This will outline the basics for connecting most GPS receivers to a PC or MAC serial connector for data transfer. Since the GPS needs to both send and receive from your PC or MAC, the data connection will consist in three wires:
- Transmit Data (TxD)
- Receive Data (RxD)
- Signal Ground (SG) - (is common for both power and data grounding)
For GPS connector pinouts refer to documentation on Pinouts->Connector section of this site.
PC 9 PIN D-SUB FEMALE (on cable)
PC 25 PIN D-SUB FEMALE (on cable)
MAC MINI-DIN 8 MALE (on cable)
| GPS Signal name | PC or MAC signal name | PC DB9 | PC DB25 | MAC MINI-DIN 8 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data OUT (TxD) | Receive Data (RxD) | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| DATA IN (RxD) | Transmit Data (TxD) | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Signal Ground (SG) | Ground | 5 | 7 | 4 |
References
- www.garmingps.com
- www.lowrance.com
- www.gpsy.com
- Thanks to Aaron Wroblewski for his search and support