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Appendix C – Electrical Interface
Appendix C - Electrical Interface
RS-422
The RS-422 specification defines the electrical characteristics of balanced voltage digital interface circuits. RS-422
is a differential interface that defines voltage levels and driver/receiver electrical specifications. On a differential
interface, logic levels are defined by the difference in voltage between a pair of outputs or inputs. In contrast, a
single ended interface, for example RS-232, defines the logic levels as the difference in voltage between a single
signal and a common ground connection. Differential interfaces are typically more immune to noise or voltage
spikes that may occur on the communication lines. Differential interfaces also have greater drive capabilities that
allow for longer cable lengths. RS-422 is rated up to 10 Megabits per second and can have cabling 4000 feet long.
RS-422 also defines driver and receiver electrical characteristics that will allow 1 driver and up to 32 receivers on
the line at once. RS-422 signal levels range from 0 to +5 volts. RS-422 does not define a physical connector.
RS-485
RS-485 is backwardly compatible with RS-422; however, it is optimized for partyline or multi-drop applications.
The output of the RS-422/485 driver is capable of being Active (enabled) or Tri-State (disabled). This capability
allows multiple ports to be connected in a multi-drop bus and selectively polled. RS-485 allows cable lengths up to
4000 feet and data rates up to 10 Megabits per second. The signal levels for RS-485 are the same as those defined
by RS-422. RS-485 has electrical characteristics that allow for 32 drivers and 32 receivers to be connected to one
line. This interface is ideal for multi-drop or network environments. RS-485 tri-state driver (not dual-state) will
allow the electrical presence of the driver to be removed from the line. Only one driver may be active at a time and
the other driver(s) must be tri-stated. RS-485 can be cabled in two ways, two wire and four wire mode. Two wire
mode does not allow for full duplex communication, and requires that data be transferred in only one direction at a
time. For half-duplex operation, the two transmit pins should be connected to the two receive pins (Tx+ to Rx+ and
Tx- to Rx-). Four wire mode allows full duplex data transfers. RS-485 does not define a connector pin-out or a set
of modem control signals. RS-485 does not define a physical connector.
RS-530
RS-530 (a.k.a. EIA-530) compatibility means that RS-422 signal levels are met, and the pin-out for the DB-25
connector is specified. The EIA (Electronic Industry Association) created the RS-530 specification to detail the
pin-out, and define a full set of modem control signals that can be used for regulating flow control and line status.
The RS-530 specification defines two types of interface circuits, Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) and Data Circuit-
Terminating Equipment (DCE). The OMG-ULTRA-485-PCI adapter is a DTE interface.
OMG-ULTRA-485-PCI
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