RJ45 to RJ12 Converter cable for EQDIRECT.

[Avocette]

I have a HitecAstro EQDIRECT cable bought years ago for use with an EQ-5 Pro mount which was subsequently sold. I now have an AZGTi which I want to drive by cable. I thought of modifying the HitecAstro cable I have by either replacing the RJ45 (8 pin) connector with an RJ12 (6 pin) or alternatively making a converter cable using an RJ45 socket to RJ45 socket Ethernet extender and a short RJ45 to RJ12 cable. Has anyone already done this, and any advice for me please? I have read the EQDIRECT information page on SourceForge, although it has left me somewhat confused…..

Edited August 30, 2022 by Avocette
Mis-labelled connectors

[StevieDvd]

I have the opposite need.

The EQDirect cable I have for the AZ-GTi is no longer needed and I have been looking to see if I can get an adaptor from RJ12 to RJ45 so it can be used on my AZEQ6-GT and/or the new Staradventurer GTi

Also, in my cables box I have an old Hitecastro EQ5/EQ6 EQDirect cable as well. But this needs an older Prolific driver which does not save the COM port number/settings.

If I find any information that might help either of us I'll post it here.

 

 

[Adam J]

3 hours ago, Avocette said:

I have a HitecAstro EQDIRECT cable bought years ago for use with an EQ-5 Pro mount which was subsequently sold. I now have an AZGTi which I want to drive by cable. I thought of modifying the HitecAstro cable I have by either replacing the RJ45 (8 pin) connector with an RJ12 (6 pin) or alternatively making a converter cable using an RJ45 socket to RJ45 socket Ethernet extender and a short RJ45 to RJ12 cable. Has anyone already done this, and any advice for me please? I have read the EQDIRECT information page on SourceForge, although it has left me somewhat confused…..

Why on earth would you do that instead of using the usb port? 

Sorry that was directed @StevieDvdin respect the the Star Adventurer GTI can't change the quote now. 

Edited August 30, 2022 by Adam J

[StevieDvd]

13 hours ago, Adam J said:

Why on earth would you do that instead of using the usb port? 

Sorry that was directed @StevieDvdin respect the the Star Adventurer GTI can't change the quote now. 

 @Adam JMy main EQ6 mount does not have a usb port - I am using the usb port on the StarAdventurer GTi but if I need to use an eqdir cable for any reason it too has an RJ45 port.

I've been suggesting that the usb port on the new mounts is a viable option for a long time as a lot of folk did not know that was an option. The only caveat being the rj leads have a nice click-in option and the usb lead could possibly get pulled out (whether they consider that a safeguard or a drawback is their choice).🙂

 

[malc-c]

I would be very careful using convertors between 6 and 4 pin RJ connections, don't want to shove supply voltages up the PICS UART and blow the motor boards !!

[Avocette]

5 minutes ago, malc-c said:

I would be very careful using convertors between 6 and 4 pin RJ connections, don't want to shove supply voltages up the PICS UART and blow the motor boards !!

That's exactly why I was asking for advice - the SourceForge webpage has such warnings but where does the 12V risk come from? The RJ45 EQDIRECT cable for the AZGTi has only three connections made Gnd, RXD, and TXD, although I suppose there is a 12V line in the AZGTi RJ45 socket for use in powering a SynScan handset.

[Avocette]

16 hours ago, StevieDvd said:

I have the opposite need.

The EQDirect cable I have for the AZ-GTi is no longer needed and I have been looking to see if I can get an adaptor from RJ12 to RJ45 so it can be used on my AZEQ6-GT and/or the new Staradventurer GTi

Also, in my cables box I have an old Hitecastro EQ5/EQ6 EQDirect cable as well. But this needs an older Prolific driver which does not save the COM port number/settings.

If I find any information that might help either of us I'll post it here.

 

 

I've just checked my RJ12 EQDIRECT adapter and found it contains a Prolific chip. But there again so does my AZ/EQ-5 internally hidden behind the USB socket and I have no problem making connection with it from Indi on the RPi.

[StevieDvd]

13 minutes ago, Avocette said:

That's exactly why I was asking for advice - the SourceForge webpage has such warnings but where does the 12V risk come from? The RJ45 EQDIRECT cable for the AZGTi has only three connections made Gnd, RXD, and TXD, although I suppose there is a 12V line in the AZGTi RJ45 socket for use in powering a SynScan handset.

Yes as @malc-c says it's can be an expensive mistake if the wires are not correct. 

The prolific chipsets have several versions, some of the older ones do not work with the current drivers (especially with later Windows OS) - even older ones don't work at all now. Skywatcher are still using them in the newer mounts/handsets so they are not all obsolete.

I think I'll drop the idea of a convertor and only get an new eq6 version of an eqdir lead as/when I need it.

[malc-c]

3 hours ago, Avocette said:

That's exactly why I was asking for advice - the SourceForge webpage has such warnings but where does the 12V risk come from? The RJ45 EQDIRECT cable for the AZGTi has only three connections made Gnd, RXD, and TXD, although I suppose there is a 12V line in the AZGTi RJ45 socket for use in powering a SynScan handset.

On most goto mounts, Vcc and Vdd (typically 12v) can be found on the pins that connect to the handset as this is the main method of powering the handset.  

Technically, as the communications between the motorboards microcontrollers are 5v TTL serial, all you need is the TX/RX and GND wires from the TTL Serial to USB chip, be that Prolific or FTDI.  This is how I connect my HEQ5 to the observatory PC.  I purchased a 2m open wire FTDI 232-5V cable direct from FTDI's website and then terminated the TX/RX /GND wires in the RJ plug according to the EQMOD prerequisite web page.

If your mount has one of the newer motorboards with a built in USB-B port then provided you can get the Prolific driver to install and run on whatever platform you are running then using a standard USB A-B cable would be the safest route.  If you are replacing the handset with an EQDIR cable, then I would suggest its worth buying the correct EQDIR cable that's intended for use with that mount.  Spending £35 on a cable that is know to work is cheaper than spending a few quid on an untested adaptor only to find out it fry's the motorboard... 

that's my 2p worth anyway !