[Pro2006] More on the OS456 Lite

[Bill Seward]

This get curiouser and curiouser...

I've checked the cables supplied with the board.  All of the internal 
cables show all conductors as good.  Pin 1 on each cable is confirmed as 
going to Pin 1 at each end.

The supplied cable to connect the scanner to the PC, though, seems to be 
a piece of work, or maybe suffering from internal shorts.  I tested it 
and generated the following pinout :

1 to 4 AND 1 to 6
2 to 3
3 to 2
4 to 1
5 to 5
6 to 4
7 to 8
8 to 7
Pin 9 goes nowhere

I've built a lot of serial cables in my life, but I don't recall any 
configuration like this.  As you can see, it's asymmetric, which would 
tell me that a specific end must connect to a specific device.  This 
isn't noted anywhere in the manual, which I would expect to see.  This 
is why I think the cable is somehow wrong.  Either I misplaced the real 
cable or this one is busted or for a different piece of Opto equipment.

Just for fun, I checked the Opto web site, and the mention an RS232 
cable to connect the scanner to the PC.  Should I assume a straight 
through serial cable?  Not knowing what voltages are on what pins, I 
wonder what I might screw up experimenting (if I haven't already).

I'm going to give them a call tomorrow and see if I can get some help.  
Just in case I can't, does anyone know what the pinouts for an  OS456 
cable should be?  Would some kind soul break out a meter and do a pinout 
of his cable?

If nothing else, this has been...interesting.

-------------------------------------
Bill Seward, Kg4SAQ
http://thefreehold.blogspot.com/
http://web.northstate.net/~seward