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Who is interested: Rs232 port RFXCOM compatible transceiver?

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    Who is interested: Rs232 port RFXCOM compatible transceiver?

    I am running my RFXCOM compatible equipment using a modified RFXtrx433 transceiver that runs directly from a com port, has a metal enclosure, and dedicated filtered power.

    It has occurred to me that others might be interested in such a setup, and I will construct a handful more.

    If using virtualization (VMWare, etc.), the transceiver can be hung off of a network based serial server. This works really well when using something like vSphere to run HS. I also find pure serial interfaces more stable with HS than introducing USB to the mix.

    Note that RFXCOM (meaning the company) will NOT warranty these modified units in any way. However, the chance for damage to the unit is actually during construction, so I see no real risk once they are built. I will warranty any problems for 30 days assuming one doesn't make further modification to the unit.

    The transceiver works that same as the normal USB one, except that it has a native serial port. Flashing the firmware, transmitting, and receiving all work that same.

    The device is easy to mount with the included metal case (for example in structured wiring cabinets) and the case adds RF shielding (theoretically this should improve receive performance or at the minimum reduces chances for localized electrical interference to the receiver).

    Power must be provided for the transceiver, and it can be any voltage between 5 and 30 volts DC. I will supply a 2.1mm power cord pigtail, a 2.1mm power cord connector with screw terminals, and a 2.1mm power to USB connector. With the pigtail or connector with screw terminals you can provide your own power, anything from 5 to 30 volts DC to power the unit. With the USB connector power cord, you can plug the unit into a computer USB port for power only (the data is handled via the rs232 port, the whole point of this custom transceiver). I will also include a 5 volt wall adapter. If you would prefer a 12 volt wall adapter (4 amp), then the price will increase 10 dollars. This option is mainly for those that might have other nearby devices to power with the same power adapter, and would prefer 12 volts.

    Contact me via email through the board. Let me know which case you want (see below and post #30).

    Included:
    -RFXtrx433 in custom metal case (regular case included by default. If you prefer the G106 case, then please specify. See below and post 30 for comparative pictures of the two cases)
    -2.1mm power connector with screw terminals and 2.1mm power connector pigtail (for using your own source of DC power)
    -5volt wall adapter (upgrade to 12v, 4amp adapter available for 10 dollars extra)
    -USB to 2.1mm power connector, in case you want to power it from a USB port (data still goes over native serial port)
    -Serial connection cable (DB9 to jack)
    -Right angle SMA adapter (for using the stock antenna, with the device sitting flat, or for using to help route the cable off the side of the unit if wall or cabinet mounting)
    -1 set of rubber feet (in case you will place it on a shelf or the like)

    Bonus while supplies last (I did get a bit more of this stuff, so I still have a few)
    -Antenna mounting bracket with SMA connector (for attic, wall, or etc. mounting of an antenna)
    -Choice of extra antenna (bigger than stock antenna, see post 30 for various pictures)
    -6 foot SMA to SMA jumper

    Price:
    -275 USD shipped

    I have a supply of various SMA coax assemblies and adapters. Please let me know if you also need something in particular (like a 2.1mm connector power splitter for two for four devices, longer coax, or etc).
    Attached Files
    Last edited by Automated; October 23, 2014, 02:20 PM.

    #2
    Here are some pictures. Here you can also see how I deal with RF interfaces. I wanted a harmonized look and feel in my structured wiring cabinets, with all wires 99% hidden, and the added benefit of proper RF shielding via the metal cases. You can see in the first picture, that I have one of my RF modules out of my "RF deck" area at the moment. The missing one is my x-10 receiver, which I am building now. I still need to wet steel wool sand those hold down bars, so they will have a nice brushed look when finished.

    In the second picture, you can see there are three jacks. They are for power, serial data (uses a 3.5mm stereo to DB9 serial cable), and antenna. The LED is tied to the power supply circuit output inside the module. If the LED is not lit up, then I know something sacrificed itself in protection (always the fuse, in the way that I designed the circuit). The fuse is a small metric sized one inside of an internal fuse holder, so it is easy to replace. The main purpose of the extra power supply protection is mainly for myself, since I tend to mess with things so much, and might plug something in wrong.

    Note this is my personal one. The LED holder is nicer on the ones I make for others; see the first post pictures.
    Attached Files
    Last edited by Automated; October 23, 2014, 02:25 PM.

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      #3
      I would have an interest. I have been looking at an RFXCOM unit for my next purchase.
      Any idea of the cost and would it come with the serial cable and power supply?

      Comment


        #4
        Who is interested: Rs232 port RFXCOM compatible transceiver?

        These will run 350 dollars plus shipping per unit with serial cable, power input cable/connectors, and etc. as listed now in the first post. Everything needed to get started is included. You just need a working serial port.

        I will only want to deal with payment through Paypal. If you are outside of the U.S. and want to purchase one of these units, please contact me via email (through the board here), and we can discuss it further.

        Edited to update cost and options now that I have sent out the main batch of these.
        Last edited by Automated; June 12, 2014, 10:08 PM.

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          #5
          Who is interested: Rs232 port RFXCOM compatible transceiver?

          I will also be checking to see if the guts for these will fit inside of a slightly different case that is even better for RF purposes, and even more durable.

          Edit: They do fit. See first post for an example of each case.
          Last edited by Automated; June 12, 2014, 10:09 PM.

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            #6
            Hi Automated, please pardon my ignorance with this question...
            I'm looking at getting a weather station and various other sensors (e.g. water temp) and it looks like I'd need a RFXrec433 receiver so I can get everything connected to HS. So as your device is a transceiver, what are folks using the transmitter part for in their automation projects, typically?
            All Z-Wave, #101 devices, HomeTroller Series2, HomeSeer2 v.2.5.0.81, & 1x Z-Troller

            Comment


              #7
              Who is interested: Rs232 port RFXCOM compatible transceiver?

              Hi Olbrit. It's a reasonable question. There are some devices that can be controlled by Homeseer using RFXCOM, and for those you need to send out a signal, not just receive them. For example, Rollertrol makes some shade motors that you can send commands to, to roll up, down, or stop. Another example are the LED controllers that are compatible, which can have their color set through RFXCOM. If all you would ever do is receive weather data to HS using RFXCOM, then you can save a little money and buy a receiver only. I would still recommend a transceiver though, as you might want to expand some day, and need it.

              Comment


                #8
                ok, thanks Automated. I assume that the same plug-in, or whatever I need in HS2 and/or HS3, for the RFXrec433 receiver is the same as for your RFXtrx433 transceiver?
                All Z-Wave, #101 devices, HomeTroller Series2, HomeSeer2 v.2.5.0.81, & 1x Z-Troller

                Comment


                  #9
                  Who is interested: Rs232 port RFXCOM compatible transceiver?

                  Originally posted by Olbrit View Post
                  ok, thanks Automated. I assume that the same plug-in, or whatever I need in HS2 and/or HS3, for the RFXrec433 receiver is the same as for your RFXtrx433 transceiver?

                  That is correct.

                  To be clear, my transceiver is a modified RFXCOM transceiver. I did not want to use a USB port (as I wanted to attach it directly to my network through a serial device server), and I wanted it in a nice box.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    My supplier of surplus equipment had a line of very nice brand new sma to sma coax jumpers, originally used in some microwave transceiver operation, for a very good price. I will go there tomorrow and check if they still have any. I believe they were 3 or 4 meters long, and they were very high end quality, good up to several Ghz, for a fraction of their worth. If so, I will try to get a handful to include with these transceivers. If it turns out that no one is interested, then I will eventually use them myself anyway.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Who is interested: Rs232 port RFXCOM compatible transceiver?

                      I was able to get a few sma jumpers, and some nice right angle sma assemblies. It does not appear that there is much interest for serial port connected interfaces though. I was hoping ten people would want them, so as to get a discount for the original interfaces from RFXCOM. Perhaps it's a case of building them, and slowly people would want them, but if I need to sit on the extras for months then it's not worth it.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Automated View Post

                        If using virtualization (VMWare, etc.), the transceiver can be hung off of a network based serial server. For myself this has proven a more reliable, "industrial" architecture, than relying on anything USB based, for various reasons.
                        Am curious what advantage there is to converting the USB transceiver to an RS-232 transceiver, to then be hung off a network based serial server, versus just buying the RFXLAN transceiver? http://www.rfxcom.com/store/Receivers/11201

                        P.S. Is that a 9-pin connector on the box you're holding? It's hard to tell from the angle of the photo. If so, are you using one of the commonly available USB-to-Serial adapter cables as the first step in your conversion chain?

                        P.P.S. I have one of the SIIG USB RFXCOM receivers, and for around $50 I purchased a generic USB to Ethernet server. It does nominally work, but I'm not happy with it, and I would *not* recommend it to others: it relies on a "virtual" USB driver on the PC to go from Ethernet back to USB. I'm sure Automated's design will be sound, but in the case of the SIIG unit I purchased, the problem was that the virtual USB driver was written so inefficiently that it consumes around 15%-20% of a low-end notebook's CPU's cycles even while idling. Considering the low datarate of the RFXCOM (just picking up occasional Oregon Scientific weather sensor data), that's very high overhead. In contrast, the Glocal Cache Serial2IP's (used for networking z-trollers) that I have (at 3x the price) don't have that problem. SIIG has since come out with a newer model, and I'm not sure whether it shares the high CPU overhead of the model I purchased about 8 months ago or whether it has a much better driver without the high overhead.
                        Last edited by NeverDie; May 4, 2014, 12:38 PM.

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                          #13
                          Who is interested: Rs232 port RFXCOM compatible transceiver?

                          I have a RFXLan from earlier as well. The problem is that it does not support as many devices as the newer USB models. You can use a device such as you tried, to put the device on the network, but the truth is that they will never work as smoothly as direct serial, because they are more complex. What I have done is tap the board at a point of TTL signaling, disconnected the internal USB chip, and instead soldered in a TTL to serial chip. This comes to a jack on the side, just because a jack is easier to drill a hole for than a 9 pin dsub. The cable that I use externally is purely the two connectors and wire. As the internal USB works are disconnected, I add my own power supply inputs as well. I have a row of interfaces running on 5volts, so run it on 5 volts. The internal regulator can handle from 5 to 30 volts though. (This paragraph edited compared to the quote of it below by NeverDie, because I now include a better power circuit than before, this 5 to 30 volt option).

                          This solution is not for everyone, but if you have many serial server connected interfaces, and use a lot of virtualization, then you may well be interested. There are a handful of ways to deal with USB devices and virtualization. I find this way to be the most robust for home automation.

                          Edit: I have heard from one person that is using this on a Hometroller, as evidently it has extra serial ports.
                          Last edited by Automated; June 12, 2014, 10:16 PM.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I would have an interest in one of these units.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Who is interested: Rs232 port RFXCOM compatible transceiver?

                              Thanks RBergquist. If we can get a good handful of others interested, then I will invest in the bulk buy of transceivers to start modifying. I received the alternate case yesterday, so I can have a look tomorrow about everything fitting. If so, people could have a choice which case they want.

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