mxi-4 pinout

[Transport]

Where can I find pinout for MXI-4?

[JesusG]

Hi, Transport,

here you are the pinout:

Pin 1 on PXI side: Tx+ -> pin 5 on other side.
Pin 6 on PXI side: Tx- -> pin 9 on other side.
Pin 5 on PXI side: Rx+ -> pin 1 on other side.
Pin 9 on PXI side: Rx- -> pin 6 on other side.

The MXI-4 link has a DB9 connector which has only four pins populated.

Saludos!

Jesús

[alexscarbro]

Hola Jesús,

Do you happen to know the impedance of the cable used for MXI-4 connections?

Muchos gracias,

Alex

[Robert__R]

The short answer is 150 ohms.  It was discussed a little here:

https://forums.ni.com/t5/PXI/Custom-cabling-for-MXI-4/td-p/4025802?profile.language=en

[alexscarbro]

Hello Robert,

It looks like the specification is very similar to these Fibre Channel cables made by Amphenol:

https://cablesondemand.com/product/CS-FCDB9X2MM0/URvars/Items/Library/InfoManage/CS-FCDB9X2MM0.htm

Thank you for your help,

Best regards,

Alex

[LabLoko]

Hello Alex and Robert,

Are there any products out there that are a 1-1 replacement for these MX-4 cables ?

I've bought one that looks right but if there's a direct replacement I'll get one of those instead.

These cards seem to be easy to get secondhand but the cables are a rarity.

Cheers

Jamie

[alexscarbro]

Hello Jamie,

I did some research way back when and found that the cable is derived (or equivalent to) a Male to Male 9-way Fibre Channel cable.

The important thing is the cable itself, rather than the connectors. The cable is Madison Cable Corp TurboQuad Gold.

I was able to buy a cable from a company here in the UK:

G. Underwood Ltd

13 Main Street 

Keyworth

Nottingham

NG12 5AA

+44 (0)115 937 6706

sales@underwood.co.uk

The person I dealt with, Geoff, had a "Fibre Channel 9 way Male to HSSDC 3m Cable" which they then swapped the HSSDC for a 9 way Male.

You could probably also source such a cable through ebay with carful search terms. Alternatively, you could buy a HSSDC cable and replace the connectors with 9-way males.

Note that unfortunately I think some pins were swapped on the supplied cable, but this was easy enough to correct.

Best regards,

Alex

[LabLoko]

Hi Alex,

Thanks for your prompt reply! I did find a old fibre channel cable with DB9 male connectors on each end that seems to match the pinout on one of the earlier posts. Its on the way to me via ebay so I'll keep you posted on whether it works. I think the cable might the the same turboquad or equivalent. Fingers crossed!

Cheers

Jamie 

[RIObotics]

Hi Jamie,

I'm looking for the same exact MXI-4 cable that you were looking for.  Were you able to get yours to work?  And what was the keyword you used to search for on ebay?  

BR

John

[LabLoko]

Hi John

Sorry for the delay. My cable does work fine. The actual item i bought is as below

Hope that helps.

Cheers

Jamie