Ribless cable adapter

[N4KVE]

Serial port ribless cables have been around for a while, & I don't mind using them for my older used radios which cost under $100. They seem to work fine on my MTS2000, & XTS3000 radios. I do have a rib but between the rib, & cables between the rib & laptop, I need a 2nd carry case, while there is room to stick my ribless cables in my laptop bag. So does anyone know if there is a short 6" extension cable which would plug in between the laptop & programming cables that has the rib components built in? Of course for my newer, more expensive radios I use factory USB cables. GARY N4KVE

[motorola_otaku]

You mean like a male-female DB9 cable? Yeah, any serial cable will work for that.

[N4KVE]

You mean like a male-female DB9 cable? Yeah, any serial cable will work for that.

Yeah, a 6" cable, but with the rib components built in so I could use this 6" extension instead of a rib. In other words, whatever components go into a ribless cable would go on this 6" extension so I could use normal cables, & this extension would be the rib. Then everything could fit in my laptop bag. The normal rib & it's cables have to go in a second bag, as there is no more room in my laptop bag for the rib. GARY N4KVE

[motorola_otaku]

Yeah, a 6" cable, but with the rib components built in so I could use this 6" extension instead of a rib.

Aha. That presents a slippery slope, since what makes the Chinese RIBless cables compact is also their weakness - not all of them are based on the RLN4008 circuit and some of them can only support a Bus+/Ground or Bus+/Busy/Ground circuit. On top of that, some (all?) of them draw power from the radio itself and when that voltage dips during a write cycle it can brick the radio.

You could definitely build a RLN4008 circuit into something like a DB9-DB25 mating hood. The important (and the largest) components in the circuit are the CA3140E data inverter IC and the ICL7660 voltage inverter. Everything else save maybe a couple of electrolytic caps can be replaced with SMT components (some of that KAWA RIB designs are done this way.)

[N4KVE]

Thanks man. I was just hoping somebody was already making a cable/adaptor like this. GARY N4KVE

[Will]

Actually the so called rib-less are a true RS232 device, and are much better that the piss poor design of the Motorola RIB, aka RLN4008 and its revisions. Also they draw a lot less power from the radio or Serial port.

I do not see why they could not have a 25 pin interface for some of our older radios.

An afternoon project....

[n3eg]

I have a ribless CDM1250 cable with a homemade inline CM200 adapter, a 12volt car alarm remote battery stuck in a DB25 flashing adapter to power it, and a RJ45 to 25 pin adapter. Works for most things with simple 2-wire programming.

I also have a USB programming adapter with a male 3-conductor 3/32" plug (CP200) and 3/32" jack to HT750 and mobile connector adapters. Haven't bricked a radio yet.

It can be done.