Yes, the D2-DSCBL programs a C-more Micro Touch, but only with the panel's 24 VDC supply (EA-MG-P1 or EA-MG-SP1) connected, because the 9-pin RS-232 port has no power pin. The EA-MG-PGM-CBL feeds the panel from the USB port's own power, so it is the practical choice wherever no panel supply sits on the bench.
Yes, the D2-DSCBL programs a C-more Micro Touch panel, and the catch is power, not the signal. The cable runs from the PC's 9-pin RS-232 port to the panel's RJ12 jack, and that port has no pin that supplies power, so the panel needs its 24 VDC supply, the EA-MG-P1 or EA-MG-SP1, connected during the session. The EA-MG-PGM-CBL runs from a USB port instead, and USB carries power on the same cable, enough to run the panel on the bench with nothing else connected. That difference alone picks the cable for your laptop.
Can the D2-DSCBL program a C-more Micro Touch panel?
Yes. It carries the programming link from a 9-pin RS-232 port to the panel's RJ12 jack, and it works on the C-more Micro Touch whenever the panel supply, the EA-MG-P1 or EA-MG-SP1, is connected at the same time.
The cable itself is a 12 ft shielded assembly with a 9-pin female D-sub at the PC end and an RJ12 6P6C plug at the device end, as its catalog listing prints it. Its 12 ft reach and its use of the serial port are what it offers over the USB cable. The panel end of both cables is the same style of RJ12 connection; what differs is what arrives on it, which is the next question.
Why does the D2-DSCBL need a separate panel supply?
Because the 9-pin RS-232 connector on the PC has no power pin. Its nine positions carry received data, transmitted data, signal ground, the handshake lines and the modem status lines, and none of them sources the power the panel runs on.
The full assignment is carrier detect, received data, transmitted data, data terminal ready, signal ground, data set ready, request to send, clear to send and ring indicator. Power is not on that list, and the RS-232 standard defines signal voltages, never a supply. So with the D2-DSCBL connected, the C-more Micro Touch stays dark until the panel supply, the EA-MG-P1 or EA-MG-SP1, plugs into the back of the panel.
A dead panel on this cable is the normal result without that supply, and no serial setting changes it. Checking the power pin before blaming the panel is the first move on any programming cable, and an HMI that will not power from a serial cable is the same failure wearing different part numbers. Check the supply's voltage and polarity against the panel's documentation before you connect it; the panel's DC input does not survive reversed wiring.
How does the EA-MG-PGM-CBL power the panel from USB?
It is a USB A to 6-pin RJ12 cable, 6 ft long, and it feeds the panel from the USB port's power, so a bench programming session needs no separate panel supply at all.
Its catalog listing documents the cable for C-more Micro panels, CLICK CPUs and Do-more H2 series CPUs, all from one USB port. The USB 2.0 specification lets a port supply 5 V at up to 500 mA. That is a budget of 2.5 W: 5 V x 0.5 A = 2.5 W. The port runs the panel for the whole session on the same power it would give a memory stick. Two hub rules follow from the same spec. A bus-powered hub shares its single 500 mA budget across its downstream ports. A self-powered hub supplies the full 500 mA on every port, which matters when the one USB port also carries a mouse or a license key.
Which hardware does each cable fit?
The D2-DSCBL covers the DL05, DL06, DL105, DL205 and the Click from a serial port; the EA-MG-PGM-CBL covers the C-more Micro panels, the CLICK CPUs and the Do-more H2 series CPUs from USB, so the USB cable spans both the panel and the small PLCs.
| D2-DSCBL | EA-MG-PGM-CBL | |
|---|---|---|
| PC end | 9-pin female D-sub, RS-232 | USB A plug |
| Device end | RJ12, 6P6C | 6-pin RJ12 |
| Cable length | 12 ft, shielded | 6 ft |
| Documented targets | DL05, DL06, DL105, DL205, Click | C-more Micro, CLICK CPUs, Do-more H2 CPUs |
| Power on the cable | None, RS-232 has no power pin | USB port power |
| Panel supply needed to program | Yes: EA-MG-P1 or EA-MG-SP1 | No, the port powers the session |
| Fits a one-USB-port laptop | Yes, uses the serial port | Yes, once you free the port or add a hub |
How far can each cable reach during a session?
The D2-DSCBL gives you 12 ft and the EA-MG-PGM-CBL gives you 6 ft, so the serial cable reaches across a bench or into a cabinet while the USB cable keeps the laptop close to the panel.
For USB, the passive limit is real: the USB 2.0 specification allows a passive run of 5 m, about 16 ft. One passive extension behind the 6 ft cable sits just inside it. Past that, use an active repeater or a Cat5-based extender; extending a USB programming cable past 15 feet with Cat5 covers the parts that hold up. The serial cable comes as a fixed 12 ft shielded assembly, and its length is not what limits a programming session; the panel supply is.
Example: which cable suits a laptop with one USB port?
Use the D2-DSCBL on that laptop's serial port whenever the panel supply is wired at the bench, and use the EA-MG-PGM-CBL in the USB port when it is not, because only the USB cable carries power with the data.
The setup: an older laptop with one USB port holding a mouse, a 9-pin serial port free, and a C-more Micro Touch sitting 8 ft away on the bench. No EA-MG-P1 supply within reach.
- Serial route: the 12 ft D2-DSCBL covers the 8 ft with 4 ft to spare, 12 - 8 = 4 ft, and the mouse keeps the USB port. The panel stays dark until its supply is connected, and nothing in the software changes that.
- USB route: the 6 ft EA-MG-PGM-CBL comes up 2 ft short, 8 - 6 = 2 ft, so the laptop moves inside 6 ft of the panel and the mouse comes out of the port. The panel then lights from the port's 2.5 W budget.
- USB route with a hub: a self-powered hub on the single port keeps the mouse connected and still supplies the full 500 mA to the cable. The 2 ft shortfall still moves the laptop.
With no supply at the bench, the second or third route is the working setup and the serial port stays free for the Click and the DL205 family. With the supply wired, the first route wins on reach and leaves the USB port alone.
The panel powers but the download fails. What next?
Once the panel lights, the failure is in the communication settings, and the two places to look are the COM number the programming software expects and the state of any USB-to-serial adapter in the path.
Work the checks in this order:
- Confirm the COM number the cable or adapter took and select that number in the programming software. Older packages list COM1 through COM4 only, and remapping a USB serial adapter when software stops at COM4 shows the fix.
- If the link drops partway through a transfer, treat it as an adapter timeout, not a panel fault; a USB serial adapter timeout during text-panel programming walks the recovery.
- Match the baud rate, data bits and parity to the panel project's port settings.
- Stop swapping cables. The power question is settled the moment the panel lights; everything left is configuration.
Which cable should you buy?
Buy the EA-MG-PGM-CBL as the everyday panel cable and keep the D2-DSCBL for the PLC bench, and add the serial path for the Micro Touch only where a panel supply already lives at the work area.
The USB cable wins on power and coverage: one port, one cable, and it programs the C-more Micro panels, the Click and the Do-more H2 series. Its costs are the 6 ft reach and the USB port it occupies. The serial cable wins on reach and on port economy: 12 ft of shielded cable from a 9-pin port that nothing else wants, on laptops old enough to have one. Its cost is the panel supply it demands.
Recommendation: Keep both cables and let the power path decide. Program the C-more Micro Touch with the EA-MG-PGM-CBL wherever no panel supply is wired, and use the D2-DSCBL for the same panel only at a bench with the EA-MG-P1 or EA-MG-SP1 connected. On the older laptop, put a self-powered hub on the single USB port so the cable and the mouse each get the full 500 mA.
Questions
Will a USB-to-RS-232 adapter make the D2-DSCBL work on a laptop with no serial port?
It restores the connection, and the power question stays the same. The adapter creates the COM port for the cable's 9-pin end, but the panel still receives no power over RS-232, so its own supply, the EA-MG-P1 or EA-MG-SP1, still has to be connected. Set the COM number the programming software expects before you blame the cable.
How much power can a USB port give the panel?
A USB 2.0 port supplies 5 V at up to 500 mA, a 2.5 W budget, and a USB 3.0 port raises the current to 900 mA, or 4.5 W. A bus-powered hub shares its single 500 mA budget across its ports, so run the programming cable from a root port or a self-powered hub when other devices are connected.
Why does the panel documentation list only the EA-MG-PGM-CBL?
Because that cable brings the power with it. The D2-DSCBL carries a working serial link to the same style of RJ12 jack, but nothing on it feeds the panel, so using it also means wiring the panel supply at the back of the panel. With that supply connected, the serial cable programs the panel without complaint.
Does the panel still need its supply once it is mounted?
Yes. The USB cable runs the panel for a bench programming session; once the panel is installed in the door or bracket, it draws from its own supply. Wire that supply as part of the machine and treat the USB power as the bench convenience it is.
Planning information, not legal or engineering advice. Rules differ by place: check codes and permits with your local authority and your licensed trades.