BB ELECTRONICS CATALOG (2010)

Serial cards
An Introduction to PCI Technology
Serial
What are universal PCI cards?
In the days of yore, the PCI bus used 5 V signaling on the PCI
connector. Some PCI buses, including many of today’s newest
PC’s use 3.3 V signaling. A keyed notch in the card prevents it
from being plugged into the wrong version of the bus. If you
buy a 5 V PCI card, it won’t fit into a 3.3 V bus, and a 3.3 V
PCI card won’t fit into a 5 V bus. A situation fraught with peril
for the casual customer! Not to worry, all of the PCI cards in
the following pages follow the Universal PCI specification,
officially termed PCI V2.3. As you might guess, Universal PCI
is compatible with both 3.3 V and 5 V systems. To tell if your
card is Universal PCI, look for two keyed notches in the bus
connector, indicating that it will fit (and work!) in any PCI
system.
What about the ISA bus?
Need serial cards for the ISA bus? We’re happy to say that B&B Electronics continues to stock and support ISA cards (to be honest,
some of us even feel an emotional attachment to these cards). To see our full line of multi-interface and isolated ISA cards click
over to www.bb-elec.com
Multi-interface PCI (page 34)
You’ll find that B&B Electronics’ MIport family of PCI cards has the flexibility to fit any
system. Two, four and eight port versions feature RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485 capability!
Optically isolated multi-interface PCI (page 34)
These optically isolated members of the MIport family of PCI cards are robust enough for the
toughest and most mission-critical environments. One, two and four port versions offer the
flexibility of RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485!
PCMCIA (page 35)
Add serial or parallel ports to your laptop for mobile and field service applications. One, two
and four ports are available in both RS-232 and RS-422/485 versions. Rugged versions
featuring a permanently attached cable are also available.
ExpressCards (page 35)
ExpressCards add 1 to 2 high-speed serial ports (RS-232 or RS-422/485) or 1 parallel port to
notebooks and other mobile devices. High throughput and low latency is comparable to
native, built-in COM ports.
Technician’s Notebook
Janet: Isolation zones explained
Isolated serial card design requires attention to three things. Special optocouplers isolate the serial
signals from the PCI bus. Unique isolated DC-to-DC power supplies provide power to each of the
ports and give us port-to-port isolation. Finally, the
circuit board uses strict spacing rules – we call these
Isolation zones on the 3PCIOU2
isolation zones. Surges follow the path of least
resistance, and a tiny gap between traces is an easy
path for surges to reach the delicate computer bus,
bypassing expensive isolation components entirely.
You’ll find wide isolation zones on B&B Electronics’
isolated PCI cards. If you’re buying boards from
someone else, hold them up to the light and check for
these isolation zones, you might not be getting the
protection that you’re paying for.
Isolation zone
Back of 3PCIOU2
Converters
Fiber
Optics
Telephone
Modems
Specialty
Converters
Splitters,
Combiners,
Data Taps SEL
Data
Switches Cards
www.bb-elec.com
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