National Instruments 778983-01 PXI Serial Interface Module.

The part number 778983-01 from National Instruments is the identifying part number for the PXI-8430/4 PXI Serial Interface Module. This PXI module features four high speed RS-232 serial ports, allowing for reliable communications with various devices. The module is designed to be compatible with the PXI and Compact PCI systems by National Instruments. The RS-232 protocol is great for providing long-range communication with noise immunity and used for point to point connection. The module has flexible baud rates up to 1 Mbps, providing high-speed communication. 

This serial interface module has a data speed of up to 3 Mbps allowing the data transfer to be quick and handled efficiently without zero to minimal data loss during communication. This module also has a 128 bytes FIFO buffer memory on each channel allowing for smooth communication without data loss by storing the data temporarily during data bursts or communication irregularities. Each channel has a voltage rating of 5 volts DC, with a current rating of 400 milliamperes. The 778983-01 has a max cable length of 15.6 meters per port with maximum 1 devices connected to each port. The device allows interrupt sharing between the ports and also allows for direct memory access for connected devices to access the main system memory or RAM independently of the central processing unit.

The 778983-01 module has an operating temperature between 0 degrees Celsius to 55 Degrees Celsius, making it suitable for harsher industrial environments. The module can also withstand a humidity rating of between 17% to 85%,  Noncondensing. The module is fairly compact with a length of 16 cm and a width of 10 cm and supports a 10-position modular jack I/O connector. This module also supports interrupts sharing between its 4 Rs 232 ports that improves performance and scalability.

To configure and control the module via your computer, the 778983-01 module is compatible with national Instruments software tools, such as LabVIEW, NI-VISA, and Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX). Using these applications users can set up communication protocols of their choice, debug and detect communication errors, etc. This module is also compatible with both Linux and Windows operating systems.