The F216 is an octal UART I/O board based on 3U CompactPCI. Two UART controllers provide four full-duplex serial channels each. The physical layers are integrated on the board: each of the eight channels can be individually configured as single-ended RS232 or differential RS422 or RS485. The default setting is RS422.
The UART controller supports high data rates up to 921 600 bit/s, depending on the physical interface type. Its register set is fully 16550D compatible, even with larger, 60-byte FIFOs.
Each channel of the F216 has its own 500V isolation, with all ports being available on one 78-pin D-Sub connector. An adapter cable is also available to spread the 78-pin connector to eight standard 9-pin D-Sub connectors.
The F216 is designed for use in rugged environments. For example, all components are specified for an operating temperature of -40°C to +85°C. The card easily expands CompactPCI systems by an additional eight UARTs on 4 HP where the CPU does not provide enough COM interfaces.