Usb to Serial Cable

[Mark F]

Do you have a modem built into your PC? If so, that would be treated as a serial port. :)

Are you running the IRMAN server software at the same time as Girder? You can't do that. Check these tips (http://www.girder.nl/help/faq.php#207) out if you haven't already. (bottom of the page)

I'm out of ideas, for now.

[orangewhip]

Hey all. I have an IRMAN and want to connect it to my computer via a USB to Serial converter. My motherboard does not have a serial port, otherwise I would just go that way.

The problem is, when I hook up my IRMAN to the USB to Serial converter, I get a COM port already in use error. Which obviously cannot be because I have no serial ports on my computer.

Any info would be GREATLY appreciated!

Cheers

[orangewhip]

Yes my computer has a built in modem, and I have changed the ports around inside System Settings as well. I have also gone into the BIOS and disabled the modem from there too, none of this has worked.

One thing that is a little confusing when I use the USB to serial is in the system settings, there is a option of using it in DOS mode. In DOS mode is the only place I am able to change the COM port settings....but I have tried it with the DOS mode option on as well as off and neither have worked.

I have heard others with my combination of hardware were able to get it working with Girder, and not with other similar software, but I haven't been able to get it to work at all.

Too bad too, I've bought 2 USB to serial cables now and neither of them will work with this combination. Might not seem like a lot of money for the 2 cables, but when I live in Canada and my dollar is worth 50% of the US dollar, plus pay your state taxes AND my Provincial and Federal taxes as well as shipping and duty at the border, these things cost me a fortune, and they don't work!!

[orangewhip]

Really? Do you have the sellers name for it?

[orangewhip]

OK a little bit of an update for my usb to serial problem.

As you can see above I am having trouble with my USB to serial converter I have bought for my Win98 computer that has no serial ports. It simply would not work with my IRMAN and Girder.

So I tried running my IRMAN on another computer with serial ports and girder found it no problem. So this ruled out the idea that the IRMAN may have been broken.

So I then thought, "What if I try the USB to Serial converter on the computer that has serial ports, and try hooking the IRMAN up to the converter" So that is what I tried and low and behold it worked!! This was a big shock to me, but basically tells me that my USB to Serial converter is working properly as well. This computer has a WinXP OS and I found that there were brand new XP drivers for my converter so I installed those and all worked well. So thinking maybe WinXP has better USB support than Win98, I decided to install WinXP on my computer with no serial ports and see if it would work.

So that is what I did, I now have WinXP installed on my no serial port computer and installed the drivers for the converter and BOOM! I have a serial port on my computer. So problem 1 solved, now onto the next problem.... I now hook up my IRMAN to the USB to Serial converter and load up Girder and nothing! Wouldn't work and in the plugin setting for IRMAN, it says "Plugin is loaded in memory but hardware initialization failed", and when you go to the main Girder screen it says "No input devices selected".

So getting all frustrated again, I decided to start checking some of the check boxes inside the IRMAN plugin settings and to my surprise when I check the "Skip UIR init check" I can now see action on the "Rx" led that is on the USB to Serial converter. So I am thinking YES!!!!! So I go to the main Girder screen and look at again it says "Input device selected"...So I am almost ready to faint! I have been working on this little problem for almost a year now and I think I may have it, and looks like WinXP solved all my problems.....EXCEPT.....

All is connected, right serial ports, girder can see the IRMAN, etc..etc..etc.. except that it doesn't see the commands from the remote! The Rx led flashes everytime I press the remote and looks like it is all working ok now, but the remote commands are just not being received.

I am soooo close now it is scary, but ANY help on how I can fix this would save me from picking up my computer and throwing it across the room. I hope I am giving enough information to help figure this out, if not let me know and I will send you whatever you need.

Thank You!!!

[orangewhip]

First of all thanks for your help....

Now on the first computer (with the serial ports), I load up the IRServer and go to the history tab and all is OK, it is reading my commands perfectly.

But on my other computer (without the serial ports and the one I am having problems with), I load up the IRServer and go to the history tab and I get a "No response" message for that port. It also pops up a message window that says "Something went wrong when calling Windows to write to comport"

So is this something that is wrong with the USB ports on this computer? I thought USB ports were a universal standard? Again, any info would be helpful.

Thanks!

[orangewhip]

Hmmmm, now I just rebooted my computer and IRServer now says "No response" and "Windows Denied Access" on the comport I was trying to use.

[stevech]

I bought a US$12 USB/serial converter on ebay. Works fine with irMAN + Girder and all the other thiings I tried. It uses the FTDI chipset.

Quite a few of them for sale on ebay as I write this.

I installed it on XP and Win98. Works fine. I set it to be COM3; on Win98 it defaulted to COM6.

[stevech]

seller: http://www.stores.ebay.com/id=10778758

but just search for USB Serial and you'll see lots.

[stevech]

Let me guess that your driver for your USB to serial, for WIn98, fails to set the DSR or RTS bit true. irMAN has no battery - it gets its power from DSR and/or RTS. These two RS232 signals are under control of the software. Now there are settings in WIn98's Device Manager for the COM port - handshake - "hardware", which might force these true. But you never quite know what the driver does.

Your current problem - shut down Girder and bring up the IR Server which came with irMAN. Set the correct COM port. It has a history display - it should log the hexadecimal codes coming in from the irMAN as you push buttons. If those are consistent, you have no hardware problems.

[Dub]

Hey all. I have an IRMAN and want to connect it to my computer via a USB to Serial converter. My motherboard does not have a serial port, otherwise I would just go that way.

The problem is, when I hook up my IRMAN to the USB to Serial converter, I get a COM port already in use error. Which obviously cannot be because I have no serial ports on my computer.

Any info would be GREATLY appreciated!

Cheers
Even without serial ports their addresses/IRQs can be used by other devices, eg. modems.

Go to the Device Manager (Control Panel>System), then to the Ports. Change the USB to Serial device to an unused serial port, e.g. 4. Besure to select the right com port in Girder (under settings).