We use an altonixs power supply and it has an ac fail relay switch. We are trying that to use the to turn a serial pin from low to high and then send an email.
does anyone know if this is possible, and what pin I would use to do it?
currently we are trying to add 5volts to any pin to change the state from on to off.. or vice versa.
so I found my answer. pin 1 will change from on/off using 5volts/ground
now I have a power supply that is hooked up to a 400amp 12v battery and 110vAC.. and it will email anytime the AC goes off, and then again when it comes back on.
with 400amp hour batteries I have 3 days to get there and change the battery if needed
Also I have a pager connected to the powersupply in such a way that I can page it and have the DC power cycle.
Surfnet,
Was thinking about this. Pin 1 (on a 9 pin) is DCD and can be used for “dumb” signaling. But the RS-232 standard has a +12 to -12 swing. Some serial chips won’t trigger consistantly with 5/0 volts. Almost all will work with +5/-3. As you are testing there might be 1 in 100 that won’t email…
Mike
thanks for the info. AS I sat there yesterday going from 5 volts to ground, it works everytime.. 1 in 100 can easily be missed..so I will look harder.
That one interface might work 100%… until the temp goes up or down. + 6 to -3 swing will work with any chipset. Try a MAX232 level converter. Easy to use (and cheap) and creates the proper drive TTL to RS232.
Mike