Software, leads etc...
Discussion
tried several brands of USB cable and several laptops (and desktops) and the result has always been the same, flakey to non existant connections. I hear there are USB cables out there that work but I have yet to find one and I must have at least 5 or 6 chucked under the desk by now. I have also tried them with the Emerald with the same results. I now have a manky old laptop with com port. It's good for nothing else and the battery is rubbish so I had to get an inverter to plug it into the fag lighter but it serves the purpose.
I had the same problem at work, some kit would connect with Belkin USB adapters some wouldn't.
In the end I bought a Brainbox PCMCIA to RS232 card, it work flawlessly except the plastic plug is very flimsy and eventually it snapped off.
I've been using one of these for work and by coincidence it connected first time to the Cerb ECU.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000WBMU2S/ref=asc_df_B...
There are other PCMCIA adapters out there, ebay for example are flogging some for £7.99 but I'm not sure what type of UART chip is used, my be worth a punt at that price.
If you are handy with a soldering iron, you could use one of these.
http://apple.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/ftdichip?p...
It's the only chip that will connect to a Suzuki bike ecu as there are some very odd baud rates used, essentially it will connect to anything rs232.
In the end I bought a Brainbox PCMCIA to RS232 card, it work flawlessly except the plastic plug is very flimsy and eventually it snapped off.
I've been using one of these for work and by coincidence it connected first time to the Cerb ECU.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000WBMU2S/ref=asc_df_B...
There are other PCMCIA adapters out there, ebay for example are flogging some for £7.99 but I'm not sure what type of UART chip is used, my be worth a punt at that price.
If you are handy with a soldering iron, you could use one of these.
http://apple.clickandbuild.com/cnb/shop/ftdichip?p...
It's the only chip that will connect to a Suzuki bike ecu as there are some very odd baud rates used, essentially it will connect to anything rs232.
davidd said:
I take it you like playing the lottery 
There's a possibility it will work, however the generic 'Belkin' type converters are fickle to say the least. Let's say you plug your camera into the same port you used to connect to the Cerb, you then plug back into the ECU, you may have to load the drivers again, just my experience.
Rufus Roughcut said:
davidd said:
I take it you like playing the lottery There's a possibility it will work, however the generic 'Belkin' type converters are fickle to say the least. Let's say you plug your camera into the same port you used to connect to the Cerb, you then plug back into the ECU, you may have to load the drivers again, just my experience.
Right time to order..
D
The commands passed from the computer to the ECU are very basic serial ascii in the most part. Extremly basic such that no adapter should have problems unless they significantly delay the signal. The FT chip is probably the commonest chip used even in the really cheap devices.
The only two three things to watch out for is.
Check whether the rs232 is TTL or true RS232 (0-5V, or true +/-12v)
That you make the port com1. Although the software can switch to port 2, it still strangely sends commands to com1 regardless (A little bit of errant programming.)
And lastly and most importantly that the driver software running the port does not ignore whitespace blanks, does not store a fifo buffer without telling the computer, and that there are no time consumming interrupts, on your spec machine ignoring the input for any length of time.
In other words problems with communication are far more likely to be software than hardware.
The only two three things to watch out for is.
Check whether the rs232 is TTL or true RS232 (0-5V, or true +/-12v)
That you make the port com1. Although the software can switch to port 2, it still strangely sends commands to com1 regardless (A little bit of errant programming.)
And lastly and most importantly that the driver software running the port does not ignore whitespace blanks, does not store a fifo buffer without telling the computer, and that there are no time consumming interrupts, on your spec machine ignoring the input for any length of time.
In other words problems with communication are far more likely to be software than hardware.
Byker28i said:
Yup - exactly that. Move your com ports around so that the usb to serial is always Com1 and I've had no problems with any USB serial ports I've tried.
Erm.. suppose you were explaining to a total computer muppet (not me you understand...) - how do you do that, get the PC to use COM1? (I have - erm I mean suppose said muppet has Windoze XP on an old laptop, using a USB serial adapter)tvrgit said:
Byker28i said:
Yup - exactly that. Move your com ports around so that the usb to serial is always Com1 and I've had no problems with any USB serial ports I've tried.
Erm.. suppose you were explaining to a total computer muppet (not me you understand...) - how do you do that, get the PC to use COM1? (I have - erm I mean suppose said muppet has Windoze XP on an old laptop, using a USB serial adapter)tvrgit said:
Byker28i said:
Yup - exactly that. Move your com ports around so that the usb to serial is always Com1 and I've had no problems with any USB serial ports I've tried.
Erm.. suppose you were explaining to a total computer muppet (not me you understand...) - how do you do that, get the PC to use COM1? (I have - erm I mean suppose said muppet has Windoze XP on an old laptop, using a USB serial adapter)Expand the Ports section and see where your USB serial port device is allocated. If it's not Com1 then...
Double click the device that is Com1, select the port settings tab and click the advanced button.
At the bottom it says Com port number. Select a com port not in use.
Do the same to the USB port to move it to Com 1.
Edited by Byker28i on Tuesday 27th October 16:46
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