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Zonker's Serial Signals Page

http://www.conserver.com/consoles/Signals/signals.html
(updated:Jul 13, 2008, 12:27 am )

Use the links below to select which interface your connector uses, then look for your device in that section. (If you don't find the device wiring you are looking for here, and you later find the information somewhere else, please let me know where you found the information, so I can update my page.)

RJ-48   RJ-45   RJ-13   MMJ   Mini-DIN-8   Mini-phone   DB9 & 25


RJ-48
Computone 10-pin rj48 signal pinouts
Cyclades 10-pin rj48 signal pinouts

RJ-45
Male rj45 signal pinouts
Female rj45 signal pinouts
MicroAnnex rj45 signal pinouts
BayTech DCD DS rj45 signal pinouts
BayTech DCD RPC rj45 signal pinouts

Cisco Console rj45 signal pinouts
Cisco patch panel rj45 signal pinouts
Arrowpoint Content Switch console signal pinouts
Arrowpoint Content Switch diagnostic port rj45 signal pinouts

Computone RAS rj45 signal pinouts
Cyclades rj45 signal pinouts
DECServer 90M Plus rj45 signal pinouts
Digi Portserver Two rj45 signal pinouts

MVME rj45 signal pinouts
MVME rj45 signal pinouts
MVME rj45 signal pinouts
MVME rj45 signal pinouts

J-Time NTP appliance rj45 signal pinouts
Chase IOLAN Rack Plus rj45 signal pinouts
ADC Kentrox rj45 signal pinouts
Lantronix rj45 signal pinouts

Lightwave Communications DCE rj45 signal pinouts
Lightwave Communications DTE rj45 signal pinouts
Logical Solutions DCE rj45 signal pinouts
Logical Solutions DTE rj45 signal pinouts

MOXA CN2510 rj45 signal pinouts
MVME rj45 signal pinouts
Nortel Contivity 1010 rj45 signal pinouts
Opengear CM series rj45 signal pinouts

Server Technologies PDU rj45 signal pinouts
Sun Netra rj45 signal pinouts
3Com, US Robotics
Xyplex, iTouch In-Reach, MRV rj45 signal pinouts

RJ-13

MMJ

Mini-DIN-8

Mini-Phone (1/8")

There is no formal standard for using a 1/8-inch "mini-phone" connector (also referred to as a "Tip-Ring-Sleeve", or TRS conector) for serial connections. The normal jack has two connections (the "tip" and the "sleeve". A stereo jack has a third connection (the "ring"). If you are going to use this jack for 2-way, RS-232 serial communications, you need at least three wires (signal reference (ground), receive data (RD), and transmit data (TD)) in order to work. Your connection will not have any hardware flow control or hardware handshaking in this configuration.

While this jack format is becoming popular for smaller, handheld devices, it is frequently NOT an RS-232 interface! That is, the signal levels are typically a positive signal and ground for the signaling, versus a positive and negative signal level used in RS-232. As a result, most of the "serial cables" sold for these devices include a 'level converter' circuit in the DB connector. Before you try to connect a device using a TRS connector to a serial port, you should read the documentation (or take voltage measuremens), and be SURE that the connection uses RS-232 voltage levels before you connect it to a serial port. (It is possible for the RS-232 voltage levels on your serial ports to cause severe damage to any non-RS-232 circuitry in some handheld equipment!) Check the MassMind.org website for more information about TTL to RS232 signal level conversion.

That said, the Adaptec FS4500 storage shelf uses such an interface, with RS-232 levels. The 'tip' is data from the device, the 'ring' is data going into the device, and the 'sleeve' is the signal reference ground. It uses an adapter cable (p/n CBL-00012-02-A) which uses a DE9F interface on one end. Pin 2 of the DE9F goes to the 'tip', pin 3 goes to the 'ring', and pin 5 goes to the 'sleeve'.

Male TRS

Female TRS

DE-9 and DB-25 connections

DE-9 female

DE-9 male

DB-25 female

DB-25 male

Because the RS-232 physical wiring standard for async signals is so widely deployed, I'll simply list the 'standard' schema for DTE and DCE interfaces for both connector types.

You can refer to any of my Host-to-Adapter guides for information about the DB-n serial ports on a variety of devices. If the host is listead as being "MDTE", it means that the device has a male DB-25 serial port, with the DTE signalling shown here. (Following this logic, a host listed as "FDCE" would be a Female DB-25, with DCE signalling...)

Devices with a DE-9 serial port are listed as "MDTE9n" (for a Male DE-9, wired for DTE signalling), where 91 means that the device doesn't assert, or care about, the DCD signal. (Hosts shown with a 92 suffix assert or may require DCD, so make sure that your cables or adapters are wired accordingly!)



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