USB to serial adaptor cables.

Hey guys,anybody ever tried to get online to AB SLC 500 processors using such a cable?I was considering getting a new laptop but this particular Toshiba doesn't seem to have a serial port for a PIC or rs232 cable What's goin on?!Looks like the Dell might get my vote
Just a Query!
Mark

The 1747-PIC will not work on anything but a "REAL" RS232 comm port.
Keyspan makes an adapter USA-19QW that will work on my compaq Presario with a null modem cable using the RS232-DF1 driver in RSLinx. Search this website(see Button at top of this page) for "usb".
There are many posts discussing the subject.
Sid

I have used them for other manufacturers.

The RS-232 DF1 full duplex driver usually works fine with USB-RS232 converters, especially a couple of Belkin and Keyspan models that A-B has tested.

What doesn't work (and yes, there have been many detailed threads about why) is the 1747-PIC driver. It doesn't work with the PIC itself, the 1761-NET-AIC, or a straight cable.

I saw a 1747-UIC USB/DH485 converter at Automation Fair last week, but it was a prototype and I don't know when they'll be able to make it a product (usually 3-6 months after AutoFair at the earliest !), so if you absolutely require DH-485 functionality you need a 1784-PCMK card and -PCM4 cable or a 1747-KE converter module for the SLC chassis.

Noone mentioned the fact that the PIC is/was a device created to work in DOS, the use in windows has been an expansion that until now wasnt a problem. The main problem as has been stated before comes from ACPI.

I also recommend the PCMK card, with different cables it allows access to most if not all AB plc's. I have a windowsxp laptop and the pcmk card with rslogix 5.20.00 and rslinx 2.3 works fine.

I know, I need to upgrade again.

There is a device made by Data Link Technologies model #DL3500-dh-485
that has a USB port as well as RS-232 port on one side and a DH-485
port on the other side. The device does do a DF1 to DH-485 conversion , so you would be running a DF1 protocol on RSLinx instead of the PIC protocol. In other words the lap top equipped with USB port only should be able connect to DH-485. The only problem with this solutuion is that it is incredibly expensive. The module is 1250.00 each???
Allen Bradley's 1747-UIC has an online price of 260.00 each.
Wow, that's cheap especially for AB. I would like to know if anybody has actually purchased, received and used this product?
The way I see it I could use an Ethernet tunneling device on top
of this module and be able to connect to the DH-485 over the Ethernet
and I sould be able to do this for a total of 400.00 USD. That's a very reasonable cost.
Would anybody have any more comments on this issue?
Thx

Hi Mark, i have used a large types for USB/Serial cables to communicate with PLC's in a serial channel (including AB), below you will find someone:


- Belkin (USA)
- Integral (Brasil)
- LeaderShip (International)

I was using different USB<>RS232 converters and they all
work more or less perfectly except one "little" thing.
They are useless for RSLinx DF1 "Autoconfigure".
Configuration must be set by hand. Try to get a laptop with
built-in COM port until Rockwell Software gets RSLinx to
work with USB<>RS232 adaptors.

panic mode

Thanks for the continuing information fellas.Recently at a Rockwell product display,I was shown a picture of a unit developed by AB and was given this web page
http://www.ab.com/manuals/cp/1747-in063a-en-p.pdf

RS-232 Serial PCMCIA Cards like This one also work fine.

I dont know what most peoples outcome has been with XP, using usb or pcmcia to serial adapters but for me I never got the PIC to work. I could use DF1 and many other brand on one or the other but never got the 1747-PIC to work except on MY laptop with 98se and a built in serial port.

I would go with a brand that has a built in serial port.h