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a2232 [2018/08/25 16:04] wiki_admin |
a2232 [2019/12/09 18:54] wiki_admin rewrites, added PDF schematics |
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| **Commodore A2232 Serial Expansion Board** | **Commodore A2232 Serial Expansion Board** | ||
| - | The A2232 Multiport Serial Card is a standard 100-pin Zorro II expansion card for the Amiga (A2000, A3000, A4000). It provides the Amiga with 7 additional standard RS232 serial ports, capable of speeds from 50-19200 bps. For more serial channels, additional A2232 boards can be plugged into the system at the same time (up to five boards giving a total of 36 serial ports). | + | The A2232, launched in 1990, is a standard 100-pin Zorro II expansion card for the big-box Amigas (A2000, A3000, A4000). It provides the host machine with 7 additional RS232 serial ports, capable of speeds from 50-19200 bps. |
| + | |||
| + | For more serial channels, additional A2232 boards can be plugged into the system at the same time (up to five boards giving a total of 36 serial ports). | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ---- | ||
| ===== Hardware ===== | ===== Hardware ===== | ||
| Line 8: | Line 14: | ||
| There are at least two revisions of the board: | There are at least two revisions of the board: | ||
| - | Rev 4 boards have seven MOS Technology 6551 ACIA chips (Asynchronous Communications Interface Adapter) | + | * Rev 4 boards have seven MOS Technology 6551 ACIA (Asynchronous Communications Interface Adapter) chips |
| - | Rev 6 boards have seven CSG (Commodore Semiconductor Group) 8551 ACIAs (HMOS-II variant of the 6551, released in 1984). | + | * Rev 6 boards have seven CSG (Commodore Semiconductor Group) 8551 ACIAs (HMOS-II variant of the 6551, released in 1984). |
| Silkscreen next to the Zorro connector says BERLIN/FISHER indicating the design was made by Creg Berlin and Terry Fisher. | Silkscreen next to the Zorro connector says BERLIN/FISHER indicating the design was made by Creg Berlin and Terry Fisher. | ||
| - | The board originally came with user manual and seven 80 cm long adapter cables that provided the (then) standard DB25 connections. | + | Originally the board came with user manual (missing, anyone have a scan?) and seven 80 cm long adapter cables that provided the (then) standard DB25 connections. |
| ==== Enhancements and modifications ==== | ==== Enhancements and modifications ==== | ||
| Up to 57600 on all ports using a custom device and hardware modification: http://aminet.net/package/docs/hard/a2232tuning | Up to 57600 on all ports using a custom device and hardware modification: http://aminet.net/package/docs/hard/a2232tuning | ||
| - | Several sites also refer to mods for up to 115200 bps speeds (on all ports? Link?). Amiga.resource.cx also has a photo of a board with a title "Rev 6 board with RTS/CTS handshake mod". Another modification is to replace the 1.84 Mhz oscillator with a 3.68 Mhz one. This doubles the baud rates but the software won't know about this so the user must keep this in mind when using the board. | + | Several sites also refer to mods for up to 115200 bps speeds (on all ports? Link?). |
| - | ===== Connectors, pinouts and cables ===== | + | Amiga.resource.cx also has a photo of a board with a title "Rev 6 board with RTS/CTS handshake mod". Another modification is to replace the 1.84 Mhz oscillator with a 3.68 Mhz one. This doubles the baud rates but the software won't know about this so the user must keep this in mind when using the board. |
| + | |||
| + | ==== Schematics ==== | ||
| + | {{https://www.amigaunix.com/lib/exe/fetch.php/manuals:a2232_servicemanual.pdf|A2232 Schematics}} (part of 'System schematics - A2060/A2065/A2232' by Commodore International Spare Parts GmbH Braunschweig, West Germany - August 1990, PN-314042-01). | ||
| + | |||
| + | ---- | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Serial port pinouts and cables ==== | ||
| The connector nearest to the Zorro connector of the board (leftmost) is the first serial port. | The connector nearest to the Zorro connector of the board (leftmost) is the first serial port. | ||
| Line 80: | Line 94: | ||
| // | // | ||
| - | ===== Usage ===== | + | ---- |
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | ===== Using the serial ports ===== | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Workbench ==== | ||
| In Workbench the ports can be accessed using the serial.device driver (ver 33.11 from 1990 and newer, install disk available at Amiga.resource.cx) with the following unit numbers: | In Workbench the ports can be accessed using the serial.device driver (ver 33.11 from 1990 and newer, install disk available at Amiga.resource.cx) with the following unit numbers: | ||
| - | Unit 0 -> default port (set in Prefs serial panel) | + | <table label> |
| - | Unit 1 -> Amiga's built-in port | + | <caption>Unit numbers in AmigaOS</caption> |
| - | Unit 2 -> A2232's port 1 | + | |Unit 0|default port (set in Workbench's Prefs / Serial panel| |
| - | Unit 3 -> A2232's port 2 | + | |Unit 1|Amiga's built-in serial port| |
| - | Unit 4 -> A2232's port 3 | + | |Unit 2|A2232's port 1| |
| - | Unit 5 -> A2232's port 4 | + | |Unit 3|A2232's port 2| |
| - | Unit 6 -> A2232's port 5 | + | |Unit 4|A2232's port 3| |
| - | Unit 7 -> A2232's port 6 | + | |Unit 5|A2232's port 4| |
| - | Unit 8 -> A2232's port 7 | + | |Unit 6|A2232's port 5| |
| + | |Unit 7|A2232's port 6| | ||
| + | |Unit 8|A2232's port 7| | ||
| + | </table> | ||
| If several A2232 boards are installed, the second board's unit numbers are 9-15 and so on. Up to five boards are supported (probably a limitation of the number of Zorro slots in any available machine). | If several A2232 boards are installed, the second board's unit numbers are 9-15 and so on. Up to five boards are supported (probably a limitation of the number of Zorro slots in any available machine). | ||
| - | In Amiga UNIX, the first port of the A2232 is known as /dev/term/ql00, second one ql01 and so on, thrue to ql06. | + | ==== Amix ==== |
| + | |||
| + | In Amiga UNIX, the first port of the A2232 is known as **/dev/term/ql00**, second one ql01 and so on, thrue to ql06. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Probably the main selling point of the A2232 was the ability to connect several serial terminals to an AMIX machine. To start a login shell at any of the serial ports, use pmadm: **pmadm -e -p serial -s ql00** This enables shell in the first port at the default speed of 9600 bps (defined as the 'serial' preset in /etc/screendefs). | ||
| + | |||
| + | A real vintage dumb terminal (or a modern PC running terminal emulator, or a device like PockeTerm from Briel Computers) can be connected to the port and used to log into the machine. | ||
| - | Probably the main selling point of the A2232 was the ability to connect several serial terminals to an AMIX machine. To start a login shell at any of the serial ports, use pmadm: pmadm -e -p serial -s ql00 This enables shell in the first port at the default speed of 9600 bps (defined as the 'serial' preset in /etc/screendefs). A real vintage dumb terminal (or a modern PC running terminal emulator, or a device like PockeTerm from Briel Computers) can be connected to the port and used to log into the machine. | + | ---- |
| - | == Sources: == | + | ===== Sources ===== |
| - | A2232 System schematics | + | * A2232 System schematics (PDF linked in above) |
| - | http://amiga.resource.cx | + | * http://amiga.resource.cx |
| - | http://www.l8r.net/technical/t-2232.shtml | + | * http://www.l8r.net/technical/t-2232.shtml |
| - | Wikimedia Commons (mini 8-pin DIN diagram) | + | * Wikimedia Commons (mini 8-pin DIN diagram) |
| - | Thanks to mackbw on English Amiga Board for information on the pinouts! | + | * Thanks to mackbw on English Amiga Board for information on the pinouts! |
a2232.txt · Last modified: 2020/11/26 21:33 (external edit)
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