Serial interface (Customer Display)

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Hello World!
I have a problem with a customer display unit i bought, the VFD-202, it has 20×2 characters and i want to display a message on it, i don’t care what message at the moment, but i can’t seem to get it to work, it has an RJ45 network type cable, this then plugs into a serial cable, then into my PC, but nothing seems to happen, there are some DIP switches on it, 8 in total, and i have the manual, but it is somewhat confusing and does not actually show a step by step guide to installation, whenever i run some software, it was the port is already open, then i choose an item to send, and it says Operation cannot complete unless port is open? Ideas?

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What are you powering it with?
Did you buy it new or second hand?
If not new, do you know if it works?

I would get in touch with the distributors(?) and ask for some technical information.

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It was new, in box, i think it draws power from the serial port, but i am not sure… the port i now have open also, i had some touchscreen drivers from a while ago that occupied the port, but still not having luck, the only connecter that came with it was the RJ45-serial (9 pin) adapter lead, i mailed the seller of the item, it is made by Tysso i believe, still not having luck with it though, i have the manual here if you want any specs etc. but it’s mainly jsut about hex code and character sets etc. with a very vague description of install, e.g. Plug it in, run VDF to test it. Tried the program that come enclosed without any luck.

Note: i have the disk that came with it, it has a file named RS232.SYS, i moved the file to system32/drivers, am i supposed to do anything else?

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Danny,
I looked at at least one Tysso unit on line and it said:
——————————————————–
Step 1: Turn the computer system power off.
Step 2: Connect the Display Cable to the RS-232 Port of the computer.
Step 3: Connect the DC power source by the appropriate DC power adapter.
Step 4: Turn on the computer and the power supply unit, the display will be on and ready for receiving data
——————————————————–

Step 3 mentions a DC power adapter. I assume it is one of those little “power bricks” that plug into the AC outlet and converts to 12 volts DC to power your unit.
Are you SURE you didn’t get one of them in you packaging?

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No, no power cable, there’s no where to plug a power cable into the unit itself anyway… ?

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apparently a PC cannot power this item,it has to be an EPOS, as the power is on Pin 9? that’s what the seller told me, but then why did it come with a driver disk etc. ?
i am confused
note: also, the RS-232.sys item came with it and that’s a windows file, no?

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The PC-RS232 connection and drivers are needed to send information to the display, power for the display is sourced separately. (This is exactly the same as a PC-monitor setup, you have a data connection and a power connection. And DON’T try connecting this display to your PC-video out!)

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Hmm, well, anyone know a way of ‘bodging’ it to work, i thought you could pass -12v to +12v power from the serial port by using some code, i read there are some drivers or something? I attached the .sys file also for you to take a look at, also worth noting my pc has recognised an Unknown device now, but it still doesnt appear to work…

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oh also, it came with a .c file, i believe it’s a program? attached it with the .sys

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Unless you want to read the C source code program, to find out what it does, it could be ignored. Utterly.

John

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maybe this would work, instead of using the serial connection it came with?
edit: or this
Getting warmer?

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Do you have a serial port already?
If Yes, you don’t need any of these.

If No,
#1 will give you RS422/485 from an RS232 port which you don’t have.
#2 will give you 2 x RS232 ports.
#3 – goodness knows. It seems to give you 8 I/O ports that may connect to your display, but unless you know the pinouts, how are you going to connect it?

In response to post 601,795 – you can’t ‘pass’ =/-12V from a serial port as far as I am aware. You can ‘create’ it by switching some of the outputs at a high frequency and by using a circuit similar to this, but as the spec for your display shows a power requirement of anything up to 3A, you are out by a factor of something like 1,000.

Questions:
Do you have an RS232 port on the PC you wish to control the display?
Do you have a separate 5V or 9/12V DC supply to power the display?

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Ok, yes i have a serial port, it’s plugged into it now, i have a power supply where you can adjust the voltage, this wasn’t supplied with the item. Like i say, theres no obvious way of connecting it to the display, there is simply the RJ45 cable from the display, this connects to the serial cable to my pc…

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Right, if you already have a serial port, you don’t need any of the hardware you list in post 601,805, and I fear you are going to have to find the non-obvious method of supplying power! I can’t believe the manual doesn’t give some indication of where the power connection is – it’s certainly not through a standard RS232 port!

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I have a page in the manual that sounds somewhat promising but stillleaves a problem.. here goes.

3.2 Interface Conversion Adapter
The interface adapter section has connectors for the display panel, the printer, the power supply,and host computer. All the data transmitted from the host computer will be recieved by the display. If this data is for the display, it will be processed.

Diagram
______________________________________________
| |
| _5v power ___RJ45 Display |
| |o| ::::./ ||_|| ::::::::::::./ |
| To host comp to printer |
|______________________________________________|

apologies for the weak digram but you get the idea hopefully. I don’t have this adapter, item was new and boxed…

edit: also read ‘Power lead provided to take power from internal PC power supply’ here looks like a similar model

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Danny,
A shot from the Tysso site 450

It shows a Power adapter and plug.

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It seems you will have to get the appropriate adapter or work out how to wire in the 5V directly to the display.

From what you and Bob have come up with, it sounds like there is an adapter card available for the PC which has both the power output and RS232 connection on it – “Power Kit ….. to retrieve power 12 VDC from switching power supply inside computer”

Otherwise, I think you need to go back to the supplier of the kit and ask for a suitable power supply.

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Seriously, if you purchased this thing new, take it back to the seller and tell them to show you, first, that it works at all and then how to set it up on your system. If the manual isn’t clear & helpful, and the seller can’t help, return it and use the money to buy something more user friendly.

Just my .

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thanks guys, i asked the seller and he said i could do this:
The manual is for a General VFD customer display. There are no parts missing from the box
D-CONNECTOR PIN 7 OR 9(5v) Just pull 5v (RED CABLE on HDD connector) and connect to pin9 on D connector.
Sounds ominous, worth a try you think? I tihnk i will get a spare power unit and try it out without hookup to PC first, see what i get…

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Referring to the RS232 pin-out I linked to above, I would suggest you try the external psu first.

0V to Pin 5 of the 9-way D
5V to Pin 9

Make sure you have disconnected the connection to pin 9 at the PC end – you do not know what may be the result of inputting a constant voltage into it.

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Ok well, have had small numbers of success, i tried an external PSU with no luck, maybe the PC has to initiate the power first by signalling it, so i decided to try a 9v battery, and by jobe it worked, for about 10seconds until it leeched the power totally out, so now i ahve a problem, how do I:
A) Get power from my PC (Run two wires from the red and BLACK (edit) cables to wires in the serial cable? if so, how can i do this ‘cleanly’.
Similar to A, how do i connect the thing? just isolate the 9 and 5 pins for power and plug it in?

and finally, is there any other way of getting power to it in a fashion that will look ‘proper’/’clean’, splicing wires open sounds messy…

edit: corrected myself, yellow really does not work lol, shorted comp out, but works fine now, using an old tester comp for it, got the customer display to light up using cables…says an intro… now what?

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Ah, now see i have a worse problem, while trying to open the casing to the serial port to re-wire it tot he molex, i appearto have broken the conenctions and now i have 6 wires that are loose and i have no idea which goes where…
edit: got the power conencters, tehy are orange and red, now i am left with the earth (bare) and a yellow, black, brown and green cable…

edit: OK well, problem solved, except for one niggling annoyance, the yellow and green cables not soldered on anywhere! i got it working, i’ve programmed it and it does almost what i want, the only problem is i don’t know how to get the 2nd line working, maybe it’s the yellow/green wire, or maybe it’s the programming i am doing… Either way i’d like to find a solution if there is one, but this will do for now if not…

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The second line will almost certainly be a programming issue – that should be covered in your manual for the hardware.

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Ok well i can change the command set via the DIP switches, but then i have to send some command codes to the device apparently… But when i do this, it simply displays what i sent as text…

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>> …i think it draws power from the serial port…

Uh-uh, very unlikely, as the serial port is not designed to source power (unlike, for example, a USB port). Personally, I would be very surprised if you do not have to supply external power – there is no power pin on a standard RS232 port! (See RS232 pinout.)

>> …am i supposed to do anything else?

? Seriously, unless by coincidence some user here has used one of these displays, you’ve got all the information! Did you contact the distributor I linked to above?

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