RS232 data string generation question

[masterice]

I have recently been given a batch of (hopefully useful) really nice PCBs and displays.
The display is a 6x20 backlit LCD (Batron BT62005P) and it is driven by an AT89C52 controller which takes serial data from a Maxim MAX233CPP RS232 device.
There's an on board switching converter using an LM2567T device.

I have been told that the RS232 data string for the input takes the form of <STX><ADDR><DATA><ETX> where ADDR is the line to be written to on the display (0 to 5), and DATA is the 20 ASCII characters to be displayed. Any data not in this format is ignored

I have also been told that the comms are 9600 baud, 8 data, 1 start, 1 stop, no parity

I have tried generating a test string using Hyperterm on the PC but it doesn't really seem cut out for this sort of thing (or I don't know what I'm doing of course).

So does anyone know of any free (emphasis on FREE! ) software which can be configured to output this sort of data string from a PC's serial port purely for testing purposes.

The board is also configured for in-board programming of the AT89C52 so also does anyone know of any useful programmer designs or possibly an adaptation for using any of the PIC type of programmers?

Thanks

Slim Haines

 

[rprodrigues]

If Batron does not already supply one, the best thing to do is implement yours.

 

[masterice]

The boards aren't made by Batron, only the display.
The company who manufactured the entire assembly gave me the data info but couldn't say how it was generated as they only made the display board side of things to another (now defunct) company's instructions.

I am not an RS232 expert so I need someone who knows a PC based piece of software capable of generating the data strings as I detailed previously.

 

[smanches]

Try PuTTY. It might be better than Hyperterm, although I don't know. Only use it for SSH usually, but it is quite solid in that department.

 

[rprodrigues]

The boards aren't made by Batron, only the display.
The company who manufactured the entire assembly gave me the data info but couldn't say how it was generated as they only made the display board side of things to another (now defunct) company's instructions.

I am not an RS232 expert so I need someone who knows a PC based piece of software capable of generating the data strings as I detailed previously.

I guess if the supplier of the board does not provide a software for that purpose, it will not be that easy to find a software made for this. Maybe you may find one who had already implemented something similar, but I don't know any software that gives that kind of ouptup.

Once I had to interface to an GPS receiver whose commands were passed in a way a bit similar, so I had do implement my own software.

 

[masterice]

Try PuTTY. It might be better than Hyperterm, although I don't know. Only use it for SSH usually, but it is quite solid in that department.

Thanks for that. I've downloaded it and, on a brief glance it may be what I want.
It seems to have the ability to let me set up some system variables so I'll give it a try over the weekend.

Thanks for that

The supplier of the board didn't supply the data driving system only the display boards but as I say the company who did are no longer in business.

Many years ago back in the days of DOS I had software which let you set up almost any format of data you wanted but unfortunately I can't remember it's name.

Slim

 

[superfrog]

If you can do minimal amount of programming then choose your language and write some program for it.

I ve done such things in C a long time ago, and can remember that the format set up was a tad trick to get right but alright afterwards,

if you want something cross platform, you could just use the PySerial module to python.

If you send me a board, I am more than happy to try that for you and pass you the code

 

[masterice]

Thanks very much but the problem is 'time' - in as much as I don't have the time to start writing specific code (which I don't know will work anyway) in my main language of FORTH (Yes - old fashioned I know but still much in use in certain circles....)
Even writing a specific routine for any of the PIC devices I am conversant with will make the job self defeating as this is purely to ascertain whether to keep/dispose of the boards or merely to retain the displays which I already have used elsewhere.
Thanks for all your replies so far.

Slim

 

[3v0]

Hello my name is 3v0 and I am a recovering forth programmer. I have not written forth code in 25 years. I still miss forth...

I am glad to hear that forth is still in use.

3v0

 

[masterice]

Oh yes - it's still in use ....but only just.
We're still running old implementations of FigForth mostly because the equipment using it has been sooooo reliable that the customers keep their old systems and just have us update them as and when necessary.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Hello my name is 3v0 and I am a recovering forth programmer. I have not written forth code in 25 years. I still miss forth...

I can't say I miss it, I've probably not used it for 25 years or so either, and never really liked it at the time

What I will say, is that it was 'different', very different, to anything else.

 

[superfrog]

Programming languages are tools, right now C++ is king for performance (and should be for embedded but is not quite, please do not start me on that as I can rant for auite a while on the subject) and Python for scripting. Metaprogramming and modelling seems to be a best match for functional language, but they still are relatively segmented niche market.

I personally have played around , with nothing implied in the order, with Java, C++,C, C#, Fortran, Haskell, OCaml, F#, VHDL, Verilog, Python, Perl(a bit), a variety of shell scripting languages, and some special purpose languages for private applications.

While I dislike Python for many reasons; I have to accept that for small scale scripting, it seems to be the most efficient piece of kit around.

Using pySerial you could set up you serial interface in a line, an then just forward the standard input to this, which as far as I can see should not take wore that 2 lines. 3 Lines of script sounds reasonable for your needs. And python is as free as it gets (like in free beer and not like free beer, understand who can). pySerial does linux and windows and apparently to some extend BSDs. It should cover most bases.

Forgive me for the shameless attempt to get free toys in my previous post