
Advanced Multi-Protocol Communications Controller — CD2431
Datasheet
77
flow control characters are not transmitted. For example, it does not transmit an XON simply
because the number of characters is below the threshold; it only does so if it had previously sent an
XOFF due to the threshold being exceeded. For this reason, the user should not use the Send
Special Character command in the STCR (Special Transmit Command register) to send XON/
XOFF characters because the CD2431 does not keep track of flow control characters that it did not
send automatically. The result could cause confusion on the other end of the connection due to
conflicting flow control commands.
Automatic in-band flow control is functional only in standard Async and Async-HDLC/PPP
modes; SLIP and MNP 4 expressly forbid in-band flow control. See the COR5 description
6.5.2
Out-of-Band Flow Control
Receive out-of-band flow control is enabled when the CtsAE bit (COR2[1]) is set to ‘1’. In this
mode, character transmission begins only after the CTS* pin is active (low). In asynchronous
transmission if CTS* goes inactive (high) after transmission starts, the channel stops transmission
after the current character in the Transmit Shift register, and the current characters in the Transmit
Holding register are transmitted. In Synchronous modes if CTS* goes inactive, the channel stops
transmission after the current frame. In either case, transmission restarts after CTS* goes active.
The CD2431 can automatically flow control the remote device by the DTR* pin. This mode is
selected by setting a non-zero DTR* threshold in COR5; when the thresholds in COR4 and COR5
are exceeded, the CD2431 sets the DTR* pin high. When the data in the FIFO falls below the
DTR* threshold, the DTR* pin is automatically driven low.
Each channel of the CD2431 has four pins that can be used either as a modem control or general-
purpose input/output pins. The modem signal names assigned to these four pins were selected to
provide an easy reference for system designers. In fact, they are all simply general-purpose inputs
and outputs (if automatic out-of-band flow-control is not used) that can be individually controlled
by the Modem Signal Value register(s). Since the pins are general-purpose, system designers can
choose to connect the pins in any way that is appropriate for the application.
However, when the system software design employs automatic out-of-band flow control with the
pins, the signal naming convention no longer holds true in some cases, depending on whether the
device is used as DCE or DTE. In this case, it is best to think of the pins in terms of their actual
uses within the CD2431 and connect them accordingly, without regard to their names. The RTS*
and CTS* pins are associated with transmitter, and the DTR* and DSR* pins are associated with
the receiver. The following table shows the recommended signal hook-up if automatic out-of-band
flow control is desired.
Table 11. Recommended Signal Connection
Mode
CD2431 Pin
Name
Out-of-Band
Flow Control
DCE
DTE
CTS
DTR
Signal remote to transmit
RTS
Not implemented in this
direction
RTS
Request remote permission
to transmit
CTS
Enable transmitter