Franklin Telecom ACP-186 8-Bit ISA Communication Board P/N 100120 Rev C.1

Franklin Telecom ACP-186 8-Bit ISA Communication Board P/N 100120 Rev C.1

The Franklin Telecom ACP-186 is a full-length 8-bit ISA expansion card designed for multi-port serial/asynchronous communication in IBM PC/AT-compatible systems. Bearing a copyright date of 1988, this card belongs to the generation of dedicated serial communication controllers used to add multiple RS-232 or async serial ports to PCs at a time when onboard COM ports were limited. Cards like the ACP-186 were used in data acquisition, industrial control, and terminal connectivity applications where a PC needed to communicate with multiple external devices simultaneously over serial interfaces.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: Franklin Telecom
• Model: ACP-186
• Part Number: 100120
• Revision: C.1
• Copyright / Year: 1988
• Bus Interface: 8-bit ISA (PC/AT compatible)
• Form Factor: Full-length ISA expansion card
• Bracket Connector: DB-50 / 50-pin high-density connector (visible on card bracket)
• Logic ICs: Philips 74HCT125N (FGM1425), CD74HCT00E, 74HCT32N — HCT-series TTL logic throughout
• Numerous DIP ICs across the full card length (consistent with multi-channel UART or async controller architecture)
• Included: Board only — no cables or software included

Applications

The ACP-186 is a late-1980s serial communication controller card built for 8-bit ISA bus PCs — the standard expansion slot of the IBM PC/AT era before the PCI bus displaced ISA in the mid-1990s. Communication cards of this class were used to add multiple async serial ports to a PC, enabling it to connect with RS-232 devices such as modems, terminals, printers, and industrial instruments simultaneously. The 50-pin high-density bracket connector suggests this card supported a multi-port breakout cable or octopus cable to fan out to individual DB-9 or DB-25 serial connectors. Equipment like this was common in factory automation, point-of-sale, and multi-user terminal server environments of the era. Today these cards are sought by vintage computing enthusiasts, legacy system integrators, and industrial sites still running period-correct PC/AT hardware.