Connectors are not part of RS-485 standard.

As the old joke has it, standards are so good everyone should have their own:

Here are several conflicting specifications for half-duplex RS-485 on D-shell 9-pin connectors:

  • Modbus uses pins 5 and 9 and 1. Standard, section 3.5
  • Digi uses 3 and 9 and 5. Ref
  • Virtual Serial Port uses 3 and 7 and shell. Ref, fig 3.9

If there's something common in your industry, use that. Otherwise I'd suggest Modbus, because "RS-485 on DE-9 per Modbus standard" is easy to say, easy to check, and buy ready-made cables for.

Answer from jonathanjo on Stack Exchange
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Virtual COM Port Driver
virtual-serial-port.org › serial port software › articles › what is serial port › rs485 pinout
RS485 Pinout - RS485 connector pinout and contacts
October 3, 2024 - This article describes the RS485 pin configuration including diagrams of full and half duplex RS485 connector pinouts.
Rating: 5 ​ - ​ 367 votes
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Powersoft
powersoft.com › wp-content › uploads › 2019 › 01 › powersoft_TN001_RJ45WiringRS485_en_v1.1.pdf pdf
1 – + Vext GND 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 FIGURE 1: Front view of the RJ45 connector
USB-RS485 converters (see next page) – and XLR plugs to the RJ45 · port positioned on the rear panel of Powersoft amplifiers. Powersoft recommend the use of Ethernet CAT5 straight · through – patch – cables with pin/pair assignments TIA/EIA-568-B, i.e.

Connectors are not part of RS-485 standard.

As the old joke has it, standards are so good everyone should have their own:

Here are several conflicting specifications for half-duplex RS-485 on D-shell 9-pin connectors:

  • Modbus uses pins 5 and 9 and 1. Standard, section 3.5
  • Digi uses 3 and 9 and 5. Ref
  • Virtual Serial Port uses 3 and 7 and shell. Ref, fig 3.9

If there's something common in your industry, use that. Otherwise I'd suggest Modbus, because "RS-485 on DE-9 per Modbus standard" is easy to say, easy to check, and buy ready-made cables for.

Answer from jonathanjo on Stack Exchange
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NI
knowledge.ni.com › KnowledgeArticleDetails
RS-485 Pins for 2- and 4-Wire Transmission - NI
August 1, 2023 - I am using RS-485 serial communication, what pins do I need to connect for 2- and 4- wire transmission? What are the digital output pins on the RS-485 port to communicate withanother device?
Find elsewhere
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/plc › standard connector/pinout for rs-485?
r/PLC on Reddit: Standard connector/pinout for RS-485?
July 26, 2022 -

I'm developing some automation equipment that will go into an overseas factory. The factory would like to communicate with the equipment and I'm recommending to do so via RS485; however, I can't seem to find any standard or best-practice connectors and/or pinouts. Seems like DB9 or RJ45 would be good options, but searching online shows a variety of pinouts. I'd imagine that you'd need adapters for different pieces of equipment from different manufacturers to talk to each other. Is that they way it is, or am I overlooking a standard? Thanks!

Top answer
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Standard: two screw terminals labeled + and -. See www.Modbus.org The problem with your idea is that often RS-485 requires termination resistors to prevent communication problems from reflections. So with screw terminals we can just insert the resistor. If anything make it plug-in. That way it is a “plug” but one I can easily wire up. With DB-9, RS-485, etc., we can’t do any of that. We are back to making goofy connectors by hand. The pins require special tools and often fall out. DB9 was used because DB25 was huge. DB25 existed for mouse immunity with every other pin grounded back in the teletype days with massive noise problems if the day. Connections were still soldered so a hollow pin made lots of sense at that time. Plus DB9 is already associated with RS-232. RJ-45 is Ethernet. Reusing these (which some vendors do) just creates confusion. If I see DB9, there’s a 95% chance it’s RS-232. There are vendors who do this (Allen Bradley) and it causes nothing but problems. People are constantly trying to plug an Ethernet device into the RS-485 “DPI” ports. Now there are exceptions and this is also why AB and others do it. A common configuration is where you have say an RJ-45 or RJ-11 or RJ-12 6P6C connector bug two pins carry 24 V and ground abc 2 carry RS-485/Modbus. This is a “remote keypad” port used on a lot of VFDs on the market. It has the convenience that the port can double as a programming or networking port and that if the factory cable breaks you can get a new one anywhere.
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There’s no standard, except for everyone’s standard.
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Pinout
pinout.xyz › pinout › rs485_pi
RS485 Pi at Raspberry Pi GPIO Pinout
The RS485 port is connected to the UART port on the Raspberry Pi using a SN65HVD72 interface. The SN65HVD72 IC converts the 3.3V UART port to RS485 differential voltages allowing communication with RS485 compatible devices over a twisted pair cable.
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INTEG Process Group
jnior.com › home › blog page › rs-485 wiring
RS-485 Wiring - INTEG Process Group
November 11, 2024 - Signal DB-9 -------------------- ------ Signal Ground (GND) 5 RS485 TX- 2 RS485 RX- 3 RS485 RX+ 7 RS485 TX+ 8
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USBGear
usbgear.com › rs485-basic-pinout-diagram.html
RS-485 Basic Pinout Diagram
Serial RS-485 does not suggest any communication protocol with exception of the physical layer and only specifies electrical properties of the transmitter and receiver. RS-485 is generally used for its multi-port specification but is not necessary in certain applications.
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Opengear
portal.opengear.com › s › article › RS232RS422RS485standardDBconnectorpinout661d308e7cf0c
RS232, RS422 & RS485 standard DB connector pinout - Opengear
Opengear - RS232, RS422 & RS485 standard DB connector pinout RS232, RS422 & RS485 standard DB connector pinout RS232 pinout RS232 pinout standards exist for both DB9 and DB25 connectors as shown below: DB25SIGNALDB9DEFINITION1 Protective Ground2TXD3Transmitted Data3RXD2Received Data4RTS7Request To Send5CTS8Clear To Send6DSR6Data Set Ready7GND5Signal Ground8CD1Received Line Signal Detector9 Reserved for data set testing10 Reserved for data set testing11 Unassigned12SCF Secndry Rcvd Line Signl Detctr13SCB Secondary Clear to Send14SBA Secondary Transmitted Data15DB Transmisn Signal Timng16SBB Sec
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Raveon
raveon.com › ApplicationNotes › AN236(SerialComm).pdf pdf
Serial Communications RS232, RS485, RS422
RS485 and RS422 use differentiation. Two wires are required for each signal.
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Digi International
digi.com › support › knowledge-base › cabling-pin-outs-for-digi-portserver-ts-mei-rs-485
Cabling Pin Outs for Digi PortServer TS MEI RS-485 | Digi International
January 4, 2024 - Select your product for firmware, drivers, software, knowledge base articles and manuals · RJ45 10 pin (4 wire) Two wires (one twisted pair) are required for each signal, a positive lead ("+"), and a negative lead ("-"). The "+" leads at one end of the cable must be connected to the "+" leads ...
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Digilent
digilent.com › reference › pmod › pmodrs485 › reference-manual
Pmod RS485 Reference Manual - Digilent Reference
Pmod RS485 Reference Manual · ... Additional Information · The Digilent Pmod RS485 (Revision B) provides signal and power isolation for high speed communication lines utilizing the RS-485 communication protocol....
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Fly-Wing
flywing-tech.com › home › circuit › max485 ic: rs-485 communication driver -pinout, datasheet & applications
MAX485 IC: RS-485 Communication Driver -Pinout, Datasheet & Applications - Fly-Wing
December 24, 2025 - It is advisable for beginners to consider a pre-built TTL to RS485 module. Always buy components from a reputable reseller to avoid the unknowns of second-hand counterfeit electrical components that may not have ESD protection or thermal shutdown. RS-485 Datasheet Download: The MAX485 data sheet is located on the website of the manufacturer Analog Devices and contains information on the pinout, electrical specification (2.5Mbps RS-485 baud rate), and application circuits.
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Pinterest
pinterest.com › pin › 570338740305170884
RS-485 pinout · Tuxotronic
RS-485 pinout · Tuxotronic | How to wire rs485, Rs485 connection diagram, Rs232 · Skip to content · When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures · Log in · Sign up