SIO2PC/10502PC Dual USB and Mac (doesn't seem to work)

[Mathy]

Hello guys

 

I'm new to this whole SIO2PC thing and haven't really used any emulators (except for a short peak at some software).

 

A while ago, I bought atari8warez' SIO2PC/10502PC Dual USB interface, but can't seem to get it to work. If I plug this thing into the iMac, should I see some icon appearing in the navigation column?

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

Edited September 22, 2013 by Mathy

[kogden]

It just acts like a USB->serial interface most likely. If it's based on an FTDI chip, you'll need drivers from FTDI's site. Then you'll need some software like SIO2OSX to make it go.

 

Is it an Intel or PowerPC iMac?

 

There was a free app called SIOServer floating around at some point that had a really nice looking interface. Worked well for serving up standard disk images.

Edited September 23, 2013 by kogden

[Marius]

@mathy

 

Kogden is right; probably seen in Sio2OSX as 'SERIAL1' or something like that.

 

You need to know what chipset is in the sio2usb.

 

And about Mac:

When I connect my scanner to my mac, I also do not see any icons appearing in any menu or column or whatsoever. But that does not mean my scanner is not working.

 

I think there is a big chance that the sio2PC USB is in fact a USB -> RS232 adapter, wired to SIO. The two most comon chipsets are FTDI and PL230x ...

 

Good luck!

M.

[Mathy]

Hello guys

 

It's an Intel-Mac. I have installed the driver in the CD and have even updated it.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

[atari8warez]

@Mathy, I am not familiar with Macs but when you plug the device into the USB port, you should see a new COM port (called a virtual COM port) on your computer. Do you see that happening?

[Mathy]

Hello atari8warez

 

The Mac doesn't bother people with COM ports. I don't see anything happen, that's why I was asking.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

[atari8warez]

It doesn't??, so how do you see your existing COM ports in Mac OS X? I think the answer to that is in the following document:

 

This is the instructions on how to install FTDI VCP drivers in Mac OS X

 

And the following is an excerpt from that document:

When the computer has rebooted, plug in the device. If the device is installed properly, you will

see entries in the /dev directory:

/dev/cu.usbserial-xxxxxxxx

/dev/tty.usbserial-xxxxxxxx

where xxxxxxxx is either the device''s serial number or, for unserialized devices, a location string

that depends on which USB port your device is connected to. Note that for FT2232C devices port

A is denoted by the serial number appended with "A" and port B is designated by the serial number

appended with "B".

/dev can be accessed through the Terminal application. The Terminal application can be launched

by selecting Go > Applications > Utilities > Terminal. Type the following lines in the Terminal

window to produce the file list:

cd /dev

ls-l

If you run the application System Preferences and select Network (Go > Applications > System

Preferences > Network), you should see the text "New Port Detected".

Once you know what your VCP id is then you can try the peripheral emulation software of your choice to see if it works.

Edited September 24, 2013 by atari8warez

[Mathy]

Hello atari8warez

 

I've downloaded the driver as mentioned in the link and have unpacked it. I can't find anything on my iMac that has "usbserial" in it's name.

 

BTW the blue LED is turn on as soon as I plug the device into the iMac.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

Edited September 26, 2013 by Mathy

[atari8warez]

The blue LED will turn ON and blink during device initialization, so that's normal, but you need the driver installed properly to be able to use the device. I wish I had a MAC available for testing it. I currently completely rely on FTDI's word that their chip works with Mac OS X.

[Mathy]

Hello atari8warez

 

It just stays on all the time, there is no blinking.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

[atari8warez]

Ok maybe that's because the driver is not installed properly, on Windows it does blink a few times after the device is inserted to the USB port, then it will stay ON until there is activity during which the LED will blink again.

Edited September 26, 2013 by atari8warez

[Mathy]

Hello atari8warez

 

I just checked what the iMac thinks is on the USB bus and this is what appears when the sio2pc10502pc is plugged in (and disappears when it's not):

 

DB9-USB-D5-F:

 

Productcode: 0x6001

Fabrikantcode: 0x0403 (Future Technology Devices International Limited)

Versie: 6.00

Serienummer: FTK4FFSE

Snelheid: Maximaal 12 Mb/sec

Fabrikant: FTDI

Locatiecode: 0x14300000 / 3

Beschikbare stroom (mA): 500

Vereiste stroom (mA): 90

 

Guess that means the problem is software related.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy

Edited September 26, 2013 by Mathy

[atari8warez]

Ok so the USB device is detected, but how about the serial port it creates?

Can you see any new entry in the /dev directory, like the following:

/dev/cu.usbserial-xxxxxxxx

/dev/tty.usbserial-xxxxxxxx

[Mathy]

Hallo atari8warez

 

I can't even find /dev. I've had the iMac search for "usbserial" but it doesn't find anything that looks like the entries you mention.

 

BTW the PDF in your link shows the "Restart" option after installing. There was not "Restart" button, only a "Close" button. The PDF you mention also mentions that I should find "New Port Detected" in "Network" under "System Preferences". Unfortunately, there's no "New Port Detected" at that location. What I did find was an older PDF describing what I think is the same FTDI chip that shows the "Close" button instead of the "Restart" button.

 

Sincerely

 

Mathy