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Build your homemade casio calculator cable

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Build your homemade casio calculator cable

Postby helder7 » Sun Jan 13, 2013 4:46 pm

WARNING:
This site is not responsible for any damages resulting from the construction of a homemade cable. Do it at your own risk.
Some of these cables are registered under patent, so you can build for personal use ONLY.


Calc (COM) <-> Pc Cable (SERIAL)
This cable is used especially with Algebra FX (AFX) and Color FX (CFX) casio calculators.
However, this cable does not come included in the calculator package. Furthermore official cables are rare and very expensive. So the solution found by some users is to build a homemade cable.

Advantages:
-Cheap
-Easy to build (If you know how to weld components)

Disadvantages:
-The cable is less resistant
-Some software may not accept the cable.

Tip:
-If your computer does not have serial port, you can buy an adapter "USB to RS232 Serial Port Adapter" at Dealextreme by only 3$ (with free shipping).

There are various schemes on the internet that I gathered below:

-> FA-122 Cable (recommended)
This is drawing for the cable sold by Casio called FA-122/FA-124. The cable is designed by Lawrence Henry Berg.

You can get more information about this cable on Lawrence Henry Berg's pages. The design is under patent, so you can make one for your own use, but not for sale.

Part list
• 2.5 mm stereo jack
• any NPN transistor like 2N2222A
• Zenerdiode any value over 6V works.
• P channel DMOS FET (Field Effect Transistor), must be matched with part number 6. The upper one in picture is Siliconix SiVP 01069602, and lower one Zetex of UK ZVP3306. If you don't know a place to get this part ask it from Lawrence Henry Berg. He promised that he will send parts against for a small donation.
• resistor 1 000 000 ohms.
• Zenerdiode, value must be matched with FET (part number 4). If upper one in picture is used, value should be 5.1V, for lover FET, value 4.7V.
• 270 ohm resistor sip (single inline package). Can be substituted with 3 single 270 ohm resistors.
• 4.7 Kilo-ohm resistor sip. Can be substituted with 3 single 4.7K hm resistors.
• Resistor 4.7 Kilo-ohm.
• 9-pin D-connector, female.

Image

-> Alternative Cable (1)

This cable was built by many users of various sites casio (some dead) who reported success. :)

Part List
• 2.5 mm stereo jacket
• 9 or 25 pin D-connector female (DB 9 is recommended)
• 5 electrolytic capacitors. All with same value between 1uF and 22uF (we work with 10uF)
• 2 Diodes, 1N4148
• 1 Transistor 78L05
• 1 MAX232 IC (ICL232CPE)
• An IC socket with 8 holes at each side. This is optional but we recommend this strongly, since an IC can not • stand heat very good. The socket can stand the heat better.
• Don't forget the wires and the board to place the components on.

Image

-> Alternative Cable (2)

Part List
• 2.5 mm stereo jacket
• 9 pin D-connector female
• 4 electrolytic capacitors with same value (0,1 uF)
• 1 Maxim Max232A

Image

-> Alternative Cable (3)

Part List
• 2.5 mm stereo jacket
• 9 pin D-connector female
• 1 Maxim Max233A

Image

After you choose which cable you want to build, you should follow the steps below:

STEP ONE - Buy the components
Where can I buy the components? This is one of the most frequently asked questions. well, why don't you just look in the phonebook, yellowpages search for electronics or ask a friend who is 'in' this electronic stuff, grab your bike or use public transportation and move yourself to the address of the shop you found. It's that simple.
But first print the scheme and the partlist to show it to the shopassistant, if you don't know what your talking about he or she will.
Also in internet there are shops specializing in electronic components, ebay, dealextreme and other web shops.

STEP TWO - Assembling the cable
Take your soldering-bolt and connect everything according to the scheme.

STEP THREE - Test the cable - Important!
First check every connection, does everything makes connection? did you placed your capacitors the right way? etc etc. double check it. Now plug it into your pc. DO NOT connect your calculator yet! Start your pc if you not already done this, now start a program which let you manually write to you comports. Hyperterminal for example, this program is included in windows (XP only), if it's not installed get your Windows CD and install it.
There are some similar alternatives for Vista and Seven, google is your friend ;) .

Now, start the program and choose the comport you did connected your cable to. (usually com2 as com1 is mostly used for the mouse.)

bit per second: 9600 databits: 8 parity: none stopbit: 2 Xon/Xoff control: none.

Now, if you type something in the pc will send it to the cable. type something. Nothing should appear on your screen, if however it does appear on your screen you did something wrong and should check your cable again.

Ok nothing appears, now connect the top and middle of the 2.5 mm plug with each other. type something, your name for instance. If it appears correctly on your screen the data is send and received with succes! however of it doesn't appear (correct) there is something wrong and you should check everything again. (note: make sure you connected the top and middle firmly, but it usually already works if you put it between your lips. Where do those tinkles come from?)

STEP FOUR - Use your cable
Good luck!

I would like to share with you a photo of my homemade cable. It is based on the first scheme (fa-122/4) and works with all programs like FA124, CasioCOM, Flash100 and FlashCOM...
Image
(Yep, my mobile phone has low photographic quality :( ...)


Calc <-> Calc Cable (SB-62)

The cable used to transfer programs between two casio compatible calculators is known as SB-62.
Usually, Casio provides this cable when buying a new graphing calculator. But if you have not, it is very simple to make.

The list of components is very small, you only need:
• 2 male jack plug 2.5 mm stereo
• 1 three wire cable (2 conductors + ground) to connect your two jack plugs

When you are building the cable you should reverse the transfer lines Tx and Rx.
The GROUND line should be connected to another GROUND line. See diagram below that I did:

Image

Credits/Thanks to:
piurso.no.sapo.pt - By diagrams and some information.
SiO2 + CaCO3 ----------> CaSiO3 + CO2

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Re: Build your homemade casio calculator cable

Postby flyingfisch » Fri Feb 01, 2013 5:46 pm

wow, looks very useful! do you mind if I cross-post this on UCF (with a link to this page obviously) :)

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Re: Build your homemade casio calculator cable

Postby helder7 » Sat Feb 02, 2013 12:20 am

Having duplicate content on multiple domains is bad for a site only with 4/5 months :(
Is it better to rewrite something based on this information. Anyway, I think there is already a topic about this on UCF.
SiO2 + CaCO3 ----------> CaSiO3 + CO2

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Re: Build your homemade casio calculator cable

Postby Casimo » Sat Feb 02, 2013 9:39 am

flyingfisch wrote:wow, looks very useful! do you mind if I cross-post this on UCF (with a link to this page obviously) :)

helder7 wrote:Having duplicate content on multiple domains is bad for a site only with 4/5 months :(


I've got an idea: flyingfisch makes a locked topic with just a link to this forum. -> You have got more activity and flyingfisch shared the information on UCF!

helder7 wrote:a site only with 4/5 months :(

Let's see whether I can help you make Casiopeia more active ;)
Image

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Posts: 369
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Re: Build your homemade casio calculator cable

Postby helder7 » Sat Feb 02, 2013 12:07 pm

Casimo wrote:
I've got an idea: flyingfisch makes a locked topic with just a link to this forum. -> You have got more activity and flyingfisch shared the information on UCF!

ok, he can do it :D
SiO2 + CaCO3 ----------> CaSiO3 + CO2

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Re: Build your homemade casio calculator cable

Postby flyingfisch » Sun Feb 03, 2013 12:26 am

Helder: I will post it in the interesting links thread. ;)

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Re: Build your homemade casio calculator cable

Postby happy » Mon Feb 11, 2013 8:12 am

1) Sorry, it is not obvious here or in the pfranc.com page, but will this cable work with 9860GII (both models) and Prizm?

2) And if it does, any other reason I would need a Calc-PC cable for my 9860 other than that the PC might only have a serial, and no USB port? (I am curious to see if anyone has other applications of the cable on a 9860/Prizm, that's all)

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Re: Build your homemade casio calculator cable

Postby SimonLothar » Mon Feb 11, 2013 9:52 am

happy wrote:1) Sorry, it is not obvious here or in the pfranc.com page, but will this cable work with 9860GII (both models) and Prizm?
Yes, it works with every single one of the CASIO calculators I own.

happy wrote:2) And if it does, any other reason I would need a Calc-PC cable for my 9860 other than that the PC might only have a serial, and no USB port? (I am curious to see if anyone has other applications of the cable on a 9860/Prizm, that's all)
With my Prizm I did not yet manage to access the USB-port as serial device, which is easily possible with my fx-9860 and fx-9750 calculators. If I want to access my Prizm using protocol 7.00 I still need the serial interface. The fx-7400GII has no USB port at all, so you need the serial in any case. But I think these applications are mostly for special interest. You do not actually need them.
I'll be back!

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Re: Build your homemade casio calculator cable

Postby happy » Mon Feb 11, 2013 2:08 pm

Thanks Simon. I was thinking of making a data collection tool; use calculator to enter numbers and POST the data to a web service. When you have time, could you take a look at this: http://serialio.com/products/mobile/wifi/WiSnapAAA.php. And its user guide: http://serialio.com/support/wifi/WiSnap ... 6-2.45.pdf? From the user guide, it seems possible (p. 50 onwards) that the WiSnap adapter has the capability to write anything that comes on its serial port to an HTTP stream. Do you think it is a good idea to attempt?

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Re: Build your homemade casio calculator cable

Postby SimonLothar » Mon Feb 11, 2013 3:56 pm

happy wrote:Do you think it is a good idea to attempt?
Indeed a good idea. Sounds very interesting. According to the hardware manual, it accepts TTL signal level as well, so you don't even need the active adapter cable. Do you know the price?
I'll be back!

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