|
EIGHT SERIAL I/O PORTS ON A SINGLE PC/104 MODULE
15 January 2005 - WinSystems
| WinSystems introduces its new PCM-COM8, a PC/104-compliant, 8-channel serial RS-232/422/485 asynchronous communications module. It is designed for embedded applications requiring a large number of serial I/O ports while minimizing processor overhead. This is achieved by providing each individual transmit and receive channel a 128 byte deep FIFO. This increases the service interval by the CPU by almost a factor of 10 when compared to a standard 16-byte FIFO and greatly reduces the bandwidth requirement of the CPU. |
WinSystems introduces its new PCM-COM8, a PC/104-compliant, 8-channel serial RS-232/422/485 asynchronous communications module. It is designed for embedded applications requiring a large number of serial I/O ports while minimizing processor overhead. This is achieved by providing each individual transmit and receive channel a 128 byte deep FIFO. This increases the service interval by the CPU by almost a factor of 10 when compared to a standard 16-byte FIFO and greatly reduces the bandwidth requirement of the CPU. Also, four selectable levels of FIFO trigger interrupt and automatic hardware/software flow control streamline data throughput performance especially when operating in a multi-channel environment. PRODUCT FEATURES
Two XR16C854 devices serve as the serial communication controllers. They are improved versions of the 16C554 UART with higher operating speeds, lower access times and larger FIFO memory. Each controller supports 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-bit characters with even, odd or no parity generation and checking. Each device contains on-chip software programmable baud rate generators with data rates selectable through 115,200 bits per second. The serial channels can be set up to provide internal diagnostics such as loopback and echo mode on the data stream. All eight channels support RS-232, RS-485, and RS-422 electrical levels to interface to a wide variety of serial communications devices such as modems, data collection equipment, and distributed I/O terminals. The RS-232 interface has a high ESD rating of 15kV. The RS-422/485 configuration provides separate balanced transmit and receive signal pairs. Resistor termination networks are on the PCM-COM8 board for impedance matching and biasing. A custom bus interface chip provides for software control and retrieval of configuration settings in an onboard EEPROM. At power up, the PCM-COM8 loads these settings and automatically configures each channel without external intervention. The PCM-COM8 also supports shared interrupts reducing the number of limited IRQ lines required in a system. The PCM-COM8 will operate over the full industrial temperature range of -40° to +85° Centigrade. It only requires +5 volts DC to operate.
http://www.winsystems.com/
About: WinSystems
Founded in 1982, we manufacture and distribute embedded computers for use in industrial applications. Our products include embedded PC-compatible single board computers, memory boards, input/output (I/O) and enclosures based upon the STD Bus and PC/104 Bus standard architecture.We offer three product families: Embedded PCs. We design both busless embedded single board computers (SBCs) with PC/104 and PC/104-Plus expansion and computers with a hybrid of both STD Bus and PC/104 Bus support. These units are optimized for low cost and high functionality by incorporating all of the basic functions of a computer on a single circuit card. These PC/104, PC/104-Plus and STD Bus expandable PCs embed the PC architecture in space and power sensitive industrial applications. We standardize this hardware and software around the broadly supported PC architecture to save the embedded systems designers substantial development costs and risks plus shorten their time-to-market. STD Bus. As the approved IEEE-961 standard microcomputer bus, the STD Bus is popular worldwide. The STD Bus has a number of advantages over other bus architectures used in industrial applications such as the PC Bus and Multibus. Its simple interface, smaller card size (4.5” x 6.5”); solid, nearly square peripheral cards, and strong card mounts, tolerate shock and vibrations making the STD Bus ideal for rugged industrial enviroments. PC/104 Bus. The PC/104 standard defines a compact, self-stacking, modular form-factor bus for embedding IBM PC and PC/AT compatible system functions within embedded microcomputer applications. The PC/104 modules' small size (3.6” x 3.8”) and low power requirements (typically 1-2 watts per module) make them ideally suited to embedded control applications. Distribution: Direct sales force. Markets: Orginal Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and systems integrators selling to industrial, manufacturing, transportation, communication and military industries, or other markets that require electronic bus products with rugged durability, performance and a long system life span. |
More News:
• For January 2005
• From WinSystems
• For Embedded PCs
|
