Unable to connect to M1G

[Francois]

Hi,

I have a small M1G installation paired with a M1XEP module. My installation has been powered off for about 6 months due to an office renovation.

Today I powered up the M1G and the M1EXP, tried to connect to the M1G using ELKRP2 (v2.0.41) and failed.
This used to work flawlessly 6 months ago.

I checked the installation manual and everything seems fine.
The M1G serial number is correct.
The RP Access Code is correct.
The System URL/IP is correct.
The Port is correct.
The Connect Non-Secure is un-checked.
When I run M1XEP Setup, the M1XEP module is detected.
M1XEP secure and non-secure ports are different.
Still, when I initiated a connection via network, it fails.

So, I decided to connect a PC directly to the M1G serial port.
The COM1 port settings are: 115200, data 8, parity none, stop bit 1, flow none.
Beside 115200 baud rate, I couldn’t confirm the other parameters.
When I try to connect via the serial port, I get an error “System did not respond. Cannot detect baud rate setting.”

Help would be much appreciated.

Francois Boucher

[Brad Weeks]

When you found the M1XEP what IP Address of the M1XEP? In ElKRP2 click Setup, Options, Network Adapters in the dropdown you should see the IP Address of your computer on the Local Area Network and is the M1XEP the Computer on the same Local Area Network? For example if the M1XEP is at IP address of 192.168.1.100 your computer should be at 192.168.1.xxx address as we..

 

For the Direct Serial Connection Windows assigned COM Port 1 to the USB to the RS232 Cable? In ElkRP2 click Setup, Communication and under Direct Connect is COM1 listed?

[Francois]

Hi Brad,

On the M1XEP side, the M1XEP IP address is on the same subnet as the PC, ex. 10.28.22.56 for M1XEP and 10.28.22.111 for the PC. When I use the Find tool, I see the M1XEP.

For the serial connection, ELKRP2 is set to COM1 as assigned in Windows. I use the serial cable provided with the M1XEP between the PC and the M1G. The baud rate is 115200, but what should I use for the other serial parameters?
data bits:
Parity:
Stop bits:
Flow control:

Thanks

Francois Boucher

[Brad Weeks]

Default settings

[Francois]

So, with the COM1 port settings at 115200, data 8, parity none, stop bit 1, flow none, I get an error “System did not respond. Cannot detect baud rate setting.”

As mentionned in the previous post, does it mean the serial chip (Max Linear SP3232ECT) is defective? Or is there another test I can perform to isolate the problem?

Also, if I use PuTTY with the above settings, I see nothing in the PuTTY window. I’m not too familiar with RS232 communication. In the PuTTY configuration, I set the serial line to COM1, the Speed to 115200, the connection type to Serial. In the serial parameters, I set those used for ELKRP2 direct connection. When I establish the PuTTY connection, I get a black windows where there is no activity and if I click enter, nothing happens..

Any thoughts?

[Brad Weeks]

Did you plug into the flat grey ribbon cable included with the M1XEP or did you remove the ribbon cable and connect directly to the RS232 Serial Port on the M1? If direct connect and not seeing data traffic then it is assumed that something has happened to the serial port on the M1

[Francois]

The cable is not a grey ribbon cable. It’s a black round 9-pin male to female.

I disconnected the cable from the M1XEP module and plugged it into the PC.

Before the M1G shutdown for a few months, the setup used to work flawlessly.

 

[Brad Weeks]

If unable to direct connect or connect through the M1XEP then I suspect the issue is the M1 Serial Port has gotten damaged. If the M1 is less than 2 years old send an email to techsupport@elkproducts.com with the serial number and the original place of purchase and we’ll create the tech ticket for return to ELK for evaluation.

[Francois]

Unfortunately, it was purchased/installed in July 2022.

 

[Francois]

So, is my best bet the replacement of the serial chip (Max Linear SP3232ECT)?

[Brad Weeks]

That is certainly worth a try

[Francois]

Hello Brad,

I replaced the SP3232ECT surface mount chip. I hope I did a good job desoldering and resoldering the new one, but I have the same problem. I also used another serial cable and I still have no connection with M1.

In the manual, there seems to be an option to communicate between ELKRP and M1 via a phone line. I no longer have a hard phone line from a telco, but can I still connect a PC with a phone wire from the fax/modem card to the phone terminals on the M1? If Yes, what is the setup? I tried a few permutations, but ELKRP is always looking for a dial tone.

Can you help me on this?

Thanks
Francois

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