USB serial cable PL-2303 drivers (FS Loox N560)
Ilya Kasnacheev
I own a Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox N560.
I have a USB to Serial cable on popular prolific chip 2303.
The cable itself did not have the driver for WinCE on its CD.
Prolific website states that Windows CE starting from 3.0 is supported and
offers to download driver from download page, but actual page lists no such
driver.
I've tried three drivers I've found by google search.
One was USBSER driver offered my Holux and Toshiba for their GPS receivers.
This driver installs, but no serial port is added when cable is plugged.
Another driver was 232usb.dll downloaded from some obscure japanese site.
It installs, too, and even appears as COM4 when cable is plugged.
But when I try to use that port, it doesn't works, looks like data flows
neither in nor out.
There's also 232usb.exe program which features something like 5 option
buttons. I don't really know if triggering some of those is supposed to
help, when I try that nothing happens :(
So, please, do anyone have a clue how to make pl2303 cable work?
It's a pretty popular solution used by a lot of GPS and cellular phones
which are supposed to be connected to PPC.
If you need actual marking/brand of the cable, any version information or
anything else to diagnose problem, I'll certaily post them, just answer.
P.S. Needless to say I need to connect a custom industrial device to this
PPC and do data exchange using program I'm writing.
The device requires, I believe, 9600 8/N/1 port setup, that may be why
second driver doesn't work. It's not that I'm connecting mainstream device
which is tested and expected to work.
But, my program works fine when device is connected to real COM port on
another PPC. Also, my program works fine via this specific usbserial cable
on my linux desktop. But I just can't find true serial cable for my PPC so
I have this pain...
NeilH
Many can't.
"Ilya Kasnacheev" <il...@office.uw.ru> wrote in message
news:ukvhXXiF...@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
Ilya Kasnacheev
> Are you certain that your device can support Host operation on the USB
> port? Many can't.
Yes, I'm pretty sure.
Its cradle features usb-host tail, and when I plug cable into it windows
acknowleges that it have found a new device, asking for a driver name
(which I satisfy with "usbser" or "232usb")
Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/MobileDev]
acknowleges that it have found a new device <<
That describes your ppc as a "client" rather than host...
very few ppc's have "host" capabilities allowing them to connect to
other client devices such as usb serial port dongles... and only those
with very common drivers such as ide, hid, etc work as ppc specific
device drivers are essentially non existent.
Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]
Ebbe Kristensen
Since a working driver doesn't seem to be available, how about using the
built-in RS-232 port with cable such as this one:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/2lmtr4
Ebbe
Ilya Kasnacheev
that costs 30 euros.
Anyway, I haven't found such cable for sale in Russia, so I'm going to try
Bluetooth dongles.
The problem would be that dongle is nontrivial to set up, too, so I wouldn't
be able to distinguish my errors from data tract malfunction, again :(
Ilya Kasnacheev
> >> hen I plug cable into it windows
> acknowleges that it have found a new device <<
>
> That describes your ppc as a "client" rather than host...
Nope, you've missed the point. Windows on *Pocket PC* reports that it have
found a new device.
> very few ppc's have "host" capabilities allowing them to connect to
> other client devices such as usb serial port dongles... and only those
> with very common drivers such as ide, hid, etc work as ppc specific
> device drivers are essentially non existent.
That's strange and sad.
I thought PPC is catching real PCs in its development as a platform.
Seeing a lot of devices are just toys (and device without real i/o ports is
a toy, really) is strange to me...
Hell, even my mp3 player do have USB host!
Anyway, as far as I understand, though my device have got an USB host, I'll
have no luck setting up this cable :(
I'm now trying to try RS232-Bluetooth dongle as a COM port...
Ebbe Kristensen
>> Since a working driver doesn't seem to be available, how about using
>> the built-in RS-232 port with cable such as this one:
>> http://preview.tinyurl.com/2lmtr4
> They're likely to be made from gold; only that can explain piece of
> cable that costs 30 euros.
Agreed, it isn't exactly cheap, especially when you have a USB-dongle
already. But there is a saying that goes like this: "If you have problem you
can pay ypur way out of, you don't have a problem."
> Anyway, I haven't found such cable for sale in Russia, so I'm going
> to try Bluetooth dongles.
But at least the N560 does have the serial profile in its Bluetooth stack so
that may be a way through.
> The problem would be that dongle is nontrivial to set up, too, so I
> wouldn't be able to distinguish my errors from data tract
> malfunction, again :(
What are you (trying to) use the serial line for?
Ebbe
Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/MobileDev]
I'd start simpler and work up to anything which might need specific
drivers... for example, try a usb keyboard or thumb drive.
To experiment, simply use your sync cable or cradle plus a usb female A
to usb female A adapter.
Ilya Kasnacheev
>> They're likely to be made from gold; only that can explain piece of
>> cable that costs 30 euros.
> Agreed, it isn't exactly cheap, especially when you have a USB-dongle
> already. But there is a saying that goes like this: "If you have problem
> you can pay ypur way out of, you don't have a problem."
Yeah, but figuring out how to pay and waiting snail mail to arrive doesn't
sound like problem elemination.
It sounds like "now this programmer have two problems".
>> The problem would be that dongle is nontrivial to set up, too, so I
>> wouldn't be able to distinguish my errors from data tract
>> malfunction, again :(
> What are you (trying to) use the serial line for?
"I need to connect a custom industrial device to this
Dick Grier
>>
Hell, even my mp3 player do have USB host!
<<
Really? I have never seen this. The ones that I have have client hardware,
not host.
Sure, it would be nice if PPC hardware had USB host support -- both the
required hardware AND software drivers. However, most simply don't (as
others have pointed out).
Dick
--
Richard Grier, MVP
Hard & Software
Author of Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to Serial Communications, Fourth
Edition,
ISBN 1-890422-28-2 (391 pages, includes CD-ROM). July 2004, Revised March
2006.
See www.hardandsoftware.net for details and contact information.
Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/MobileDev]
I've seen a few players which had usb ports... one on a table top stereo
combo and have seen several car stereos with the same... plug a thumb
drive in and the theory is that you can play content on the thumb drive
on the unit.
However, the menu limits of the players mean that while it's possible,
it's not really usable.
Doug Forster
> Sure, it would be nice if PPC hardware had USB host support -- both the
> required hardware AND software drivers. However, most simply don't (as
> others have pointed out).
Well this one does as do previous FS models
http://facts.fujitsu-siemens.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=dspcontent&lid=50&page=4
Cheers
Doug Forster
tc
and GPS but may allow you to modify a driver to work with your adapter.
http://www.mdgps.org/modules.php?name=pocketcaching
Specifics are at Section II. The driver (ce_pl2303_071102.zip) is hard to
find. If you can't locate it, I have a copy (57kb)
Terry
"Ilya Kasnacheev" <il...@office.uw.ru> wrote in message
news:ukvhXXiF...@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
Ilya Kasnacheev
>>>
> Hell, even my mp3 player do have USB host!
> <<
> Really? I have never seen this. The ones that I have have client
> hardware, not host.
Yeah, it's a Cowon IAudio X5, it can copy files from and to flash drives
using usb host.
It can't play from flash drive, but who cares about that when you've got
hard drive inside? :)
Ilya Kasnacheev
> Did you see this article on USB-Serial adapters. It is specific to
> Toshibas and GPS but may allow you to modify a driver to work with your
> adapter. http://www.mdgps.org/modules.php?name=pocketcaching
> Specifics are at Section II. The driver (ce_pl2303_071102.zip) is hard to
> find. If you can't locate it, I have a copy (57kb)
That would be cool, but I guess I have already tried this driver.
Is it usbser.dll?
I've found one there: http://www.mapopolis.com/toshibagpsdriver.zip
Anyway, please mail it into ilya.ka...@gmail.com
tc
attachment.
Terry
"Ilya Kasnacheev" <il...@office.uw.ru> wrote in message
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