SETTING THE I/O ADDRESS
-----------------------
Before installing RocketPort(R) or RocketPort RA boards, you must find a
range of I/O addresses for it to use. The first RocketPort card requires a
68-byte contiguous block of I/O addresses, starting at one of the following:
0x100h, 0x140h, 0x180h, 0x200h, 0x240h, 0x280h, 0x300h, 0x340h, 0x380h. 

The second, third, and fourth RocketPort cards require only a 64-byte
contiguous block of I/O addresses, starting at one of the above address
ranges. The I/O address range used by any of the RocketPort cards must
not conflict with any other cards in the system, including other RocketPort
cards. The DIP switch settings for the second, third, or fourth card are
dependent upon the address you choose for the first card.

Remember, the FIRST RocketPort uses 68 I/O addresses.  So, if you set it
for 0x100, it will occupy 0x100 to 0x143.  This would mean that you
CAN NOT set the second, third or fourth board for address 0x140 since
the first 3 bytes of that range are used by the first board.  You would
need to set the second, third, or fourth board to one of the next available
blocks such as 0x180.

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RocketPort and RocketPort RA SW1 Settings:

          +-------------------------------+
          | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
          +-------+-------+---------------+
          | Unused| Card  | I/O Port Block|
          +-------------------------------+

DIP Switches                             DIP Switches
7    8                                   6    5
===================                      ===================
On   On   UNUSED, MUST BE ON.            On   On   First Card    <==== Default
                                         On   Off  Second Card
                                         Off  On   Third Card
                                         Off  Off  Fourth Card

DIP Switches         I/O Address Range
4    3    2    1     Used by the First Card
=====================================
On   Off  On   Off   100-143 
On   Off  Off  On    140-183 
On   Off  Off  Off   180-1C3       <==== Default
Off  On   On   Off   200-243
Off  On   Off  On    240-283
Off  On   Off  Off   280-2C3
Off  Off  On   Off   300-343
Off  Off  Off  On    340-383
Off  Off  Off  Off   380-3C3

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Here are some commonly used I/O cards and the I/O addresses which they
may use. This is not a complete list, but it may help you in choosing
an appropriate I/O range for your RocketPort cards which does not
conflict with your other adaptor cards.

100-143 
140-183 
180-1C3 <================  Default
   1A0-1BF -- AST FourPort
200-243 
   200-20F -- Game port
   220-22? -- Sound port
240-283 
   240-24? -- Sound port
   278-27f -- parallel port
280-2C3 
   2A0-2AF -- AST FourPort
300-343
   300-31F -- NE2000 Card
   330-333 -- Adaptec 1542
340-383 
   378-37f -- PARALLEL POrt
380-3C3 
   3B0-3BF -- Monochrome Display
   3C0-3CF -- Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter (incl. VGA)

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CABLE PINOUTS
-------------
The RS-232 ports provided by the the Rocketport 8, the Rocketport 16, 
and the Rocketport 32 are female DB-25 exporting a DTE interface. This is in
contrast to the RS-232 ports exported by the standard PC-clone serial ports,
which generally tend to be *male* DB-25 connectors with a DTE interface. The
reason for this difference is historical; RS-232 computer interfaces used by
larger computers to serve banks of terminals have traditionally used female
DTE ports, and the RocketPort cards adhere to this convention.

This is generally not a problem, however. You merely need to keep
this in mind when obtaining cables to use with the Rocketport
interface. If you already have cables, a male-male gender changer is
all that you will need to convert the interface box to the PC's male
DTE.

If you are connecting a RocketPort port to a modem (which is a DCE
device generally using a female DB-25 plug), then, what you will need is
a straight-through male/male DB-25 cable. 

If you are connecting a RocketPort modem to a terminal (which is a DTE
device generally using a male DB-25 plug), what you will need is
male/female null modem cable.

An inexpensive alternative is the RocketPort RA Octacable card. It is an
8-port solution that provides you with a cable that plugs into the card
using a 78-pin connector with 8 cables exporting DB25 male DTE connections.
These cables can plug directly into external modems for example.

Here are the pinouts used by the Rocketport interface:

Pin            Signal
=========================
 1             Not Used
 2             Transmit Data
 3             Receive Data
 4             Ready to Send
 5             Clear to Send
 6             Data Set Ready
 7             Signal Ground
 8             Data Carrier Detect
 15            RS-422 (+) Receive Data
 17            RS-422 (-) Receive Data
 19            RS-422 (+) Transmit Data
 20            Data Terminal Ready
 25            RS-422 (-) Transmit Data

Note: The RS-422 pinouts are only available when you use the
RS-232/RS-422 interface box --- this box has a switch that supports
either RS-232 or RS-422 mode.

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HARDWARE INSTALLATION PROCEDURES
--------------------------------
To prepare your RocketPort for installation, you will need to set the I/O
address DIP switch. After you set the I/O DIP switch, you are ready to install
the card. Use the following steps to install the card:
1.  Turn the power switch for the system unit to the OFF position.
2.  Remove the system unit cover.
3.  Select a slot to install the card.
4.  Remove the expansion slot cover.
5.  Insert the card in the expansion slot, make sure that it is properly
    seated.
6.  Attach the card to the chassis with the expansion slot screw.
7.  Replace the cover on the system unit.

IF CONNECTING A SYSTEM WITH AN INTERFACE BOX
--------------------------------------------
1.  Attach the male end of the RocketPort or RocketPort RA cable to the
    card and the female end to the connector on the interface box labeled
    "Host."
Note: If you have a RocketPort 32 or RocketPort RA32, the connector 
      labelled J1 corresponds to Ports 0 through 15 on the interface box 
      and the connector labeled J2 (closest to the bus) corresponds to 
      Ports 16 through 31.
2.  Connect the peripherals to the interface box.

IF CONNECTING A SYSTEM WITH AN OCTACABLE
----------------------------------------
1.  Attach the male end of the Octacable to the card.
2.  Connect the Octacable to the peripherals.

