Chapter 4 – Menu System  49 
Communications 
The Communications menu contains interface and host control functions: 
 
  Serial Port A* 
  Parallel Port A* 
  USB Port* 
  Network Interface* 
  Host Settings* 
 
 
Items denoted with an asterisk (*) are only accessible through the Advanced Menu. 
 
The menu selections are defined as follows: 
 
DISPLAYED ITEM  ITEM DESCRIPTION 
SERIAL PORT A  Controls the RS-232 communications settings for Serial Port A, where: 
BAUD RATE  Sets the serial communication rate, where:  
(1200 – 
115000 BPS) 
9600 BPS 
Is the range, in Bits Per Second; and,   
 
is the Default Setting. 
PROTOCOL  Sets the data flow control (handshaking) method, where: 
BOTH  XON/XOFF and CTS/DTR are used. (Default Setting) 
SOFTWARE XON/XOFF is used. 
HARDWARE    CTS/DTR is used. 
NONE  Flow control is not used. 
PARITY  Sets word parity, where:  
NONE  Parity is not used. (Default Setting) 
ODD  Odd parity is used. 
EVEN   Even parity is used. 
DATA BITS  Sets word length, where:  
(7 - 8) 
8 
A seven or eight bit word is selectable; and,  
is the Default Setting. 
STOP BITS    Sets the number of stop bits, where:  
(1 - 2) 
1 
One stop or two stop bits are selectable; and,  
is the Default Setting.   
PARALLEL PORT A  Controls the communication setting for the parallel port, where: 
PORT 
DIRECTION 
Determines if data is returned from the printer, where: 
UNI-
DIRECTIONAL 
No data is returned; communication is one-way.  
BI-
DIRECTIONAL 
Data is returned in compliance with IEEE 1284 back-channel operation. (Default 
Setting)  
 
 
An IEEE 1284 bidirectional cable is required. 
 
USB PORT  Controls the communication setting for the USB port 
USB DEVICE CLASS
Defines the USB port type 
PRINTER  Sets the printer for use as a typical Windows printer 
CDC  Sets the printer for use with handled PC’s and similar devices 
Composite  Combines both Printer and CDC classes. (Defautl Setting) 
NETWORK 
INTERFACE 
Controls the communications settings for the network interface, where:  
 
QUICK SETUP  Controls the communications settings for the network interface, where: 
WIRED DHCP  Configures the card for wired connection. 
SET FACTORY 
DEFAULTS 
Resets NIC Adapter parameters to the factory defaults values.