SC610 – RCBus Serial (ACIA)

SC610 is a serial port module for the 40-pin RCBus.

A comparison of serial modules can be found here.

Downloads

Errata

Nothing known

Suppliers

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Stephen C CousinsTindieUKUSD
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Stephen C CousinsTindieUKUSD
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Components
See parts list
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Parts List

ReferenceQtyComponent
PCB1SC610, v1.0, PCB
C1 to C44Capacitor, ceramic, 100 nF
C5 and C62Capacitor, ceramic, 22 pF
JP11Header, male, 2 row x 8 pin, angled
or straight ?
JP2+3+7+81Header, male, 2 row x 8 pin, angled
Some pins need to be removed
JP4+5+61Header, male, 1 row x 12 pin, angled
Some pins need to be removed
Jumper14Jumper shunt
LED1 and 22LED, green, 3mm, angled
P11Header, male, 1 row x 40 pin, angled
P2 1Header, male, 1 row x 6 pin, angled
R1 to R44Resistor, 2k2, 0.25W
R5 and R62Resistor, 100k, 0.25W
R71Resistor, 1M, 0.25W
R8 to R103Resistor, 1k, 0.25W
RP11Resistor network, 8x100k, SIL, 9-pin
S11Header, female, 1 row x 6 pin, angled
Screw (for spacer)1Machine screw, 6mm, M3
Spacer1Spacer, 10mm, M3, nylon
U1174HCT688
U2168B50 ACIA
U3174HCT04
X11Crystal, 7.3728 MHz
IC socket 20-pin
U1
1Socket, DIP, 20-pin
IC socket 24-pin
U2
3Socket, DIP, 24-pin
IC socket 14-pin
U3
1Socket, DIP, 14-pin
Component details and sourcing

Printed Circuit Board

Note: The PCB is designed to allow a DIP switch to be fitted instead of the header pins JP1.

User Guide

The serial port provides bidirectional asynchronous serial communications usually at 115200 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity. RTS/CTS handshaking provides hardware flow control in both directions. The interface is at 5-volt (TTL) levels.

The RCBus I/O port address for this module is set in binary with JP1. Fit a jumper shunt to each bit position where the address bit should be a logic ‘1’ (high voltage).

The default address is 128 decimal, which is 0x80 in hexadecimal and 1000000 in binary. To set this as the address requires a jumper shunt in bit position 8, as illustrated below.

Default RCBus address selection (decimal 128, hexadecimal 0x80, binary 10000000)

The module occupies two addresses so bit zero of the address can be in either state. The address jumper bit zero is labelled ‘x’ to indicate this.

Jumper JP2 connects the module’s 5-volt supply to the serial port. A jumper should should be fitted here if the RCBus system is being powered from this serial port or if the device connected to this serial port needs to be powered from the RCBus system.

Jumper JP3 enables the ACIA’s interrupt output to be connected to the bus signals INT, INT1 (bus pin 37) or INT2 (bus pin 40). The default position is INT.

Default interrupt selection (INT)

Jumper JP4 enables selection of the clock source for the ACIA. This can either be the on-board 7.3728 MHz oscillator or the RCBus clock signal (CLK). Selecting the on-board clock means the serial port baud rate is independent of the processor speed.

It is also possible to use the onboard oscillator as the main bus clock by fitting jumper shunts to both the X1 and the CLK positions of JP4. Take care to only have one clock source connected to the main bus clock signal (CLK).

JP5 and JP6 enable selection of the ACIA’s R/W and E inputs. Normally these are set to the IORQ and WR signals that are common to all implementations of the RCBus. Alternative, if the processor supports native R/W and E signals then these can be selected instead.

Default jumper positions for JP4, JP5 and JP6

JP7 and JP8 enable the ACIA’s RXD and TXD signals to be connected to the RCBus RX and TX pins as illustrated below.

TXD, RXD connected to the RCBus signals TX2 and RX2
Input/output port functions
RCBus I/O Address ReadWrite
Configurable *1Read
ACIA
Write
ACIA
base + 0Status
register
Control
register
base + 1Receive
data register
Transmit
data register
  1. The RCBus I/O address should be set to match the software you are using. Typically, this is 0x80 or 0x40.
Jumper options
JumperFunction
JP 1Set SC610’s RCBus I/O address
JP 2Connects 5-volt power to serial port
JP 3Selects which interrupt signal is generated
JP 3.1 Interrupt goes to RCBus INT signal
JP 3.2 Interrupt goes to RCBus INT1 signal
JP 3.3 Interrupt goes to RCBus INT2 signal
The default is INT
JP 4Select the clock source
JP 4.1-2 Clock source is the RCBus CLOCK signal
JP 4.3-4 On-board 7.2728 MHz oscillator
If jumper shunts are fitted in both positions the on-board oscillator supplies the RCBus CLOCK signal
The default is the on-board oscillator
JP 5Select the E signal source
JP 5.1-2 RCBus pin 38 (for use with 68xx processors)
JP 5.2-3 RCBus nIORQ (inverted)
The default is the inverted nIORQ signal
JP 6Selects to R/W signal source
JP 6.1-2 RCBus pin 39 (for use with 68xx processors)
JP 6.2-3 RCBus nWR signal
The default is the nWR signal
JP 7Connects the RXD input and the CTS input to the bus
JP 7.1-2 Connects RXD to bus RX signal
JP 8Connects the TXD output and the RTS output to the bus
JP 8.1-2 Connects TXD to bus TX signal

Assembly Guide

Below is the suggested order of assembly. A general guide to assembling circuit boards can be found here.

  1. Resistors R1 to R10
  2. Socket S1
  3. Decoupling capacitors C1 to C4 (100 nF)
    These can be fitted either way around
  4. Bus header pins P1
  5. Header pins JP4, JP5 and JP6
    Fit as one strip with pins 4 and 8 removed
  6. Serial header pins P2
  7. Crystal X1
  8. IC sockets for U1 to U3
    Ensure the notch in the socket matches the marking on the PCB
  9. Capacitors C5 and C6 (22 pF)
    These can be fitted either way around
  10. Resistor network RP1 (8 x 100k)
  11. Header pins JP1
    You may wish to remove the pins for address bit zero as the module occupies two I/O addresses and therefore bit zero is not used
  12. Header pins JP2, JP3, JP7 and JP8
    Fit as one strip with pins 2 and 6 removed
  13. LED1 and LED2
    The angled LEDs in the kit only fit one way around, but standard LEDs need to have the short lead in the hole marked with a flat line
  14. Fit the IC’s in their sockets
    Ensure the notch in the IC matches the PCB and IC socket
  15. Fit the nylon spacer in the mounting hole

Fit jumper shunts in the positions shown below.

Compatibility

This module conforms to the RCBus specification v1.0 for RCBus-2014 (40-pin bus) and RCBus-Z80 (40-pin bus).

The RCBus specification includes RCBus-2014 (both RC2014 standard 40-pin bus and RC2014 enhanced 60-pin bus) and also the full 80-pin RCBus. The 80-pin RCBus provides support for advanced Z80 features, such as the interrupt daisy-chain, as well as support for other processor families.

The table below indicates electrical compatibility with each backplane type (40, 60 and 80 pin)

Backplane?Compatibility notes
RCBus 80-pinFully supported
RCBus 60-pin
(RC2014 enhanced)
Fully supported
RCBus 40-pin
(RC2014 standard)
Fully supported

Notes

  • This product is designed for hobby use and is not suitable for industrial, commercial, or safety-critical applications.
  • The product contains small parts and is not suitable for young children.

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