135 lines
5.5 KiB
Plaintext
135 lines
5.5 KiB
Plaintext
|
* A New RS-232 Standard in the Making!!
|
||
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
|
I found this on a well-known mid-western BBS. Thought I'd
|
||
|
|
share it with all my good friends at FidoLand.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Juan E. Jimenez, 103/511, 1/110
|
||
|
|
Micro Consulting Associates
|
||
|
|
Newport Beach, California
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
|
DL-232 -- A New Standard
|
||
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
|
by Dave Lyons
|
||
|
|
(CompuCenter Iowa: JoeApple; CompuServe 72177,3233)
|
||
|
|
------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
I may never understand how the designers of the RS-232
|
||
|
|
"standard" for serial communication managed to use 25 wires
|
||
|
|
where only 3 are really necessary. Maybe they made a deal
|
||
|
|
with the companies that make cables, connectors, and switch
|
||
|
|
boxes...I just don't know.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Well, I thought of a few things that the RS-232 standard
|
||
|
|
lacks, and since there are already so many extra signals, a
|
||
|
|
few more can't hurt anybody, right? Heck, let's go for 50-
|
||
|
|
pin connectors and cables and add the following new signals.
|
||
|
|
(Just to make sure this isn't compatible with any old
|
||
|
|
equipment, all OLD signals are moved up one pin number
|
||
|
|
(Carrier Detect becomes 9 instead of 8, etc., and pin 25
|
||
|
|
goes to pin 1).
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Pin Name Description
|
||
|
|
--- ---- -----------
|
||
|
|
26 XCAT Should be connected to chassis of devices.
|
||
|
|
Used with the next two signals, this
|
||
|
|
provides protection against cats who haven't
|
||
|
|
learned not to walk on floppy disks or
|
||
|
|
serial equipment. This signal should supply
|
||
|
|
about 2000 volts (at a VERY low current
|
||
|
|
level; wouldn't want to HURT the cute little
|
||
|
|
thing, just teach it not to walk on anything
|
||
|
|
in the computer room).
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
27 CATGND Cat ground. Used with pin 26. This signal
|
||
|
|
should be connected to another part of the
|
||
|
|
chassis or the tabletop.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
28 CTD Cat detect.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
29 SD Self-destruct. This signals causes the
|
||
|
|
device to destroy itself.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
30 SDACK Self-destruct acknowledge. Acknowledges
|
||
|
|
that the device has destroyed itself.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
31 VADIC This signal indicates to a computer that the
|
||
|
|
device on the other end is a modem that uses
|
||
|
|
VADIC protocol. (Note: CompuCenter Iowa
|
||
|
|
users should jumper this signal to SD and
|
||
|
|
then buy a decent modem.)
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
32 STBIT1 Stutter bits. With pin 33, sets the number
|
||
|
|
of "stutter bits" (0 to 3 of them) to be
|
||
|
|
included before each byte transmitted. This
|
||
|
|
may reduce the number of people who feel
|
||
|
|
inferior to computer equipment by showing
|
||
|
|
them that computers have problems
|
||
|
|
communicating with each other.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
33 STBIT2
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
34 CABR Cable ready. It's not enough to know that
|
||
|
|
the Data Set is ready (DSR) and the Data
|
||
|
|
Terminal is read (DTR). We also need to
|
||
|
|
know that the CABLE connecting them is
|
||
|
|
ready.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
35 GRR Gremlins ready. Not everybody knows it, but
|
||
|
|
there are little green guys inside most
|
||
|
|
modern computer equipment. Most of the time
|
||
|
|
they sleep, but other times they cause
|
||
|
|
trouble. The next 6 signals are for dealing
|
||
|
|
with gremlins.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
36 220A Used with pin 37, supplies 220 volt power
|
||
|
|
for the gremlins' air conditioning. On hot
|
||
|
|
days when gremlins can't sleep, applying
|
||
|
|
power to these pins may solve your problems.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
37 220B
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
38 110H 110 volts, hot side. When the 220 volt
|
||
|
|
power doesn't help and gremlin problems
|
||
|
|
persist, use this with pin 39 to supply 110
|
||
|
|
volts for the gremlins' TV and video game
|
||
|
|
center.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
39 110N 110 volts, neutral side.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
40 MOON Indicates the phase of the moon. Sometimes
|
||
|
|
solves mysterious problems.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
41 LHI Pins 41 through 45 can be used to implement
|
||
|
|
the "like" protocol when the normal RTS/CTS
|
||
|
|
protocol isn't enough. This one means "Like
|
||
|
|
HI" and is used to establish a connection.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
42 LHTY2 Like HI to You Too. Acknowledges pin 41.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
43 LLTT Like Listen To This. Requests permission to
|
||
|
|
send data.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
44 LOK Like OK. Grants permission to transmit data.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
45 LWOW Like WOW. Acknowledges receipt of data.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
46 HEY Pins 46 to 50 may be used to implement the
|
||
|
|
"Eighties" protocol when RTS/CTS and "Like"
|
||
|
|
protocols won't do the job. This signal is
|
||
|
|
similar to RTS (Request to Send).
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
47 NP No Problem. Acknowledges HEY.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
48 HUH? Signals that data was not received correctly
|
||
|
|
(possibly wrong number of stutter bits).
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
49 YEAH Acknowledges data received.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
50 KMG365 Like YEAH, but for avid Emergency One fans.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
That makes 50! Let's hear your suggestions for MORE serial signals.
|
||
|
|
Maybe we can get 100 and REALLY make the cable manufacturers happy.
|