[Nut-upsuser] MGE Ellipse USB cable config ?

[Arjen de Korte]

Derk-Jan Hartman wrote:

> This is not directly NUT related, but i don't know where else I can  
> still ask this.
> I have been using a pretty decent 2nd hand MGE ellipse premium 1200VA  
> for a while now at home. http://www.mgeups.com/download/doc_intl/ 
> small/premium/389uk.pdf
> It's been working very well for me on linux, but my linux server has  
> recently passed away and now I only have Macs left. Therefore i wanna  
> use this UPS for my mac trough USB. According to the online  
> documentation this UPS has a "new communications port on the Pulsar  
> ellipse models incorporates USB and Serial modes". However since this  
> thing is 2nd hand from a now defunct internet company, apparently the  
> USB cable was lost before I bought it.
> 
> I have been scouring the Internet for several days now, but I can't  
> even find where to buy an official cable (and i suspect it's probably  
> expensive) and I cannot for the life of me find a schematic or  
> something that describes what kind of cable this is exactly so that i  
> can acquire one locally or build my own cable.
> 
> So the questions are:
> 1: is the USB cable simply like the RS232 cable but with built-in USB  
> converter ?

No, it's just a cable.

> 2: or is the com-port some sort of "autodetecting" system that can  
> work in both a USB and a RS232 config ?

Yes.

> In that case, would anyone  know the USB pin layout of the socket on this thing ?

I don't know.

> 3: has anyone else used this or a similar MGE system on the mac?
> 4: Does anyone know a cheap address for one of these USB cables in  
> the Netherlands, or at least Europe?

Why don't you use a USB-to-serial adapter? For around €15 you should be
able to pick one up at your favorite hardware store and use the serial
cable you already have.

Best regards, Arjen