We've had a few problems with the null modem gender changers we use with one of our parani bluetooth adapters in the past. For the past several months everything has gone smoothly. This morning it was 16 degrees (coldest day since we've had them) and the paranis were talking to each other but the robot wasn't getting the commands. We ended up using it as a conventional gun to finish the job. We used the same cable that had been attached to the parani and it worked fine. Back at the office everything worked fine with the paranis and the same cable with the same gender changer. Any ideas what was going on? The cold?
Me. "What's the difference?"
T.C. Carroll "It's the difference between right and wrong!"
Stacey,
I have used mine at that temperature once, and they seemed to work fine.
I do know that sometimes my robot is a little tempremental when it gets that cold.
We used Chris' robot and parani radios yesterday, and the air temperature was about 15-20 degrees, and they worked just fine.
Jimmy
When I first got the parani's we went through two null modem gender changers. They just quit working. I bought one from the parani manufacturer and it has worked fine for a few months. Its starting to act up like the others did before quiting.
Me. "What's the difference?"
T.C. Carroll "It's the difference between right and wrong!"
Here in NE Ohio my Parani radio's get exposed to those temperatures on a regular basis and seem to have no problem. However this will be my 7th year using them and it seems that I can only get about 2 to 3 years before they start acting up as you described. I can re-set & re-pair them and they will connect for a bit, but then stop communicating again. Also the DB9 cables I get from Radio Shack only seem to last a year or two before they start breaking down inside. You may try replacing your cable before getting a new radio, as a bad cable will cause communication problems too, especially in cold weather when the wire sheathing starts to crack and short. I try to keep an extra cable and radio around for back up. I still like using the Paranis they are inexpensive work flawless for a couple years and have a great battery life.
The cables at both ends are new. The paranis connect and communicate. We can tell that by which lights blink when a command is sent. The signal just doesn't make it to the robot. The cable on that end works fine with the DC connected to it. The weak point seems to be the gender changer.
Me. "What's the difference?"
T.C. Carroll "It's the difference between right and wrong!"
Gender Changer Adds Another Connection
Get a connector cable with the proper ends as every connection loses some power.
Another thought is that there are null modem and straight gender changers. Have the wrong one of them hooked to a null modem cable and the null feature disappears.
Paul in PA
Gender Changer Adds Another Connection
True Paul. I only had one cable that had the correct ends for the robot and parani. It had started flaking out. I have 10 or 12 data collector cables so I decided to us the gender changer ($4 each) instead of buying a new cable for $80. I've talked to others that have used them with no problems. The first two gender changers I had were from something else. They only lasted a couple days each before quitting. Then I bought one from the parani manufacturer. It has worked fine for several months. Yesterday it wouldn't work in the field. Back at the office it worked perfectly. Something seems to be "burning" them out. I can't figure out what's causing them to quit working. No one else can explain it either.
Me. "What's the difference?"
T.C. Carroll "It's the difference between right and wrong!"
Gender Changer Adds Another Connection
Burning it out? A gender changer is just connectors and some wires.
Possibly if you have the very short gender changers flexing is breaking a connection. I have some older gender changers that have an inch of plastic between the connections. I also have an ancient Tandy lpt1 gender changer that has 2" of plastic.
Paul in PA
Gender Changer Adds Another Connection
Aloha, Stacy: Null modem adaptor should not fail. I wonder how are you powering the Parani? Could it be the Parani's batteries? Batteries do act weird in cold temperatures. I have mine setup to be powered from the gun's external power. I live in Hawaii so cold temperatures are not an issue 😀
Gender Changer Adds Another Connection
Paul, I used the term "burning out" loosely. They are one piece. Basically two connectors back to back (maybe 1/4" of metal casing between).
Me. "What's the difference?"
T.C. Carroll "It's the difference between right and wrong!"
Gender Changer Adds Another Connection
Yoginatha, we power the parani adapters with the extended battery packs purchased from the manufacturer. I really don't think its the cold. I think we have eliminated all the parts and pieces except the gender changer. I will end up buying a couple new cables with the correct ends. I just didn't see having all the standard DC cables and not using them. I would really like to know what the cause of the problem is though.
Me. "What's the difference?"
T.C. Carroll "It's the difference between right and wrong!"
Stacy,
Sorry, I can’t answer directly, but we did have issues with a particular brand here a year or so back and their USB to serial cable. After a little research, found out this was common for this company.
We buy most of our cables through monoprice: great deals. It usually cost more for shipping than the cost of the cable. Right now, I am running an USB to serial cable with a female/female gender changer on my laptop, so far, no issues.
As to the cold, yes, I can see where that could cause problems with the connections.