epoch555

It is very possible you simply have NOT enough voltage. These thingy usually need something MORE than 3 V and up to 5 V. See here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...807&st=1592 http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showto...807&st=1594 jaclaz So I've switched to 5v from a USB port. Now the red rx light is pinned on, and tx flashes when I type a command. I'm unclear what a loopb ack test is supposed to do. When I connect the tx to rx on the adaptor, type something, the lights flash. Am I supposed to get a duplicate character back? i.e. if I type 'x' should I get a second 'x' back, displaying 'xx' on the screen? Tried seaching, but couldnt find specifics, only references.

I got the one Gradius recommended from Sparkfun. I powered the hard drive by the sata power connector from a pc, as the dell laptop I used is the only system I have with a serial port. Could it be that the 2 aa batteries arent putting out enough power? Tester shows ±3.2V. I was just worried about accidentally shorting out and killing my drive.. more.

Ummmm, there are FOUR connections to the Adapter: (1) RX (2) TX (3) GND (4) VCC [power] Numbers 1 & 2 above connect from Adapter to HardDrive Numbers 3 & 4 above connect from Adapter to power-supply As for your question about PCB 'getting hot', I really don't know as I never had a need to investigate while conducting my own procedure. I've got the adaptor hooked up correctly, positive from battery to VCC, negative to ground. The ground I was referring to was on the hard drive pcb, next to the TX/RX pins.

I'm having trouble getting things started, no output in hyperterminal. When I press ctrl-z all I get is an arrow and nothing else. I've got it connected to rs232-ttl shifter through a straight-through serial cable. 2xaa batteries for power. I've tried swapping tx-rx, same result. Should I have something hooked up to the ground jumper on the drive's pcb? Also, I'd like to know if anyone else's hard drive pcb gets hot, even when the hd motor is bypassed (with a card), specifically under where the main chip is.