llafro

I am trying to connect my AEM UEGO 30-0310 wideband through a serial port adapter. In looking at the directions, it says to connect the blue wire to pin 2 of the serial port adapter and the ground to pin 5. The USB to serial adapter is FTDI FT232RL. It's a female adapter. I cut a male-male serial port in half and used a continuity checker to figure out which wires are which. It turned out on that cable that the yellow was pin 2 and brown was pin 5. The pin numbers are per the numbers molded into the plastic. Tiny, but still visible. When I start the car up and click on "connect", the AEM wideband disappears from the parameters list. What gives?

dlandsvZ28

The directions in the 30-0310 Wiring Installation Diagram refers to the DB9 cable - not the USB to Serial cable. Don't cut the USB to serial cable. It contains a chip that converts the data. Without that chip you get nothing.

You must load the drivers and the software specific for your USB to serial adapter in order for your receiving device (laptop or pc) to read the data from the wideband controller.

This link with a pic in Post # 21 is how it should look.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/pcm-diagn...band-when.html

This link in Post # 7 has a pretty good explanation also.

https://forum.hptuners.com/showthrea...gh-Serial-port

The HP tuners forum or EFI live forum is the first place to search for answers. The how-to depends upon which software and the version you are using to read the data. EFI Live V1 for example can only read/interpret analog. So a how-to for a serial hookup gets you nowhere.

This link contains important information and background as well.

http://www.usconverters.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=62&chapter=0

If the link above doesn't open correctly - then google this "5 Steps for Selecting the Right USB to Serial adapter

The point the white paper is making is that not all USB to serial adapter are the same or have the best chips. Cheap isn't always best.

llafro

Some more information on what's going on:

These are the two cables I am using. The USB-Serial adapter is coiled in the middle. The cut serial cable is on the outside.


The ends of the USB-Serial adapter.


The ends of the cut serial cable:


How the serial cable is connected:


I used an electrical meter with continuity checker to test that I had the right wires. Pin 2 is the "receive" wire and is supposed to be connected to the blue wire from the AEM wideband controller. Pin 5 is the ground. It's connected to the same ground as the wideband controller.

I'm using HP Tuners 4.0 with an MPVI2 (There is currently no option available to input the data on a terminal strip like the original HPVI Pro. They are supposedly going to release a new adapter that plugs into the MPVI2 that I have, but it's more expensive and not really necessary if I can log the AFR with a serial data connection.

llafro

This is the USB-Serial adapter I have:


It says "FTDI FT232RL" on the serial end. FTDI is one of the recommended chips on the page you linked. The chip could certainly be the problem. No idea???

dlandsvZ28

According to others in another post in this forum, you can data log with a USB to serial cable connected to your AEM wideband (30-0310). But for now until HP deploys the data logging interface, you send data from your wideband to your laptop thru a COM Port (USB or serial).

Essentially you are data logging thru two connections: all of your PID data comes thru the OBD2 port and the wideband data thru the USB to serial cable(USB port). In the background HP handles the data and presents to you on a screen.

Software:

1)You must install the software and drivers for your USB to serial cable. During the install a "virtual' serial port is created on your laptop (virtual meaning it acts like a serial port even though physically it is a USB Port). The software handles the conversion.

2)You must set up HP to read data from the COM port. Note: once you choose a USB port, don't go flipping to other USB ports with your USB to serial cable.

The cables:

1)The USB end of the USB to serial cable plugs into an unused powered USB 2.0 port on your laptop/pc. If you only have one - you will need a USB/mini port with multiple ports.
2)The female end of the USB to serial cable connects to the male end of the DB9 serial cable that you have cut. It appears the cable has a blue and a black wire.
3)Temporarily twist tie each together and insulate with elect tape. Wrap with electrical tape the other wires to isolate from each other and from the blue and black wires. Later after testing, if you are able to read data from the wideband in HP tuners consistently, you can finalize the connection by soldering the blue and black wires and insulating with heat shrink tube.

hth

FYI: There are all kinds of links on the internet explaining how to view the COM ports and their properties. IMO it's a good idea to do some housekeeping and delete all unused associations especially for the selected com port. Google is your friend for this.

llafro

I installed the software that came with the USB-Serial adapter on a mini CD. There is a COM port that appears in the device manager on my laptop once the USB adapter is plugged in. The settings for the port match those specified by AEM: Baud rate: 9600 / Data Bits: 8 / Parity: None / Stop Bits: 1. Here's what Device manager shows:



In terms of the wiring connections between the cut serial plug and the wideband controller, the cable I am using seems to have pin 2 connected to the yellow wire, and pin 5 connected to the brown wire. I mapped the pins to each of the colors using a continuity tester. Unless I'm doing something wrong with that process? There are numbers molded into the plastic of the serial cable, so I'm going off those numbers.

In the photo below, the pins are labeled 1-5 on the top row from left to right, and 6-9 on the bottom row.


The thing I don't see in HP Tuners is how to select the COM port to use. In the VCM scanner program, you add a channel, select "serial" and there is an option for "AEM - AFR". Once I double click that one, it is added to the channel list. If you right click on the AEM - AFR channel, it gives an option for "Transform...", but that doesn't have any place where you would select a com port. Maybe it just picks the only one available, since there is only COM 1 on the computer. Under transform, there is a pre-defined entry for "AEM 30-(03x0, 2340, 5130)", but using that preset didn't make things work.

dlandsvZ28

There are no wire color code standards for the DB9 cable. So if you have determined that the yellow wire connects to the pin #2 then I would connect the yellow wire to the AEM blue wire. Same goes the ground wire - brown from Pin #5 to the AEM black wire.

It shouldn't make any difference, but select Hardware in the Flow Control field in the properties dialog form that displays (Port SettingsTab) .

Not sure what OS is loaded on your laptop, but COM1 is typically always reserved for a true serial port. However, according to your screenshot, the software for your USB to Serial cable selected COM1(USB Serial Port). You might test by changing it to the next available unused COM Port (2,3,or 4). Once you associate a COM port with an external device the OS remembers it on succeeding connections. Out of habit since my first 386, I always reboot after hardware and software changes.

See link for "How To" change com port.

http://support.technologicalarts.ca/...alCOMports.pdf

To get the Description to change after changing the com port - unplug and re-insert the cable.

If none of the above works then I would install HyperTerminal or a similar product to see if the wide band transmits to it. It if works, the AFR will display as it transmits. HyperTerminal by default is not installed with Win 7 or Win 10.

Note: you did not specify if your laptop has more than two USB ports (assume you are using one for HP tuners and the other for the USB cable). Follow the instructions in the software if you test the cable in a different USB port. I have found that some USB ports are better than others.

llafro

OS is Windows 10 Pro. When I first inserted the USB-Serial adapter, it wound up by default as COM 3. When it didn't work, I tried changing it to COM 1 just to see. I never changed it back. I did try using Putty as a terminal emulator to see what data was coming from the serial port, but nothing was there. It was just blank. I did set Putty to read COM 1 and made sure the data parameters were the same as those specified by AEM. You would think this should be easy.

I'm not some neophyte when it comes to wiring. I do a fair amount of control and automation stuff on the side, where there isn't a manual. I put together control systems for a 65 kw diesel generator in a passenger railroad car (basically a giant RV). The system detects when ground power is disconnected, automatically starts the diesel, brings it up to operating speed using an electronically powered governor, and then connects the load after a set delay. When power is plugged in again, it disconnects the generator, connects the power, and the generator goes into a cooldown mode before automatically stopping. There are a dozen relays and timers involved with probably 50 feet of wiring inside a custom box.

dlandsvZ28

I think for the time being you need to remove HP Tuners from the mix and then test each component from the AEM blue and black wire all the the way to USB port you are using on your laptop including removing and reinstalling the drivers and software for the USB to serial adapter.

So to start:

Test AEM wideband and gauge.

When you start the car, is the AFR gauge displaying AFR from the wideband? If it is then let's assume the blue and black AEM wires are also wired correctly and will transmit data to your laptop. The blue and black wires on the AEM-30-4100/4110 are from within the gauge rather than from the controller like your model. The point being for for now, is that you have to assume if the gauge is displaying data that the data transmitted from the wires from the controller or the gauge are too.

Test the DB9 232 cable.

When you checked continuity for pins 2 and 5 did you do it before cutting the cable or just the cut cable you are using?

The reason for asking is that there are two types of DB9 serial cables (Crossover or "Null Modem" vs. Straight Through Serial Cable) . The RS-232 specification defines two types of serial devices, DTE and DCE. DTE normally refers to the serial port on a PC or terminal, while DCE refers to a modem or other type of communications device.

The pinout of the connectors on both sides of the cable are exactly the same with a straight-through serial cable. A null modem serial cable (frequently called a crossover cable) is used to connect two DTE devices together without the use of a DCE device in between with the wires crossed.

Null modem - explanation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Null_modem

So you can see it's important that the signal from the blue AEM wire must end at pin two on the male end of the DB9 cable where it is inserted into pin hole 2 on the female end of the USB to serial adapter. Not pin 3.

How to test your cables.

Note: not all USB to serial cables are the same. Some have lousy and poorly written drivers, software and chips and some are are good. One poster on another thread had to test more than one cable to work with several laptops before finding one that worked and was consistent . So you might have a bad USB to serial adapter. IMO, if you are in the business of tuning and your reputation depended on it, I would opt for an industrial grade adapter cable instead of the one at Walmart for $5.95.

http://www.ni.com/tutorial/3450/en/ Serial cable test

http://www.usconverters.com/download...-back-test.pdf USB to Serial cable test

Drivers and software:

I would start over and delete the drivers and software for the USB to serial adapter. I would also delete all associations for COM1 and COM3. Next reinstall the software. After reinstalling I would switch to COM 5 unless the software installation selected a port other than 1,2,3, or 4.

Test your USB ports.

https://www.wikihow.tech/Check-USB-Ports-on-PC-or-Mac

I wouldn't attempt to add HP tuners into the mix until you can actually transmit data from your wide band to Hyperterminal and/or PUTTY (if that is what you are using). The AFR text in PUTTY should match the readout on the gauge as the car runs and wide band heats up.

HTH

You said it should be easy. With your experience, looks like you are up to the challenge. With the over 2 billion computers and over a trillion lines of code or more in software, we should be thankful it all works as well as it does.

llafro

Thanks. I will try to test the USB-Serial adapter tonight. I can use the cut cable itself to create the loop-back.

This is the cable I'm using:


I checked the continuity after I cut the cable in two. I kept wondering somehow if I hadn't managed to mix up the pins or if plugging them together was causing the pins to be wrong.

The wideband controller I bought does not have a gauge. It's just a box with outputs for serial data, analog 0-5 v with reference ground, and AEMNet/CanBus. I did verify that the controller and sensor are working using the instructions. It has you connect things up on a bench and use the gas from a cigarette lighter to simulate a rich condition. The voltage at the analog output correctly goes from 4.5 v (full lean) to 0.5 v (full rich) and then back over a second or so as the gas dissipates. So, it's just the serial data that either isn't making it out of the controller, or isn't making it to the laptop.

llafro

The serial port adapter checks out OK by connecting the transmit and send together per the instructions. The only thing I can think of is that I had the wiring backwards from the very start. I don't have the wideband here (it's on the project car at a friend's house), but I will have to recheck to see if I wasn't just being dumb and managed to connect it backwards. I checked and rechecked it, but my initial info may have been off. Ugh! Fingers crossed!

dlandsvZ28

Good to hear - you are making progress. Hope it's not the controller and that you have to return and have AEM test before they will warranty.

wdk

I have just gone through all of this and managed to get it to work with a powered usb hub and waiting until the car is running and the gauge is heated up and outputting data before starting my computer