Solar Guppy Discussion Forum :: RS 232 to a USB connection : GT-View For Xantrex GT Inverters

Solar Guppy,

What's the chipset used in the CP Tech CP-US-03 USB-to-serial adapter you link to above?

I have a Sabrent USB-to-serial adapter (with a Prolific chip, I believe PL2303) and I'm having no luck at all getting it to work -- GTView doesn't display any data at all.

Thanks,

- Matt

Matt ensure you installed the USB Drivers for that adapter, in my case, it was plug and play, WinXP saw it and automatically installed it on my Laptop. Once its installed and you can see the Adapter in Device Manager then select the correct Port by right clicking on the GT View.

With some systems, you have to go into the Bios and turn on the USB Adapter feature.

Not sure, shouldn't matter. GT-View is very basic and slow RS-232, its 9600 baud with no handshaking. I have run now 6 different, always the lowest cost usb-serial units and they all work fine with only ONE in the system. The only issues I have run into is using more than one of the cheap usb devices on a PC, the windows drivers are not multi-threaded and all sorts of bad things , like system blue screens happen.

As Wennfred suggested, first, make sure the USB converter is installed and show up as working in windows device manager. Next, make sure you select the correct port to use this usb serial device, again use device manager to select. Next, turn on the RX/TX led option in GT-View ( version 1.9 ) and see if RX and or TX is blinking, this indicates data being sent/recieved. Finally, make sure you have the cable correctly wired! .. its one to one, so the converters db9 pin#2 should ring out to the db9 at the GT to pin #2. Only pins #2,#3,#5 are used and again .. ITS ONE TO ONE. Has to be one of these steps, so just go thru the list.

Author:	martypp [ Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:24 pm GMT EthGMT ]
Post subject:	RS 232 to a USB connection
I recently changed computers and the only option I have to hook up GT view data is thru a serial to usb conversion as described below. I can't get it to work. I tested the connection and data info on my old computer and everything works( it used a rs232 to a female 9 pin into my laptop) I tried all the ports (which registered on GT view screen) with no luck. Has anybody used a usb connection for GT view?? This what I am using now that doesn't work rs232 to db 9 serial female to a db9 male to a usb

Author:	Solar Guppy [ Tue Jan 30, 2007 10:34 pm GMT EthGMT ]
Post subject:
I have used about 5 different brands, never had a problem. My three units are monitored by an EdgePort 4 port serial to USB unit for close to 3 years now Check in the computers device manager to see what port windows assigned to the USB->serial device to make sure windows has configured the device and its listed as working properly. GT-View lists all comm ports, regardless if they are installed or not, so your device may not properly installed

Author:	tsshfs2005 [ Thu May 17, 2007 4:13 pm GMT EthGMT ]
Post subject:
Hello Solar-Guppy, I also only have USB on my laptop now. I found the following on Amazon: Cables To Go USB To Db9 Serial Adapter USBa/db9m Rs-232 $18 Digi Edgeport/1 USB (301-1001-11) $73 Digi Intl. EDGEPORT 1I USB TO 1PORT ( 301-1001-31 ) $99 Do you have any recommendation amongst those? Thanks. Tom

Author:	Solar Guppy [ Thu May 17, 2007 4:43 pm GMT EthGMT ]
Post subject:
Save a few bucks and try http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6812188102 I have used about 4 different cheap usb->rs232 converters with this chip set, never had a problem as long as your only using ONE on your computer For more than one port, use a edgeport brand, they are for sale on eBay all the time for around 30-40 dollars for a 4 port model

Author:	tsshfs2005 [ Thu May 17, 2007 4:53 pm GMT EthGMT ]
Post subject:
Great. Thanks! Tom

Solar Guppy Discussion Forum http://solar-guppy.com/forum/

RS 232 to a USB connection http://solar-guppy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=505	Page 1 of 2

Author:	Solar San Jose [ Mon May 21, 2007 3:53 pm GMT EstGMT ]
Post subject:
Solar Guppy, What's the chipset used in the CP Tech CP-US-03 USB-to-serial adapter you link to above? I have a Sabrent USB-to-serial adapter (with a Prolific chip, I believe PL2303) and I'm having no luck at all getting it to work -- GTView doesn't display any data at all. Thanks, - Matt

Author:	Wennfred [ Mon May 21, 2007 5:41 pm GMT EstGMT ]
Post subject:
Solar San Jose wrote: Solar Guppy, What's the chipset used in the CP Tech CP-US-03 USB-to-serial adapter you link to above? I have a Sabrent USB-to-serial adapter (with a Prolific chip, I believe PL2303) and I'm having no luck at all getting it to work -- GTView doesn't display any data at all. Thanks, - Matt Matt ensure you installed the USB Drivers for that adapter, in my case, it was plug and play, WinXP saw it and automatically installed it on my Laptop. Once its installed and you can see the Adapter in Device Manager then select the correct Port by right clicking on the GT View. With some systems, you have to go into the Bios and turn on the USB Adapter feature. Fred

Author:	Solar Guppy [ Mon May 21, 2007 7:15 pm GMT EstGMT ]
Post subject:
Solar San Jose wrote: Solar Guppy, What's the chipset used in the CP Tech CP-US-03 USB-to-serial adapter you link to above? I have a Sabrent USB-to-serial adapter (with a Prolific chip, I believe PL2303) and I'm having no luck at all getting it to work -- GTView doesn't display any data at all. Thanks, - Matt Not sure, shouldn't matter. GT-View is very basic and slow RS-232, its 9600 baud with no handshaking. I have run now 6 different, always the lowest cost usb-serial units and they all work fine with only ONE in the system. The only issues I have run into is using more than one of the cheap usb devices on a PC, the windows drivers are not multi-threaded and all sorts of bad things , like system blue screens happen. As Wennfred suggested, first, make sure the USB converter is installed and show up as working in windows device manager. Next, make sure you select the correct port to use this usb serial device, again use device manager to select. Next, turn on the RX/TX led option in GT-View ( version 1.9 ) and see if RX and or TX is blinking, this indicates data being sent/recieved. Finally, make sure you have the cable correctly wired! .. its one to one, so the converters db9 pin#2 should ring out to the db9 at the GT to pin #2. Only pins #2,#3,#5 are used and again .. ITS ONE TO ONE. Has to be one of these steps, so just go thru the list.

Author:	Solar San Jose [ Mon May 21, 2007 7:58 pm GMT EstGMT ]
Post subject:
Wennfred wrote: Matt ensure you installed the USB Drivers for that adapter, in my case, it was plug and play, WinXP saw it and automatically installed it on my Laptop. Once its installed and you can see the Adapter in Device Manager then select the correct Port by right clicking on the GT View. With some systems, you have to go into the Bios and turn on the USB Adapter feature. Fred, Thanks for the suggestions. I'm pretty sure it's installed OK -- I can see it in Device Manager and I've even messed with some of the settings (transmit and receive buffers) to see if that helped (nope). I tried checking the BIOS and didn't see anything interesting; I assume you suggested that because you were thinking there might be a BIOS conflict with the COM port? Solar Guppy wrote: Not sure, shouldn't matter. GT-View is very basic and slow RS-232, its 9600 baud with no handshaking. I have run now 6 different, always the lowest cost usb-serial units and they all work fine with only ONE in the system. The only issues I have run into is using more than one of the cheap usb devices on a PC, the windows drivers are not multi-threaded and all sorts of bad things , like system blue screens happen. As Wennfred suggested, first, make sure the USB converter is installed and show up as working in windows device manager. Next, make sure you select the correct port to use this usb serial device, again use device manager to select. Next, turn on the RX/TX led option in GT-View ( version 1.9 ) and see if RX and or TX is blinking, this indicates data being sent/recieved. Finally, make sure you have the cable correctly wired! .. its one to one, so the converters db9 pin#2 should ring out to the db9 at the GT to pin #2. Only pins #2,#3,#5 are used and again .. ITS ONE TO ONE. Has to be one of these steps, so just go thru the list. Solar Guppy, I'm pretty sure it's installed OK and set to the right port -- and GT-View doesn't complain when it's set to the port I think the USB-to-serial adapter is claiming, while it does if I set it to a port that is nonexistent. I've turned on the RX/TX LED option and TX is always lit, so I assume GT-View doesn't think it's getting any responses. I've checked the USB-to-serial cable itself with a very basic loopback (pin 2 connected to pin 3) and that did work (using Hyperterminal). And this is the second cable I've tried, so I think the cable is probably OK. Oh, and I see that the CP Tech cable uses the same chip as my Sabrent -- PL-2303 -- so I don't think that's the issue. (Although it's always possible it's a different chip rev or something.) I'd pretty much come to the same conclusion as you, that it must be the cable, which I'd wired myself using Cat5 cable and two RS232-to-RJ45 adapters, but then I went out to the inverter and plugged the cable in directly (a little bit of a pain, since it's only 1 foot long!) and still no joy. So, I'm pretty puzzled right now... Thanks, - Matt

Author:	Solar Guppy [ Mon May 21, 2007 8:30 pm GMT EstGMT ]
Post subject:
So you plugged the usb's db9 directly into the GT? , that should work .. Is the GT running and displaying info on the LCD? When you did 1ft test, was TX light on but still no RX?

Page 1 of 2	All times are UTC - 5 hours [ DST ]
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/