What Kind of Cable to Buy and Where to Buy It.

[urc6131]

Are you using it for JP1.x remote? It should be 3.3V. 5V could fry the remote.

The cable you linked is very likely to be using fake chip. Why don't you give the cable I linked a try? https://hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopi ... 20#p151620

[SysTech_Larry]

Does anyone know what the cable's end pins are called and where I can get a crimper that is made for them?

[SysTech_Larry]

I put the new pins on the old cable* and was able to bring up the upload box. The bricked 3680 will not allow me to write.

The Spectrum C4000 is still not found, but it feels like a loose connection.

*I mated them through RJ-11 connectors. (If you use an RJ-12 on the USB side, you can tie down the red & blue wires without connecting them to anything. The two outer pins are not supported on RJ-11 accessories.)

[WagonMaster]

Can you tell the difference between a genuine FTDI chip and a clone by looking at it?

Probably not with any real confidence.

I bought my 1st FTDI cable, a genuine one, from Mouser, back in 2009. Over the years since then, I recall a lot of back-and-forth in this cat-and-mouse game of "genuine versus clone". Some of the things that have been mentioned (IIRC) included:

1. whether the logo was laser-etched or not
2. whether the chip truly worked at the maximum FTDI-advertised baud rate
3. whether the chip had working EEPROM (to change things like the serial number, the manufacturer name, DTR inversion, etc)

FWIW, personally, I'd never trust a visual determination but would confirm items #2 and #3 from the list above.

I have a SparkFun FT232R Breakout Board, the chip clearly says FTDI FT232RL but I have doubts that it is genuine.

Like @urc6131 said, I would have high confidence that the SparkFun FTDI chip was genuine. Just curious... did it misbehave in some way that gave you those doubts?

[mathdon]

The serial number of FTDI chips can be overwritten by the FT_PROG utility.
As far as I know genuine IDs start with "FT" followed by 6 alphanumeric characters. See this KB article.

The KB article only says "a 2-letter prefix like FT". It appears that the prefix can be any two characters. The serial number of the genuine FTDI chip in my original cable bought from Tommy Tyler is A8003Y5Z. That in my SparkFun breakout board, which I now believe is also genuine, is AQ00YL28.

SparkFun is a reputable retail / hobby site. Unless its supply chain was compromised, which is also unlikely, I don't think it would use fake chips. If you bought it from SparkFun that is.

That said, newer fake FTDI chip should still work at 115kbps, AFAIK.

The FT232R Datasheet says that its maximum data transfer rate is 3 million baud. Pin 4 of a URC7981, which uses a processor that we have not previously seen, outputs serial data (possibly for UEI logging purposes} at 2 million baud and even Chinese clones can read that. So it isn't speed that is a problem.

I bought my 1st FTDI cable, a genuine one, from Mouser, back in 2009. Over the years since then, I recall a lot of back-and-forth in this cat-and-mouse game of "genuine versus clone". Some of the things that have been mentioned (IIRC) included:

whether the logo was laser-etched or not
whether the chip truly worked at the maximum FTDI-advertised baud rate
whether the chip had working EEPROM (to change things like the serial number, the manufacturer name, DTR inversion, etc)

FWIW, personally, I'd never trust a visual determination but would confirm items #2 and #3 from the list above.

The FT EEPROM > Hardware Specific > Invert RS232 Signals feature of the FT_Prog utility allows you to invert any signals. I have used that to test whether a potentially genuine FT232R chip actually does have an EEPROM, by inverting RXD and TXD signals and seeing if it "sticks" by closing and re-opening the app. It sticks with the SparkFun board but not with my Chinese Chip Partner cables. See above about maximum baud rate so items #2 and #3 both seem to be confirmed for the SparkFun chip, which is why I now believe it to be genuine. I am still at a loss to understand why different cables appear to perform differently with pin 5 of the URC7981 but I think the issue of genuine or not is, for me, settled.

[TiceRex]

The KB article only says "a 2-letter prefix like FT". It appears that the prefix can be any two characters. The serial number of the genuine FTDI chip in my original cable bought from Tommy Tyler is A8003Y5Z. That in my SparkFun breakout board, which I now believe is also genuine, is AQ00YL28.

Sorry, I worded it wrong...
What I meant to say was that the cables supplied by FTDI have IDs starting with FT. I bought this one directly from FTDI, and its ID is FTxxxxxx indeed. However, other manufacturers may also use genuine FTDI chips with different ID patterns.

[SysTech_Larry]

I proposed using an RJ11 telephone plug to repair the end of my first JP1 cable, which worked fine until the pins snapped off.
Is there any reason why that would not work?

[The Robman]

I proposed using an RJ11 telephone plug to repair the end of my first JP1 cable, which worked fine until the pins snapped off.
Is there any reason why that would not work?

A JP1 cable has a USB plug at one end, to connect to your computer, and a 2*3 Dupont connector at the other end, to connect to your remote. Which end were you proposing to replace with the RJ11 and how would that work? Surely the RJ11 would not fit into either the USB slot on your computer or the 6-pin on your remote.

[SysTech_Larry]

At the Dupont side.

1. RJ11* connector to
2. RJ11 junction to
3. RJ11 connector to
4. Dupont 2x3.

If it works, I can just swap out the end piece when it wears out.

So far, I have spent $40 on three replacement cables and none of them have worked. My original one works except for the Dupont connector.
AND, when I swap out the 1x6 connector for a 2x3 (and find out that it does not work), it voids the return warranty.

*An RJ12 is just a little more elegant, if it works.

[The Robman]

Do you keep wearing out Dupont connectors? If so, given that you can only buy Dupont connectors in bulk, that means you should have lots of spares if you've bought some. Then the only question is the pins themselves. Wouldn't it be easier to just buy more pins and a tool to install them, then just cut off the worn-out connector and install a new one, when needed.

Disclaimer: while I've installed many Depont connectors, I've never had to install the female pins themselves.

Here's a crimping tool:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FNQ9ZG6R/

Here's a kit with both the Dupont connectors and the pins:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B11SX39B/

[mdavej]

I've never had a JP1 cable wear out. Maybe if you heat shrink around the cable and connector that would be enough strain relief to keep it from wearing out?

I suspect your current issue is not actually caused by the cables. Just specify the correct the comm port. It can change when you plug in a different cable, and sometimes the Auto detect doesn't work.

[SysTech_Larry]

I took the Dupont end off of one of my new cables (that did not work) and mounted it on the end of my old cable. The latter worked when I applied pressure to it (on the the bricked 3680). I had to do that before my first cable went bad, too. That connection is too loose on the C4000 (compared to previous Dupont connector), so the remote is not recognized. I have a line on pre-crimped leads if my next cable does not work.

I am just wondering if the required JP1 bit speeds can make it through the RJ11 components.

Also, where can I buy shrink tubing that will fit over the 2x3 connector?

[TiceRex]

@SysTech_Larry,
I also don't really understand your problem...
I'm using my JP1 cable for 20+ years, on 10+ different remotes, I never had any connection issues, neither the cable, nor its housing did not wear out.

And I don't really understand how the RJ11/12 connector came here. It's a completely different standard, no relation to USB or DuPont connectors at all. Could you post a picture of your setup, please?

I am just wondering if the required JP1 bit speeds can make it through the RJ11 components.

The RJ45 connector (bigger, 8 ports version of the 4-6 ports RJ11/RJ12 connector) is able to handle 10 Gbps transfer via Cat6 cabling, compared to the FT232's 3Mbps. The latter is more than 3000 times slower...

Also, where can I buy shrink tubing that will fit over the 2x3 connector?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072PCQ2LW/
The 2/5" (10mm) version is perfect for a 2x3 connector.

[mdavej]

I got a similar variety pack of heat shrink at Harbor Freight for a similar price. I use 2 pieces on my cables, a big one for the connector and smaller one where it meets the cable. Nice tight fit.

I don't see any reason a phone jack/plug in between wouldn't work. But that seems unnecessary. Like TiceRex, most of my cables are many years old and still good as new.

[SysTech_Larry]

My first cable worked fine until the Dupont pins snapped.
The three subsequent cables gave a "Remote not found" error right out of the box, and bricked one of my 3680s.

I did not want to keep trimming back my working cable, so I terminated it with an RJ11 [6P4C] plug. (The second plug is just to insulate the unused lines, but an RJ12 [6P6C] plug would have done that more elegantly.)



Due to experimentation, this particular Dupont plug is too loose.