USB to 6 pin DIN

[LewisM]

Can a straight cable USB to 6 pin DIN (round) be done?

I am frustrated with the assinine 1970's style of RS232's and RJ's... why mount makers cannot keep up to date... of course though they want you to buy their cables (which for Takahashi is not cheap, as usual).

At present, to go from PC to mount, I have to go USB to RS232 female converter cable, then RS232 male to 6 pin DIN to the Takahashi Temma 2. (I can avoid all that using the Temma PC GOTO computer stand-alone, but that is clunkier than a 1990's mobile phone :) )

Cathy, can you make up a USB to 6 pin DIN if I can get a hold of the wiring diagramme?

I have sked Astro Developments in the UK, and they don't/won't do one.

[Peter Ward]

USB is a four wire wire system with two power lines and two data lines. There are no physical control lines.

RS232 has physical control and data lines.... So what you are asking for simply won't work....or worse will fry something...hence the need for a USB to RS232 converter.

Use of RS232 has nothing to do with manufacturers wanting you to buy their cables....but a lot to do with providing a simple, cheap and effective mount control from a PC.

[LewisM]

Understood, thanks, so I will stick with the status quo, in all it's clunkiness :)

[AndrewJ]

Gday Lewis

As Peter noted, RJ and Din are merely connector specs
and rs232 is a comms type. No matter what way you go,
if you need rs232 at the scope end, that defines everything.
If you just want to make a simple cable without big lumps or joins,
you can always get a raw converter unit like
http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/USB-to-RS232-Converter-IC-CP2102/414230_643595233.html
and wire it up with a cable and connector to suit.
Only three wires are reqd for comms.
That, or you can go wireless
The latest Silicon chip magazine has a great article on a wifi system with built in webserver and TCPIP stack. The boards are the size of yr fingertip and ( supposedly ) only cost about $5.
Ive only just started reading the article, but it looks like they would still need a max chip at each end as they run at 3.3V.

Andrew

[LewisM]

The Tak mount has 6 pin DIN connectors, so was hoping somehow to go direct from 6 pin DIN to USB. The Tak and aftermarket adapters all go DIN to RS232 as one cable, then you need your own RS232 to USB converter cable.

[AndrewJ]

Gday Lewis

As i noted, there are 2 things in play
a) The "connector" types
b) The transmission protocols

You need to address both individually.
As Peter mentioned, USB protocol is totally different to rs232 protocol, so you MUST use a converter in the chain somewhere, if the scope uses true rs232. This is the same as TTL serial ( as used in EQMod cables ), is different again to true rs232 and hence needs a different type of converter.
Technically, the Tak "cable" sounds like it is really just a DB9 connector linked to a DIN plug in manner that the std DB9 mapping of the Tx/Rx/Gnd lines goes to the correct pins in the DIN connector ( as required by the Tak connector design). ie its just a dumb cable

If its only a neater cable required, then as i listed, there are now devices on the market, where the USB2Rs232 converter is still there, but built into the USB plug. You then cable it yourself to whatever connector you want.
However a converter ( of some sort ) will still be required to change protocols, you cant get away from that unless the manufacturers put a USB hub in their scopes.
The Meade RCX and LS scopes have USB "ports/connectors" in em, but they are really just feeding inbuilt USB2Ser converters that then feed the pre existing serial ports, its not truly native USB, its just they moved the converters.

Andrew