Common
Fast buttons
Statusdisplay
Setup for
ports
Save data
to file
Send file
Binary
and ASCII characters
Protocolls
Key macros
Delays between
character and row
Filter incoming
data
Serial port
status
Example of
binary file
Using the program
Display
fonts
Installing
the program
Removing
the program
Ask
demo
TERM2004 is result of 30 years in serial communication
development. It is intended final help for serious users of communication
and program developers using PC/W9x/NT4/W2K enviroment as help tool.
Especially the users in radio protocolls, machine
tools,GSM-modems must know serial communication to the last bit.
The developers must know how the opposite device works, to able the develope
a suitable communication program. He must know special cases, special
characters, commands, messages and protocolls. This is impossible with
normal communication programs such as Windows Hyperterminal.
Almost all the serial protocolls includes binary control
characters. Normal communication programs can't read, decode and simulate
binary characters. The simulating the other end is vital part of developing
process.
Term2004 can display, save and simulate binary communication .
On the top of main window the most used functions can be selected by big icons.
The handshake
status display and controlling the output handshake bits
Serial port control bits are shown in this diplay, RTS
and DTR bits can be controlled. An abnormal status of RX bit
is shown as Break in.
DTR and RTS outputbits can be controlled on or
off.
Break out controls TX-signal to the
abnormal state ( break = wire broken!)
Serial Portsettings COM0-COM25. USB/Bluetooth drivers use Big com-port numbers.
The program shows available port
The setup
of the port settings
Using
serial communication requires opening the port and setting the right settings
to the port..
The settings are done by Setup-display. There are too
many settings to show every settings at the same time.
There are eleven folders, which shows different categories.
PORTS (COM1..5), TCPIP
or nothing
SPEED ( 300..115kbs)
PARITY ( None, even parity,
odd parity)
HANDSHAKE ( Nothing, hardware,
xon/xoff or both
STOPBITS ( 1, 1.5 or 2)
DATABITSt ( 5,6,7 or 8)
PORTCONTROL BITS ( RTS,
DTR, Break)
When the stetup display is closed the new setups are taken
in use. The setups are saved to registry for next time use.
Only the available ports are shown for selection.
The selected port and settings are shown in the bottom of the main window.
If you start the program and the last selected port is
used by an other program, this is shown in status window. You can save
certain settings to setup file and later load a suitable setting. So the
different jobs can easily set to settings saved earlier.
Binary
and ASCII characters
ASCII characters ( 0..127) includes the visible characters
(codes 32-125) and unvisible characters ( 0-31, 129-255). ASCII-display
can show only the visible characters. A binary display shows also unvisible
characters. If all the characters are shown in hexdecimal display it is
very difficult to follow the messages which normally have most of time
a meaningfull characters.
The binary display shows the visible characters similar
than ASCII-display, but the other characters are shown
in decoded ASCII meanings. The ASCII code 13 is shown <CR>, code
255 is shown <0xFF> etc. This can call also as a half binary display.
Binary
protocols
The binary data can also be examined with message based display. Data is divided to ten incoming data buffers and ten outgoing data buffers, 150 characters/group. This display is especially suited for Siemens 3964R protocoll. All the datas can feed to this display and there are no need to use Siemens protocol. The incoming data can be recorded and then send back. The messages can be edited in hex and decimal format. The databuffers is displayed in decimal and hex format. The buffers can be cleared, the incoming checksum (bcc) is displayed and calculated.
Normal serial communication program as Windows Hyperterminal
shows only visible ASCII-characters. Invisible characters are decoded according
to the terminal protocoll like VT100, VT52, ANSI.
These protocols decode code 13 as carriage return. This is right when the
terminal works with humans. How about parking meter or GSM-modem protocols?
The normal programs ignores unsuitable characters or
some program show them as black squares. The sending the spccial charactes
are impossible.
TERM2004 program uses keyboard macros to solve this problem.
When the TERM2004-program starts, it loads last used keyboard macrofile.
A macro file (.mac )includes 80 characters for each function button ( F1-F12).
Select the main display window and press function keys. The linked data
is sent to serial port and display if echo is enabled.
Keyboard macros can be
used also by a mouse.
The macros can be edited by EDIT-button. Visible messages
can be edited just writing or modifying old string in keyboard
display. A HEX editor allows to change any character to any value ( 0...0xFF).
The length of macro can also set by a String Lenght window.
The saving the macros are asked in closing the macro window.
When the macros are in the edit mode,
they cannot be used. The saving macros to different name can done in FILE/Save
Macros. Similary the macros can be loaded by FILE/Load
macros-selection.
Saving the
files
To save all the incoming data select Save File button
and write the filename. If the binary display is selected all saved data
is in the same format. If only ASCII-dispay is selected all the data
is saved without decoding to HEX format. Use ASCII-display format if you
want to send incoming data at the same format to the
serial port. The saving time is shown in bottom of the main window. Use
a special editor if you want to look the files in HEXASCII format (Wincommander
or UltraEdit).
Sendig the file
Press a Send File button and select
the file name. The file is send to serial port without any protocol.
The sending the file can be stopped
any time a stop button which is shown during this operation.
Sending macros automatically
Automacro button can send one macro
at certain intervals. You can test your program without helping people.
You can also send each macro on sequentally.
Select the serial port according
your computer. Term2004 shows usabel serial ports in Setup/Ports-folder.
The most computers has only two COM ports; COM1 and COM2. More ports you
can get with USB/Serial converter.
Set the right baud rate. If you
have no idea of the right speed try 2400, 9600 and 19200 bps, these
are most common baud rates. If you do not know other parameters select
Parity: None, 8 databits and one stop bit.
Set the handshake lines DTR
and RTS on, Break not selected, handshake None. Select the binary
display on.
Connect the device to the serial
port and turn the device on. Many devices send the program version during
startup. This also can be used to determine serial speed. If
you have a working setup just monitor to communication and try to imitate
other end. You can then make your own macros. With these you can see if
they work as you expect. Then move these macros to your own communication
program and monitor the communication with Term2004.
$OO0<NUL>,H=00000,L=00000<CR><LF>$OL0<NUL>
Probyte smarTOil 07-NOV-01,H=0000
=00000,P=0,O=00000,F=00051,S=00503,C=00000<CR><LF>$OL0<NUL>
Probyte smarTOil 07-NOV-01,H
000,L=00000,P=0,O=00000,F=00052,S=00503,C=00000<CR><LF>$OL0<NUL>
Probyte smarTOil 07-NOV
,H=00000,L=00000,P=0,O=00000,F=00054,S=00503,C=00000<CR><LF>$OL0<NUL>
Probyte smarTOil 0
OV-01,H=00000,L=00000,P=0,O=00000,F=00056,S=00503,C=00000<CR><LF>
Delays in characters
and lines
When sending file areusing macros, a delay between characters
can be set 1-1000000 ms ( Settings/Test Macro Delay Options). This
is needed especially send data to FLASH memory or CPU.Normally 100 ms delay
is enough for flash programming.
In normal PC has only 1 or two
serial ports but using this program through TCP/IP (Internet) you can use
65000 ports!.
If you want others to connect
your computer select Server option. If you connect to the other computer
select Client.
Set TCP/IP port ( 0-65535).
Ports 1 through 255 are reserved for common services like HTP, Telnet,
Time, UDP (37), FTP. These are also availble if your PC has not reerved
these.
Select the computer name or
TCP/IP address ( e.g. 192.168.0.4) in Internet/Intranet or in your own
computer. You can use TCP/IP communication as normal serial
communication, but this works all over the world.
The Status window shows the status of the connection.
All binary ja ASCII functions work normally
Filtering the incoming characters and messages
Filtering incoming data is sometimes required. External
interference quite often generates NULL character. These interferences
can filtered by a NULL FILTER option. If you only want display certain
strings Enable String Filter option. You can set certain start characters,
length and stop character. This usefull in RS-485 communications. RS-485
works well with RS-485/422, but you need a hardware adapter to RS-485/RS-232
Select the font and color if the font
Selecting a suitable font helps to display the incoming
data in table format. For excample Luciand Console font has a similar width
for each the character. The Term2004 saves used font, size and color
to registry.
Start setup.exe. It installs the
Term2004 program.
Start the Term2004.exe program
normally in Windows TERM2004 program group.
In Help menu shows User's Manual and you can see program version and used protocol
Select Control Panel/Add or Remove Programs. Select Term2004. Term2004 programs are deleted from your computer
When you look communicaton failures,
you need a lot of data from two devices. It there are constant commmunication
and a failure exists only one in month you can use a clever serial datalogger
for data aquistication. Turn Datalogger Recorder On. This records
everything to the file name, which is formed from current date like Term7.5.2003.log.
Using 2to1-adapter, you can record everything in time sequence to one file.
You can set timestamp every hour, minute, second or 1/10 second. In 1/10
selection there is also 1/1000 second time difference from previous character.
In main menu there is a stop button
and file name for datalogging.
How about if there are hundreds
of messages in second, every computer is filled by unuseful
(=correct) data? No worry, select automatic old file remover on.
Select New File Every day. After midnight the log file is renamed to backup.log
and a new day log is started. Now we have a new and old file in computer,
but the hard disk is never filled up. Similary time selection can be done
for every hour or minute when there is only a short time failure expected.
When there is failure just look
last messages in file. If you have set Time Stamp On, you know when the
failures have happened and why.
Timestamp every second
Timestamp 6.7.2003 19:12:49
aatt<CR><CR>0<CR>
Timestamp 6.7.2003 19:12:50
aatt<CR><CR>
-- Selecting 1/10 ms, the seconds an milliseconds from
last recording is shown ------
Timestamp 20.11.2003 11:13:14
0.213
at<CR>
Data logging from more than on serial port at the same time
Many time we need listen two
devices which are communicating each other. You need 2_to_1 adapter. This
is very easy to make, when you understand the principle. The adapter
captures data from both the TX signal and feeds data to TERM2004 RX pin
through signal diode. The 2_to_1 adapter has feedtrough path DB9/female
and DB9/male connectors. The third connector DB9 female is for TERM2004
computer. The adapter diagram is provided with the program.
This is handy because there
is no need to have two serial ports in monitoring computer. Nowadays the
most laptops have zero serialports and we must purchase a USB Serial adapters.
Building such an adapter is the most trivial, just cut two serial cables
in half and connect once cable as it was. Then take female part of
the other cable and connect two diodes (e.g. 1N4148) from pin 2 (red wire)
to 3 (orange) and 2 (red) in feedthrough cable. The diode must conduct
positive voltage from feedthrrough cable to capturing side.
Put the ground pins 5 (green)
together.
Term2004 cost €167:-. Delivery
TERM2004 CD or a zipped file throught the Internet.
The program is sold without
modification.
The modifications can be done according
customer requirements.
Option 1 TCP/IP analyzer
€83:-
Option 2 Siemens 3964(R)
analyzer €83:-
Option 3 A dataloger module
€168 :-
Option 4 An Adapter 2to1
€50:-
Cables to serial port: 1.8,
10,20 metre DB9-connector
Payment using PayPal 
(
add 4 Euros for Paypal handling)
or Western
Union ( no extra charge needed)
Ask
details for payment
Update from previous version -50%
Term2004 Demo ( Euro 10) is fully functioning program in CD, but speed is limited.
I got Term2004 program some time ago. I promice to tell how we have used the program. So you can get information why we use your program really.
Our problem was serial communication between Siemens logic and Unix-computer in our production. Sometimes the messages just stopped and our production stopped. It was unclear why or which end was faulty. We installed Term2003 to log all the communication and record messages to file. After the week we got "fish" to net. We looked the messages and found the failure. The repair work is started. This was not possible without your splendid program!
Seppo Laitinen
Pouttu Oy
Finland
Probyte Oy
Nirvankatu 31, 33820 Tampere FINLAND
Telephone 358-3-2661885
Contact
