PowerFlarm Core and RS232

[Tom Roth]

I'm confused about the RS232 feature with my PowerFlarm core.
The manual decribes the interface as RS232 but doesn't mention
the voltage levels. Is it the voltage levels called out in the
standard (-3 to -15, +3 to +15) or are these digital voltage
levels (0, 5) with the RS232 protocol? I see some pilots with
a DSub9/USB cable which will not give them the RS232 standard
voltage levels.
- TomR

[Paul Remde]

Hi Tom,

I'm sorry, but your note below doesn't completely make sense to me.

Both the DB-9 port and the RJ45 port support RS-232 serial data
communication with external devices.

To what device(s) are you trying to connect the PowerFLARM Core?

The USB port is not a serial port. It is for connection to a USB flash
drive for firmware upgrades and flight log transfers.

Best Regards,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
_______________________________________
"Tom Roth" wrote in message
...

I'm confused about the RS232 feature with my PowerFlarm core.
The manual decribes the interface as RS232 but doesn't mention
the voltage levels. Is it the voltage levels called out in the
standard (-3 to -15, +3 to +15) or are these digital voltage
levels (0, 5) with the RS232 protocol? I see some pilots with
a DSub9/USB cable which will not give them the RS232 standard
voltage levels.
- TomR

[[email protected]]

Sorry Paul, this is more of a general question about the PowerFlarm circuitry.
The RS232 standard specifies both positive and negative voltage levels in the
3-15v range. This means if I want to connect my PowerFlarm to something
USB based I need an RS232-to-TTL converter. I've built this circuitry for
interfacing the PowerFlarm to my Nook/TopHat system and it works just fine.

However, in a recent conversation with another pilot he's going straight from
the DSub9 through a OTG cable to his Kobo without converting signal levels.
This means that either I don't have an accurate understanding of how his
system is wired up (most likely) or I slept in class too often while earning my
EE degree (a possibility) or the PowerFlarm circuitry can handle both USB
(TTL) and RS232 signal levels. At this point it's just a curiosity more than
anything else. Thanks for listening. :-)
- TomR

[[email protected]]

Yep ... makes sense Dave and thanks for the reply. (By the way, as you may have guessed
I don't know my own system. I abandoned the rs232 to usb through a converter idea last year when I discovered my nook had a serial port. Very sorry for the confusion this thread caused.)