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Programing Cable

nbsr

nbsr

Active Member
Mar 29, 2014
85
92
28
Hudson Valley, NY
I have a box of cables that probably got started in 74. It bugged me that I couldn’t use any usb to usb mini B to program a Stryker, Anytone, and Radioddity. Why buy one when I could maybe make one. It’s a $20 savings, but when I do it myself it feels like it’s worth $200. Here’s the V1 schematic and a mini B pin out. I bought the cable but was still wondering why.
Screenshot 2024-03-11 061125.pngminib.jpg
 

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You can't use just any cable (or make your own) because there are chips in the USB plug on a programming cable ! This is also why you can't use for example, an older Anytone cable on a newer radio........the chipset in the USB cable head is different for each circuit revision.
 
BC Coyote said:
You can't use just any cable (or make your own) because there are chips in the USB plug on a programming cable ! This is also why you can't use for example, an older Anytone cable on a newer radio........the chipset in the USB cable head is different for each circuit revision.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I had no idea obviously.
 
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The chip creates the com port on the PC and therefore will require drivers. The two main chips are FTDI and Prolific. The one you showed is the Prolific and requires drivers to be loaded, the FTDI drivers are built into Windows. Once you get the correct drivers loaded you should be able to make the other end easily enough.

Here are the drivers for the cable you have - https://www.prolific.com.tw/US/ShowProduct.aspx?p_id=225&pcid=41
 
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Funny you mentioned the drivers. I spent hours living in device manager and watching my comm ports disappear, reloading drivers, living in the code 10 world of PL2303. Not sure when the next windows update will wipe them out again. It has happened around 3 times now it the past year and a half. Word on a site that I got the last fix from stated that there were bandit Prolific chips out there so they refuse to support them. If I had a blood pressure problem, I would have popped an artery.
 
I've had zero problems with drivers.
I have both a 6666 and a 5555N2; Software for both was super easy to download. Plugged in the cable (same one for both radios). Drivers installed automatically. Then had to look in device manager, see which comm port was associated to the cable, and put that into the GUI dropdown menu for the port. Took about 30 seconds. Worked perfectly on both radios. No issues at all with running it all on my 6 month old Windoze computer.

That said, I also tried to run it on an older Win 7 PC, and an even older XP machine, no dice on either. The radio software is not supported on them.

I suspect a lot of the problems people are having with software and/or drivers is because they are running ancient computers; which pretty means all computers more than 5 or 6 years old ! :oops:
 
nbsr said:
Funny you mentioned the drivers. I spent hours living in device manager and watching my comm ports disappear, reloading drivers, living in the code 10 world of PL2303. Not sure when the next windows update will wipe them out again. It has happened around 3 times now it the past year and a half. Word on a site that I got the last fix from stated that there were bandit Prolific chips out there so they refuse to support them. If I had a blood pressure problem, I would have popped an artery.
Click to expand...
35+ years in IT dealing with Microsoft (MCSE and Novell CNE) and all their crap! I will never use a Windows pc again for home or hobby, I am Linux and Mac 100%, if in the rare occasion I need Windows I have a VM on my Linux machine.
 
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w9cll said:
I am Linux and Mac 100%, if in the rare occasion I need Windows I have a VM on my Linux machine.
Click to expand...
I'm running 11 and nothing but annoyance. I have an old mac, just might put ubuntu on it after what you said. Wasn't aware linux could do the job, was told windows only environment. Now I have to remember how to. I like the suggestion.​
 
nbsr said:
I'm running 11 and nothing but annoyance
Click to expand...
Not sure why you are having all these problems. Are you sure it's the right cable ? Anytone 5555Nii, 6666, Stryker 955v2, CRT-7900, QT-60, all use the same one.
If the cable is from an earlier version of any of those radios it won't work no matter how many drivers you install. Forget the useless Prolific stuff, the right cable is the FTDI one.
If you use the right cable and an up to date version of Windows 10 or 11 the drivers install automatically and the whole process takes about 2 minutes.
 
nbsr said:
Windows update keeps taking out the drivers for the comm ports.
Click to expand...
Weird. Not sure why that is happening...... If you use a FTDI cable the drivers are permanently installed in Windows and are not affected by updates.
You must be running Prolific drivers if they keep disappearing.
As I said above, forget the Prolific garbage and get an FTDI cable.
 
BC Coyote said:
Weird. Not sure why that is happening...... If you use a FTDI cable the drivers are permanently installed in Windows and are not affected by updates.
You must be running Prolific drivers if they keep disappearing.
As I said above, forget the Prolific garbage and get an FTDI cable.
Click to expand...
I got the cable direct from Stryker, which cable should I get?
 

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