Serial communication is widely used in the PC market, most notably RS-232 based serial communication. Most PCs have two RS-232 serial ports called COM1 and COM2. Most GPIB instruments also have an RS-232 serial port that allows the PC to communicate with these instruments. Other serial communication ports are available on the PC, usually through a specialized board.
The RS-232 standard was adopted by the Electronic Industries Association in 1969. RS-232 defines the voltages and circuits used by all serial interfaces. To ensure that the RS-232 standard remains flexible and wide-ranging, the RS-232 standard intentionally does not require a specific type of physical connection. However, the DB-25 connector—while not part of the RS-232 standard—is most frequently used as an RS-232 connector.
This chapter provides a brief introduction to the RS-232 standard. It includes the following sections:
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Name |
Description |
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Defines the RS-232 voltages and circuits used by all serial connections. |
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Describes how RS-232 allows computing devices (DTEs) to pass data to communications devices (DCEs). |
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Explains how RS-232 defines signals for controlling the connection between a DTE and a DCE. |
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Describes how RS-232 serial communication protocol works. |
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Explains how RS-232 serial communication allows for hardware handshaking and XON/XOFF handshaking. |
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Describes how ATEasy uses the Windows COMM driver for serial communication. |
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Provides troubleshooting tips for working with COM ports. |