Bau eines CncPlayer Kabel (Dokument Version 0.97)
Overview
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What's that docu all about?
The cable described in this document is needed to connect
=> a Windows PC running CncPlayer (AKA CP) and
=> a DOS PC running CncPlayerClient (AKA CPC)
CP and CPC are software that take the best from the Windows and DOS world and in combination let you control your CNC machine for milling, drilling, engraving ... and much more at low cost. |
A note by the author: Please bear with my limited English. The stuff I'm dealing here isn't difficult itself but difficult to describe for someone (me) who's dealing in a foreign language. I'm sure I made a lot of nasty bugs and used the improper terms and phrases (e.g. is "pin out pattern" or "solder stick" :-) appropriate, at all?). I gladly receive corrections by a native English speaker with technical background.
This cable making documentation is brand new. The only person who ever made a cable yet was me. I made a 9 / 25 pins cable and 25 / 25 pins cable and it worked perfectly. Though, it might be possible that I made any errors when drawing the pin out pattern etc. If you are one of the first people making a CncPlayer cable from this document please check this instruction carefully for errors! Please give me your feedback telling me if you could make your cable successfully or what ever problems you encountered.
Good luck on your project
Appendix: Three people reported to have successfully built a cable according to the instruction below. Two more user reported they bought a ready made cable (these cables are often used to exchange data via the COM port between PC and Notebook). See Null Modem Cable in Step 3: The pin out pattern for more information.
Step 1: Find your connectors
Step 2: Buying the parts
Step 3: The pin out pattern
Step 4: A step by step guide for cable making
Step 5: Quality control
Step 6: Finishing the cable
Step 7: Testing the cable
Foreword: Doing that cable and installation thing is actually pretty simple for those who are a bit familiar with electronic and computer. Though, I also wanted to provide information for the beginner and therefore I covered many basics (e.g. how to create a boot disk). As a result this document became pretty long. I apology to the experts and hope that newbies can benefit from it.
Caution! Cable for the printer port are standardized but cables for the serial RS232 communication (this is what your PC's COM port is for) are not! That means even when your cable's connectors fit into your PC the cable very likely won't work with the CncPlayer! The pin out pattern of serial cables are usually very different and it is very unlikely that the cable you've got handy got the right pin out pattern that the CncPlayer needs!
Solution: To avoid any cable problems open the cable you got and make 100% sure that it got exactly the same pin out pattern as shown below! Otherwise it will not work with the CncPlayer.
You might also consider to solder your own cable. This is what I actually recommend since it will lead to a cable that perfectly fits. If you are a bit familiar with soldering making your own cable shouldn't be a problem at all. I'll provide the detailed specs below.
| Step 1: Find your connectors |
=> A desktop PC usually got 2 serial ports (= COM ports).
=> Some (many?) notebooks only have 1 serial port (= COM port).
Look for these connectors on the back side of your computer which I hold in the image above. For our project both (9 pins or 25 pins) will do it. Note: All COM ports are MALE. Check the back side of your computer carefully and you'll find your serial COM ports!
A MALE connector is one with pins and a FEMALE connector is one with holes.
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Do NOT confuse the
=> MALE 25 pin serial COM connector with the
=> FEMALE 25 pin parallel printer connector!
Both got 25 pins but are completely different in function!
Click image to enlarge |
As stated above most desktop PCs got 2 serial COM ports. They are referred to as COM1 and COM2. If you have a serial mouse then the mouse is probably plugged into COM1. COM2 is usually free. If you have a PS/2 mouse then COM1 and COM2 are usually free.
Uuups, to hock up to the Internet you might have connected your modem to COM2. I got an internal ISDN card so I nearly forgot that many people have their modem connected to a COM2 port. If you have your mouse at COM1 and your modem at COM2 then no more COM port is free. In that case you got 4 choices:
1: Temporarily unplug your modem from COM2 and use that port for the CncPlayer cable.
2: Use a Y (or better) switch box to "multiplex" your COM2 port.
3: In case your mother board supports PS/2 mouse buy a PS/2 mouse. This frees COM1.
4: Buy a serial add on card that usually got 4 COM ports. Though, installation might be tricky.
In case you got no free COM port for the CncPlayer cable I recommend the above solutions 1/2/3. I do not recommend 4 since you might have to deal with interrupts and such things. 4 is more for the experts with time. Better stay traditionally with 1/2/3.
Anyway, you know that you need a COM port for your CncPlayer cable. It's your business to get one. Check your
=> Windows PC on which the CncPlayer for Windows will be running and check your
=> DOS PC on which the CncPlayerClient will be running.
The CncPlayer serial cable is intended to connect the two PCs. Since your Windows PC can have a 9 pin connector and / or a 25 pin connector and your DOS PC can have a 9 pin connector and / or a 25 pin connector you got the following 4 possibilities for a cable:
Windows PC <-> DOS PC
1: 9 pin connector <-> 9 pin connector
2: 25 pin connector <-> 9 pin connector
3: 9 pin connector <-> 25 pin connector
4: 25 pin connector <-> 25 pin connector
2 and 3 are equal, hence there are 3 possible cables left and you need to determine which one suits your situation.
1: 9 pin connector <-> 9 pin connector
2: 9 pin connector <-> 25 pin connector
3: 25 pin connector <-> 25 pin connector
Did you make your decision? Is it 1, 2 or 3? OK, lets continue.
Since you know by now which CncPlayer cable you need we are now going to buy the parts. The serial COM connectors on your computer's back side are MALE so you have to buy FEMALE connectors for making a cable.
| Example1 |
You want a 9 pin connector <-> 9 pin connector cable:
Buy two 9 pin FEMALE connectors |
| Example2 |
You want a 9 pin connector <-> 25 pin connector cable:
Buy one 9 pin FEMALE connector and one 25 pin FEMALE connector |
| Example3 |
You want a 25 pin connector <-> 25 pin connector cable:
Buy two 25 pin FEMALE connectors |
Now you need to buy the cable itself: You need a cable with 6 wires + ground wire. I use a shielded cable and use the shield as ground wire. I'm not an electronic expert but I think the cable doesn't have to be shielded. So a 7 wire cable without shield should work as well (but I didn't actually test one, yet and leave this question to the electronic experts).
If the shop you are going to buy the cable does have only one with more wires, e.g. 10 wires + ground wire, you can use it as well. Simply let the additional wires unused when later soldering the cable.
Cable length: The good thing of serial communication is that the cable can be pretty lengthy. If I recall correctly the maximum is 25 meter. So don't hesitate to make your cable say e.g. 6 meter to meet your current and future needs.
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Cable Partlist: |
| A: |
2 FEMALE D-subminiatur connectors (see above which one) |
| B: |
2 cable housings for the D-subminiatur connectors |
| C: |
5 meter (or what you like) of shielded 6 wires (or more) cable (shield will be used as ground wire) |
| D: |
A small plastic pipe to isolate the shield |
| |
The rest (solder, solder stick and knife) should be in your toolbox |
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Note: If you are a newbie never soldered before I recommend that you buy 2 connectors more and the cable a few cm longer for !_testing_! purpose! You have been warned :-)
| Step 3: The pin out pattern |
As you know there are 3 different possible cables:
1: 9 pin connector <-> 9 pin connector
2: 9 pin connector <-> 25 pin connector
3: 25 pin connector <-> 25 pin connector
Which one you need is up to your 2 PCs you want to connect. If you are not going to make your own cable but have one already handy make !_VERY_! sure that the pin out pattern matches EXACTLY the specs below! The CncPlayer <-> CncPlayerClient communication will NOT work with another pin out pattern!
Null modem cable: You might successfully find a proper cable when heading out for a so called null modem cable. A "null modem cable" is a cable specifically designed to connect two computer via it's serial COM ports (many people need such a cable if they have a LAPtop to LINK with a pc). Note that there are many different null modem cables around. Already a 3 wire cable with RxD, TxD and Gnd connected will qualify as a null modem cable but won't work with the CncPlayer. So check carefully before you buy. Often, the pin out pattern of a null modem cable is printed on the sales bag. In case you find a null modem cable that is similar to our CncPlayer cable you might buy it if the cable housings are removable. Then resolder the appropriate wires that the CncPlayer cable specs are matched. Note that resoldering some wires of an already existing cable requires special skills (not suited for beginner). It is easier to make a completely new cable.
Caution: If you are going to make your own CncPlayer cable from one of the 3 specs below I recommend that you print out the particular spec you need. This avoids the need permanently wading through all 3 specs which can be pretty confusing. To get the image right mouse click it and chose Safe as. Having the image and the text for your particular CncPlayer cable eliminates the danger of confusing the specs (and therefore creating a wrong cable).
NOTE: The colors of the wires are completely up to you! Actually many cables have white and yellow wires but I couldn't paint a white wire in this document for instance. I simply choosed random colors for the wires which have both a good contrast on this document's white ground and are different to each other. In simple words: You have to replace the colors in this doc with the wires your cable got. If your cable doesn't have for instance a red wire simply take the white wire or what else wire available is. It's very likely that your cable got different colors than those I used . So you have to modify my specs accordingly. Feel free to use what ever color you want.
1: Here are the specs for a 9 pin to 9 pin cable:
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Pin out pattern for the
9 pin <-> 9 pin cable |
Windows PC is 9 pin and Dos PC is 9 pin
---------------------------------------------------------------------
9-Sub-D-Female 9-Sub-D-Female
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I Pin 2: RxD Receive Data --- O Pin 3: TxD Transmit Data
O Pin 3: TxD Transmit Data --- I Pin 2: RxD Receive Data
O Pin 4: DTR Data Terminal Ready --- I Pin 6: DSR Data Set Ready
I Pin 6: DSR Data Set Ready --- O Pin 4: DTR Data Terminal Ready
O Pin 7: RTS Request To Send --- I Pin 8: CTS Clear To Send
I Pin 8: CTS Clear To Send --- O Pin 7: RTS Request To Send
Pin 5: Gnd --- Pin 5: Gnd
All other pins are not connected All other pins are not connected
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I = Input Pin; O = Output Pin
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Serial CncPlayer Cable
9-SubD 9-SubD
( 2) RxD ---- ( 3) TxD
( 3) TxD ---- ( 2) RxD
( 4) DTR ---- ( 6) DSR
( 6) DSR ---- ( 4) DTR
( 7) RTS ---- ( 8) CTS
( 8) CTS ---- ( 7) RTS
( 5) Gnd ---- ( 5) Gnd
All other pins are n/c
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Print out the left table, cover it on both sides with transparent adhesive tape and attach it to your cable. So it's always clear what the cable is good for and how it is connected.
If you copy and past the table's text for printing to your word processor make sure to format the text with a font of fixed width like Courier etc. |
2: Here are the specs for a 9 pin to 25 pin cable:
(it's the same like a 25 pin to 9 pin cable)
 |
Pin out pattern for the
9 pin <-> 25 pin cable |
Windows PC is 9 pin and Dos PC is 25 pin or
Windows PC is 25 pin and Dos PC is 9 pin
---------------------------------------------------------------------
9-Sub-D-Female 25-Sub-D-Female
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I Pin 2: RxD Receive Data --- O Pin 2: TxD Transmit Data
O Pin 3: TxD Transmit Data --- I Pin 3: RxD Receive Data
O Pin 4: DTR Data Terminal Ready --- I Pin 6: DSR Data Set Ready
I Pin 6: DSR Data Set Ready --- O Pin20: DTR Data Terminal Ready
O Pin 7: RTS Request To Send --- I Pin 5: CTS Clear To Send
I Pin 8: CTS Clear To Send --- O Pin 4: RTS Request To Send
Pin 5: Gnd --- Pin 7: Gnd
All other pins are not connected All other pins are not connected
----------------------------------------------------------------------
I = Input Pin; O = Output Pin
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Serial CncPlayer Cable
9-SubD 25-SubD
( 2) RxD ---- ( 2) TxD
( 3) TxD ---- ( 3) RxD
( 4) DTR ---- ( 6) DSR
( 6) DSR ---- (20) DTR
( 7) RTS ---- ( 5) CTS
( 8) CTS ---- ( 4) RTS
( 5) Gnd ---- ( 7) Gnd
All other pins are n/c
|
Print out the left table, cover it on both sides with transparent adhesive tape and attach it to your cable. So it's always clear what the cable is good for and how it is connected.
If you copy and past the table's text for printing to your word processor make sure to format the text with a font of fixed width like Courier etc. |
3: Here are the specs for a 25 pin to 25 pin cable:
 |
Pin out pattern for the
25 pin <-> 25 pin cable |
Windows PC is 25 pin and Dos PC is 25 pin
----------------------------------------------------------------------
25-Sub-D-Female 25-Sub-D-Female
---------------------------------------------------------------------
O Pin 2: TxD Transmit Data --- I Pin 3: RxD Receive Data
I Pin 3: RxD Receive Data --- O Pin 2: TxD Transmit Data
I Pin 6: DSR Data Set Ready --- O Pin20: DTR Data Terminal Ready
O Pin20: DTR Data Terminal Ready --- I Pin 6: DSR Data Set Ready
O Pin 4: RTS Request To Send --- I Pin 5: CTS Clear To Send
I Pin 5: CTS Clear To Send --- O Pin 4: RTS Request To Send
Pin 7: Gnd --- Pin 7: Gnd
All other pins are not connected All other pins are not connected
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I = Input Pin; O = Output Pin
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Serial CncPlayer Cable
25-SubD 25-SubD
( 2) TxD ---- ( 3)RxD
( 3) RxD ---- ( 2) TxD
( 6) DSR ---- (20) DTR
(20) DTR ---- ( 6) DSR
( 4) RTS ---- ( 5) CTS
( 5) CTS ---- ( 4) RTS
( 7) Gnd ---- ( 7) Gnd
All other pins are n/c
|
Print out the left table, cover it on both sides with transparent adhesive tape and attach it to your cable. So it's always clear what the cable is good for and how it is connected.
If you copy and past the table's text for printing to your word processor make sure to format the text with a font of fixed width like Courier etc. |
| Step 4: A step by step guide for cable making |
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Fig. 01: Remove about 30 mm of the cable's outer isolation tube with a knife or scissors. Do it very carefully for not damaging your finger! Have your first aid box prepared :-) Do not damage the cable's shield, too! Don't work in a hurry. Work carefully.
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Fig. 02: Keep the cable's jacket you removed. We might need it later. Do not throw it away.
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Fig. 03: Un-nest the shield. I use the back of a scissors for that job. Do not use the cutting edge of the scissors as it is too sharp and hence will cut or damage the copper wires!
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Fig. 07: Twist the shield and form a wire. If we hadn't cut off 2/3 the wire had become too strong. 1/3 to 2/3 was a good ratio for my cable. You might change the ratio if your cable is different. The diameter of our newly created wire must fit for soldering into the connectors pinhole.
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Fig. 08: Later we'll put a plastic pipe over the blank wire. Take a pipe that isn't that heat sensitive, otherwise the pipe will terribly shrink when you solder or even worse it will melt.
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Fig. 09: Actually we need only 6 wires + ground wire (which we take the shield for). The cable here got 10 wires + ground (shield). You can use any cable that got at least 6 wires plus ground wire.
Click image to enlarge |
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Fig. 10: Remove the isolation from 6 wires. Do not un-isolate or cut off the other remaining wires.
Click image to enlarge |
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Fig. 11: To remove about 5 mm isolation pipe is a good value. Once the isolation is removed (do it very carefully for not damaging the fine copper wires!) twist the copper wires with your fingers.
Click image to enlarge |
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Fig. 12: I'm used to cover the unused wires with a plastic pipe. Do not cut off the unused wires (if there are any unused wires in your cable at all). I'm always used to keep unused wires for any future use.
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Fig. 13: The yellow pipe I had available could only cover two wires. So I simply used two yellow pipes. Of course you can also cut off the unused wires if it makes you happy.
Click image to enlarge |
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Fig. 14: Later, when the cable is soldered I fold the yellow pipes. The yellow pipes are about as twice as long as the wires inside and this will prevent them for producing any short circuit.
Click image to enlarge |
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Fig. 15: Now comes the soldering which is the most difficult part for the beginner. Do some tests with spare parts if you are not experienced and have a person to help you holding the wire and connector while you solder! Check the Internet for a soldering guide to learn the "Do and Don't" of soldering.
Click image to enlarge |
It is important to check carefully your newly soldered cable! I recommend to use a magnifier and a bright light to get a good view! You have been warned.
Very common mistakes that will result in a not working cable are:
=> 1: you confused the pins
A very common source for a not working cable are mixed up pins. Check very carefully pin by pin and wire by wire that you used and connected the proper pins with the proper wire!
=> 2: there is a little (solder or wire) bridge between two pins.
The bridge can be finer than a hair and is therefore difficult to see! The bridge is like a short circuit and the cable won't work!
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Fig. 16: Danger! Work carefully for not producing any short circuits! The figure at the left shows that a wire fine as a hair is connecting the two sample pins!
Click image to enlarge |
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Fig. 17: Danger! The same sample pins as before now soldered. Note the fine bridge between the two pins. That cable would never work! The soldering quality is poor, btw. Looks like done by a newbie.
Click image to enlarge |
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Fig. 18: Best way to fix that problem is to cut the bridge at the left side and at the right side to completely remove the bridge. Check every single pin very carefully that there is no bridge!
Click image to enlarge |
| Step 6: Finishing the cable |
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Fig. 19: This is a 9 pin connector of a cable I soldered a few weeks before I wrote this docu. Obviously I was running out of black pipes so I used a big yellow one to cover the wire shield. Doesn't look so nice like the next figure but it works.
Click image to enlarge |
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Fig. 20: This is another 25 pin connector of a cable I soldered. The thick black wire is actually the shield isolated with a black plastic pipe. I used here a shielded 6 wire cable.
Click image to enlarge |
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Fig. 21: A 25 pin connector can hold up to 25 wires. If we use a say shielded 6 wire cable our cable is quite thin. Use the jacked shown in fig. 2 to make the cable bigger that the metal parts (which were designed to hold a big 25 wire cable) fit.
Click image to enlarge |
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Fig. 22: Since I got a lot of different custom tailored cables I'm used to print the pin pattern and fix it tag like on the cable. So in the future I always know what a cable is used for and how it is connected. The cable housing of the 25 pin connector was left removed for this photo, only.
Click image to enlarge |
| Step 7: Testing the cable |
Your cable is now ready so connect both your Windows and DOS computer with it now. Turn off your computer before you plug any cable in!
Please note: As of now CP and CPC are in its beginning stage. Though, the basic communication (and this is what we need for our cable testing) works. Regarding all the other CP/CPC motor controlling functions please see the CncPlayer documentation. The purpose of this document is just to make a CncPlayer cable and test it.
Lets start with the DOS computer:
Click here and read how to set up your DOS computer to work with CncPlayerClient (aka CPC)
Now lets setup the Windows computer:
Click here and read how to set up your Windows computer to work with CncPlayer (aka CP)
This documentation is NOT a guide to work with CP and CPC. It is just a guide to establish a connection and test your CncPlayer cable. Please see my other sources for general CncPlayer information.
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