Now, when you go to a club meeting and someone says they can’t get their cable to work, tell them they can build their own, just as you did.
– Next, it only cost around $2 to save the generic cable from the trash. Take the radio out of the drawer, program it and have some fun. Amazon eBayįor about a dollar or so more, you can find the same boards in a metal case. Note 3: If you are trying to retrofit the board inside an existing shell, the red board below is a bit shorter and easier to fit. Some come protected with a piece of clear heat shrink over the board so you can see the cool blinking lights. If the board only has 5 terminals instead of 6, it’s not an issue. This will require a Dremel tool, X-Acto knife, Glue, and some patience, but it can be done. If you are adventurous, try retrofitting the new board inside the original plastic housing. Here are the pin outs, and what Jim’s (KC9HI) cable looks like. If you don’t have a generic cable, you can use 2.5 and 3.5mm stereo jacks. Both chips are designed to do the same thing.
If the driver is labeled CH340 instead of CP210x in Device Manager, that’s not a problem.
When you insert the new board into the USB port, give Windows a chance to find and load the new driver. You can either remove the pins, solder to them, or use the connectors. Note 2: Some boards have pins on the back requiring small connectors. If it doesn’t work the first time, reverse the two wires. Note 1: Some boards may have the TxD and RxD reversed. Solder the 3 wires to the corresponding terminals on the new board. Unsolder the 3 wires connected to the board. Take a small screw driver and pry the open the case from the back where the cable enters. Long story short… It’s the same thing that’s in your current cable now, except these work.ĬP2102 boards can be found on eBay for around $2 and on Amazon. All you need is a small flat blade screwdriver, a soldering pencil, and a CP2102 board. It’s truly Plug ‘n Play, and costs about $20.īut here’s a project that just might solve the issue for around $2. There are a few options available, such as an FTDI cable. (NOT going to happen)īut wait, yours has the company name and logo right on the cable. This is like buying a roll-away treadmill and putting it in the closet until the next time you want to exercise. Put the radio in the drawer to be worked on later. You’re fighting with error messages:Īnd Windows (TM) 10 keeps changing your drivers. You purchased a radio and programming cable, loaded the software, and that’s as far as you’ve gotten. This $2 solution might just be your ticket to sanity. Frustrated with that generic programming cable?