Foretrex 201 connection woes...

Bitstring <[email hidden]>, from the wonderful person
Steve <[email hidden]> said

Quoted message said:

Has anyone encountered problems connecting a Foretrex 201 to a PC/laptop?

*Cannot* get mine to talk using the serial cable supplied. I have tried
2 laptops and 1 desktop, and MM and Anquet.

Re-set the device, and checked all apps that could hold on to the COM
port are closed on all machines. COM ports are working with other
peripherals. Set Interface protocols to Garmin *and* NMEA - zip.

Current theories : 1. Cable 2. Cradle connection (but power works OK)
3. Device itself

If you have a multi-meter, or just a continuity tester, you can check
the cable fairly easily (and probably the cradle connection too). If
it's under warranty (which it should be) I'd be tempted to send it back
though and let the vendor pick the bones out.

--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
Outgoing Msgs are Turing Tested,and indistinguishable from human typing.

A simple test is to fire up Hyperterminal and use a loopback connecter on
the cable, a metal paper clip between pins 2 and 3, the transmit and receive
pins, press some keys in hyperterminal and you should see them being echoed
back.

Try it on a working serial cable first, if possible.

If that fails make sure hardware handshaking is turned off.

Also simply connect your Foretrex whilst running hyperterminal you should
see something being displayed, it might be garbage, if it is you probably
have the wrong baud rate, but at least you will have proved the cable is OK.

--

Ted Ferenc. (http://www.ndrw.co.uk)
This message, and any attachment, is private and confidential.
It is intended only for the named addressee(s).
"Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Has anyone encountered problems connecting a Foretrex 201 to a PC/laptop?

*Cannot* get mine to talk using the serial cable supplied. I have tried
2 laptops and 1 desktop, and MM and Anquet.

Re-set the device, and checked all apps that could hold on to the COM
port are closed on all machines. COM ports are working with other
peripherals. Set Interface protocols to Garmin *and* NMEA - zip.

Current theories : 1. Cable 2. Cradle connection (but power works OK)
3. Device itself

Thanks,

Steve

Ted Ferenc said:

A simple test is to fire up Hyperterminal and use a loopback connecter on
the cable, a metal paper clip between pins 2 and 3, the transmit and receive
pins, press some keys in hyperterminal and you should see them being echoed
back.

Quoted message said:

Try it on a working serial cable first, if possible.

Quoted message said:

If that fails make sure hardware handshaking is turned off.

Quoted message said:

Also simply connect your Foretrex whilst running hyperterminal you should
see something being displayed, it might be garbage, if it is you probably
have the wrong baud rate, but at least you will have proved the cable is OK.

If you set it to NMEA and connect up hyperterminal with the right baud
rate, bits, etc you should see text strings with lots of numbers
ticking out once a second or so.

If you know anyone with a recent Garmin and a cable then theirs should
connect in the same way, so you could validate your computer end.

--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] +44 (0)131 651 3445 DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

Steve said:

Has anyone encountered problems connecting a Foretrex 201 to a PC/laptop?

*Cannot* get mine to talk using the serial cable supplied. I have tried
2 laptops and 1 desktop, and MM and Anquet.

I had a similar problem with my Foretrex 101 until I pushed the cable
into the Foretrex a bit harder. It needs to click into place.

Andreas

In article <[email hidden]>, Chris Malcolm
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Ted Ferenc said:

A simple test is to fire up Hyperterminal and use a loopback connecter on
the cable, a metal paper clip between pins 2 and 3, the transmit and receive
pins, press some keys in hyperterminal and you should see them being echoed
back.

Quoted message said:

Try it on a working serial cable first, if possible.

Quoted message said:

If that fails make sure hardware handshaking is turned off.

Quoted message said:

Also simply connect your Foretrex whilst running hyperterminal you should
see something being displayed, it might be garbage, if it is you probably
have the wrong baud rate, but at least you will have proved the cable is OK.

If you set it to NMEA and connect up hyperterminal with the right baud
rate, bits, etc you should see text strings with lots of numbers
ticking out once a second or so.

If you know anyone with a recent Garmin and a cable then theirs should
connect in the same way, so you could validate your computer end.

Sadly the Foretrex uses another new type of cable so it is not
compatible with the eTrex / Geko cables.

--

Dominic Sexton

Andreas Schneider <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Steve said:

Has anyone encountered problems connecting a Foretrex 201 to a PC/laptop?
*Cannot* get mine to talk using the serial cable supplied. I have
tried 2 laptops and 1 desktop, and MM and Anquet.

I had a similar problem with my Foretrex 101 until I pushed the cable
into the Foretrex a bit harder. It needs to click into place.

My life seems to have been plagued with stuff that needed "just a little
more pressure" before it worked, or which breaks when "Just a little
more pressure" is applied.

In my prime I could fix almost anything, once I had broken it apart.
;-)
--
Gordon Harris

Gordon Harris said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I had a similar problem with my Foretrex 101 until I pushed the cable
into the Foretrex a bit harder. It needs to click into place.

My life seems to have been plagued with stuff that needed "just a little
more pressure" before it worked, or which breaks when "Just a little
more pressure" is applied.

In my prime I could fix almost anything, once I had broken it apart. ;-)

Sadly, I'd thought of the connection itself, and made sure that it
clicked into place and even tried elastic banding the cradle to the
Garmin to hold the contacts together. Still nothing.

Good suggestion though.

Steve