What these kits do
Both kits give a John Deere display a serial conversation with a box Deere did not build — a Raven, Dickey-john, Vanguard, Rawson or New Leader rate controller, or a DIGI-STAR scale indicator. The display keeps doing guidance and documentation; the third-party unit keeps doing its own job. The harness is just the wire between them.
The shop copy of this instruction carries a handwritten note on the pinout page: Gen 5 is COM 1. On a Gen 4 / 4640-family display the third-party unit typically lands on COM 2, but on the Gen 5 display use the COM 1 pinout. Confirm at the display before you pin any wires — the two tables below are not interchangeable.
Before you start
Nothing here is heavy work, but it is electrical work on a machine, and the pins are small enough to be worth doing seated and in daylight.
- Disconnect the battery ground cable (−) before working on the electrical system.
- Park on level ground, lower any raised equipment, stop the engine and remove the key.
- Read the machine operator's manual for the safety messages that apply to that machine, and replace any missing or damaged safety signs.
- Use a ladder or platform to reach the display — do not climb the machine to get at it, and do not install or remove electronics in wet or icy conditions.
- Check that a newer version of the instruction has not been issued before starting: the Technical Information Store at techpubs.deere.com carries the current revision.
Always disconnect the battery ground cable (−) before working on the electrical system. On towed implements, disconnect the wiring harnesses from the tractor before servicing electrical components or welding on the machine.
Parts list
PF90363 — Third-Party Control Unit Harness Kit
| Position | Part number | Description | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | PF80807 | Third-Party Control Unit Harness | 1 |
| B | PF11664 | Adapter | 1 |
| C | PF11663 | Null Modem Adapter | 1 |
| — | PFP18888 | Installation Instructions | 1 |
BPF12466 — Grain Cart Serial Adapter Kit
| Position | Part number | Description | Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | PFA13224 | Third-Party Control Unit Harness | 1 |
| B | PF11664 | Adapter | 1 |
| C | PF11663 | Null Modem Adapter | 1 |
| — | PFP18888 | Installation Instructions | 1 |
Harness & display compatibility
The PF80807 harness is universal — it works through whichever machine harness is already on the tractor. Which machine harness that is decides which COM port is available to you.
| Machine harness | Port available |
|---|---|
| BPF11527 | COM 2 only |
| PFP12435 | COM 2 only |
| PF80773 | COM 2 only |
| PF80775 | COM 1 or COM 2 |
| PF80793 | COM 1 or COM 2 |
Compatible displays
The John Deere 4640 Universal Display only supports third-party control units from Raven. PF80793, PF80773, PF80775, BPF11527 and PFP12435 are sold separately from these kits.
Non-Deere GPS receivers
If the position source is not a StarFire receiver, the GreenStar system will still take documentation and manual guidance from it — but not AutoTrac, which needs CAN GPS messages from a StarFire. A non-Deere receiver has to be set to output NMEA 0183 messages, and it has to output the right ones.
Without all three, the receiver will not work with GreenStar applications.
A separate harness and installation instruction covers connecting a receiver's DB9 port to a display connector.
Install the PF90363 harness
Six steps. The only fiddly part is pinning the five wires into the right cavities of the display connector — get the port right first (see the note in section 01), then work off the matching table in section 07.
Disconnect the display connector (A). Get the display where you can work on the back of it before pulling anything apart.
Depress the locking tab (A) with a flat screwdriver. The tab releases the terminal position assurance so the wire cavities will accept new pins.
Remove the white plugs and install the wires into the display connector using the pinout for the port you are on — COM 1 or COM 2, in section 07.
Push all wires flush to the connector face, then push in the two locking tabs (A). A pin that is not seated will read as an intermittent later, usually in the field.
Reconnect the display connector (A) to the display.
Connect the RS232 connector (A) to the control unit (B), using the adapter (C) and/or null modem adapter (D) if the control unit needs them.
- Raven, Dickey-john and Vanguard — the RS232 connector goes straight to the control unit.
- Rawson and New Leader — go through the adapter and the null modem adapter.
Pinouts — COM 1 and COM 2
Same five wires either way; different cavities. Cavity 1 is top-left of the connector face and 26 is bottom-right, as numbered on the connector itself.
RS232 COM 1 pinout — Gen 5 displays
| Wire | Pin | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | 23 | Receive |
| Green | 22 | Transmit |
| White | 25 | CTS |
| Red | 24 | RTS |
| Black | 2 | Ground |
RS232 COM 2 pinout
| Wire | Pin | Function |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | 15 | Receive |
| Green | 26 | Transmit |
| White | 17 | CTS |
| Red | 16 | RTS |
| Black | 4 | Ground |
Blue is always receive and green is always transmit — if the display and the controller both sit quiet, the usual causes are receive and transmit swapped, a pin not seated, or the wrong COM port selected in the display's serial port setup.
Install the PFA13224 harness — DIGI-STAR
The grain cart version is two connections and no pinning. This is the one that shows up on a cart with a DIGI-STAR indicator when the customer wants the weight on the Deere display.
Connect the DIGI-STAR connector (A) to the serial port (B) on the DIGI-STAR controller (C).
Connect the RS232 connector (A) to the control unit (B), with the adapter (C) and/or null modem adapter (D) if needed — Raven, Dickey-john and Vanguard connect directly; Rawson and New Leader go through both adapters.
Control unit settings
These settings are only required for control units running on the PF90363 harness.
- BAUD = 9600
- TRIG = 1
- UNIT = sec
- DLOG = ON
To turn the rate alarm off, set RATE to OFF.
- Select the Controller button.
- Verify the settings on the display match the control unit — for example, Mid Point on the display must match the value on the unit.
- Select the Mode button.
- Select GPS Mode to enable serial port communication with the control unit.
Quick reference
| Question in the field | Answer |
|---|---|
| Which port on a Gen 5? | COM 1 — pins 23 / 22 / 25 / 24 / 2 |
| Which port on the older harnesses? | BPF11527, PFP12435 and PF80773 are COM 2 only; PF80775 and PF80793 will do either |
| Raven / Dickey-john / Vanguard | RS232 connector direct to the control unit — no adapters |
| Rawson / New Leader | Adapter PF11664 and null modem adapter PF11663 |
| 4640 Universal Display | Raven control units only |
| Non-Deere GPS receiver | NMEA GGA, GSA and RMC at 19200 baud, 8-N-1, no flow control, 5 Hz |
| DIGI-STAR indicator on a grain cart | BPF12466 kit — harness PFA13224 plugs into the indicator's serial port |
| Replacement parts | Harness PF80807 · Harness PFA13224 · Adapter PF11664 · Null modem PF11663 |
If the display and the controller will not talk after the harness is in, call the shop before pulling pins — most of these come down to port selection in the display's serial setup or a baud mismatch at the controller, and both are quicker to sort out over the phone. 308-946-3591