Author Topic: Original WS23XX serial cable pin connections seem incorrect  (Read 4802 times)

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Offline Bolty

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Original WS23XX serial cable pin connections seem incorrect
« on: September 05, 2009, 10:58:21 AM »
I have a WS2307 that I use with a computer interface. As I download all the weather data to a website via Cumulus, I feed my weather station serial data into a Windows Home Server (WHS). This then dumps the data to my web site.

You may be interested in looking at my weather data!

www.users.on.net/~bolty/myweather

As I also use my WHS as a backup server for all my home network, I have placed the WHS remotely in a shed away from my house. It is connected to the house via Cat6 cable and a gigabit network. My weather station is installed in the house. I therefore have tried to feed the WS2307 data through an extra Cat5e cable that I have that runs parallel to the network cable to the remote WHS. As this length is about 40 metres, I thought that it would be fine passing the RS232 WS2307 serial data this distance to the WHS. However it does not work reliably. At present I have the WHS back in the house so that the WS2307 can connect to the WHS.

I have spent quite a bit of time tracing the leads from the WS2307. I have also read lots of info about the serial cable on various web sites. I know that my supplied serial cable uses the correct pins. I do not use a Prolific style of adaptor, as my computer has the DB9 serial connector.

In tracing the leads of the supplied serial lead, I discovered that there is no apparant earth lead used by Lacrosse.

The pin outs are as follows ( RJ12 connector first then the DB9 )

pin 1  (left with pins above) goes to pin 7 (request to send)
pin 2 goes to pin 2 (receive data)
pin 3 goes to pin 3 (transmit data)
pin 4 goes to pin 4 (data terminal ready)


This does not make any sense to me, as there appears to be no signal earth for the data. Normally pin 5 on the DB9 would be the earth, but this is not utilized. I realize that Lacrosse may use proprietary pin allocations for the RJ12, but the DB9 should conform with the standard to allow it to connect to external devices.

Can anyone please help with this, as I am very confused. I cannot understand how it works over even short distances. In my application where I need it work over longer distance, it does not work properly!

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Offline SlowModem

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Re: Original WS23XX serial cable pin connections seem incorrect
« Reply #1 on: September 05, 2009, 11:33:31 AM »

You may be interested in looking at my weather data!

www.users.on.net/~bolty/myweather

If you expect international visitors to your website, you might want to consider listing your location there.  I googled the coordinates you have listed, and it shows Bulgaria.

There's my suggestion for the day.   =D>

I have a LaCrosse weather station, too, but I don't know anything about the wiring.  There's a lot of info on the wuhu yahoo group that you can read, too.  It has a lot of info on LaCrosse stations.

Greg
Greg Whitehead
Ten Mile, TN USA

Offline DanS

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Re: Original WS23XX serial cable pin connections seem incorrect
« Reply #2 on: September 05, 2009, 07:44:07 PM »
Bolty, your cable pin outs shown here are correct, (RJ11)1,2,3,4 to (DB9)7,2,3,4 respectively. I was with the understanding that pins 2 and 3 are used for the console to receive data only and one pin (3) is reference for the other (2). I haven't put a meter or o'scope on it to verify though. You're right, it's not standard DB-9 wiring with pin 5 not used.

Dan
« Last Edit: September 05, 2009, 07:46:20 PM by DanS »

Offline Bolty

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Re: Original WS23XX serial cable pin connections seem incorrect
« Reply #3 on: September 07, 2009, 06:28:40 AM »
Thanks for the replies.

Greg!

 Thanks for alerting me to the fact that I do not have my location described in words. The reason for this is that I have used the default Cumulus web page, and just changed the photo to a local scene. When you entered the co-ordinates, you may have entered it incorrectly, as I am in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia. I will add a notation to my web page if I can to that effect! Thanks for your link to the Wuhu Yahoo site!

Dan!

Thanks for confirming the cable pin outs. I am mystified as to how it can work without a signal earth!

Offline wuhu_software

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Re: Original WS23XX serial cable pin connections seem incorrect
« Reply #4 on: September 07, 2009, 09:46:34 AM »

La Crosse does not use a ground. They are using the DTR and RTS lines to create a "Virtual ground". I am not sure why they did this other than the fact that they are drawing parasitic power and did not want to use a more expensive connector than the RJ-11s.

 

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