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Bruce Taylor avatar image
Bruce Taylor asked

USB to TTL converters

I am using some USB to TTL converters that came with some JDK BMS I purchased some years back, that are called JDK communications uart and are in a small black box with a usb printet socket and a small white 4 pin socket and are isolated usb devices as they contain opto isolators.

The attraction is price, they cost 19 dollars landed while the Victron direct cables are 75 dollars and i have 6x Victron devices

These original units marked JDK uart tools v 1.6 (FT232 Future Technology) work perfexrly when connecting to the Victron ve.direct ports.

I then recently purchased some more and they are marked v 1.7 (CH340 chips - Qinheng) but these do not work.

The boards are exacly the same apart from the uart chip size difference.

I am using a raspberry pi 3 running Venus version 3 large image. The consol command lsusb reports the following

root@raspberrypi2:~# lsusb

Bus 001 Device 010: ID 0403:6001 Future Technology Devices I

nternational, Ltd FT232 Serial (UART) IC

Bus 001 Device 013: ID 1a86:55d3 QinHeng Electronics

Bus 001 Device 006: ID 0403:6001 Future Technology Devices I

nternational, Ltd FT232 Serial (UART) IC

Bus 001 Device 005: ID 046d:c52b Logitech, Inc. Unifying Rec

eiver

Bus 001 Device 007: ID 0424:7800 Standard Microsystems Corp.

Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0424:2514 Standard Microsystems Corp.

USB 2.0 Hub

Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0424:2514 Standard Microsystems Corp.

USB 2.0 Hub

Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root h

ub

Not sure of the next step

Regards Bruce

mk3-usb
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4 Answers
Michelle Konzack avatar image
Michelle Konzack answered ·

The FT232 has TTL level and the CH340 is only 3,3V.


Another brand and had to be very careful because the Type look the same, but it differed only in one letter "t" or "e".


Same for the USR-TCP232-T or - T2 which is TTL level and works for all VE.Direct devices since I read the values over Ethernet using Telnet. Running a self programmed demon on my Intranet Server which capture all info's and let me use more then 15 VE.Direct devices.

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Bruce Taylor avatar image
Bruce Taylor answered ·

I purchased a seperate usb to ttl converter that had a FT232 uart and plumbed it into the jbd communications module to be able to use the isolation opto isolators and isolated 5v supply. The venus seems to like the 232 uart as the others were CH340 but i wasn't sure how to update drivers so a change in hardware was easier. JBD communications module v 1.6 version uses the FT232 uart where 1.7 version uses the ch340 uart.


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mjs500 avatar image
mjs500 answered ·

USB – UART Converter with 4 isolated ports duppa.netvedirect-connection-100x100.jpg
This is an amazing product. It connects up to 4 Victron devices to one USB port of your GX device. It is plug and play and does not need any configuration.


vedirect-connection-100x100.jpg (19.7 KiB)
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Michelle Konzack avatar image Michelle Konzack commented ·
Cool!


Since I have 8 BMV 702, 4 SmartShunt 500A and 1 SmartShunt 1000A, I just ordered 3 Bords and 14 VE.Direct cables for 174€.


I hope, the GX recognise the 3 USB devices together with a 5 port USB Hub.

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jmgarcia avatar image
jmgarcia answered ·

Hola,

Yo he comprado este "hub" de 4 x puertos TTL a MicroUSB con alimentación extra (si se desea usar para alimentar dispositivos) y funciona a plena satisfacción. https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B099DBXD8K/

Los 4 conectores TTL son XH2.54 4P hembra https://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B01LNWLN7M/ y se pueden convertir a conector VE.Direct JST 2.0 PH 4P hembra con estos https://www.amazon.es/ gp/producto/B01DU9P03Y/

Y este es el esquema de montaje:

brico-multi-vedirect-ft4232-usb-a-4xttl-uart.jpgEl cable rojo del positivo 5V se puede NO poner ya que los dispositivos Victron ya tienen su propia alimentación.

Aquí esta el enlace al brico: https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/183728/multiples-puertos-vedirect-a-traves-de-un-converso.html


brico-multi-vedirect-ft4232-usb-a-4xttl-uart.jpg (350.0 KiB)
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