The cable is used in conjunction with the Redpark Serial Cable SDK. Together these tools enable hobbyist, education and enterprise developers to write iOS apps that communicate with serial devices. These apps may be deployed for private use at home, at school or in an office. Under current Apple policy this cable may not be used with apps sold on the App Store.
Part #: C2-DB9V
Price: $59
UPC #: 013964221015
Warranty: 1 year
Length: 1 meter
30-PIN SERIAL CABLE PRODUCT FAQ
Q: What are the differences between the two generations of 30-pin Serial Cables?
A: The (first generation) C2-DB9 (no longer in production) uses the UART pins to communicate with an iOS device via the 30 pin connector. It may be configured to use a baud rate up to 57.6 kbps (although we have observed that the maximum sustained throughput is 40-45 kbps). It requires iOS 4.3.1 or later. The (2nd generation) C2-DB9V uses the USB pins to communicate with an iOS device via the 30 pin connector. It supports a maximum data rate of 115.2 kbps. It requires iOS 5.1 or later. Though the C2-DB9V version of the cable is faster, the fact that it uses the USB pins to communicate with an iOS device makes this version of the cable incompatible with certain 3rd party accessories such as DockStubz
Q: What kinds of devices have serial ports these days?
A: Ham radios, dive computers, point of sale devices, Arduino and other micro-controller platforms, scientific instrumentation, data loggers, RFID readers, automobile engines, routers and other networking devices, glucose meters, fire alarm panels, irrigation controllers, weather stations, specialty printers, scales, temperature sensors, flight loggers, satellite radios, model cars (models boats, planes and rockets too), CNC machines and more…
Q: Which iOS devices are these cables designed for?
A: They are designed for use with iPhone 4S, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch (fourth generation), iPad (3rd generation), iPad 2 and iPad.
Q: Is there a way to connect to devices using TTL (logc level)?
A: Yes, by connecting an external RS-232 to TTL adapter to the DB-9 connector on our cable. (Or you can use our C2-TTL cable instead of the C2-DB9V.)
Q: Can I power the iOS device using this cable?
A: No. Depending upon which Redpark serial cable you are using, it may be possible to power the iOS device using an accessory named DockStubz. Customers have reported to us that they are using DockStubz from CableJive for this purpose. DockStubz is compatible with our C2-DB9 and C2-TTL cables but is not compatible with our C2-DB9V cable.
Q: Can I power the serial device using this cable?
A: Power is not supplied through a RS232 connection. Some very low power devices make use of the RS232 signal lines to supply power. This usage of the RS232 connection is outside of the RS232 specification and may not work in every instance. It is left up to the user to determine if the RS232 output signals will supply enough power for a particular application. Currently, the C2-DB9 uses a MAX3243 or similar driver to convert logic level signals to RS232 level signals. The specifications for the MAX3243 may be used as a rough guide to determine if the signal levels are appropriate for your application. Redpark reserves the right to change the RS232 driver circuitry at any time.
Q: What apps does this cable work with?
A: The cable and SDK are provided to you so that you may write your own apps.
Q: Does the cable work with apps available at the App Store?
A: Not at this time. This will depend upon Apple policy.
Q: How can I tell if my iOS device recognizes the cable?
A: Open the “Settings” app on your iOS device. Select “General”, then “About”. If the Serial Cable is connected properly, it will appear in the list shown.
Q: How do I know what version of firmware the cable is using?
A: Once you have located the Serial Cable in the “Settings” App, select the Serial Cable to view its parameters.
Q: What are the pinouts of the DB-9 connector?
A: This is provided in the SDK User Guide.
