RS485 For Hypertherms

These guys

phillc54 wrote: I'll let you guys figure out what it should look like, maybe also ask Clive what helped him.

I am dutifully trying to follow along I have actually got the out of print book "The RS-232 Solution by Joe Campbell" that I found invaluable in the 80's when my business used all dumb terminals and dot matrix printers connected using RS-232. I digress

Anyway, I have not yet used the RS-485 stuff yet and I am still configuring the Plasma (not mine) that is using the HP 45xp

So as I understand it you can't use the RS-232 com port on the back of the PC it has to be a pci card or pcix to get RS-485

Also I see a USB to RS-485 converter !! So what is used the card or converter. Sorry to be dumb here.

I tried using a USB converter but could not get it to work. Probably because my wiring was wrong. I might try out the USB to RS485 converter again on the weekend if I get time.

I am using a PCI card but it is suppose to only be a RS232 card but it is somehow working with my Hypertherm 125 and PlasmaC.

If you do end up using the reference document I made, let me know if you find it useful and if anything needs to be changed.

thefabricator03 wrote: I tried using a USB converter but could not get it to work. Probably because my wiring was wrong. I might try out the USB to RS485 converter again on the weekend if I get time.

I am using a PCI card but it is suppose to only be a RS232 card but it is somehow working with my Hypertherm 125 and PlasmaC.

If you do end up using the reference document I made, let me know if you find it useful and if anything needs to be changed.

I would be grateful if you have have the time to test the converter. If so how is the usb interrogated into PlasmaC as I don't remember seeing any code for the usb port.

In your INI file you set the comm port that the device is set too from memory. I will try to get the USB converter tested on Saturday.

Clive S wrote:
So as I understand it you can't use the RS-232 com port on the back of the PC it has to be a pci card or pcix to get RS-485

Also I see a USB to RS-485 converter !! So what is used the card or converter. Sorry to be dumb here.

You definitely can use the RS-232 on the back of the PC, that's what I am using. You just then need a RS-232 to RS-485 converter. They usually come with a break out board as well, which Stefan's table was helpful to understand how to wire it up. You just need to know that there is full and half duplex RS-485, so you will have to make sure whatever break out board they include supports full duplex.

This is the one I used

I didnt try a USB to RS-485 because the plasmac manual said there were issues with it. Knowing that Stefan's is backwards somehow, I think maybe it's worth trying again.

Phill wrote a handy tester for finding the com port. once you find the port, it's a matter of adding it to your .ini file.