PSCusb with Brookshire Visual Show Automation (VSA) software

tstewart1

Hello,

I would like to control a PSCusb board using VSA from Brookshire. After reading over the doc's it would seem the PSCusb uses a 0-5 TTL, where as VSA requires rs232 signalling. The Brookshire website shows a conversion circuit at the following URL that will convert the rs232 tx to a TTL positive serial signal.

http://www.brookshiresoftware.com/rd_how_sscs_work.htm#parallax

My question is, has anyone used the PSC with VSA before and if so do you really have to build the conversion circuit?

Thanks

Tim

allanlane5

Funny, the link you gave us is a link to the parallax PSC board, but on the Brookshiresoftware site. We KNOW how the PSC works, its the VSA we don't know about.

Hang on, I'll be back in a bit.

OK, yes, you'll need a MAX232 converter circuit, I believe.· http://www.kronosrobotics.com/xcart/customer/product.php?productid=16338&cat=291&page=1·is a pretty good one, not expensive, and very self-contained.

Oh, wait, if you get the USB version of the PSC, you should be able to connect it directly to your PC.

Let me say that one more time.· If you purchase the PSC-USB, the 'serial port' connection being called out in the documentation you referenced is already replaced with the USB port circuitry.· Thus you don't need the MAX232 circuit, IF you connect using the USB port.

Post Edited (allanlane5) : 8/1/2006 6:36:13 PM GMT

tstewart1

Thanks for the response. The link should be correct (I just tested it). I was confused with the Brookshire doc's since they mentioned both the serial controller and usb controller. After thinking about it, I belive you are right....the usb version obviously would not have this issue. duh [noparse]:)[/noparse]

Thanks

Tim