So I've been browsing these forums on and off for a few months now just as general resource for information about flashlights and rechargeable batteries. I thought I would share something I recently built to hopefully help some people out.
I purchased a Bantam BC6 and after it came I realized I had forgot to order the USB cable and software kit. I did a little research to see if anyone had built their own and came up short (let me know if anyone knows different).
I poked a prodded with my volt meter a little and had a hunch that the 3 pin connector was just a serial interface. I confirmed this by reading the install guide for the bantam software which includes drivers for a chip that converts serial to USB.
In short I was able to make a serial cable to connect the BC6 to a computer and then used the free LogView software to analyze the data. A serial to usb adapter can be purchased to use the design below with a computer that only supports USB.
Here is how to do it:
Looking at the computer port on the left of the BC6 the pins are as follows:
Left: +5 volts
Middle: Signal (Transmit)
Right: Ground
However this is TTL level serial, so to interface with a computer's serial port we have to convert it to a RS-232 level. This is easily done with a MAX232 chip and a few capacitors. Sparkfun has a schematic on how to build a converter. http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/images/tutorials/BeginningEmbedded/4-UART/UART1.jpg
It only requires a few various capacitors, a DB-9 connector, and MAX232 chip to pull it off. I used a servo connector (I dont know the specific name of it) to plug into the Bantam.
Ofter its wired up, connect it to a computer and open up hyperterminal and connect to the serial port at 9600 baud and see if data is being recieved (while a battery is being charged). If so, you are in buisness.
LogView has a preset option for a Bantam BC6, so just select that in the options and everything should work.
I read somewhere that the factory Bantam cable allows the computer to log temperature as the same time too, can anyone confirm this? As of now I have not figured out a way to incorporate the temperature sensor into the design. With a little bit of work and a microcontroller I'm assuming it wouldnt be too hard if someone is up to the chalenge.
Hope this helps someone out, it know its brief but with a little electronics experience and tinkering I think most should be able to get it to work. Enjoy.
I purchased a Bantam BC6 and after it came I realized I had forgot to order the USB cable and software kit. I did a little research to see if anyone had built their own and came up short (let me know if anyone knows different).
I poked a prodded with my volt meter a little and had a hunch that the 3 pin connector was just a serial interface. I confirmed this by reading the install guide for the bantam software which includes drivers for a chip that converts serial to USB.
In short I was able to make a serial cable to connect the BC6 to a computer and then used the free LogView software to analyze the data. A serial to usb adapter can be purchased to use the design below with a computer that only supports USB.
Here is how to do it:
Looking at the computer port on the left of the BC6 the pins are as follows:
Left: +5 volts
Middle: Signal (Transmit)
Right: Ground
However this is TTL level serial, so to interface with a computer's serial port we have to convert it to a RS-232 level. This is easily done with a MAX232 chip and a few capacitors. Sparkfun has a schematic on how to build a converter. http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/images/tutorials/BeginningEmbedded/4-UART/UART1.jpg
It only requires a few various capacitors, a DB-9 connector, and MAX232 chip to pull it off. I used a servo connector (I dont know the specific name of it) to plug into the Bantam.
Ofter its wired up, connect it to a computer and open up hyperterminal and connect to the serial port at 9600 baud and see if data is being recieved (while a battery is being charged). If so, you are in buisness.
LogView has a preset option for a Bantam BC6, so just select that in the options and everything should work.
I read somewhere that the factory Bantam cable allows the computer to log temperature as the same time too, can anyone confirm this? As of now I have not figured out a way to incorporate the temperature sensor into the design. With a little bit of work and a microcontroller I'm assuming it wouldnt be too hard if someone is up to the chalenge.
Hope this helps someone out, it know its brief but with a little electronics experience and tinkering I think most should be able to get it to work. Enjoy.
