[DogParkList] interfacing: cables & drivers?

[B. Scott Andersen]

Chris,

First of all, this sure isn't a stupid question! But, there is
some trivia here that you might not know which does muddy things
a bit.

The cables you have pointed to are really a combination of the
following:

* 1/8" plug for connecting to the ICOM.

The ICOM radio does not "talk" using RS232C; it uses another
set of voltage levels which can be easily converted to RS232C.

* Level conversion between ICOM and RS232C.

* A USB RS232C device that, given proper drivers in the host
computer's operating system, will add a serial port to the list
of available ports on that computer (which is not connected to
your radio) that some logging program or rig control software
can connect to.

The trick now is to get those appropriate drivers for your computer.
Lots of stuff "just works" on the Macintosh, but it isn't "magic".
The little chip inside our adapter must have the corresponding drivers
inside your computer for the computer to recognize the device and
take advantage of it. The two links you showed us had pictures showing
the CDROM containing the Windows drivers. If you _knew_ you could find
Macintosh drivers for those little chips inside these adapters, you
could indeed use them. But, without knowing which USB-RS232C chipset
these devices use, it is a crapshoot as to whether you could find the
proper drivers.

I have myself purchased the RigTalk things from West Mountain Radio
but have yet to find the appropriate drivers for the Macintosh so I
can use it. (I've not looked in a while. I've been busy. But, when I
tried earlier, I came up empty.)

My point is this: it is fully possible to buy one of these cheap
alternatives and find the correct driver for the chip inside. If
you do, please tell us! It is also possible to not find the correct
driver and never get MacOS X to recognize the device.

You might be better off (if you like simplicity) finding a Keyspan
USB serial adapter that we _know_ works with the Macintosh, and
then find some cheap "level converter" for ICOM radios that turns
the radio's non-RS232C signals into RS232C so it works with the
Keyspan device.

If this is confusing or unhelpful, let me know and I'll try again.
I'm not always clear the first (or, sadly, sometimes second) time.

Take care. GL ES 73!

-- Scott (NE1RD)


On Nov 5, 2006, at 7:59 PM, EZ Rhino wrote:

> Here comes the proverbial stupid question, so bear with me:
>
> How do I connect my IC-735 to my iMac?  First order of business is  
> a cable.  I don't understand the need for a serial to USB converter  
> if I get a cable that goes directly to USB in the first place.   
> Something like this:
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=007&sspagename=STRK 
> %3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=170045335628&rd=1&rd=1
>
> or this:
>
> http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-CAT-CABLE-FOR-ICOM-IC-703-IC-706-IC-746- 
> IC-7000_W0QQitemZ200044377729QQihZ010QQcategoryZ48704QQssPageNameZWDVW 
> QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item200044377729
>
> These particular unit comes with drivers for a PC, but not a Mac.   
> Are the drivers cable specific, or will a generic driver for Mac  
> work with this cable ?  There is a link for a Universal Binary  
> Driver on the MLDX web site; would it work with the above cables?   
> Or is this a plug and play affair?  (I thought that was the whole  
> reason for buying a Mac...)  I am running OSX.
>
> I just noticed that Black Cat Systems makes a USB to Icom CI-V  
> cable, but at twice the price.  If anyone could steer me in the  
> right direction I would appreciate it.
>
> Chris
> KE7FYP

B. Scott Andersen  | "Magic is real, unless declared integer."
bsandersen at mac.com | -- The collected sayings of Wiz Zumwalt
Acton, MA (NE1RD)  | http://homepage.mac.com/bsandersen