DB-9 to RJ45 cable pinout/problems

[bilsk]

Hope someone can figure out what i am doing wrong here .. i'm trying to connect my 2413S PLM to a PC, with the pin-out that's

listed on the board a couple of times, to tryout castle OS .. so i'm bypassing my ISY994, which works like a champ! for the test i

build a cable as follows:

 

RJ45 pin 1 goes to DB-9 pin 2

RJ45 pin 7 goes to DB-9 pin 5

RJ45 pin 8 goes to DB-9 pin 3

 

For some reason.. i cannot connect to the PLM, i even got a USB-serial cable thinking the one and only comport on the pc might have been busted ..

so far no go on either port.

[Brian H]

Do you still have the PLM's Box?

There should be a Serial Cable packed inside the box.

Many times hidden in the internal packing cradle.

 

I just continuity tested one of the PLM serial cables

Your chart matches my PLM quick guide and continuity tested fine.

 

Plug your cable into the PLM end and observe the colors of the wires position. To verify they match the pin one on the left with the contacts up. Shown in the guides pin out chart.

[LeeG]

A Serial PLM cannot be accessed through a USB port.

 

There are USB to Serial adapters but not all work well with a PLM.

 

Does the Device Manager show anything connected to a COM port when the PLM is connected directly to the PC serial port. Although normally COM1 perhaps it is coming up on a different COM number.

[bilsk]

I tried both com1 and com2 before i moved to the usb2serial adapter, which turned out to be com3 after installing it.

nothing responds .. i even tested the cable/pinout with a multimeter to ensure i had end to end connection..

 

is there anywhere that anyone knows where i can buy a cable ?

 

thanks !!!

[ELA]

Hello Bilsk,

 

On the Rj45 connector, are there any wires connected to pins 2, 3,4,5 & 6?

If so are they all isolated from each other and not connected to any pins on the db-9 connector?

[bilsk]

yup, old network cable is what i used .. i just cut all of them (other than the ones needed) on the DB-9 side

[Brian H]

What program or programs have you tried to connect to the PLM.

Maybe the cable is OK and the programs accessing it have issues.

 

Since the same serial cable was used with the 1132B Powerlinc, 2414S PLC, 2412S PLM and 2413S PLM. Those are the ones I remember anyway.

You may find some end users with spare cables. As I have not seen any vendors selling them. Including Smarthome.

[bilsk]

im trying to use/test CastleOS, from a windows 7 64bit ... it won't talk to the plm 'connection problems'

if anyone out there is reading this and has a cable .. hit me up

[Brian H]

Just found this. Simplehomenet sells a replacement cable for their EZIcomm PLM and it is listed as PLM compatible also. As it is built on the base PLM main board. With a custom daughter card.

http://www.simplehomenet.com/proddetail ... rial_Cable

 

I am not familiar with that software but I found its web site to see what it does.

 

There is lots of Insteon data here if you have not found it yet. Including a link to the older revision documentation for the PLMs.

http://www.madreporite.com/insteon/insteon.html

[bilsk]

Got the Cable !! Thanks Brian H. !

Seems to be connecting now ... no more strange errors .. except it's still not working .. i still can't control anything with castleOS

it will not link any devices from the software to the PLM .. hope to have some more time later this week to run a few more tests ....

[Brian H]

I am glad the cable arrived safely.

Do you have the PLM connected to an UPS or on the same circuit as the computing equipment?

They can effect power line signals.

[bilsk]

looks like it was the software .... i hooked the PLM on a mac (serial2USB dongle) , ran indigo lite .. no problems ..

dove in the software and found it was poking com3, not 4 as it was supposed to.

changed it and rebooting now .. we'll know shortly