OT: Small / light NOT expensive PC with RS-232 port

Randy Day wrote:
In article<AFGGu.477656$h66.152346@fx18.iad>, robertbaer@localnet.com
says...

[snip]

Am going to noodle around with empty HD and see if Win3.11 will do..;
too bad i tossed my Win95 and my Win98SE disks.

Put an ad in your local classifieds/
craigslist/kijiji to see if anyone has
a win95/98 disk lying around...
Craigs List?? NEVER! Do not want dozens of daily SPAM e-mails for the
next 2-3 years!
 
upsidedown@downunder.com wrote:
On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 01:31:29 -0800, mike<ham789@netzero.net> wrote:

On 1/29/2014 7:22 PM, Robert Baer wrote:

Any suggestions along this line?
It should support Windows, ideally Win2K, but Win7 (or XP SP2) if
push comes to shove.
Unfortunately, Win98SE is no longer an option unless a legal version
is available cheap via e-bay (i tossed all my older disks).

Might be helpful to know why you need the rs-232 port.
All usb/rs-232 dongles are not created equal. I can't make any
recommendations, because all mine are noname dongles.
But they do behave differently if you're bit-banging the control lines.
And there are utilities to open the ports on XP and newer to make
old SW run.
If you need accurate timing bit-banging the port, you may be outa luck.

It would help a lot, if the actual requirements would be known.

Unless some real time kernel is used that runs Windows/Linux as the
lowest priority NULL task, bit banging is out of question for any real
data rates above 300 bit/s.

However, if you need accurate data direction control in half duplex
RS-485, at least some Ethernet/serial converters work quite well, but
of course, even those do not exactly handle the Modbus 1.5/3.5
character time issues, but in most cases, it is not even required in
practice.
The app is a label printer software that is "hardwired" to the serial
port.
If one takes a blank hard drive and installs Win2000, and then
installs the label printer software, it works.
NOTE: no device manager fiddling, no device needed at COM1 during
boot-up; this is raw stuff.
 
On Mon, 03 Feb 2014 09:55:33 -0700, Robert Baer <robertbaer@localnet.com>
wrote:

..snip...
Craigs List?? NEVER! Do not want dozens of daily SPAM e-mails for the
next 2-3 years!

Disheartened to hear that. I really, really appreciate craigslists as one
of the few websites that still provides information rather than 'pretty'

Was that spam to your personal email account, which was NOT listed? or to
your personal email account, which WAS listed? or to your personal email
account back through the 'blind' reply address?
 
On Mon, 03 Feb 2014 08:55:33 -0800, Robert Baer
<robertbaer@localnet.com> wrote:

Randy Day wrote:
In article<AFGGu.477656$h66.152346@fx18.iad>, robertbaer@localnet.com
says...

[snip]

Am going to noodle around with empty HD and see if Win3.11 will do..;
too bad i tossed my Win95 and my Win98SE disks.

Put an ad in your local classifieds/
craigslist/kijiji to see if anyone has
a win95/98 disk lying around...
Craigs List?? NEVER! Do not want dozens of daily SPAM e-mails for the
next 2-3 years!

If that's your only problem with Craigs List, just use a throw-away
email account.
 
Den tirsdag den 4. februar 2014 00.59.18 UTC+1 skrev Maynard A. Philbrook Jr.:
In article <6YPHu.21020$Es5.3705@fx03.iad>, robertbaer@localnet.com

says...



upsidedown@downunder.com wrote:

On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 01:31:29 -0800, mike<ham789@netzero.net> wrote:



On 1/29/2014 7:22 PM, Robert Baer wrote:



Any suggestions along this line?

It should support Windows, ideally Win2K, but Win7 (or XP SP2) if

push comes to shove.

Unfortunately, Win98SE is no longer an option unless a legal version

is available cheap via e-bay (i tossed all my older disks).



Might be helpful to know why you need the rs-232 port.

All usb/rs-232 dongles are not created equal. I can't make any

recommendations, because all mine are noname dongles.

But they do behave differently if you're bit-banging the control lines.

And there are utilities to open the ports on XP and newer to make

old SW run.

If you need accurate timing bit-banging the port, you may be outa luck.



It would help a lot, if the actual requirements would be known.



Unless some real time kernel is used that runs Windows/Linux as the

lowest priority NULL task, bit banging is out of question for any real

data rates above 300 bit/s.



However, if you need accurate data direction control in half duplex

RS-485, at least some Ethernet/serial converters work quite well, but

of course, even those do not exactly handle the Modbus 1.5/3.5

character time issues, but in most cases, it is not even required in

practice.



The app is a label printer software that is "hardwired" to the serial

port.

If one takes a blank hard drive and installs Win2000, and then

installs the label printer software, it works.

NOTE: no device manager fiddling, no device needed at COM1 during

boot-up; this is raw stuff.



There are plenty of PCIe RS232 cards out there... that give you exactly

that.. or simply a PCI card, what ever your system has in it.



Go to http://www.usconverters.com and look for serial cards..



W2k does not allow direct port access with out some help. So it that

software works as you say, then you're having other issues.

It's been a long time since I've had any software old enough to directly
access the uart, but I seem to remember that windows was smart enough to
allow access to the the standard uart addresses

-Lasse
 
On 03/02/2014 17:01, Robert Baer wrote:
upsidedown@downunder.com wrote:
On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 01:31:29 -0800, mike<ham789@netzero.net> wrote:

On 1/29/2014 7:22 PM, Robert Baer wrote:

Any suggestions along this line?
It should support Windows, ideally Win2K, but Win7 (or XP SP2) if
push comes to shove.
Unfortunately, Win98SE is no longer an option unless a legal
version
is available cheap via e-bay (i tossed all my older disks).

Might be helpful to know why you need the rs-232 port.
All usb/rs-232 dongles are not created equal. I can't make any
recommendations, because all mine are noname dongles.
But they do behave differently if you're bit-banging the control lines.
And there are utilities to open the ports on XP and newer to make
old SW run.
If you need accurate timing bit-banging the port, you may be outa luck.

It would help a lot, if the actual requirements would be known.

Unless some real time kernel is used that runs Windows/Linux as the
lowest priority NULL task, bit banging is out of question for any real
data rates above 300 bit/s.

However, if you need accurate data direction control in half duplex
RS-485, at least some Ethernet/serial converters work quite well, but
of course, even those do not exactly handle the Modbus 1.5/3.5
character time issues, but in most cases, it is not even required in
practice.

The app is a label printer software that is "hardwired" to the serial
port.
If one takes a blank hard drive and installs Win2000, and then
installs the label printer software, it works.
NOTE: no device manager fiddling, no device needed at COM1 during
boot-up; this is raw stuff.

You are making even less sense than usual. If it will work on Win2k I
can't immediately think of any reason why it won't work on XP.

Old DOS code bit banging parallel ports for vintage Eprom programmers
under later versions of Doze became increasingly fraught and difficult.
But a program written to run under Windows should more or less work OK.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown
 
On 2/3/2014 10:01 AM, Robert Baer wrote:

The app is a label printer software that is "hardwired" to the serial
port.
If one takes a blank hard drive and installs Win2000, and then
installs the label printer software, it works.
NOTE: no device manager fiddling, no device needed at COM1 during
boot-up; this is raw stuff.

I know wasting money is not what we want to do very often.

But it seems that going thru all these machinations is costing you more
then the cost of a new USB label printer.

Is there a current label printer that will do what this precious printer
will do ?

Just wanted to know.

hamilton
 
On 2/3/2014 8:55 AM, Robert Baer wrote:
Randy Day wrote:
In article<AFGGu.477656$h66.152346@fx18.iad>, robertbaer@localnet.com
says...

[snip]

Am going to noodle around with empty HD and see if Win3.11 will
do..;
too bad i tossed my Win95 and my Win98SE disks.

You should be able to download either.
You did save the license keys from the disks you discarded?

FWIW, I recently tried to install win98 on a 2006 vintage computer.
Had driver issues out the ying-yang. Wasn't worth the trouble.
Put an ad in your local classifieds/
craigslist/kijiji to see if anyone has
a win95/98 disk lying around...
Craigs List?? NEVER! Do not want dozens of daily SPAM e-mails for the
next 2-3 years!
If you don't have a throw-away email address for such things, you're not
trying.
 
On 2/3/2014 10:08 AM, krw@attt.bizz wrote:
On Mon, 03 Feb 2014 08:55:33 -0800, Robert Baer
robertbaer@localnet.com> wrote:

Randy Day wrote:
In article<AFGGu.477656$h66.152346@fx18.iad>, robertbaer@localnet.com
says...

[snip]

Am going to noodle around with empty HD and see if Win3.11 will do..;
too bad i tossed my Win95 and my Win98SE disks.

Put an ad in your local classifieds/
craigslist/kijiji to see if anyone has
a win95/98 disk lying around...
Craigs List?? NEVER! Do not want dozens of daily SPAM e-mails for the
next 2-3 years!

If that's your only problem with Craigs List, just use a throw-away
email account.
Craigslist has gone the way of EBAY.
At first, ordinary people sold stuff at rational prices.
Now, it's all commercial vendors with stuff priced way out of reach
for used crap. Ordinary people see those prices and emulate.
Was good while it lasted.
 
In article <6YPHu.21020$Es5.3705@fx03.iad>, robertbaer@localnet.com
says...
upsidedown@downunder.com wrote:
On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 01:31:29 -0800, mike<ham789@netzero.net> wrote:

On 1/29/2014 7:22 PM, Robert Baer wrote:

Any suggestions along this line?
It should support Windows, ideally Win2K, but Win7 (or XP SP2) if
push comes to shove.
Unfortunately, Win98SE is no longer an option unless a legal version
is available cheap via e-bay (i tossed all my older disks).

Might be helpful to know why you need the rs-232 port.
All usb/rs-232 dongles are not created equal. I can't make any
recommendations, because all mine are noname dongles.
But they do behave differently if you're bit-banging the control lines.
And there are utilities to open the ports on XP and newer to make
old SW run.
If you need accurate timing bit-banging the port, you may be outa luck.

It would help a lot, if the actual requirements would be known.

Unless some real time kernel is used that runs Windows/Linux as the
lowest priority NULL task, bit banging is out of question for any real
data rates above 300 bit/s.

However, if you need accurate data direction control in half duplex
RS-485, at least some Ethernet/serial converters work quite well, but
of course, even those do not exactly handle the Modbus 1.5/3.5
character time issues, but in most cases, it is not even required in
practice.

The app is a label printer software that is "hardwired" to the serial
port.
If one takes a blank hard drive and installs Win2000, and then
installs the label printer software, it works.
NOTE: no device manager fiddling, no device needed at COM1 during
boot-up; this is raw stuff.

There are plenty of PCIe RS232 cards out there... that give you exactly
that.. or simply a PCI card, what ever your system has in it.

Go to http://www.usconverters.com and look for serial cards..

W2k does not allow direct port access with out some help. So it that
software works as you say, then you're having other issues.

W2k does install default serial drivers when it see's the hardware at
install and like most oses, when you add it later, it'll install it.

Jamie
 
In article <6YPHu.21020$Es5.3705@fx03.iad>, robertbaer@localnet.com
says...
upsidedown@downunder.com wrote:
On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 01:31:29 -0800, mike<ham789@netzero.net> wrote:

On 1/29/2014 7:22 PM, Robert Baer wrote:

Any suggestions along this line?
It should support Windows, ideally Win2K, but Win7 (or XP SP2) if
push comes to shove.
Unfortunately, Win98SE is no longer an option unless a legal version
is available cheap via e-bay (i tossed all my older disks).

Might be helpful to know why you need the rs-232 port.
All usb/rs-232 dongles are not created equal. I can't make any
recommendations, because all mine are noname dongles.
But they do behave differently if you're bit-banging the control lines.
And there are utilities to open the ports on XP and newer to make
old SW run.
If you need accurate timing bit-banging the port, you may be outa luck.

It would help a lot, if the actual requirements would be known.

Unless some real time kernel is used that runs Windows/Linux as the
lowest priority NULL task, bit banging is out of question for any real
data rates above 300 bit/s.

However, if you need accurate data direction control in half duplex
RS-485, at least some Ethernet/serial converters work quite well, but
of course, even those do not exactly handle the Modbus 1.5/3.5
character time issues, but in most cases, it is not even required in
practice.

The app is a label printer software that is "hardwired" to the serial
port.
If one takes a blank hard drive and installs Win2000, and then
installs the label printer software, it works.
NOTE: no device manager fiddling, no device needed at COM1 during
boot-up; this is raw stuff.

I think your real problem is that you have something else assigned to a
comport on a machine and your software isn't seeing it..

Also, the comport assignment number the OS gives your port, after it
has seen other devices like modems, faxes etc, maybe to high..

Lots of older software only understood up to COM4 some only up to
COM2..

You can re'assign these numbers..

Jamie
 
On Mon, 3 Feb 2014 16:18:55 -0800 (PST), Lasse Langwadt Christensen
<langwadt@fonz.dk> wrote:

There are plenty of PCIe RS232 cards out there... that give you exactly

that.. or simply a PCI card, what ever your system has in it.



Go to http://www.usconverters.com and look for serial cards..



W2k does not allow direct port access with out some help. So it that

software works as you say, then you're having other issues.


It's been a long time since I've had any software old enough to directly
access the uart, but I seem to remember that windows was smart enough to
allow access to the the standard uart addresses

-Lasse

This is pretty true up to Win98se. Where it was still just a DOS extender
(a low grade Phar Lap or Quarterdesk) and a GUI all mashed together. NT
class stuff which includes Win2000, XP and descendants is a rather
different matter. NT did not so much as comb it out cleanly but absorbed
the DOS stuff and partly virtualized it.

?-)
 
In article <c6e52967-72cb-44f4-b8ea-6fb20c979e85@googlegroups.com>,
langwadt@fonz.dk says...
It's been a long time since I've had any software old enough to directly
access the uart, but I seem to remember that windows was smart enough to
allow access to the the standard uart addresses

-Lasse

Yes, 98 and down..

Jamie
 
On 2014-02-04, Robert Baer <robertbaer@localnet.com> wrote:
Maynard A. Philbrook Jr. wrote:
In article<6YPHu.21020$Es5.3705@fx03.iad>, robertbaer@localnet.com
says...

upsidedown@downunder.com wrote:
On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 01:31:29 -0800, mike<ham789@netzero.net> wrote:

On 1/29/2014 7:22 PM, Robert Baer wrote:

Any suggestions along this line?
It should support Windows, ideally Win2K, but Win7 (or XP SP2) if
push comes to shove.
Unfortunately, Win98SE is no longer an option unless a legal version
is available cheap via e-bay (i tossed all my older disks).

Might be helpful to know why you need the rs-232 port.
All usb/rs-232 dongles are not created equal. I can't make any
recommendations, because all mine are noname dongles.
But they do behave differently if you're bit-banging the control lines.
And there are utilities to open the ports on XP and newer to make
old SW run.
If you need accurate timing bit-banging the port, you may be outa luck.

It would help a lot, if the actual requirements would be known.

Unless some real time kernel is used that runs Windows/Linux as the
lowest priority NULL task, bit banging is out of question for any real
data rates above 300 bit/s.

However, if you need accurate data direction control in half duplex
RS-485, at least some Ethernet/serial converters work quite well, but
of course, even those do not exactly handle the Modbus 1.5/3.5
character time issues, but in most cases, it is not even required in
practice.

The app is a label printer software that is "hardwired" to the serial
port.
If one takes a blank hard drive and installs Win2000, and then
installs the label printer software, it works.
NOTE: no device manager fiddling, no device needed at COM1 during
boot-up; this is raw stuff.

I think your real problem is that you have something else assigned to a
comport on a machine and your software isn't seeing it..
* NOPE; i SAID it works - and on COM1.

It should be fine on a usb dongle then.

If it needed an 8250 on port 0x03F8 and IRQ3 that'd be a problem.

COM1 is just a name and can be assigned to anything serial-port like.

Also, the comport assignment number the OS gives your port, after it
has seen other devices like modems, faxes etc, maybe to high..
* i SAID *no* modem(s), which implies NO fax; in fact i said NOTHING
connected to the com port(s) in the symple-minded initial-from-scratch
case - and the printer worked on COM1.

Makes no difference.

--
For a good time: install ntp

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---
 
hamilton wrote:
On 2/3/2014 10:01 AM, Robert Baer wrote:

The app is a label printer software that is "hardwired" to the serial
port.
If one takes a blank hard drive and installs Win2000, and then
installs the label printer software, it works.
NOTE: no device manager fiddling, no device needed at COM1 during
boot-up; this is raw stuff.



I know wasting money is not what we want to do very often.

But it seems that going thru all these machinations is costing you more
then the cost of a new USB label printer.

Is there a current label printer that will do what this precious printer
will do ?

Just wanted to know.

hamilton

Have not found one; this one uses label tapes good to 200C.
 
Martin Brown wrote:
On 03/02/2014 17:01, Robert Baer wrote:
upsidedown@downunder.com wrote:
On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 01:31:29 -0800, mike<ham789@netzero.net> wrote:

On 1/29/2014 7:22 PM, Robert Baer wrote:

Any suggestions along this line?
It should support Windows, ideally Win2K, but Win7 (or XP SP2) if
push comes to shove.
Unfortunately, Win98SE is no longer an option unless a legal
version
is available cheap via e-bay (i tossed all my older disks).

Might be helpful to know why you need the rs-232 port.
All usb/rs-232 dongles are not created equal. I can't make any
recommendations, because all mine are noname dongles.
But they do behave differently if you're bit-banging the control lines.
And there are utilities to open the ports on XP and newer to make
old SW run.
If you need accurate timing bit-banging the port, you may be outa luck.

It would help a lot, if the actual requirements would be known.

Unless some real time kernel is used that runs Windows/Linux as the
lowest priority NULL task, bit banging is out of question for any real
data rates above 300 bit/s.

However, if you need accurate data direction control in half duplex
RS-485, at least some Ethernet/serial converters work quite well, but
of course, even those do not exactly handle the Modbus 1.5/3.5
character time issues, but in most cases, it is not even required in
practice.

The app is a label printer software that is "hardwired" to the serial
port.
If one takes a blank hard drive and installs Win2000, and then
installs the label printer software, it works.
NOTE: no device manager fiddling, no device needed at COM1 during
boot-up; this is raw stuff.

You are making even less sense than usual. If it will work on Win2k I
can't immediately think of any reason why it won't work on XP.

Old DOS code bit banging parallel ports for vintage Eprom programmers
under later versions of Doze became increasingly fraught and difficult.
But a program written to run under Windows should more or less work OK.
LESSEE...
1) I said NOTHING about not working in XP; in fact it works in Win2K, XP
and Win7.
2) I said NOTHING about parallel and NOTHING about bit banging.
Get your fax rite.
 
On 1/29/14 7:22 PM, Robert Baer wrote:

Any suggestions along this line?
It should support Windows, ideally Win2K, but Win7 (or XP SP2) if
push comes to shove.

Don't know where you are but a store near me (Silicon Valley) has a load
of small desktops, with serial ports, and older versions of Windows.
that they sell inexpensively. Mostly Compaq and Dell systems. They have
an on-line presence but they don't sell the computers online.
 
mike wrote:
On 2/3/2014 8:55 AM, Robert Baer wrote:
Randy Day wrote:
In article<AFGGu.477656$h66.152346@fx18.iad>, robertbaer@localnet.com
says...

[snip]

Am going to noodle around with empty HD and see if Win3.11 will
do..;
too bad i tossed my Win95 and my Win98SE disks.

You should be able to download either.
You did save the license keys from the disks you discarded?
* Shoot me; i did not.

FWIW, I recently tried to install win98 on a 2006 vintage computer.
Had driver issues out the ying-yang. Wasn't worth the trouble.
* In my case that would not be a problem; 640x40 CGA video is good
enough and the rest is do not care.

Put an ad in your local classifieds/
craigslist/kijiji to see if anyone has
a win95/98 disk lying around...
Craigs List?? NEVER! Do not want dozens of daily SPAM e-mails for the
next 2-3 years!

If you don't have a throw-away email address for such things, you're not
trying.
 
Maynard A. Philbrook Jr. wrote:
In article<6YPHu.21020$Es5.3705@fx03.iad>, robertbaer@localnet.com
says...

upsidedown@downunder.com wrote:
On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 01:31:29 -0800, mike<ham789@netzero.net> wrote:

On 1/29/2014 7:22 PM, Robert Baer wrote:

Any suggestions along this line?
It should support Windows, ideally Win2K, but Win7 (or XP SP2) if
push comes to shove.
Unfortunately, Win98SE is no longer an option unless a legal version
is available cheap via e-bay (i tossed all my older disks).

Might be helpful to know why you need the rs-232 port.
All usb/rs-232 dongles are not created equal. I can't make any
recommendations, because all mine are noname dongles.
But they do behave differently if you're bit-banging the control lines.
And there are utilities to open the ports on XP and newer to make
old SW run.
If you need accurate timing bit-banging the port, you may be outa luck.

It would help a lot, if the actual requirements would be known.

Unless some real time kernel is used that runs Windows/Linux as the
lowest priority NULL task, bit banging is out of question for any real
data rates above 300 bit/s.

However, if you need accurate data direction control in half duplex
RS-485, at least some Ethernet/serial converters work quite well, but
of course, even those do not exactly handle the Modbus 1.5/3.5
character time issues, but in most cases, it is not even required in
practice.

The app is a label printer software that is "hardwired" to the serial
port.
If one takes a blank hard drive and installs Win2000, and then
installs the label printer software, it works.
NOTE: no device manager fiddling, no device needed at COM1 during
boot-up; this is raw stuff.

I think your real problem is that you have something else assigned to a
comport on a machine and your software isn't seeing it..
* NOPE; i SAID it works - and on COM1.

Also, the comport assignment number the OS gives your port, after it
has seen other devices like modems, faxes etc, maybe to high..
* i SAID *no* modem(s), which implies NO fax; in fact i said NOTHING
connected to the com port(s) in the symple-minded initial-from-scratch
case - and the printer worked on COM1.

Lots of older software only understood up to COM4 some only up to
COM2..

You can re'assign these numbers..
Maybe in the OS; no way of telling about repercussions regarding the
printer.

 
On Mon, 03 Feb 2014 09:01:53 -0800, Robert Baer <robertbaer@localnet.com>
wrote:

upsidedown@downunder.com wrote:
On Fri, 31 Jan 2014 01:31:29 -0800, mike<ham789@netzero.net> wrote:

On 1/29/2014 7:22 PM, Robert Baer wrote:

Any suggestions along this line?
It should support Windows, ideally Win2K, but Win7 (or XP SP2) if
push comes to shove.
Unfortunately, Win98SE is no longer an option unless a legal version
is available cheap via e-bay (i tossed all my older disks).

Might be helpful to know why you need the rs-232 port.
All usb/rs-232 dongles are not created equal. I can't make any
recommendations, because all mine are noname dongles.
But they do behave differently if you're bit-banging the control lines.
And there are utilities to open the ports on XP and newer to make
old SW run.
If you need accurate timing bit-banging the port, you may be outa luck.

It would help a lot, if the actual requirements would be known.

Unless some real time kernel is used that runs Windows/Linux as the
lowest priority NULL task, bit banging is out of question for any real
data rates above 300 bit/s.

However, if you need accurate data direction control in half duplex
RS-485, at least some Ethernet/serial converters work quite well, but
of course, even those do not exactly handle the Modbus 1.5/3.5
character time issues, but in most cases, it is not even required in
practice.

The app is a label printer software that is "hardwired" to the serial
port.
If one takes a blank hard drive and installs Win2000, and then
installs the label printer software, it works.
NOTE: no device manager fiddling, no device needed at COM1 during
boot-up; this is raw stuff.

I realize that you do not have spare cash to toss around. For me, it
would be time to buy a new label printer. My current one runs nicely in
XP and Win7. Handles lots of label sizes as well.

?-)
 

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