DIY USB to RJ45 cable?

I need one of these for my APC UPS that I got used. The only problem is APC wants $35 for it. Does anyone know if it would be possible to simply build my own? Or where I might find a wiring schematic to do so?

USB: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/USB.svg

Ethernet: http://www.nullmodem.com/RJ-45.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethernet_over_twisted_pair

Here's the pinouts for the two. I'm pretty sure there's some logic involved in those converters though, and it's not as simple as matching up pins.

Alternatively, you could pick up one of these for 2$
http://www.amazon.com/Usb-Ethernet-..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=17F9GVAZME6JM6ENVR5H

I also saw USB 2.0 ones all over for 30-40$, vs the 35$ for the two USB 1.1. ones.

An actual USB ethernet adapter would have the same function as the UPS cable? Does that mean you could plug the UPS directly into an ethernet port? I'm not really too familiar with how the cable works, as I've never owned one.

apb1215 said:

An actual USB ethernet adapter would have the same function as the UPS cable? Does that mean you could plug the UPS directly into an ethernet port? I'm not really too familiar with how the cable works, as I've never owned one.

Click to expand...

NO and NO

From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10P10C
Another use is with APC uninterruptible power supplies. In this case, it is a keyed 10P10C plug wit a protrusion on the pin 1 side near the back, it serves only to make the USB connection to the PC incompatible, forcing users with a lost or damaged cable to buy a proprietary one from APC, rather than using an inexpensive and readily-available USB cable with the correct "B" connector on the UPS end. The pinout (at left) also uses both of the outermost positions on the 10P10C connector, preventing an 8P8C Ethernet cable from being spliced onto a USB cable. The connector is also keyed with a tab on one side of the plug to prevent the proprietary cable from being inserted into a network jack.

Ahh thanks very much. I figured there was a little more to it.

The cable in question is the rj50 to USB data cable to connect an APC Uninteruptable Power Supply to the host computer.

This is a 10p10c modular phone connector.....looks like an ethernet plug but it's 10 pins.......that connects to a USB jack.

Donor USB cable + connectors ;



The pinouts can be found here : http://pinouts.ru/DevicesCables/apc_usb_cable_pinout.shtml

Cheers trbasil !

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Finished cable ;



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Works perfectly.Cost me 2$.

...nice try APC

BrainEater said:

Cheers trbasil !

Click to expand...

Cool, glad that I could help

I know this is a very old thread, and I'm glad you guys took the time to make it

I just have one question about the pinout, I'm pretty new to this sort of thing.

What is meant by: APC pin 4, USB pin shield, chassis ground ?

Thanks for finding out how to make one of these, looks like I'll get to save $40

When you open the USB cable, if it's a decent one, you will find foil surrounding the twisted pair. This is the shield, which is connected to ground. Connect this foil shield to pin 4 of the 10P10C. This is probably not a critical connection to make, if you don't have a shield on your donor USB cable or if you're lazy, just connect it to USB ground instead.

Also: God I fucking hate companies that pull this shit.

Thanks for your help

I had a feeling that's what it meant, but I wanted to be sure before I actually attempted it.

I was helping a friend clean out her basement and came across this APC BR1500 unit, unfortunately it was missing the data cable and the battery. I'm hoping after I make the cable and install the software for it that I can run tests to make sure there isn't anything wrong with it other than the missing battery. I don't really know if the software has diagnostic testing or not since this is my first time dealing with APC, my old cheaper Belkin unit did though. If it does and everything checks out okay, then I guess I'll have to break down and buy a replacement battery.

Hi all.
I know this thread is kind of old but maybe someone can answer my concern.
I got an APC Back-UPS RS 900 from a friend that he wanted to throw away. I replaced the 2 batteries and it works well, i guess. I beeps constantly when i take off the power, which means that it´s about to shutdown imediately, but actually it lasts for more than 10 minutes.
As i don´t have the original data cable i was searching in google and i got to this thread.
It will be a little dificult for me to get a RJ45 10p10c plug here since i live in a remote place, but i am handy with soldering equipmente. So my question is:

If i desolder the RJ45 jack from the UPS PCB board and solder the USB cable directly to the correspondant solder points on the UPS board, will it still work? As i understood the 10 pin connector uses actually just 4 pins, so i have to find just those 4 contact points on the board.

Any hint would be greatful apreciated, since i don´t want to do anything stupid and damage this UPS. But i like to install the monitoring software to see the battery condition.

I also have a second of those UPS which got struck by lightning so the board is fried, and removing the RJ45 connector is a piece of cake, i already took it off.

Thanks for your help with this one.

It would work if you follow the pinout for the USB to the 10p10c correctly.

This is a tricky thing to do though, mostly because there is a lot of things you can break disassembling this UPS. I'd be very cautious of the ribbon cable that attaches to the board and the front panel, and also careful when removing all of the power connectors. Pull from the boots, not the wires!

You'll probably need a multimeter to trace the 10p10c jack to the leads on the board using the resistance setting. After you got the pins mapped out to the PBC, desolder the 10p10c jack and solder the USB cable. I'd recommend also hitting the solder points with some hot glue afterwards for some extra stability.

Let us know how it works out. Be very careful! Electricity can be deadly!

Update-

I've had an old RS-1500 that's been gathering dust for about a year so I decided to do the mod above.

I am pleased to say that it worked out perfectly, i plugged in the USB and installed the Power Chute software and it talks to the UPS just fine. Why the company didn't install a USB port there in the first place is beyond me... Oh wait, I know...to make money lol

The pinout link dead.

Please tell me the pinout. Thank.

...

You can try this:
www.allpinouts.org/index.php/APC_USB_cable_schematic

ot this( they should be the same):

http://pinouts.ru/all/apc_usb_cable_pinout.shtml

THANK YOU!
Old threads still work!
I got a APC 550 from Goodwill for $15 (minus wife's discount, much to my dismay she's a frequent flyer there) a couple months ago.Could not figure out how to make this work with a LAN. APC's web site is just about useless ... Jokes on me. And I didn't realize this is a 10 pin. So much for my powers of observation.
I guess I had to hold my mouth right while entering search terms to find a citable site, Most places refer to the data port as a RJ45, sure don't have links to pin outs.
Now that you have given me an eyeball on this I'm going to see if I can repin the box to use a 45, but the contacts are probably soldered to a board. If I do anything it will probably be Cat5 hard wired to the unit.
OTOH, I've seen RJ50's in "scrap bins" (thrift shops) before, wondered what they were for, if I find one before I start in on this thing I know what it will be used for.
Thanks again!