i am trying to use my controller to operate my rov at 300 ft away using cat 5 cable. it is not working very at 100ft. is there a signal booster that i can use at the controller.
has anyone tried to boost the signal from a PSX using a rs485. I need ideas on how to wire it up
You might want to read the PS2 controller locally then send signals via RS485. I haven’t used RS485 but I have wired in a PS2 controller to a microcontroller that can output RS485. Check out kronosrobotics.com.
You could probably use his DIOS proc to read the PS2 controller and send via CAT5 the RS485 serial data. Should be good for up to 4000ft. On the receiving end you could use an inexpensive Athena485 to decode and output the commands you want to whatever you are controlling. Another benefit to doing this is off-loading any PS2 controller work from the processor at the receiving end. There is probably an application note on the site somewhere for something similar. If it turns out the DIOS can’t send RS485 then just use an Athena485 on the DIOS/PS2 side to send since they are fairly inexpensive. Good luck.
PS2 —> DIOS —[Cat5 RS485]—> Athena485 —[Serial/Data]—> Your Project
or if DIOS can’t directly send RS485
PS2 —> DIOS —> Athena485 —[Cat5 RS485]—> Athena485 —[Serial/Data]—> Your Project
Thank you for the reply
could you tell me what two pins I am to use to connect the bot board to the rs485. I under stand which two to use on the bot board but not the
DB9 side of the rs485
I asked the moderator to relink the article on connecting a DIOS for RS485. Check out this link to that forum:
kronosrobotics.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=2525#2525
I don’t want to lead you the wrong way. I have the bot board too, was called an Ares when I bought it. I almost have the PS2 controller running on a Nemesis chip which is also capable of RS485 but I wouldn’t want to promise it to you. I haven’t had much time to play, too crazy at work lately. Good luck. I’ll watch that thread too. 
I just realized you’re probably talking about a different bot board. I’m not familiar with how to us any of the basic atom or bot board stuff.
helmanta,
Looking at the information in the tutorial for connecting the PS2 controller it appears the communication is a 4-wire SPI type connection. This suggests that at the controller end you need 3 line receivers and 1 driver, and at the 'bot end you need 3 drivers and 1 receiver. A Maxim MAX488ECPA is a full differential RS-422/485 driver/receiver, ESD protected, in a DIP8 package. Putting 3 of those on each end, one IC would use both the driver and receiver and the driver/receiver part of the other two ICs for 'bot/controller respectively. I don’t know what your proficiency is for this type of thing but an ASCII schematic follows. I pulled the signal names and colors from the tutorial page they have at Lynxmotion for connecting a PS2 controller to a BS2.
'BOT CAT5 CONTROL
MAX488ECPA MAX488ECPA
| \ 6 7 | \
3| \o--- ORG/WHT ---o| \ 2
CMD --| > | >-- orange
| /---- ORANGE ----| /
| / 5 8 | /
/ | 7 6 / |
2 / |o--- BRN/WHT ---o/ |3
DAT --< | < |-- brown
\ |---- BROWN ----\ |
\ | 8 5 \ |
MAX488ECPA MAX488ECPA
| \ | \
| \o--- GRN/WHT ---o| \
CLK --| > | >-- black
| /---- GREEN ----| /
| / | /
/ | / |
/ |o--- ---o/ |
--< | < |--
\ |---- ----\ |
\ | \ |
MAX488ECPA MAX488ECPA
| \ | \
| \o--- BLU/WHT ---o| \
ATT --| > | >-- blue
| /---- BLUE ----| /
| / | /
/ | / |
/ |o--- ---o/ |
--< | < |--
\ |---- ----\ |
\ | \ |You may or may not need a 120 ohm resistor across pins 7 and 8 of each IC. I didn’t draw them in. I’d suggest testing it at 10 feet, then 100, then 300 and if it works up close and not far away then put the parts in.
Power:
Pin 1 of each MAX488ECPA needs to be connected to power on its respective end.
On the controller end this is the green wire.
On your 'BOT end it is whatever +V your CPU is running from (+VL on BS2).
Pin 4 of each MAX488ECPA needs to be connected to ground on its respective end.
On the controller end this is red/shield.
On your 'BOT end it is GND, typically the neg lead of your power supply.
Have fun.
EB
:mrgreen:
Dear Eddie,
due to my great interest to wire a ps2 controller for driving my hobby-rov I tried to connect the controller to the micro how you said; using a utp cat5 cable and 3+3 max488 at both end of the cable, but it seems that doesn’t work.May be this interface needs some other component? Thank you in advance; your reply will be very appreciated.Best regards from a friend from Sardinia (Italy)
carlo.b
wow this was from a long time ago.
carobot please allow your 24 hours from registration to expire so you can post images.
then please post or link details of what you have built and tested.
your schematic diagram showing connections and photos of your assembly would be most helpful.
information on what code you are using this interface with may also be useful in figuring out the problem.
Hi Eddie,
thank you very much for your so quick response; I’ll try to give you any information to help you for understanding my problem(considering my bad english and my poor knowdeledge in electronics).I have assembled a basic atom pro with a bot board II and programmed to drive 4 dc motors,everithing works fine controlled with a ps2 joypad; the problem is that I need to drive it with a long cable (100mtrs or more).I tried to built the interface with ICS 488 as you proposed but may be there is something wrong in my schema.Now I’ll try to post you .Thanks again.
carlo.b
Sorry but I found difficulties to attach the files
Hi carlo.b
The schematics are different.
On the second diagram you have the rs-422 connections illustrated correctly, that is the driver outputs are connected to the receiver inputs.
On the first diagram, the upper diagram, you have connected the two lower ICs pins 5 and 6 which are the driver outputs rather than 7 and 8 which are the receiver inputs. If you actually wired it like this the ATT and CLK signals at the joypad would not be receiving signals.
Can you look into this and let me know if you wired it as drawn, or caught the error and fixed it without updating your diagram?
Which parts are you using?
datasheets.maxim-ic.com/en/ds/MAX3440E-MAX3444E.pdf
Aren’t you using 485?
A termination network is usually required also (485 anyway).
Alan KM6VV
Well he said he was using the max488.
And I would not be in a big rush to add terminations resistors. They are necessary for a few hundred feet of wire usually but 10-15 feet of cat5 in your office to prove the circuit works all they do for you is dissipate heat and load down the drivers.
Maybe that’s why I wasn’t finding it. I read what I thought was max485 off of his schematic.
EDIT: And I just figured out your comment on the resistor networks. My mistake, still thinking of RS-422.
Alan KM6VV
