ADLINK cPCI-3534/3538/3544 Multi Serial Port Card Configuration Complete Solution

Ports E~H and so on, pins 43~62 are GND.

Multi card recognition: Set the first card (ON) or second card (OFF) through JP1 jumper, supporting up to 2 cards (16 ports).

Hardware configuration and coexistence of multiple cards

1. Card number setting

CPCI-3534/3538: Setting SW1-1 (3534) or JP1 (3538) to ON indicates that the card is the "first card" in the system, and OFF indicates the "second card". Due to the cPCI bus supporting up to 2 cards of the same type, the first card is assigned a lower COM port number (such as COM3-6), and the second card is assigned a higher port number (such as COM7-10). It is strictly prohibited to set both cards to ON or OFF at the same time, otherwise the system cannot distinguish and may cause resource conflicts.

CPCI-3544: Set the card number through SW1-3 three digit dialing (binary 0-7), supporting up to 8 cards. The card number determines the enumeration order of ports in the system, especially when multiple cards coexist, a unique card number must be assigned to each card.

2. Terminal resistor configuration

RS-422: When communicating point-to-point, only the terminal resistor needs to be enabled at the receiving end (i.e. module side). If the module serves as the receiving end, the RS-422 jumper of the corresponding port should be turned on.

RS-485: Multi point half duplex bus, one terminal resistor must be enabled at each of the two farthest ends of the physical circuit. If the module is located at the end of the bus, the corresponding RS-485 jumper is ON; if it is located at the middle node, it is OFF.

Incorrect configuration of terminal resistors can cause signal reflection (increased bit error rate) or driver overload (waveform distortion). When debugging, the jumper status should be checked first.

3. Isolation and grounding

The Port D of cPCI-3534 is an isolated port (2500VDC), and its isolated ground (GND) is independent of the system digital ground (GND). When wiring, it cannot be mixed, otherwise the isolation effect will be damaged.

Each port of cPCI-3544 is independently isolated (500VDC), and the ports are isolated from each other and from the system ground, making it particularly suitable for connecting devices distributed in different potential areas.

Full process of installing multiple operating system drivers

1. Windows NT 4.0 (Classic Industrial System)

Log in as an administrator, open Control Panel → Network → Add Adapter.

Select 'Install from disk' and specify the drive path (corresponding directory in CD-ROM):

3534/3538: X:  NuCOM  CCPI3534  NT4 (or 3538)

3544：X:NuCOMCPCI3544NT4

During the installation process, specify the starting COM port number (starting from COM3 by default to avoid conflicts with onboard COM1/2).

Multi card rule: The first card (SW1-1=ON or JP1=ON) receives a lower COM number, and the second card (OFF) receives a higher COM number. If multiple cards are installed simultaneously, ensure that the switch status of each card is mutually exclusive.

After restarting, the system adds a new COM port, which can be verified in the Device Manager.

2. Windows 95/98 (plug and play)

After the system starts, it automatically detects new hardware and follows the prompts to specify the driver path. Due to the dynamic allocation of resources by PCI BIOS, multi card recognition relies entirely on the ON/OFF status of SW1-1/JP1 to determine which card is the first (low COM number) and which is the second (high COM number). If two cards have the same status, the system may not be able to allocate resources correctly, resulting in some ports being unavailable.

3. Windows 2000/XP (stable compatibility)

After plug and play detects a new card, specify the driver location through the "Add New Hardware Wizard":

3534/3538：X:SerialCommcPCI-353XWin2000-XP

3544：X:SerialCommcPCI-3544W2000

Similarly, 3534/3538 distinguishes the first/second card through JP1/SW1-1; 3544 uses the SW1-3 card number to determine the enumeration order. This mechanism ensures that even if the PCI slot is replaced, the COM port number remains fixed, which is crucial for industrial applications.

4. Linux (applicable to 3534/3538 and 3544 respectively)

3534/3538：

Extract alnxsrc. Z (located on CD X:  SerilComm  cPCI-353X  Linux), create a floppy disk image using dd, and tar it to/etc/rayon.

Execution /Install， Select the target card type according to the prompt.

Note: The system needs to have kernel source code (/var/src/Linux), otherwise compilation may fail.

3544：

Extract pci3544.tgz to obtain the cPCI_3544 directory.

Execute the installation script 3544_inst.l-cards N (where N is the actual number of cards), specifying the TTY master device number and Callout master device number (default 70/71).

The script automatically detects the 3544 devices on the cPCI bus and creates corresponding nodes (/dev/ttySx and/dev/cuix), and then can use open/read/write operations like a regular serial port.

Wiring examples and debugging points

1. RS-232 standard wiring (3534 A/B/C or 3538 all)

Connect to the terminal device using C425M (DB25) or C409M (DB9) cables. Note:

If the device is DCE (such as a modem), use a direct line; If it is a DTE (such as a computer), a crossover cable (TXD) is required ↔ RXD，RTS ↔ CTS，DTR ↔ DSR，DCD ↔ RI depending on the situation.