The Fastcom, Universal PCI Bus, Asynchronous RS232 adapter utilizes the latest technology to live up to today’s requirements for high bandwidth in communication systems. The Fastcom: 232/4-PCI-335 is capable of operating at virtually any baud rate up to and above 1 Mbit/s. There isn’t any fine print or asterisk pointing to notes; this card is capable of running at the maximum data rate, without any jumpers or hardware changes, right out of the box.

Designed to comply with the latest PCI specifications, the Universal PCI adapter will operate in both 5V and 3.3V PCI slots. This means the card will work in the high speed PCI-X slots commonly found in most servers as well as the standard PCI slots in desktop PCs. The same PCI adapter can be made to fit into a 2U rack mount server’s PCI slot, without the need for troublesome riser adapters by simply switching the bracket¹, thereby changing the model name to Fastcom: 232/4-LPCI-335. This flexibility allows for a single serial interface board to be used across a wide range of different types of computers, including both current and future computing systems.

The Fastcom: 232/4-PCI-335 adapter utilizes an advanced quad Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter (UART). Each channel of the 17D154 UART is independently controlled and has its own 16C550 compatible register set. Each UART contains its own receive and transmit FIFOs of 64 bytes with programmable trigger levels.

Each board utilizes a programmable clock generator to create the UART’s input frequency. The clock generator is capable of generating frequencies from 6 to 50 MHz. Utilizing this feature, it is possible to configure the board to operate at virtually any serial data rate that the user desires (1 Mbit/second and faster).

Additionally, this board is equipped with two general-purpose digital input and output pins. These software controlled Digital I/O pins can be used to send or receive a TTL level digital signal to or from any other TTL level source. For voltage and current tolerance information, please refer to TTL information for any standard 74LS00.

With the supplied software driver, the ports on the Fastcom: 232/4-PCI-335 will be seen as standard COM ports and can utilize all the same functions as a standard serial device. With the addition of a few simple I/O commands to control the unique features of the board, the standard software interface to a serial port can be used to simplify program design. Example C programs are provided to demonstrate how to effectively use the serial interface as well as control the board specific features.

Overall, the Fastcom: 232/4-PCI-335 Universal PCI Bus RS-232 adapter is the ideal board for commercial and industrial applications demanding high data rates, reliability and ease of use.

Our software drivers allow the board to be “just another com port” in the system. Programming is done using the standard WIN32 COMM API. The FASTCOM: 232/4-PCI-335 is a switchless design that relies on the plug-and-play functionality capability defined in the PCI 2.3 bus specification to determine address ranges and IRQ settings.

• UART: EXAR 17D154 (Data Sheet)
• INTERFACE: RS-232F
• CONNECTOR CONFIGURATION: Cable assembly (2 ft.) – HDDB44 plug to 4 DB25 plugs
• SIGNALS:
  • TXD, RXD, DTR, DSR, DCD, RTS, CTS, RI
  • DIN1, DIN2, DOUT1, DOUT2
• BUS INTERFACE: PCI Version 2.3
• BAUD RANGE:
  • All standard PC baud rates; easily select any non-standard baud rate
    from 1 bps to 1 Mbit/s
  • Rates exceeding 1 Mbit/s can be achieved, but are not guaranteed.
    • Maximum data rates are estimates. They are greatly affected by a number of different factors. See the data rates section of the manual for more details. This is possible as long as the operating parameters are within reason. If you have any question about whether the card can meet your needs, please contact Technical Support.
• POWER REQUIREMENTS: +5V 350mA (typical)
• ENVIRONMENT:
  • Operating Temperature Range: 0 to 70 C
  • Humidity: 0 to 90% (non-condensing)

• Four independent RS232 channels
• Digital I/O’s:
  • Two TTL level digital input pins
  • Two TTL level digital output pins
• High performance 17D154 UART
• All standard and non-standard baud rates up to 1 Mbit/s
  • Features on-board clock generator to attain non-standard rates without modifying the hardware or changing the clock
  • Rates exceeding 1 Mbit/s can be achieved, but are not guaranteed.
• 64 byte FIFOs for improved through-put
  • 64-byte RX FIFO with programmable level control
  • 64-byte TX FIFO with programmable level control
• Durable Cable and RFI shielding
  • Cable assembly: HDDB44 plug to four DB25 plugs (2 ft.)
• Cable, documentation, and software drivers included
• Designed and manufactured by COMMTECH, INC. Wichita, Kansas, USA

• Drivers are available for:
  • Windows XP through Windows 10, 32 and 64 bit
  • Linux 2.6.16-3.X

Click here for Fastcom: 232/4-PCI-335 drivers.

Click here for the Fastcom: 232/4-PCI-335 product manual.