I'm at a loss..need help...cannot connect to the TXS Tuner
 

Hey guys

Same problem, different day... no matter what cable/adapter combination I try, I cannot get access to the Tuner via the RJ11 port.

I have tried:
Different RJ11 cables
Different RJ11 <> Serial adapters
Different Serial <> USB adapters
Different laptops (1 with USB, 1 with Serial)

No luck.

I was hoping the laptop with the serial port would be a no brainer, but it has some added variables in that:
a) it is very old, P3 900mhz and it will not allow me to install SP2
b) it shows way too many serial ports, so i think something is off, but i tried them all anyway

So I guess I'm down to calling TXS and exchanging the Tuner? It seems to work. It reads A/F on the display when the car is running, it does the whole warm-up sequence, etc.

I really wish that connecting to the UTEC via USB would allow me access to the Tuner when it is connected. Because connecting to the UTEC via the Tuner seems to be near impossible (and a backwards step in technology).

Frustrated!

The weather is getting nicer and I want to TUNE!

right click my computer,

go to properties

go to hardware tab

device manager

expand the PORTS section (com & lpt)

then make sure there are no problems with the serial ports, no conflicts etc. if you have multiple ones, make sure none of them share the same identity (i.e. COM1)

Right click a com port, go to properties

go to port settings tab... click ADVANCED

here you can modify what port # it uses, and other parameters.

If none of this works, try a newer laptop with current version of winxp. If it doesn't have a serial port (since most new laptops don't) you can get this thing, I have several running in my lab

http://www.buy.com/prod/TRENDnet_USB.../10398686.html

thats pretty much what i have too, but i have a belkin adapter, i am RJ to the little adapter that came with the tuner to my belkin DB9 to USB adapter,


make sure you install the drivers with the usb adapter.

good luck, it took me a while to get it to work as well.

dude, i just thought of the problem, ok, you have to make a whole new file for the tuner wb, you CANNOT access it through the file you use to connect to your utec.

i tried forever, just start over and create a whole new file on HT

It would be hilarious if that was it. I did create a new one, but did a save as, not a file new. hmmm..

black magic...

yeah do a whole new file, all through the settings and everything, this was the problem i had, i was trying through my other settings and it picks them up differently. :D

No go.

I tried this on the machine with the serial port, since that is the most direct setup (PS when I try the USB it is a Belkin Serial to USB)

Created a whole new profile, quadruple checked that the port I'm using is the port selected, turned FIFO buffers on and off, adjusted data rate, set emulation to every possibility including auto detect...nuttin

The only thing I ever seem to get is when I press enter or esc or space I sometimes get wierd ascii characters like triangles, or the occasional random letter. Not sure if that means anything. Seems that I get these characters more often when I decrease the data rate below 19200.

you keep saying RJ11 for some reason i think its RJ12. maybe possibility??

not sure too much on the difference on the cables.


good luck, sorry man, i will let you know if i think of anything else.

I'll try anything at this point.

The adapter I have is an Equinox RJ11
Manufacturer Equinox Systems
Additional Information Wires per Cable: 8 wires
Manufacturer Part Number 210085
Number of Connectors 2
Form Factor External
Connector Details 1 x 9-pin D-Sub (DB-9) Female
1 x RJ-11
Shipping Dimensions 2.00" Height x 2.00" Width x 2.00" Depth
Product Name Network Adapter
Shipping Weight 0.03 lb
Packaged Quantity 1
Platform Support PC
Package Type Retail

So here's what I've learned, and maybe this is the problem, thx to Audible for making me double check the RJ-11/12 distinction, as this led me to check other things...

So I finally figured it was time to see what's going on inside these serial plugs. So I popped the two I have open.

The RJ12 (!) provided with the TunerXS is a 3-pin, connected to pins 1, 3, and 5.

The Equinox RJ11 has 8 pins filled, with pin 9 empty. Pins 1 and 6 seem to be jumped together.

The Tuner instruction manual says the DB9 pins should wired using 2, 3, and 5!!

So if the instructions are correct, then the DB9 serial to RJ adapter provided by TXS has been built incorrectly.

Unfortunately I do not have a pin removal tool so I cannot fix it to try it. Guess I'll swing by Radio Shack tomorrow and pick one up and some more connectors.

Too bad the serial port on the new RJ11 I have is jumpered, or I could swap it in. But they are poorly soldered connections. And I can't reuse the RJ11 because I'm positive now that it is supposed to be RJ12, and this one simply isn't pinned correctly on the RJ side anyway.

What I should do is just go buy my own and start from scratch. But if I can get away with slipping one pin out and moving it over one notch, then I'll do that.


******
Anyone else want to double check their rj to serial adapter and tell me which pins are filled on the db9?

They are easy to pop open. The serial plug is locked in with four small tabs near each corner of the serial plug mounting plate.
Slip a small flat head screwdriver under one side of the plug, gently lift and simulatenously use your finger to push back one of the corner tabs, allowing the mounting plate to move past the tab. Do the same with the other corner on the same side, and then the serial plug should just slip out of the mount.

There usually isn't much wire between the serial plug and the mount, so don't pull it out too far.

The left portion of this image shows how DB9 plug pins are ordered:
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/701/14-k.gif

TXS instructions say 2,3, and 5. As delivered mine is 1, 3, and 5.

What is yours???

Thx!

Ok that was it. It's fixed and working now.

And I bet this is the cause of 9/10 difficulties accessing the Tuner.

As noted in the Tuner's instructions, the wires from the RJ12 to Serial adapter provided by TXS should be pinned to 2, 3, and 5 on the DB9. Not 1, 3, and 5 as mine was pinned.

A little research reveals that DB9 pin locations 2, 3, and 5 are the industry standard ground, 12v, and signal, which is exactly what the Tuner wants.

To test the theory I took the solderable pinned DB9 plug from the Equinox RJ11 I ordered and swapped it into place on the RJ12 provided by TXS. I soldered the RJ12 wires into the correct pin locations on the DB9 plug, and voila. It worked.

Since I do not have the tools or ability to cleanly solder 30ga wires, I'm not thrilled with the end product. It looks fine from the outside, but I know I had to use electrical tape to make safe boundaries between the messy solder. So now I know all I need is to buy a new DB9 plug and some pins to add to the existing wiring and I'm good. But this one will do for now. I've emailed Jermaine at TXS and am hoping he can provide a replacement, so I know it is built cleanly and properly.

Check your pin connections if you have problems connecting to the Tuner. This is a very likely culprit.

can you draw a little diagram showing the proper pinouts on the db9 so that i can make my own cable...just in case.

so the connection is rj11 to db9 and you only need pins 2,3,5. if there are 4 wires on the phone cord pins 1-4 need to go to what pins on the db9?

Jeremy, that's not true. I can use the same connection that I created to connect to the UTEC.

well.. no one asked you!!!





heheh jk mine would not work, glad yours would..

by the way, i jsut make up everything i say, i dont really ever know anything :D :D

The Tuner instructions do suggest you can reuse the UTEC's hyperterminal settings. However Audible Mayhem's suggestion is following better process of creating a new connection for each device.

Road Warrior: If you go to post #9, I have a link to an image on which the left-side shows the pin order sequence on a DB9 plug (the 5-row is 1-5, the 4-row is 6-9, the diagram shows where pin 1 is located).

Unfortunately I do not know which pins are used on the RJ12 side, as I haven't had to mess with that part. The 2,3,5 combo on the DB9 side is the standard for Transmit, Receive, and Ground. There is probably a similar standard for the RJ12 pins which you can probably find with a few google searches. But who uses RJ12 anymore, so good luck with that one.

I've emailed TXS asking for a replacement that is correctly pinned. If that doesn't work out then I'll need to build one too. So if you figure out what pins are used on the RJ12 side, post em up!

Thx
-Smoky

my kit only came with db9 to db9...so maybe mine is different...i have not used it yet

Do you have the Tuner or the Tuner Pro? Odd that you would have db9 to db9. What would that offer?

i think you go db9 from tuner to pc...direct serial connection and same with the tuner to the utec. i did not have any rj12 cable...just two db9 to db9 cables but have not tried it yet cuz its not installed.

Pretty sure there is no db9 access to the Tuner, unless you have something different.

i think you might be right...the db9 to db9 is from the utec to the tuner. after that, i guess i need an rj12 cable to go to my laptop...but my kit did not have an rj12 cable. i am going to have to make an rj12 cable and the db9. i just need to know the pinouts on the db9 or the cable...i know pin 2 = tx, 3 = tx, and 5 = gnd. my kit was supposed to have the db9 already in there with a rj12 cable. funny how i ended up with two db9 to db9 cables though...oh well.



good luck with yours

just call TXS. and order an RJ12 cable and db9-rj12 adapter. Get it overnighted. Problem solved!!