Waveshare RS232/485 to WiFi POE ETH Adapter Setup Guide

This guide explains how to configure the Waveshare RS232/485 TO WIFI POE ETH (B) adapter to work with EAS Station for network-based serial communication with VFD displays and other serial devices.

Overview

The Waveshare adapter allows you to connect serial devices (like VFD displays, LED signs) over your network instead of requiring direct USB/serial port connections. This provides several benefits:

• Remote device placement - Serial device can be anywhere on the network
• No USB cables required - Use existing Ethernet infrastructure
• PoE support - Single cable for both data and power
• Multiple connections - Two independent serial ports (Socket A and B)

Hardware Setup

1. Physical Connections

1. Power: Connect PoE Ethernet cable or use the included power adapter
2. Serial Device: Connect your VFD display to the RS232 terminal block:
   • TX → RX on VFD
   • RX → TX on VFD
   • GND → GND on VFD

2. Network Configuration

Access the Waveshare web interface to configure the adapter:

1. Initial Access:

   • Default IP: Usually 192.168.1.200 (check documentation)
   • Connect via web browser: http://192.168.1.200
   • Default credentials: admin / admin

2. Set Static IP (Recommended):

   • Navigate to Network Settings
   • Set static IP address: 192.168.8.122 (or your preference)
   • Set subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
   • Set gateway: Your network gateway
   • Save and reboot adapter

3. Serial Port Configuration

Configure the UART settings to match your VFD display:

Uart Setting:

• Baudrate: 9600 (for Waveshare), but VFD typically uses 38400
• Data Bits: 8
• Parity: None
• Stop: 1
• Baudrate adaptive: Enable (RFC2117)

UART AutoFrame Setting:

• UART AutoFrame: Enable
• AutoFrame Time: 500 ms
• AutoFrame Length: 512 bytes

Network A Setting (Primary serial port):

• Mode: Server
• Protocol: TCP
• Port: 10001 (default, you can change this)
• Server Address: 10.10.100.100 (not used in Server mode)
• MAX TCP Num: 24
• TCP Time out: 0 (no timeout)
• TCP connection password: Disable

Socket B Setting (Optional second port):

• Open the SocketB function: on
• Protocol: TCP
• Port: 18899

Other Settings:

• Registered Package Type: off
• Custom Heartbeat: off
• Socket Distribution: on
• Modbus Polling: off
• Httpdclient Mode: long
• 485 selector switch: off

EAS Station Configuration

Method 1: Web Interface (Recommended)

1. Navigate to Settings → Environment Variables
2. Scroll to VFD Display section
3. Set Connection field to: socket://192.168.8.122:10001
4. Set Baud Rate to: 38400 (your VFD's actual baud rate)
5. Click Save Changes
6. Click Restart Services → Select Hardware Service
7. Monitor the Hardware Service logs to verify connection

Method 2: Environment File

Edit /opt/eas-station/.env (or your .env file):

# VFD Display Configuration - Network via Waveshare
VFD_PORT=socket://192.168.8.122:10001
VFD_BAUDRATE=38400

Then restart the hardware service:

sudo systemctl restart eas-station-hardware.service

Testing the Connection

Test 1: Using PuTTY (Windows/Linux)

1. Install PuTTY:

   • Windows: Download from https://www.putty.org/
   • Linux: sudo apt-get install putty

2. Configure PuTTY:

   • Connection type: Raw (not SSH or Telnet)
   • Host Name: 192.168.8.122
   • Port: 10001
   • Click Open

3. Test Communication:

   • Type characters in PuTTY window
   • You should see them appear on the VFD display (if configured for text mode)
   • If using the GU-7000 protocol, you'll need to send specific command sequences

Test 2: Using netcat/nc (Linux)

# Connect to the adapter
nc 192.168.8.122 10001

# Send test text (for text-mode VFDs)
echo "Hello World" | nc 192.168.8.122 10001

# Test connection is open
timeout 5 nc -z -v 192.168.8.122 10001

Test 3: Using Python

import socket

# Connect to Waveshare adapter
sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
sock.connect(('192.168.8.122', 10001))

# Send test data
sock.send(b'Test message\r\n')

# Receive response (if any)
response = sock.recv(1024)
print(f"Response: {response}")

sock.close()

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused

Symptom: Cannot connect to 192.168.8.122:10001

Solutions:

1. Verify adapter IP address with ping 192.168.8.122
2. Check firewall settings on adapter web interface
3. Ensure Mode is set to Server (not Client)
4. Verify port number is 10001
5. Check adapter is powered on and linked (LED indicators)

VFD Shows Garbage Characters

Symptom: Display shows random characters or corrupted output

Solutions:

1. Baud rate mismatch:
   • Waveshare adapter: Usually 9600
   • VFD device: Check your model (typically 38400)
   • Set VFD_BAUDRATE in EAS Station to match VFD device
2. Check wiring: TX/RX might be swapped
3. Verify data format: 8N1 (8 data bits, No parity, 1 stop bit)

No Data on VFD

Symptom: VFD is blank, no output

Solutions:

1. Check VFD power supply
2. Verify TX/RX wiring connections
3. Test with PuTTY first to isolate EAS Station vs. adapter issues
4. Check Hardware Service logs: sudo journalctl -u eas-station-hardware.service -f
5. Verify VFD brightness settings (might be set too dim)

EAS Station Can't Connect

Symptom: EAS Station logs show "Failed to connect to VFD on socket://..."

Solutions:

1. Check network connectivity: ping 192.168.8.122
2. Verify port is open: nc -z -v 192.168.8.122 10001
3. Check firewall on EAS Station host
4. Restart hardware service: Via web UI or sudo systemctl restart eas-station-hardware.service
5. Verify VFD_PORT format: Must start with socket://

Multiple Connection Attempts

Symptom: Waveshare shows multiple connections from EAS Station

Solutions:

1. Set MAX TCP Num to 1 if you only need one connection
2. Check for duplicate service instances
3. Verify TCP Time out setting (0 = no timeout)

Advanced Configuration

Using Socket B (Second Port)

The Waveshare adapter supports two independent serial ports. To use the second port:

1. Enable Socket B in adapter settings (port 18899)
2. In EAS Station, configure second device:

   LED_PORT=socket://192.168.8.122:18899
   

Password Protection

To enable TCP connection password:

1. In Waveshare web interface, set TCP connection password authentication: Enable
2. Enter password
3. Note: pyserial doesn't support authentication directly - you'll need to modify the connection code

SSL/TLS Encryption

The basic Waveshare adapter doesn't support SSL/TLS. For encrypted connections:

1. Use a reverse proxy (nginx, stunnel)
2. Configure tunnel from adapter to proxy
3. Point EAS Station to encrypted endpoint

Reference Information

Waveshare Specifications

• Model: RS232/485 TO WIFI POE ETH (B)
• Voltage: PoE (802.3af) or 5V DC
• Serial Ports: 2 independent ports (Socket A & B)
• Protocols: TCP Server, TCP Client, UDP
• Baud Rates: 1200 - 230400 bps
• Documentation: https://www.waveshare.com/wiki/RS232/485_TO_WIFI_POE_ETH_(B)

EAS Station Serial Support

• Direct Serial: /dev/ttyUSB0, /dev/ttyACM0, etc.
• Network Serial: socket://HOST:PORT
• RFC2217: rfc2217://HOST:PORT (telnet-based serial)

Supported Devices

This configuration works with:

• ✅ VFD displays (Noritake GU140x32F-7000B)
• ✅ LED signs (BetaBrite, Alpha, etc.)
• ✅ Serial relays and controllers
• ✅ Any RS232/RS485 device

Related Documentation

• VFD Display Setup
• Hardware Integration Guide
• Environment Variables Reference
• Troubleshooting Guide

Need Help?

• Check logs: Logs → Hardware Service
• Ask in GitHub Discussions: https://github.com/KR8MER/eas-station/discussions
• Report issues: https://github.com/KR8MER/eas-station/issues