Advantech PCI-1612B - what is it?

[gcardinal]

I came across a few Advantech PCI-1612B cards and did a fair amount of googling - but just wasnt able to find out what those things are actually used for? 
What are the most common practical application?

Can their for instance be used to drive stepper drivers?

[mariush]

http://www.advantech.com/products/1-2mlk9c/pci-1612/mod_d5caf728-9a69-4bed-93f9-c919d71784a2

4-port RS-232/422/485 PCI Communication Card


    Universal PCI v2.2
    Speeds up to 921.6 kbps for extremely fast data transmission
    Supports any baud rate setting
    4 x RS-232 or RS- 232/422/485 ports
    Supported operating systems: Windows 7/8/10, and Linux.
    XR17V354 UART with 256-byte FIFOs

[gcardinal]

...

Thank you - I did get so far my self. But what are the real world practical application of this cards?

[cs.dk]

They are often used for CNC-machines. Lathes, mills, etc.

[Bukurat]

Its 4 serial ports. You could set them all to RS-232 and drive 4 serial printers  or 4 fax old fax machines  or any combination.  Look "serial communications"for ideas.