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Green PCI Express card with 62-pin connector and octopus cable for eight serial ports

CoolGear

CoolGear PCIe-8RS2 8-Port RS-232 PCI Express Serial Expansion Card

SKU CH-S4BR-F5ZHZ

Adds eight RS-232 serial ports via a PCI Express x1 slot using an Oxford chip and 62-pin octopus cable

  • External connectors8 x Serial Ports
  • Supported operating systemsLinux Mac OSX Win 7 Win 8/8.1 Win Vista Win XP
  • Product typePCI Express to Serial Port Card
  • Adds eight RS-232 ports via a single PCI Express slot
  • Oxford chipset handles serial traffic with 16550-compatible UARTs
  • 256-byte FIFO buffers on each port sustain 921.6 Kbps throughput
  • Works in x1, x4, x8 or x16 slots with 3.3 V signalling
  • Broad OS support from Windows 98 through 10, plus Linux and Mac OS X

Eight RS-232 ports on one PCIe card

The CoolGear PCIe-8RS2 adds eight serial ports through a single PCI Express slot. It uses an Exar XR17V358 bridge and connects via a 62-pin octopus cable. The board works in x1, x4, x8 or x16 slots and is recognised automatically by the BIOS. Drivers cover Windows 98 through 10, Linux and Mac OS 10.X.

Sustained throughput with deep FIFO buffers

Each port implements 16550-compatible UARTs with 256-byte transmit and receive FIFOs. Hardware flow control uses automatic RTS/CTS or DTR/DSR with programmable hysteresis, while software flow control handles Xon/Xoff. The design supports continuous data rates up to 921.6 Kbps per channel without host CPU bottlenecks.

Replaces legacy multi-port ISA or PCI boards

The card consolidates up to eight older serial adapters into one modern PCI Express 2.0 x1 device. It is suited for industrial automation, point-of-sale and medical equipment that still rely on RS-232. Builders needing more than eight ports or native USB serial interfaces should look elsewhere.

How it compares

Measured against everything we stock in PCIe Expansion Cards, at today’s prices. Recalculated every night.

Price $146.99
Pricier than about 90% of the 891 comparable items (median $30.99).

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Specifications

Product
Model namePCIe-8RS2
Product typePCI Express to Serial Port Card
Ports & slots
External connectors8 x Serial Ports
Compatibility
Supported operating systemsLinux Mac OSX Win 7 Win 8/8.1 Win Vista Win XP

Questions about this item

How much heat or power does the PCIe-8RS2 draw when all eight ports run at 921.6 Kbps all day?

The card uses a 3.3 V PCI Express bus signal and the Exar XR17V358 chip; total draw stays within the slot's standard allocation, so no extra power connector is needed.

What cable or bracket must I already own to connect the 62-pin header to eight DB-9 devices?

The board ships with a 62-pin to octopus cable that breaks out to eight DB-9 RS-232 connectors, so no separate cable purchase is required.

Will the PCIe-8RS2 work in my older motherboard that only has PCI Express 1.0 x1 slots?

Yes, the card is PCI Express 2.0 x1 compliant and fits x1, x4, x8 or x16 slots; it will negotiate down to 1.0 speed automatically.

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