Aycock501 Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I have a question regarding the use of the USB-485 converter. My laptop has a comm port (comm 3). Can I use a db9 to rj45 cable rather than using this converter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k6ccc Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I assume you mean that your laptop has a serial port. Assuming that is the case, the answer is no. The serial port is RS-232, and you need RS-485. The two are not compatible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 If you are talking about a serial port then YES you can use it. You have to get the SC485 connector which will convert the short range RS232 to the long range RS 485 protocol. http://store.lightorama.com/scseco.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aycock501 Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 I assume you mean that your laptop has a serial port. Assuming that is the case, the answer is no. The serial port is RS-232, and you need RS-485. The two are not compatible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aycock501 Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 Yes, I am referring to the onboard RS-232 serial. I didnt receive the converter box when I got my LOR controllers and was looking for a quick way to establish communication with the controllers so I could have my show up and running by Christmas. If you are talking about a serial port then YES you can use it. You have to get the SC485 connector which will convert the short range RS232 to the long range RS 485 protocol.http://store.lightorama.com/scseco.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k6ccc Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 As Mr. P pointed out, there is a RS-232 to RS-485 adapter that you can use on your serial port. But you can't directly connect your controllers to the serial port of your computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aycock501 Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 Thanks, I don't have that specific adapter but I do have a DB9/RJ45 cable. Is there any where I can get the comm pinout orientation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santas Helper Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Yes, I am referring to the onboard RS-232 serial. I didnt receive the converter box when I got my LOR controllers and was looking for a quick way to establish communication with the controllers so I could have my show up and running by Christmas. I ran my show using that back in 2006. You just can't go to a local store and buy one. It has to come from LOR as it is configured differently inside than the store bought versions.Thanks, I don't have that specific adapter but I do have a DB9/RJ45 cable. Is there any where I can get the comm pinout orientation? You might ask LOR if they will share the pinout with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aycock501 Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 Thanks everyone. I'm going to contact LOR and go for the Hail Mary pass!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k6ccc Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Thanks, I don't have that specific adapter but I do have a DB9/RJ45 cable. Is there any where I can get the comm pinout orientation? It's not just a pinout difference. RS-232 is a short range serial data transmission format that uses a ground referenced signal that if I remember right is officially limited to 25 feet (yes, it will work farther - especially at slower speed), and is limited to a single point to a single point. RS-485 is a long range serial data format that is bipolar and allows multiple senders and receivers (spec says up to 32) on a data buss with officially a range of 4,000 feet. As far as the pinout, that's not at all a secret. LOR wiring standard uses pins 4 & 5 for Data + and Data -. Pins 3 & 6 are used for power to support devices that need power. For example an ELL or InputPup takes power from an adjacent controller using the power supplied on pins 3 & 6 from the controller. The other pins are not used in LOR wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 It's not just a pinout difference. RS-232 is a short range serial data transmission format that uses a ground referenced signal that if I remember right is officially limited to 25 feet (yes, it will work farther - especially at slower speed), and is limited to a single point to a single point. RS-485 is a long range serial data format that is bipolar and allows multiple senders and receivers (spec says up to 32) on a data buss with officially a range of 4,000 feet. As far as the pinout, that's not at all a secret. LOR wiring standard uses pins 4 & 5 for Data + and Data -. Pins 3 & 6 are used for power to support devices that need power. For example an ELL or InputPup takes power from an adjacent controller using the power supplied on pins 3 & 6 from the controller. The other pins are not used in LOR wiring. Isn't there a voltage change as well? I believe the RS232 is a higher voltage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k6ccc Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 I believe that Isn't there a voltage change as well? I believe the RS232 is a higher voltage. I believe that is correct as well. In any case, it is not a compatible data format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 RS232 is unbalanced, meaning it uses one pin for ground and other pins for the signal. It uses a wide voltage range: +3 to +15v for a "0", and -15 to -3v for a "1". Most common serial ports in a computer will use +12v and -12v. RS485 is balanced, meaning it uses one pin for ground, and 2 other pins for data+ and data-. A "0" is when data+ - data- is greater that 200mV. A "1" is when data+ - data- is less than -200mV. I believe the standard specifies that the voltage difference should be within +6v to -6v. Based on these differences, it may be possible to drive a RS485 device from an RS232 circuit by connecting data+ to RS232 data signal, and data- to ground. This will not be reliable, however, and it would only allow data transmission in one direction (which is not a fatal problem for LOR networks, it just means that the hardware utility can't probe or query units, and obviously trigger inputs won't work). You could try connecting pin 3 from the 9-pin connector to pin 4 of the RJ-45, and pin 5 from the 9-pin connector to pins 5 and 6 of the RJ-45. I'm not sure about the polarity, so pins 4 and 5 may need to be reversed. This is a MacGyver solution. There is no guarantee, but it may work partially while the necessary hardware is in the mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aycock501 Posted December 26, 2015 Author Share Posted December 26, 2015 So instead of trying to navigate through building my own contraption, I ordered the 485 converter. I have installed the driver, and still cannot connect to any of my 3 controllers. I've went through the troubleshooting exercises to no avail. When I connect the converter to my usb port, it automatically pops up searching for driver. It says that it's ready to use. I look in device manager and instead of being in my ports location, it's showing up in my USB controllers location. The hardware utility in LOR software doesn't pick it up when I do an autoconfigure. Any ideas?Windows 7 professional 64-bit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. P Posted December 26, 2015 Share Posted December 26, 2015 Download and install the actual LOR driver here: http://www1.lightorama.com/firmware-updates/ After install connect the USB485 and go in to the HU and setup the comm port. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aycock501 Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 I downloaded that driver and it still didn't pull up in the device manager as com 3. It's still listed in the USB section of the device manager. When I click auto configure, it scans come 3, but doesn't find a controller so I changed that com to com 9 to test. When I opened HU, it noted the change for com 3 to com 9, but now doesn't recognize it as a viable com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wmilkie Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 still sounds like the wrong driver Is this the LOR driver that came with the adapter? Its usually on a cd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aycock501 Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 (edited) Yes sir, the one that came on the CD never would install. So I went to LO our website and downloaded the driver from there. Could this be an issue with the software install? This is frustrating to say the least! I have attached screenshots for reference. Thanks. Edited December 28, 2015 by Aycock501 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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