Serial Port Complete Programming and Circuits for RS-232 and RS-485 Links and Networks Cables, Network Connectors, & Programming Terminations Tips & Tricks “IN ~~ _> 4 Sample Applications for =Visual Basic =Basic Stamp ™8052-Basic incuves Jan Axelson DISK! author of the best-selling Parallel Port CompleteSerial Port Complete Programming and Circuits for RS-232 and RS-485 Links and Networks Jan Axelson Lakeview Research Madison, WI53704copyright 1998, 1999, 2000 by Jan Axelson. All rights reserved. Published by Lakeview Research Lakeview Research 5310 Chinook Ln. Madison, WI 53704 USA Phone: 608-241-5824 Fax: 608-241-5848 Email: [email protected] WWW: hitp:/Wwww.lve.com 413 121110987654 Products and services named in this book are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies, The author uses these names in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of the trademark owners. No stch use, or the use of any trade name, is intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with the book. No part of this book, except the programs and program listings, may be reproduced in any form, or stored in a database or retrieval system, or transmitted or distributed in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Lakeview Research or the author, except as permitted by the Copyright Act of 1976. The programs and program listings, or any portion of these, may be stored and executed in a computer system and may be incorporated into computer pro grams developed by the reader. The information, computer programs, schematic diagrams, documentation, and other ‘material in this book are provided “as is,” without warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, including without limitation any warranty concerning the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of the material or the results obtained from using the material. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be responsible for any claims attributable to errors, omis- sions, or other inaccuracies in the material in this book. In no event shall the publisher or author be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages in con nection with, or arising out of, the construction, performance, or other use of the materi- als contained herein, ISBN 0-9650819-7-4Table of Contents Introduction ix 1 Options and Choices 1 The Computers 1 ‘The Programming 3 Languages and Operating Systems Message Properties ‘The Link 5 Applications 7 2 Formats and Protocols 11 Sending Serial Data 11 Synchronous Format Asynchronous Format tem Support ing a Byte 15 The Bit Format Autodetecting the Bit Rate Data Formats 18 Binary Data Serial Port Complete iiiText Data Preventing Missed Data 20 Handshakin; Buffers Polling and Interrupts Acknowledgments Error-checking The PC’s Serial Port from the Connector In 25 Port Architecture 25 ‘The UART Enhancements Port Resources 28 ing Ports Port Information in the Registry Configuring 31 ‘New Systems Adding a Port Using Older Hardware Internal vs. External Devices IRQ Conflicts Solutions for Multiple Ports Inside the UART 40 Interrupt Sources Control Registers New Functions PC Programming 45 Using MSComm 45 Properties Text and Binary Transfers Polled Communications Using OnComm Handshaking Options A Template Application 55 ‘The Main Form General Routines Selecting a Port Saving Data Other Ways to Access Serial Ports 80 API Functions Direct Port Access Serial Port CompleteUsing Older Basics 87 Visual Basic Versions ‘Accessing Ports under DOS 5 Microcontroller Serial Ports 91 Phe 8052-Basic 93 Communications Abilities Processing Received Data Custom Communications ‘The Basie Stamp 102 ‘A Firmware UART Signal Levels Stamp-to-Stamp Links Adding a Hardware Serial Port 113 Options An SPI/Microwire UART 6 Linking Two Devices with RS-232 117 About RS-232 118 Features Signals Voltages Timing Limits Converting between SV Logic and RS-232 125 ‘The MAX232 Other Interface Chips Short-range Circuits Port-powered Circuits 133 Alternate Interfaces 135 Direct Connection Other Unbalanced Interfaces 7 Connectors and Cables for RS-232 139 Connectors 139 in Shells 9-pin Shells. ‘The Alt A Connector Modular Connectors Adapters. Serial Port Completevi Cables 146 Length Limits How Many Wires? Isolated Links 148 Ways to Achieve Isolation ‘About Grounds Power Supply Grounds, Optoisolating Surge Protection Troubleshooting Tools 155 RS-232 Applications 157 Linking Two Computers 157 ‘A2-PC Link Selecting a Remote CPU PC-to-Basie Stamp Link 173 Exchanging Data Ensuring that the Stamp Sees Incoming Data PC-to 8052-Basic Link 177 Ensuring that the 8052-Basic Sees Incoming Data Exchanging Data Simple 1/0 179 Accessing the Signals Connecting to a Stand-alone UART Controlling Synchronous Interfaces Operating System Tools 181 Direct Cable Connection DOS InterInk and Intersvr Links and Networks with RS-485 185 About RS-485 185 Balanced and Unbalanced Lines Voltage Requirements urrent Requirements d Adding an RS-485 Port 194 PC Expansion Cards Converter Chips Converting TTL Converting RS-232 Short Links between Different Inte Serial Port Complete10 RS-485 Cables & Interfacing 205 Long and Short Lines 205 When Is a Line Long? Calculating Line Length Line Terminations 210 Characteristic Impedance Adding a Termination Effects of Termi Reflections Terminations for Short Lines Choosing a Driver Chip 222 Network Topologies 223 Open and Short-circuit Biasing 225, Open-cireuit Protection Short-cireuit Protection Cable Types 230 How a Wire Picks Up Noise Twisted-pair Cable Selecting Cable Grounds in a Differential Link 233 Ensuring a Common Ground Isolated Links Extending a Link with Repeaters 239 tions 11. Network Programming 241 Managing Traffic 241 ‘Steps in Exchanging a Message Protocols Addressing 245 Assigning Detecting Other Information in Messages Using Existing Protocols ‘Transmitter Enable Timing 249 12 Two Networks 253 An RS-485 Network 253 The Protocol The Link The Master's Programming Selecting Nodes Slave Programming Serial Port Complete vilOne viii A Simple Stamp Network 259 Debugging Tips 275 Appendices Resources 287 RS-232 Signals 291 Number Systems 293 Index 297 Serial Port CompleteIntroduction Introduction This book is a guide to designing, programming, installing, and troubleshooting computer Tinks, including networks of multiple computers. Most of the links described use one of two serial interfaces popularly known as RS-232 and RS-485. The computers may be personal computers, embedded controllers, or any devices that share a common interface. Common uses for these links include data acquisition and control systems What's Inside Putting together a serial link of this type requires expertise both in circuit design, to choose the components that make up the link, and in programming, to write the code that controls the link. This book covers each of these. PCs For links that use PCs (personal computers), I describe the architecture shared by the ports in all PCs, and show how to use a port’s features, with program code in Visual Basic. A template project gives a quick start for applications you write. The template includes routines for finding ports in a system, enabling users to select and config- Serial Port Complete ixIntroduction lure a port, and other general-purpose functions commonly used in applications that access serial ports. Embedded Controllers ‘The examples for embedded controllers use one of two popular microcontroller chips: Parallax’s Basic Stamp and the 80(C)52- other sources. Both are based on popular microcontroller hardware: the PIC and 8051 families. Both can be programmed in dialects of Basic. from Intel, Mieromint, and Applications The example applications include circuit designs and code for serial links between two or more PCs and microcontrollers, us }-485, and simple direct links. I also show how to use an RS-232 serial port as the power source for low-power external circuits. Cables and Interfacing In a serial link, the proper cable and terminating components can prevent errors due to electrical noise or malfunctioning hardware, This book shows how to choose an appropriate cable and how to select or design the circuits that interface to the cable Who should read this book? Readers from many backgrounds will find this book useful: Programmers will find code examples that show how to use serial ports on PCs and microcontrollers. Programming a network shared by multiple computers is ‘more involved than programming a link with just two computers. This book explains the options and shows how to avoid the pitfalls For hardware designers, there are details about serial-port circuits and how to interface to them, including the design of converters to translate between RS-232, RS-485, and 5V TTL logic. Examples show how to implement an RS-485 port on PCs and microcontrollers and how to design links with features like bullet-proof, failsafe circuits, high noise immunity, and low power consumption. For system troubleshooters, there are hardware and software debugging tech- niques, plus code for finding and testing ports and links, Hobbyists and experimenters will find many ideas, along with explanations and tips for modifying the examples for a unique application, x Serial Port CompleteIntroduction ‘Teachers and students have found serial ports to be a handy tool for experiments with electronics and computer control and monitoring. Many of the examples in this book are suitable as a starting point for school projects And last but not least, users, or anyone who uses a computer with serial ports, will find useful information, including advice on configuring and adding ports. How did you learn all this? Readers who have found my books useful sometimes ask how I came to know the information they contain. The short answer is that each of my books, including this one, is the result of a continuous cycle of research and experiments. Many companies do an excellent job of providing information to help customers use their products. Manufacturers of the chips used in RS-232 and RS-485 inter- faces have published dozens of application notes. The data sheets for the chips themselves also hold many answers. All of this information is now easily avail- able on the Internet. There are also many good books that cover related topics. See the appendix of this book and Lakeview Research's web site for pointers to many g00d sources of information. But in the end there's no substitute for real-life experiments: putting together the hardware, writing the program code, and watching what happens when the code executes. Then when the result isn’t as expected—as it often isn’t—it means try- ing something else or searching the documentation for clues. This book is result of ‘many, many hours of such research and experiments. About the Program Code Allof the code presented in the book (and more) is available for free downloading from Lakeview Research's website (vww.lvr.com). All of the code uses some variant of the Basic programming language. | chose Basic for three reasons. First, much of this book is about trying things out and learning how they work, and Basic’s interactive nature makes it a good choice for this. Second, Basic is popular, so many readers will already be familiar with it And third, Basic is what I know best. Throughout, I’ve tried to document the code completely enough so that you can translate into another programming language if you wish, For each example, I assume you have a basic understanding of the language used, whether it’s Visual Basic or a microcontroller Basic, and how to create and debug programs. The book focuses on the details that relate specifically to serial commu nications. Serial Port Complete xiIntroduction I developed the PC examples with Visual Basic 5. Because they're intended as design tools, and not as finished applications, I provide the complete source code but not compiled, executable programs. To compile the programs, you must have copy of Visual Basic. I tested the code on a system running Windows 95. Visual Basic code is generally compatible with Windows NT as well, but I didn’t test under NT. I also used Visual Basic to illustrate other short calculations. These use Visual-Basic syntax, even when not presented explicitly as a code module. For example, an asterisk (*) signifies multiplication, For those programming for Windows 3.x, the example code won't load directly into the older, 16-bit versions of Visual Basic, but you can copy and use many of the routines with few or no changes. In some cases, I've provided DOS QuickBa- sie code for use in systems using older or embedded PCs running DOS. In a similar way, the microcontroller code examples are written for two popular chips, but the ideas behind the code are adaptable to other controllers and lan- guages, ‘The Visual Ba continuation character (_) to enable a single line of code to extend over multiple lines thin each listing are arranged alphabetically. The microcontroller code has no line-continuation char- acter, and some program lines do carry over onto a second line in the listings in the text. The listings you can download are formatted correctly and should load and run without problems. jc code uses the lin ‘The routines About the Example Circuits xii ve included many schematic diagrams of circuits that you can use or adapt in serial-port projects. In presenting the circuits, T assume you know the basics about digital logic and electronic circuits. The circuit diagrams are complete, with these exceptions: Power-supply and ground pins are omitted when they are in standard locations on the package (bottom left for ground, top right for power, assuming pin 1 is top left Power-supply bypass capacitors are omitted. Some chips may have additional, unused gates or other elements that aren't shown In the schematics and text, active-low signals use a leading hyphen (-RESET) or an overbar (RESET). For more information on the components, see the manufacturers’ data sheets. Serial Port CompleteIntroduction Corrections and Updates In putting together this book, I've done my best to ensure that the information is complete and correct. Every schematic diagram with detail at the pinout level has been built and tested by me, most of it multiple times, In a similar way, I've ran and tested every line of code, But I know from experience that on the way from test to publication, errors and omissions do occur. Any corrections or updates to this book will be available at Lakeview Research's World Wide Web site on the Internet at htip:/Avww.lvr.com. This is also the place to come for links to other serial-port information on the Web, including software tools, component data sheets, and web sites of vendors of related products, Thanks! Finally, I want to say thanks to everyone who helped make this book possible. As with my previous Parallel Port Complete, I credit the readers of my articles in The Microcomputer Journal, who first prompted me to write about these topics. Some of the material in this book was first published in a different form in the ‘magazine. Others deserving thanks are the folks at compa have generously provided information and answered questions about these topics over the years. jes large and small who Serial Port Complete xiiiIntroduction xiv Serial Port CompleteOptions and Choices Options and Choices This book explores one corner of the computer universe: computers that are linked together to monitor and control the world outside themselves. Each computer exchange information with the others, and each can also calculate, decide, and take action on its own, This type of link requires three things: computers to do the work, programming that tells the computers what to do, and a link to connect them. This chapter introduces options for each of these. The Computers Some projects need only a simple link between two computers, while others require three or more computers that connect along a common path. In this book, 1 use the term /ink broadly, to refer (o a connection between two or more computers, while a network is a link of at least three computers. Each computer in a link is a node, of junction. Usually, each node can both send and receive, though in a sim- ple link some nodes may communicate one-way only. In the types of link described in this book, the computers may read sensors, . They may control motors, relays, displays, or other out- puts, Because the computers can communicate with each other, the result is an integrated, intelligent system that enables one computer to react to or control events at another. switches, or other input Serial Port Complete 1Chapter 1 ‘The computers may be of any type, and they may be all the same, or a combina- tion. This book focuses on two categories: personal computers and embedded controllers A personal computer (PC) may be a desktop machine or a laptop, notebook, or subnotebook. The examples in this book use the family of computers that has evolved from the IBM PC, including the models XT, AT, "386, "486, Pentium, and their many clones and compatibles. But you can use any personal computer that has an appropriate serial interface. Anemibedded controller is a computer that’s dedicated to performing a single task or a set of related tasks. Embedded controllers tend to be smaller and less complex than PCs. Many are built into, or embedded in, the devices they control. An embedded controller may have no keyboard or display and may be invisible to its users. For example, PC peripherals such as printers and modems contain embed- ded controllers that enable the peripherals to handle much of the work of printing or communicating over the phone lines on their own, Many embedded controllers have nothing at all to do with PCs. Cars, video-cas- sette recorders, and microwave ovens are a few everyday items that contain embedded controllers. Embedded controllers are also popular for one-of-a-kind or small-scale, custom projects that involve simple control or monitoring tasks. ‘The CPU, or computer chip, in an embedded controller may be the same micto- processor found in PCs, or it may be a microcontroller, which is a computer chip designed specifically for use in control tasks Microcontroller chips come in many varieties: 8-bit chips have an 8-bit data path and are popular for use in monitoring and control links, but 4-, 16-, and 32-bit chips are also available. Different chips have different features and abilities, including serial ports of various types, varying amounts of memory for storing programs and data, and low-power modes for battery-powered circuits. A moni- toring and contro! link can use any microcontroller that can connect to the desired interface. ‘The examples in this book use two microcontrollers: Parallax’s Basic Stamp and Inte/Micromint’s 8052-Basic. Both are inexpensive and have on-chip Basic inter- preters for easy programming and debugging. One category of embedded controllers straddles both worlds. The embedded PC has the architecture of a PC, but in a stripped-down form that may lack a full-screen display, keyboard, or disk drives. Embedded PCs are popular because they can use many of the PC’s familiar programming tools. 2 Serial Port Complete