USB-serial adapter compatability list

All questions about MS2/Microsquirt/Microsquirt module. See also MS2/Extra manuals

Moderators: jsmcortina, muythaibxr

Post Reply
jsmcortina
Site Admin
Posts: 39585
Joined: Mon May 03, 2004 1:34 am
Location: Birmingham, UK
Contact:

USB-serial adapter compatability list

Post by jsmcortina »

Please post here results on USB-serial adapter.

Keep this topic "clean", any off-topic ramblings will be split or deleted. I'll aim to compile the reports into one sticky once data has been collected.

I'll start.

"Prolific 2303" seems to work fine @115200 with Windows and Linux.

FTDI232 based serial - works ok. Used by Spectre in the EMS-Pro unit. Positive feedback from 6040solder

James
I can repair or upgrade Megasquirts in UK. http://www.jamesmurrayengineering.co.uk

My Success story: http://www.msextra.com/forums/viewtopic ... 04&t=34277
MSEXTRA documentation at: http://www.msextra.com/doc/index.html
New users, please read the "Forum Help Page".
UnaClocker
Super MS/Extra'er
Posts: 1933
Joined: Fri May 07, 2004 12:59 pm
Location: Tacoma, WA
Contact:

Post by UnaClocker »

"Belkin" F5U409
In WinXP on two completely different laptops, It works GREAT in MegaTune, but takes about 60 minutes to complete a firmware flash.
Brian
'84 Dodge Rampage
devojet
Experienced MS/Extra'er
Posts: 309
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2006 6:00 am
Location: Gold Coast, Australia

Post by devojet »

I use a PCMCIA duel serial port card from ST LAB. It works perfectly with my HP laptop and Win XP.

James, If your not interested in PCMCIA devices then just delete this post.
offtrack
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 65
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:41 pm
Location: Puget sound, and Peru. yah 2 homes.
Contact:

compat and incompat is a better list. get a QX16CF950

Post by offtrack »

I got my OXF0rd PCMCIA RS232 15mpbs card today.

it is a model: QX16CF950 High perf. serial card.

i plug it into my DELL LT. PPX lattitue C family. CPX on lid.
500mhz Pentium III
The std. com1 port that does NOT work on this LT is:
"Intel 82371AB/EB PCI TO ISA BRIDGE. " <<<< never works ( have 3 at work)

To free up as many interrupts as possbile ( best for serial coms IMHO , I do:)

I Enter Bios, I disable , Com1, Inrfrared Data port , disable.
I disable the parallel port and the floppy. <<< they are useless today , right?

I install the Oxford \95x , serial driver ,using PNP XP engine. ignore certificate error.

I enter the device manager and look at View resources by connection.
and make sure nothing contends with the interrupt assigned to my oxford PCMIA.
in my case my Dell sets it to Interupt 7 isa "compact flash com4"

I then go to Device manager and select Com ports and properties,
I see the "CUSTOM Oxford menu's" , very powerful it is.
I can even run non-standard clocks or prescalers !!! Up to 15mpbs rate serially.
I do not, i just change the baud to 115.2k and save.

it runs solid as a rock ! loaded beta 5 times in 2 days.

I set the Megatune to COM4 and 115.2k baud and MSExtra Downloads over and over from
the batch file.

DO NOT USE THE GUI version of Download, read the MT/extra manual , it explains that.

that is my report.
signed: offtrack.
------------------------ next----------------------------------------
next will be the testing of the USB high performance adaptor
Breakout Board for CP2102 USB to Serial,SKU#: BOB-00198,Price: $21.95
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/produc ... cts_id=198

it runs up to 1mbps.

the key is , fast accurate clock and a short com cable.
conclusion, many legacy Laptops are hardware is not up to snuff.

if you have problems.
try a real desktop.
load a framing error detector driver and monitor the COMx card for errors.
if you see them , it will NEVER work correctly.
use a PCMCIA like above
use a USB converter that is rated at or above 1mbps bit rate.

Last: keep in mind , many PC's are only rated to 20kbps, max <<<< believe it !


got my PCcard 232 on ebay. from.

colordrives.com (in calif. 91748) they sell direct too.

anyquestions, email me at , offtrack (at) live (dot) com.

BTW: i have access to a protocol analysis (HP). so, this is easy for me. [ i cheat }

Cheers.
MS2V3+msextra,beta21+
DiyAutotune! < the best!
custom pnp harness done, default timings.
idles, cool, tripadation sets in, MLV soon.
2 years till retirement, then doing MS on wifes family cars. for economy $7 gallon fuel.
Gokart
Master MS/Extra'er
Posts: 667
Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 2:38 am
Contact:

Post by Gokart »

1. ATEN UC232A usb to serial adaptor.
http://www.aten.com/products/productIte ... 2316346005

2. HUGEPINE usb to serial adaptor.
http://www.hugepine.com/

I used those without a problem either to flash or tune.
(4G63T - MSIIextra) (4G13 - MS3-beta testing)
PaulS
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 84
Joined: Mon Dec 31, 2007 10:57 am
Location: Northants UK

Post by PaulS »

I use the Targus PA088E.

I'm actually using two at the same time. One for the MS2 and the other for Innovate LM-1/LC-1 etc.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/36804
AbeFM
Super MS/Extra'er
Posts: 875
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:40 pm
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Post by AbeFM »

I've tried a ArkMicro Chips USB-UART controller. They make mostly devices for communicating to cell phones.

This doesn't work, and sometimes the computer would reset when you use it for logging.
Last edited by AbeFM on Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
2000 VVT Miata turbo, MS3Pro

Contact me if interested in a MS-II 2nd gen NB Miata PnP board.
gross polluter
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 109
Joined: Wed Nov 14, 2007 4:44 pm
Location: San Diego

Post by gross polluter »

I've been using a Keyspan USA-19HS for a little over a year. Never had an issue with any serial device I have connected to it. Acts just like a hardware port. The configuration software that comes with it is excellent for port diagnostics.
88 RX-7 TII - MS2 Extra 1.0.2
68 Mustang 351C - MS3X
88 Volvo 245 - 2JZGTE VVTi powered, MS3X + MSGPIO Mshift controlled
pac1085
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 103
Joined: Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:57 pm
Location: Rochester, NY
Contact:

Post by pac1085 »

gross polluter wrote:I've been using a Keyspan USA-19HS for a little over a year. Never had an issue with any serial device I have connected to it. Acts just like a hardware port. The configuration software that comes with it is excellent for port diagnostics.
2nd that. USA-19HS here too.
Current:
1995 Firebird Formula 5.3 LM7 Engine / 4L80E with MS3/MS3X 1.3.2 and Microsquirt Transmission Controller

Past:
1997 Audi A4 2.0TQM
MS3/MS3X
AbeFM
Super MS/Extra'er
Posts: 875
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:40 pm
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Post by AbeFM »

I have an adapter that auto-adds itself as a Prolific, but nothing, even hyperterminal can open the port. I'll let you know after I get another computer to check it out.
2000 VVT Miata turbo, MS3Pro

Contact me if interested in a MS-II 2nd gen NB Miata PnP board.
AbeFM
Super MS/Extra'er
Posts: 875
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:40 pm
Location: San Diego, CA
Contact:

Post by AbeFM »

I got a new serial port, from Fry's, Parallax 28030 and found it to be MUCH better than the Belkin. It's very small, nicely made, uncased. Takes a mini-usb plug. It has LOTS of options in the drivers and supposedly works with Linux (I didn't try it). In the driver, there's a latency setting. Set to 16ms, it takes 2-3 minutes to write the .s19 file - compared to the 35 minutes it took on the Belkin. Set the latency to 1ms, and it took well under a minute.
Interestingly, the driver (winXP) reports the baud rate as 9600, and changes don't stick, but it works fine so I suspect the programs working with it set it themselves.
2000 VVT Miata turbo, MS3Pro

Contact me if interested in a MS-II 2nd gen NB Miata PnP board.
offtrack
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 65
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:41 pm
Location: Puget sound, and Peru. yah 2 homes.
Contact:

here is an adaptor for $5

Post by offtrack »

http://ledshoppe.com/Product/com/CA4037.htm

it is Prolific PL-2303 chip.

ordered one.
will report.

my cp2101 Saprkfun can and is doa. on my dell.cpx. com5.
put scope on the TX line, and it is dead.
will test on other platforms.
MS2V3+msextra,beta21+
DiyAutotune! < the best!
custom pnp harness done, default timings.
idles, cool, tripadation sets in, MLV soon.
2 years till retirement, then doing MS on wifes family cars. for economy $7 gallon fuel.
the poi
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Jun 05, 2004 12:27 am

Re: here is an adaptor for $5

Post by the poi »

offtrack wrote:http://ledshoppe.com/Product/com/CA4037.htm

it is Prolific PL-2303 chip.

ordered one.
will report.

my cp2101 Saprkfun can and is doa. on my dell.cpx. com5.
put scope on the TX line, and it is dead.
will test on other platforms.
Check the solder on the sp2102 itself--my tx and rx pins were soldered together. Had a hell of a time trying to figure out why it was echoing everything until I looked closer at it :D . My replacement works fine, and echos properly with tx ad rx shorted (im assuming this confirms the pins are working right), but I can't get it to work on the MS. I just connected the rx, tx, and ground to to the serial connector on the v3 board (pins 2 3 and 5), but it's not working. The output is supposedly +/-3.3v, shouldn't it work just fine? Do I need to change the caps or wiring on the max232?

edit:// All I can manage is to have hyperterm open, and switching on the MS returns a short mess of ASCII, and shutting MS off produces a huge mess of random ASCII. when its running, nothing is returned with, for example "S" sent...

edit2:// heh, whoops, i'm not sure why i had it in my head that it was an rs232 converter! Connected directly to the MS rxd/txd pins, and it works great. Very nice and simple USB megasquirt!
offtrack
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 65
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:41 pm
Location: Puget sound, and Peru. yah 2 homes.
Contact:

THANKS !

Post by offtrack »

i read the whole data sheet, (very poorly written)
it does not give the spec for the RS232 pins.

so this chip is EIA/TIA RS232 (connectable)

in the data sheet is says it is to replace the EIA lever drivers, which are
+12 v and -12v levels ! that is the spec on all Rs232 ports.

mine is doa and will not loop back as all RS232 will do.

i tired three ways ( of course TX in to RX end to end)
1 pulled MAX232 connect to uP lines, no joy TX>RX. & RX > TX. +gnd
2 tired connecting directly to the Max 232 DB9 pins , no joy.
3. by itself loop back by shunting Tx to Rx on USB device. no joy.

the 3.3v is an output for external devices.

would be nice if they made a 1 page application guide showing one simple usage, but no , nothing .

i have another coming in the mail that is buried inside a 232 conn shell.
onside 232 other USB , has upgraded chip from same co.
will see how that works.

I am fully operational with my PCMCIA card but am playing with the USB upgrade would be nice to have USB in the box. yah.
MS2V3+msextra,beta21+
DiyAutotune! < the best!
custom pnp harness done, default timings.
idles, cool, tripadation sets in, MLV soon.
2 years till retirement, then doing MS on wifes family cars. for economy $7 gallon fuel.
the poi
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Jun 05, 2004 12:27 am

Post by the poi »

Got mine working great. Cut the tx and rx traces between the max232 and the MS, and then Rx connects MS's Tx (pin 12) and Tx to MS's Rx (13). I needed a 5k pullup on the receive pin, otherwise MS wouldn't boot properly with the USB adapter unpowered (that was a weird problem to discover). So I just replicated the 5k pullup in the max232, and it all works. PS0 should have an internal pullup, looks like it's shutoff in the firmware--is there a reason for this? Does that happen when that pin is configured for serial transmit?
offtrack
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 65
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:41 pm
Location: Puget sound, and Peru. yah 2 homes.
Contact:

Post by offtrack »

great find,
i noticed that too , and could not understand why the processer would miss a
level shifting transceiver?

Thanks for that , smart , discovery.

cheers

PS: got yelled at for putting words in the subject, box above, so it is blank.
MS2V3+msextra,beta21+
DiyAutotune! < the best!
custom pnp harness done, default timings.
idles, cool, tripadation sets in, MLV soon.
2 years till retirement, then doing MS on wifes family cars. for economy $7 gallon fuel.
offtrack
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 65
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:41 pm
Location: Puget sound, and Peru. yah 2 homes.
Contact:

Post by offtrack »

some admin said it causes some horrible indexing problem with searchs. (?)
so I said, why is it blank or why is it not a protected field like all other forums.

Back to topic.
I got today from hong kong my
external Prolific based USB adaptor plugs, for $5 each free shipping.

loaded the 2303 driver ( run an exe file on cd or you will not get a load)

it works perfect. at 115k baud. (bitrate).

http://ledshoppe.com/Product/com/CA4037.htm

I will be abducted now by Chineese piriates for the white slave market.
I just know it.

:shock:

PS:
comes with nice USB cable , short and the plug has nice jack screws
for getting a tight connection with rs232 plugs.

nice design.

cheers
MS2V3+msextra,beta21+
DiyAutotune! < the best!
custom pnp harness done, default timings.
idles, cool, tripadation sets in, MLV soon.
2 years till retirement, then doing MS on wifes family cars. for economy $7 gallon fuel.
offtrack
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 65
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:41 pm
Location: Puget sound, and Peru. yah 2 homes.
Contact:

Post by offtrack »

gee, dont cut traces, ouch.

just pull the Max 232 , buy a chip header, make the connections
and the pull up.

then if you need to recind, no issue, no damage.

with too many cuts soon it looks like the Zenith hand wired chassis.
as upposed the Motorola "works in the drawer" (counter).
I just dated my self 8)
MS2V3+msextra,beta21+
DiyAutotune! < the best!
custom pnp harness done, default timings.
idles, cool, tripadation sets in, MLV soon.
2 years till retirement, then doing MS on wifes family cars. for economy $7 gallon fuel.
the poi
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 75
Joined: Sat Jun 05, 2004 12:27 am

Post by the poi »

offtrack wrote:gee, dont cut traces, ouch.
Less of a headache to cut the traces than desolder the MAX without any desoldering tools!
offtrack
Helpful MS/Extra'er
Posts: 65
Joined: Wed Jan 09, 2008 6:41 pm
Location: Puget sound, and Peru. yah 2 homes.
Contact:

Post by offtrack »

yah, i forgot, it didn't come with sockets.
i always use socket on I/O chips . (anything that connects to the world)

you could remove chip , put in socket and have more latitude.
MS2V3+msextra,beta21+
DiyAutotune! < the best!
custom pnp harness done, default timings.
idles, cool, tripadation sets in, MLV soon.
2 years till retirement, then doing MS on wifes family cars. for economy $7 gallon fuel.
Post Reply