Comms Issues With Dta And Usb Adapter.

[welshpug 1,621]

Nearly ready to install bodies on my 205, loom is built up, got a base map, DTASWIN installed on desktop PC (haven't got hold of a laptop yet)

USB to serial adapter purchased, up to date Drivers installed from Prolific website.

ECU powered up with a battery reading 12.6v, fuel pump relay primes fine.

I get this error:



I have checked which comms port the USB is connected to, DTASWIN is pointing to the correct port.





I am connecting through a POT box I have made myself which saves buying or making a specific lead, would be so much simpler if they used an USB connection.





I have confirmed pinouts to be correct through the box

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

Mate ditch the USB to serial converter as they are nothing but trouble. I went through a few on mine and it was hit and miss if they worked properly even with the ports set up correctly.

 

It doesn't take alot to confuse the signal using the USB/serial cable even more using that box thing? (Whatever it is )

 

I bought a rs232 express card adaptor (£5 delivered frim japan) which goes in the express slot ( on the laptop) and a serial to serial cable and it never fails to connect.

 

Edit: see you are using a pc, does it not have a serial connector on it? If so use that.

Edited February 26, 2013 by pugpete1108

[welshpug 1,621]

No serial ports I can use, the PC is only a year old.

 

the pot box should not be the cause of any issues as the connection from PC to ECU is simply 5 wires between 2 serial plugs.

 

I have simply replicated this diagram but with a 9 pin in instead of 15.

 

[Slo 283 1 Cars]

Its probably your £2 chinese made usb to serial cable you need one with an ftdi chipest. I got mine here and it works spot on for everything i throw at it.

 

http://www.usbnow.co.uk/p48/USB_to_RS232_with_FTDI_Chipset_%281.8M_Cable%29/product_info.html

 

It has proper true handshaking.

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

how much was the usb to serial cable? if not a £40 plus one it will be sh*te trust me.

 

i had a cheapo that didnt even work, then spent £20 on one which worked when it felt like it until i rebooted my lappy then i didint work at all, i borrowed an omron one from the techie at work (£170 cable) and it worked straight away.

 

i didnt want to fork out that sort of money so bought one of these

 

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=express+to+rs232&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=-y4tUdjZA62a0QXCvICwCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1536&bih=710#imgrc=BDgKzUsLKeVtGM%3A%3BnJDPcwBmyxeZkM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fpic.wexe.com%252F75920.jpeg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.tradeage.com%252Fsale%252Frs232-com-port-express-card-34-mm-pcmcia-cardbus-laptop-s039-brand-new-and-ce230589%3B491%3B491

 

which has never failed to connect. if you go to a laptop i would highly reccomend one of these.

 

ive got my old usb to serial here if you want to try it? as it more than likely is that.

 

it really is a case of you get what you pay for with these mate.

 

port forwarding may help but i really couldnt get my head round it (messing with baud rates etc) or even changing the comm port to one thats not in use? (check in device manager to see)

[ORB 227 1 Cars]

Yup, my old Megajold would not run at all through an adaptor, I plugged it into the correct port on an old think pad and it was perfect.

[Rippthrough 98]

I spend £3 on an adaptor and have never had an issue with it.

[welshpug 1,621]

I think I have figured out the issue.

[feb 47]

In the Emerald to get it to work you would have to follow this sequence:

 

1. plug in USB to serial converter

2. start Emerald executable

3. select the right port

4. connect the serial cable from the ECU to the USB/serial

[Sandy 189]

Do it on COM1, reduce Fifo settings to minimum. Should work fine then.

[welshpug 1,621]

com1 is not an usb though

[rallysteve 22]

So change the usb com port to com port 1

 

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=how+to+change+com+port+allocation+in+windows

Edited February 27, 2013 by rallysteve

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

even doing this does not guarentee it will work with a crud adaptor

[rallysteve 22]

There should be no problem using the adaptor he is using. It is the same as one I have used extensively for car diagnostic connection as well as interfacting with 8051/8052 microcontrollers and Single Board Computers. If configured correctly there shouldnt really be a problem providing the correct drivers are used.

 

Steve

[welshpug 1,621]

who said I have a crud adapter?

[rallysteve 22]

The one you have has the ftdi chipset so there shouldnt be a problem.

 

Guessing it came from Maplin?

 

Steve

[welshpug 1,621]

yup, I believe its also the same as the one DTA will sell you at about £40 iirc.

[pugpete1108 62 1 Cars]

who said I have a crud adapter?

Who said you didn't

[welshpug 1,621]

Got 2 plugs from maplin and made a straight through 9 to 15 and still no luck.

 

USB set to com1, FIFO set to min, also tried with them off.

 

with ecu off, get the usual ecu off/not connected error,

 

 

power up ecu it primes FP relay, and I get comms port already in use error.

[rallysteve 22]

Are you sure that your 9 to 15 pin is wired correctly? I have seen issues before with connections not clearly shown as being plug or wire side of the connector. If you are going off pin numbers though it shouldnt be a problem.

 

Is the lead from your converter the DTA one? I seem to recall emerald using a lead which is not wired as a normal serial lead (possibly as a null modem cable lead instead?)

 

Steve

[welshpug 1,621]

yes, certainly are wired correctly, one male 15 pin, one female 9 pin, leaving the pot box out of the equation for the time being.

 

original one pictured was not.

 

you can't get much simpler than this (being long sighted, I got seriously f***ed off with trying to solder the 15 wire cable into these, so that's across the other side of my bedroom at the moment)

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2013 by welshpug

[Anthony 1,000]

As above, are you 100% sure that the connector is correctly wired and you've not shorted any of the pins?

 

I've made several DTA cables before using the guide on the web, and it is correct and they do work just fine (on E48's anyway)

 

I have had issues with rubbish USB-serial adapters before, but they tend to just not detect or communicate with the ECU at all, rather than giving that error.

 

The error that you're getting almost points at something on the PC locking the comm port, but if that was the case, I would expect the same error regardless of whether the ECU was powered on or not. The fact that it only fails when the ECU is powered up suggests that it is seeing something on the cable, but doesn't like what it's seeing and is possibly giving an odd error. Normally mis-wired serial cables just don't work though.

 

If you really get stuck and you're passing mine on your travels anytime soon, I've got a laptop here that defo talks to DTA ECU's (was getting an E48 running last week as it happens) so can narrow down your issue.

[welshpug 1,621]

I was mid edit as you posted Anthony, see the pics.

[Anthony 1,000]

At a glance that looks right, from what I can make out in the picture.

 

It's very simple to wire (other than the closely packed pins on the 15 way d-sub end!) as it's effectively just 1->1, 2->2, 3->3, 4->4, and 5->5 to make the basic laptop to ECU comms cable without the pot box.

 

My offer is open if you haven't got it sorted before you're next passing Swindon.

[rallysteve 22]

You say that the previous one was not correctly wired. From past experience of an RS232 interface chip I was working with and the pcb connections being incorrect, the wrongly connected pins resulted in the interface chip being damaged and causing strange connection problems later on. Emerald also state that using the wrong (a normal serial cable) can damage the ecu (although this could just be to deter people from messing around and bombarding them with technical queries about connections). If i were you I would take Anthony or someone up on crossing the ecu off the list by connecting to someones known working lead/computer.

 

Steve