A aviation & planes forum. AviationBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » AviationBanter forum » rec.aviation newsgroups » Soaring
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

LX Zeus and PowerFlarm -- Communication Problem



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old May 17th 17, 10:50 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
C-FFKQ (42)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 123
Default LX Zeus and PowerFlarm -- Communication Problem

Hopefully someone has been through this exercise (successfully).

I just received my PowerFlarm today and I'm installing it into the panel (that's no problem). The plan is to use the Zeus for the target display.

There's a "Flarm" port on the back of the Zeus, but it's not RJ-45, like the port on the PF (wasn't planning on using the DB-9 harness that came with the PF, no idea where to wire it to the Zeus). However, the CAN port on the Zeus IS RJ-45, so I connected the PF to the Zeus using one of my cat5e LAN cables. The PF powers up, updates and the file it writes out tells me everything is ok.

Unfortunately, it seems that there's no communication between the Zeus and the PF. I'm at home, not near airways, so no targets to see. But I can check the Zeus system status for GPS function. No joy I've left my panel outside with the GPS antenna having a clear view of the sky for half an hour -- plenty of time to get a signal lock. Still nothing on the Zeus.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance.
  #2  
Old May 17th 17, 11:07 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Dan Daly[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 718
Default LX Zeus and PowerFlarm -- Communication Problem

On Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 5:50:40 PM UTC-4, C-FFKQ (42) wrote:
Hopefully someone has been through this exercise (successfully).

I just received my PowerFlarm today and I'm installing it into the panel (that's no problem). The plan is to use the Zeus for the target display.

There's a "Flarm" port on the back of the Zeus, but it's not RJ-45, like the port on the PF (wasn't planning on using the DB-9 harness that came with the PF, no idea where to wire it to the Zeus). However, the CAN port on the Zeus IS RJ-45, so I connected the PF to the Zeus using one of my cat5e LAN cables. The PF powers up, updates and the file it writes out tells me everything is ok.

Unfortunately, it seems that there's no communication between the Zeus and the PF. I'm at home, not near airways, so no targets to see. But I can check the Zeus system status for GPS function. No joy I've left my panel outside with the GPS antenna having a clear view of the sky for half an hour -- plenty of time to get a signal lock. Still nothing on the Zeus.

Anyone have any ideas?

Thanks in advance.


Cumulus Soaring has a Goddard cable for that.
"LXNAV-S7-GPS-PFCore
Cable from the Zeus's FLARM port to the
PowerFLARM's DB-9 connector
The Zeus powers the
PowerFLARM Core with 12V."

  #3  
Old May 17th 17, 11:20 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Martin Gregorie[_5_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,224
Default LX Zeus and PowerFlarm -- Communication Problem

On Wed, 17 May 2017 14:50:36 -0700, C-FFKQ (42) wrote:

There's a "Flarm" port on the back of the Zeus, but it's not RJ-45, like
the port on the PF (wasn't planning on using the DB-9 harness that came
with the PF, no idea where to wire it to the Zeus). However, the CAN
port on the Zeus IS RJ-45, so I connected the PF to the Zeus using one
of my cat5e LAN cables. The PF powers up, updates and the file it
writes out tells me everything is ok.

Unfortunately, it seems that there's no communication between the Zeus
and the PF. I'm at home, not near airways, so no targets to see. But I
can check the Zeus system status for GPS function. No joy I've left
my panel outside with the GPS antenna having a clear view of the sky for
half an hour -- plenty of time to get a signal lock. Still nothing on
the Zeus.

Anyone have any ideas?

Questions you need to work out answers for:

1) Does the PF also use an RJ-45 for a CAB-bus connection?

2) Is your CAT5e cable straight of cross-over?

It might be either because CAT5 can be wired either way and
modern switches are generally capable of figuring out whether
the cable is crossed or not and adjusting its internal pin usage.

3) Do your manuals have pin-outs for both the PF and Zeus sockets.

This web page shows CAN-bus pinouts for a variety of connectors including
RJ45 - http://www.interfacebus.com/Can_Bus_...or_Pinout.html

Hopefully answering the questions and using that page that will get you
sorted out: there's enough info in it to let you make up a CAN-bus cable
for almost any set of connectors. Hope you have a DVM for wire tracing
and soldering iron: you don't need an RJ45 crimp because, if you need to
make up a cable you can chop one connector off the RJ45 and solder the
other, non-RJ45, connector onto that end.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |
  #4  
Old May 17th 17, 11:53 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Dave Nadler
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,610
Default LX Zeus and PowerFlarm -- Communication Problem

On Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 5:50:40 PM UTC-4, C-FFKQ (42) wrote:
There's a "Flarm" port on the back of the Zeus, but it's not RJ-45,
like the port on the PF (wasn't planning on using the DB-9 harness that
came with the PF, no idea where to wire it to the Zeus).


Why not? Did you read the manual?

However, the CAN port on the Zeus IS RJ-45, so I connected the PF to
the Zeus using one of my cat5e LAN cables. The PF powers up, updates
and the file it writes out tells me everything is ok.


A CAN bus has nothing to do with the RS-232 connections on FLARM.
You will have been extremely lucky not to have blown up one or
both bits of gear by connecting these two.

Blindly connecting stuff just because they happen to have the
same connector is really, really, really unwise...
  #5  
Old May 18th 17, 12:29 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
C-FFKQ (42)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 123
Default LX Zeus and PowerFlarm -- Communication Problem

On Wednesday, 17 May 2017 18:53:10 UTC-4, Dave Nadler wrote:
On Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 5:50:40 PM UTC-4, C-FFKQ (42) wrote:
There's a "Flarm" port on the back of the Zeus, but it's not RJ-45,
like the port on the PF (wasn't planning on using the DB-9 harness that
came with the PF, no idea where to wire it to the Zeus).


Why not? Did you read the manual?


It had all these lovely plug-ins... and the Zeus manual just says it plugs in (granted, that was for Red-box and mini-Flarm, no specific mention of PowerFlarm).

However, the CAN port on the Zeus IS RJ-45, so I connected the PF to
the Zeus using one of my cat5e LAN cables. The PF powers up, updates
and the file it writes out tells me everything is ok.


A CAN bus has nothing to do with the RS-232 connections on FLARM.
You will have been extremely lucky not to have blown up one or
both bits of gear by connecting these two.

Blindly connecting stuff just because they happen to have the
same connector is really, really, really unwise...


Yeah... additional research is indicating that.

I'm now looking at the pinout of the PF on the DB-9 and matching it to the CAN bus on the Zeus... I have my friend's RJ-45 crimper out. The joys.
  #6  
Old May 18th 17, 02:32 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Dave Nadler
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,610
Default LX Zeus and PowerFlarm -- Communication Problem

On Wednesday, May 17, 2017 at 7:29:10 PM UTC-4, C-FFKQ (42) wrote:
A CAN bus has nothing to do with the RS-232 connections on FLARM.
You will have been extremely lucky not to have blown up one or
both bits of gear by connecting these two.

Blindly connecting stuff just because they happen to have the
same connector is really, really, really unwise...


Yeah... additional research is indicating that.

I'm now looking at the pinout of the PF on the DB-9 and matching it
to the CAN bus on the Zeus... I have my friend's RJ-45 crimper out. The joys.


One more time: A CAN bus has NOTHING to do with RS-232 NMEA connection.
Do *NOT* connect these.

  #7  
Old May 18th 17, 09:27 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
C-FFKQ (42)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 123
Default LX Zeus and PowerFlarm -- Communication Problem


One more time: A CAN bus has NOTHING to do with RS-232 NMEA connection.
Do *NOT* connect these.


I didn't get that the first time, sorry.

Dave Springford tells me that I should be using the RJ11 port on the Zeus and that it's pinout is the same as the middle 6 pins on the RJ45 from the PF. So, I'll get a RJ11 connector and make the cable.

Too many connectors, not enough brain power sigh

I'll be suggesting some updates to the Zeus manual after this.
  #8  
Old May 18th 17, 08:30 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 32
Default LX Zeus and PowerFlarm -- Communication Problem

I think the Zeus manual is pretty clear - it says the flarm port is an RJ11 using the IGC standard. The IGC standard is very easy to find on the web.

A straight cable with an RJ11 at each end and a RJ121/RJ12 reducer (link below) would also solve the problem.

https://www.jaycar.com.au/medias/sys...geMain-515.jpg

Nick.

On Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 5:58:01 PM UTC+9:30, C-FFKQ (42) wrote:
One more time: A CAN bus has NOTHING to do with RS-232 NMEA connection.
Do *NOT* connect these.


I didn't get that the first time, sorry.

Dave Springford tells me that I should be using the RJ11 port on the Zeus and that it's pinout is the same as the middle 6 pins on the RJ45 from the PF. So, I'll get a RJ11 connector and make the cable.

Too many connectors, not enough brain power sigh

I'll be suggesting some updates to the Zeus manual after this.


 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
PowerFlarm Update Problem John Carlyle Soaring 14 April 15th 15 11:20 PM
I need help with PowerFlarm problem Andy K Soaring 11 July 23rd 14 09:53 AM
Air-to-air communication and the FCC/FAA [email protected] Soaring 9 April 7th 13 12:23 AM
LX Zeus and PowerFLARM Brick Gabriel Duford Soaring 4 October 4th 12 09:48 PM
PowerFLARM Brick and PowerFLARM Remote Display Manuals Available Paul Remde Soaring 30 May 25th 12 11:58 PM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:42 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 AviationBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.