Uncle!!

Anyone controlling or have setup a sony 777ES changer and a MSC400 via serial control?

I have RS232 commands that I know control the changer, they work with other software. I'm controlling other devices with the MSC400 with serial connections so I know the MSC400 works.

I just can't get the 400 to talk to the Sony. I'm using a null adapter.

Really getting frustrated with this one.

Thanks,
John

Solved. The RS232F cables are already wired null.

From the tutorial:

Note that TX and RX are labeled
from the MSC-400 side. TX from
the MSC-400 should connect to RX
at the component. Both the
RS232M and the RS232F cables
are pre-wired to perform the null
modem swap for you.

I'm confused. I've got three devices connected using RS232M cables. These devices use straight thru serial cables to control. They work fine with the RS232M cables. I've got two devices connected using the RS232F cables. These devices require null serial cables. They work fine with the RS232F cables, no null adapter.

How exactly are the RS232M and RS232F cables wired?

Thanks,
John

They are wired just like you state,they are crossover cables.Pins 2 and 3 are reversed on one side of the cable.

Why is it working with your other components I dont know,do you have a null modem adaptor on them?If so you made them straight through,either that or the other equipment also require a crossover cable.

Dont know what else it could be.

Null Modem=Crossover=pins 2 & 3 reversed on one side of the cable.

You dont need the adaptor because the cables are already null (crossover) if you were to use an adaptor it would make it a straight through cable(RX and TX would be the same on both sides)

Thanks. Weird. No adapter on the straight thru devices......I've always used straight thru cables for these devices when using other control devices.

I took one of the 232Male URC cables, attached a straight through cable with a two female ends, plugged it into the Sony and it didn't work. I then took a null cable with two female ends, attached it the URC 232Male cable and to the Sony changer.....it worked. If the 232M cables are wired crossover (null) my results still seem backwards to me....but hey, its all working now.

Regards,
John

Now you have me double guessing myself,as I was sure they were all Null.But if it is what you wrote then it seems as if the males are straight and the females null.I have some of the cables here,I'll check later and write back.

Just put them on the meter....they are different.

RS232M Open RX TX Open Grnd
RS232F Grnd Open RX TX Open

This would have been nice to know, certainly would have saved me a lot of grief.

The male and female connectors are not the same.Now I dont know what pin pertains to what on the MSC 400's side but the pins on the equipments end are different

ie=Male pin 3 is ring 1 on the 3.5mm plug
Female pin 2 is ring 1 on the 3.5mm plug

Yea it depends on if the equipment is DTE or DCE. BTW, it is in the manual somewhere...

A MANUAL!!, now that would be nice. :)

Once I got the cable situation straightened out I had to deal with the Sony's serial protocol. Although URC does include the serial commands in it's database, they are only partial commands......they're not complete strings. Sony has an interesting way of comming up with Checksums...........took a while to get through that.

All I need now is Bracken to add MSC400/Serial support for his DMX-3000 program. This would be very cool.

Regards,
John

John,

Now that DMX-3000 v2.0 has been released I am going to have more time to investigate doing just this. Will be a very nice addition to DMX. Even for users with non RS232 controlled changers, just having the macros stored in teh 400 and transmitted over IR instead from the remote itself will make a huge difference.

-3B

After working a lot with these changers with various customers there are a lot of variables that affect the timing of the macros. I am not sure there is one distinct macro that can control this changer due to the following factors:

- Amount of discs in changer
- Amount of changers system is using
- Where the reading location is at the moment the request for disc is initiated.
- Age and condition of changer(s).

Vincent

Heh...Wouldn't it be nice if more manuals clearly stated this? Contrary to popular belief, just labeling tx/rx on a sketch in the manual doesn't help much when you don't know which side of the connector they're talking about.