM 2.4 Optional Items You May Need Depending upon your application, you might also need the following items.
Chapter 2: Overview 2.5 Hardware Description Figures 2-1 and 2-2 show the front and back panels of the IC292A. Table 2-1 describes its components. 4 1 2 3 Figure 2-1. Front panel: 4-port interface converter (IC292A). 5 Figure 2-2. Back panel: 4-port interface converter (IC292A). Table 2-1. IC292A components. Pin Signal Direction 1 Power LED Lights when the hub is properly powered through the USB port. 2 USB Type B port Links to USB Type B device.
Chapter 3: Installation and Configuration 3. Installation and Configuration 3.1 Software Installation Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista Operating Systems 1. Start Windows. 2. Insert the included software CD into your CD/DVD drive. 3. If “Auto-Start” is enabled, the installation window will automatically appear. Otherwise, navigate to the root directory of your CD drive and double-click the “autorun.exe” application to launch the installation window. 4. Click the “Install” button. 5.
Chapter 3: Installation and Configuration 2. Windows will show a warning message that the hardware has not passed Windows logo testing. Click on “Continue Anyway.” NOTE: All applications and drivers have been fully tested to maintain the integrity of your operating system. Clicking on “Continue Anyway” will not harm your system in any way. 3. Click on “Finish.” Repeat this process for the remaining ports on the IC292A. 3.
Chapter 3: Installation and Configuration Figure 3-1. Device Manager screen. 3.4 Hardware Configuration 3.4.1 Electrical Interface Mode Selection The interface converter offers RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485 (full- and half-duplex) modes. The electrical interface is a software selectable feature that can be accessed and changed using the included driver via Device Manager. To select the electrical interface, follow these steps: 1. Open Device Manager and locate “Ports (COM&LPT)” following the steps above.
Chapter 3: Installation and Configuration Figure 3-2. Interface settings. 4. Select the appropriate electrical interface for your application and click on “OK.” NOTE: The electrical interface settings are maintained across multiple computers. Once the software driver has been installed on target computers, the interface converter can easily be moved from one computer to another without having to configure the electrical interface at each computer. 3.4.
Chapter 3: Installation and Configuration Table 3-1. Pull-up and pull-down resistor settings. Mode PU Setting PD Setting RS-232 Always off Always off RS-422 Always off Always off RS-485 Always on Always on 3.4.3 Line Termination A 120-ohm resistor is across each RS-422/485 input. If multiple devices are configured in an RS-485 network, only the devices on each end should have the termination in place. Termination configuration is software selectable for both full- and half-duplex RS-485.
Chapter 3: Installation and Configuration 3.4.4 Echo The RS-485 “Echo” is the result of connecting the receiver inputs to the transmitter outputs. Each time a character is transmitted, it is also received. This can be beneficial if the software can handle echoing (that is, using received characters to throttle the transmitter), but it can also confuse the system if the software cannot support echoing. Echo configuration is software selectable for half-duplex RS-485.
Chapter 3: Installation and Configuration • EN[able] (Green) – Lights when the hub is properly powered through the USB port and communication between the device and host has been enabled. 3.4.6 DB9M Serial Connectors The IC292A includes four DB9 male serial connector with full modem control signals implemented in RS-232 mode. Pinouts for these connectors are included in Appendix B. 724-746-5500 | blackbox.
Appendix A: Troubleshooting Appendix A. Troubleshooting A.1 Troubleshooting Tips The adapter should provide years of trouble-free service. However, if it appears to be functioning incorrectly, the following tips can eliminate most common problems. 1. Make sure that the software has been installed on the machine so that the necessary files are in place to complete the installation. To confirm installation, click on the Windows “Start” button and then select “All Programs.
Appendix A: Troubleshooting Figure A-1. Port information tab. • Click the “Settings” button to open the COM3 Properties menu. Change your parameters to 9600 bits per second, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit, and no flow control, as pictured in Figure A-2. Figure A-2. COM3 properties tab. 724-746-5500 | blackbox.
Appendix A: Troubleshooting • Click “Apply” and “OK.” • Select the “BERT” tab and with the loopback connected to the port you want to test, click on the “Start” button. If testing RS-485, be sure that ECHO is enabled (see Figure A-3). Figure A-3. Start button in WinSSD COM3 screen. • If the COM port is working properly, the green light will glow and the Transmit Frames and Receive Frames will increase. The Tx and Rx Data Rates will show the calculated data rate (see Figure A-4).
Appendix A: Troubleshooting Figure A-4. Calculated data rate. • You can continue testing this port with different configurations or proceed with testing other ports, if necessary. If these steps do not solve your problem, contact Black Box Technical Support at 724-746-5500 or info@blackbox.com. A.2 Contacting Black Box If you determine that your USB to 4-Port RS-232/422/485 Interface Converter is malfunctioning, do not attempt to alter or repair the unit. It contains no user-serviceable parts.
Appendix A: Troubleshooting A.2 Shipping and Packaging If you need to transport or ship your USB to 4-Port RS-232/422/485 Interface Converter: • Package it carefully. We recommend that you use the original container. • If you are returning the unit, make sure you include everything you received with it. Before you ship for return or repair, contact Black Box to get a Return Authorization (RA) number. Page 22 724-746-5500 | blackbox.
Appendix B: Electrical Interfaces Appendix B. Electrical Interfaces The IC292A connects to a single USB port and provides eight RS-232/422/485 software configurable serial ports. The IC292A uses high-speed USB/UARTs with 128-byte TX FIFOs and 384-byte RX FIFOs. The chips feature programmable baud rates and data rates to 921.6 kbps. Connector Pinouts RS-232 (DB9 male) Table B-1. RS-232 (DB9 male connector pinout).
Appendix B: Electrical Interfaces RS-422 and RS-485 four-wire (DB9 male) Table B-2. RS-422 and RS-485 (DB9 male connector pinout). Pin Number Signal 1 RX+ 2 RX- 3 TX+ 4 TX- 5 GND Figure B-2. DB9 male connector. 6 9 NOTE: Pins 6–9 are not connected. RS-485 two-wire (DB9 male) Table B-2. RS-422 and RS-485 (DB9 male connector pinout). Pin Number Signal 3 DATA- 4 DATA+ 5 GND Figure B-3. DB9 male connector. 6 9 NOTE: Pins 1, 2, and 6-9 are not connected.
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