Is the serial cable sold as hotsync serial cable OK to connect the XDA with my GARMIN GPS III or is it necessary to put between them a null modem adapter, which was necessary with my old iPaq ?
Thank you for any answer.
Vince
You need a null modem adapter between the 2 serial cables.
But that is all you need.
Related
Hi there,
let me first thank you for this great site you put up here!
And here comes my question:
I want to hook up my USB GPS Mouse (made for the notebook -
meaning it get's it's power via USB) up to my XDA.
And now I wonder if I can simply solder the data +/- cables
from the USB Mouse to the USB data +/- pins on the XDA plug
(so I could still use the same cable for ActiveSync on the PC),
or if I have to solder the data +/- cables from the USB mouse
to the serial RX/TX pins as described on the 'The XDA's connectors'
page of this site...
I was planning to hook both the GPS and the XDA up to my car
power adaptor in a kind of a Y constellation:
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::__________ Power
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::/
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::/
::::::::::::::XDA ----------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::\
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::\___________ GPS
and use Power for both.
Maybe someone can tell me about the data hookup.
Thanks, Lars.
I don't have answers but some things you have to consider.
1) The XDA is a slave device. I presume the GPS receiver is one too. I really wonder if they can communicate with eachother
2) Based on how you describe this you want to power the receiver from the the car. I assume you have checked the right voltage requirements for the receiver and that the powersupply can deliver the currents required for both the XDA and the receiver. My personal experience is that the latter shouldn't be too much of a problem, but it can't hurt to check.
3) Combining USB and Serial the way you describe it is not a good idea. (mark the last character '.' as in PERIOD).
Robert
Power Supply
Hi Robert,
thanks for your suggestions.
Indeed both (the original ActiveSync cable from the XDA and the
USB GPS) get their power off a USB port on the notebook so
this must be the same voltage requirements.
This ActiveSync cable is a combined car charging cable with an
USB 'A' type connector on the end which you can plug either into
the USB port on the notebook (where it also ActiveSync's) or into
the car's power adapter (where it only charges).
So this both same voltage. And the car power adaptor should
nominally supply enough power for both...
But I don't understand what you said about it not beeing a good
idea to hook up the USB data to the SERIAL data.
When plugged into the notebook in WinXP the USB GPS installs
a 'Prolific USB-to-Serial COM5' to emulate to the programms
working with it a com5 (or com1 or com2 depending on your
hardware settings) communications port. So I guess the data
coming from the USB GPS is just the same as if delivered via
serial cable and all the driver does is faking to be a serial port
to any programm asking for data from com5.
And I think a USB device is 'not really' a passive device as it starts
popping out ASCII data strings as soon as it get's power (no matter
if there is a device to read the data or not).
So I figure when you plug it into the XDA and tell the XDA by means
of USB wakeup (USB_VDD pin 13) that there is an active USB
connection, that it will start trying to figure out what the heck the
connected cable is trying to tell it.
And here is the tricky part where I don't know if the XDA might not
believe it is beeing Sync'ed and therefore starts ActiveSync.
Anyone with any experience or suggestions there...??
(Sorry for the rather lenghty post)
Greetings, Lars.
Lars,
seems like you got the power all figures out
regarding the usb/serial discussion.
If I understand you correctly you can plug the USB connector of the GPS receiver into the USB port of the PC.
'somewhere' in the PC this is modified into a virutal serial port in order to enable serialport aware programs to work with the GPS receiver as well.
This is a good concept but at an electrical level that still means that the GPS receiver is connected in an USB fashion. There is nothing Serial Port about that. In a way you already pointed that out in your messages by using the word 'emulate'.
You can hook it up to the USB part of the XDA but still I doubt about the master/slave discussion of USB.
Regards Robert
No cahnce.
Save yourself time/money.
Forget it.
Lars said:
Hi there,
let me first thank you for this great site you put up here!
And here comes my question:
I want to hook up my USB GPS Mouse (made for the notebook -
meaning it get's it's power via USB) up to my XDA.
And now I wonder if I can simply solder the data +/- cables
from the USB Mouse to the USB data +/- pins on the XDA plug
(so I could still use the same cable for ActiveSync on the PC),
or if I have to solder the data +/- cables from the USB mouse
to the serial RX/TX pins as described on the 'The XDA's connectors'
page of this site...
I was planning to hook both the GPS and the XDA up to my car
power adaptor in a kind of a Y constellation:
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::__________ Power
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::/
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::/
::::::::::::::XDA ----------
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::\
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::\___________ GPS
and use Power for both.
Maybe someone can tell me about the data hookup.
Thanks, Lars.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess U R right
Hi Guys thanx for the feedback,
I spent an afternoon researching on this stuff and am very disappointed that I have to admit you are both right.
Now way (other than putting some 'intelligent' converter between the USB GPS and the RX/TX pins of the XDA) to make the USB 'language' sound like 'SERIALean'.
I think there should still be a possibility:
Let everything run via the USB, persuade the XDA it's not ActiveSync talking to it and write a driver that talks to the GPS via the open USB connection and sends the proper commands to recieve the NMEA ASCII.
And then you would still need to tell your route software to take the incoming data from the virtual (or emulated) COM port...
And when I read the above chapter once more :shock: I find this is definitly not a job for me!!
So I will just get a serial GPS an hook it up the nomal way.
Cheers and thanx again, Lars.
Hi,
Just read your post. I am new to pda land. Just bought a xda2
I have a laptop which I use with a gps usb mouse via usb on the laptop. Am I right in thinking that I could have bought a ps2 mouse and used a ps2 changer to usb and it would have worked??
If so can't I buy a usb to ps2 changer in order to plug into a car connection cable which has the ps2 and the xda conection and a ciger lighter plug for power? OR is there a similar cable for a usb connect for gps?
Am I missing something here?
Thanks
P
Hi
I baought a XDA-Ipaq 36xx 37xx adaptor. It's a littlee cable to connect to the xda Ipaq accesories. Can I use it to atach an Ipaq sleeve with PCMCIA wi FI or bluetooth or CF card/CF GPS? Will it work?
No, these cables only interface to serial or USB, not the expansion port (the XDA doesn't have one, which is the problem right there...)
Has anyone tried out the Portsmith MobileDox Serial-to-Ethernet Adapter (PS6U1SE) with an XDA? I think that in conjunction with a Hot Sync cable, it should be possible to connect the XDA to an Ethernet Network.
Any views?
It doesn't help any of us now, but I hope whoever is developing the XDA II is taking note. There ae a lot of features on the iPaq that we would like to see on the XDA II such as usb master and slave connectivity SDIO standard bluetooth, etc.
I don't know much about USB. I was thinking coming up with ONE cable with three connectors like the one I draw blow.
Code:
XDA -------USB (to laptop or ac adaptor)
|
|
GPS (the generic GPS connect).
NOTE: the ac adaptor output port is an USB port
it serves for three ways
a), XDA -> Laptop, charge and syn in the same cable, draws power from laptop
b). GPS -> laptop, draws power from laptop
c). XDA -> GPS, in this case, USB connector connects to the ac adapter and power both GPS and XDA.
I believe the XDA---USB cable can be purchased easily. I can break the cable and somehow insert the GPS connector. since GPS only used a power pin, two data pin, a ground pin, I figure I only need to find out how to get these four pin into the original cable.
My question is
1. do I need any USB-serial sort of convertor between the lines? Or it is ok to connect GPS(serials signal) to USB cable
2. The ac adapter was to power the XDA which I blieve is 6V, and GPS needs 5 V, is it OK?
3. anyone alreadys knows how to plug the four GPS pins to USB cable? would save me a lot of trouble.
It would be cool to have a cable connects between all devices. If you can care for a DC-AC convertor in your car, this set should solve all your problem anywhere.
help is appreciated.
Most GPS units are serial. The XDA does have serial, so you can use that. You only need to connect the ground and two data pins. Specified input power for the XDA is 5v.
You can see what I did with a cradle to make a car kit here:
http://www.mywirelessoffice.com/xda/carkit/
This is a pin spec and photo of the connector:
http://www.mywirelessoffice.com/xda/connector/
There is a source for bare connetors, I believe the link is here on the XDA-Dev site somewhere.
Re: XDA -> Laptop USB, GPS-> laptop USB, are they the
It is possible. But note:
1. I assume you are using a serial GPS (with appropriate wiring), then it is OK. USB GPS CANNOT be used.
2. USB sync cable is wired to tell XDA that USB sync cable is connected so as to "wake up" the USB port. In such case, I do not know wheter the serial port can be accessed. As such has not been done before you have to try before you know.
I would suggest you make a cable just for GPS use, and use another cable for sync/charge (this is quite cheap), unless you found that your original idea works.
pine said:
I don't know much about USB. I was thinking coming up with ONE cable with three connectors like the one I draw blow.
Code:
XDA -------USB (to laptop or ac adaptor)
|
|
GPS (the generic GPS connect).
NOTE: the ac adaptor output port is an USB port
it serves for three ways
a), XDA -> Laptop, charge and syn in the same cable, draws power from laptop
b). GPS -> laptop, draws power from laptop
c). XDA -> GPS, in this case, USB connector connects to the ac adapter and power both GPS and XDA.
I believe the XDA---USB cable can be purchased easily. I can break the cable and somehow insert the GPS connector. since GPS only used a power pin, two data pin, a ground pin, I figure I only need to find out how to get these four pin into the original cable.
My question is
1. do I need any USB-serial sort of convertor between the lines? Or it is ok to connect GPS(serials signal) to USB cable
2. The ac adapter was to power the XDA which I blieve is 6V, and GPS needs 5 V, is it OK?
3. anyone alreadys knows how to plug the four GPS pins to USB cable? would save me a lot of trouble.
It would be cool to have a cable connects between all devices. If you can care for a DC-AC convertor in your car, this set should solve all your problem anywhere.
help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GOT A TMOBILE POCKET PC THAT I PLAN ON UNLOCKING AND WOULD ALSO LIKE TO HOOK UP A MICROSOFT/PHAROS GPS RECEIVER (2005 STREETS AND TRIPS) WHAT CABLE DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS WORK.
NEW AT THIS AND COULD NOT FIND THE INFO IN THE FORUMS.
THANKS FOR ANY HELP.
GREG
Is it a serial device? If it is you can either make your own cable or get an xda serial cable and a null modem adaptor that will sit between the serial cable from the gps and the one from the xda.
RE Pharos GPS
I purchased a cable assembly directly from Pharos(www.pharosgps.com) for 39.00$us. It's been working great with the iGPS180 receiver. Get the Tel# from the site and call direct to purchase from their sales dept.
RE Pharos GPS
I purchased a cable assembly directly from Pharos(www.pharosgps.com) for 39.00$us. It's been working great with the iGPS180 receiver. Get the Tel# from the site and call direct to purchase from their sales dept.