Visonic Powerlink RS232 Hack

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bruce_miranda
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Re: Visonic Powerlink RS232 Hack

Post by bruce_miranda »

Has anyone managed to get rs232 data out of a visonic system that has a powerlink2 module installed.
bruce_miranda
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Re: Visonic Powerlink RS232 Hack

Post by bruce_miranda »

bruce_miranda wrote:Has anyone managed to get rs232 data out of a visonic system that has a powerlink2 module installed.
What I have figured out is that even though you cannot use the RS232 module to program the unit if you have the PL2 installed, you can still use to read the serial data. So if you are only interested in seeing the serial data that the panel is sending out then the RS232 module is still useful and the PL2 continues to work as normal.
bruce_miranda
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Re: Visonic Powerlink RS232 Hack

Post by bruce_miranda »

I have just studied the Dual RS232 board to see if I could remove that completely and replace it with a RS232 to Ethernet adapter. I know the Powerlink RS232 port has been documented but I couldn't find anything for the Powermax Pro Dual RS232 board.

The Dual RS232 is connected to the panel via a 10 x 2 ribbon header. There are two output marked PL/PC and CELL/PC that are connected by RJ45 female sockets.

The generic connection is
RJ45 (8 pin) - DB9 (F)
3 (TXD) black - 2 (RXD)
5 (GND) green - 5 (GND)
6 (RXD) yellow - 3 (TXD)

The PL/PC port is connected to
RJ45 (8 pin) - MAX3232 chip pins
3 (TXD) black - 14 (T1 Out)
5 (GND) green - 15 (GND)
6 (RXD) yellow - 8 (R2 In)

The CELL/PC port is connected to
RJ45 (8 pin) - MAX3232 chip pins
3 (TXD) black - 7 (T2 Out)
5 (GND) green - 15 (GND)
6 (RXD) yellow - 13 (R1 In)


The 10 x 2 header is connected to the MAX3232 pins as follows (Pin 1 is the square solder pad, opposite it is Pin 2 and below it is Pin 3, the notch on the header is on the side of Pin 1 and all the odd numbered pins)

Pin 1 is connected to Pin 2 (probably to detect if the dual RS232 module has been connected)
Pin 3 is connected to Pin 4 (probably to detect if the dual RS232 module has been connected)
Pin 5 is connected to R1 Out (MAX3232 Pin 12)
Pin 6 is connected to T2 In (MAX3232 Pin 10)
Pin 7 is connected to R2 Out (MAX3232 Pin 9)
Pin 8 is connected to T1 In (MAX3232 Pin 11)
Pin 9
Pin 10
Pin 11 GND
Pin 12 GND
Pin 13
Pin 14
Pin 15 GND
Pin 16 GND
Pin 17
Pin 18
Pin 19 GND and connected to GND (MAX3232 Pin 15)
Pin 20 Vcc and is connected to Vcc (MAX3232 Pin 16)

When I bought the Dual RS232 module there was another connector cable included in the box besides the 10x2 flat ribbon. This is marked as PowerMaxExpress and has a different 10 x 2 connector on one side and a 5 x 2 connector on the other end.
If I try and mate this with the Dual RS232 module it seems to use only Vcc, all the GNDs, Pin 7 is connected to R2 Out (MAX3232 Pin 9) and Pin 8 is connected to T1 In (MAX3232 Pin 11).
bruce_miranda
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Re: Visonic Powerlink RS232 Hack

Post by bruce_miranda »

Connected a USR-TCP232-E using my pinout above. And I can now read the serial data on my home ethernet network. The module is configured as a TCP Server. I could only read one serial input, the other one seems not to show any data. I could be that the serial port that is displaying the data is the same serial port my PL2 is connected to.
rhannink
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Re: Visonic Powerlink RS232 Hack

Post by rhannink »

Hello,

I just purchased a Powermax+ M1 alarm system. I want to connect this over RS232 to Domoticz.
But this new Powermax+ unit does not have a 14 pin header labeled J7 as the old models have but it has a 12 pint header labelled RS232.

Of course I could buy the RS232 module from Powermac, but this is 99,00 euros (for a max232 converter ;-)

Does anyone have the pin layout of this new 12 pin connector inside the latest model Powermax+ ?

With kind regards,

Remco
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