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From: Martin Gregorie on 1 May 2010 13:18
Have any of you who home-brew hardware tried using serial to ethernet
adapters, such as the XPort devices?

I have an ancient 6809 system that I'd quite like to talk to from Linux.
Its based on the SS-50 bus and runs Flex-09. At present it doesn't have a
serial board (it uses a directly connected CRT and keyboard rather than a
terminal), so if anybody has a usable SS-50 serial board they don't need
I'll be happy to take it off them.

However if I have to build it a serial i/o board I'd prefer have an
ethernet connection rather than RS-232, hence my question about the XPort
device.

Details of XPort devices are here:
http://www.gridconnect.com/ethernetserial.html


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |
From: Jim A on 1 May 2010 14:08
On 05/01/2010 06:18 PM, Martin Gregorie wrote:
> Have any of you who home-brew hardware tried using serial to ethernet
> adapters, such as the XPort devices?
>
> I have an ancient 6809 system that I'd quite like to talk to from Linux.
> Its based on the SS-50 bus and runs Flex-09. At present it doesn't have a
> serial board (it uses a directly connected CRT and keyboard rather than a
> terminal), so if anybody has a usable SS-50 serial board they don't need
> I'll be happy to take it off them.
>
> However if I have to build it a serial i/o board I'd prefer have an
> ethernet connection rather than RS-232, hence my question about the XPort
> device.
>
> Details of XPort devices are here:
> http://www.gridconnect.com/ethernetserial.html
>
>

I haven't used that specific one, but have used something similar some
years ago to set up a tcp/ip telnet connection to a pabx console port.

If you're familiar with RS232 you should be fine. If not, then finding
or making a cable which will actually connect the device to your host's
serial card might take some trial-and-error. I can probably remember
most of the gotchas so if you get stuck, shout.

--
www.slowbicyclemovement.org - enjoy the ride
From: Martin Gregorie on 1 May 2010 14:38
On Sat, 01 May 2010 19:08:23 +0100, Jim A wrote:

> On 05/01/2010 06:18 PM, Martin Gregorie wrote:
>> Have any of you who home-brew hardware tried using serial to ethernet
>> adapters, such as the XPort devices?
>>
>> I have an ancient 6809 system that I'd quite like to talk to from
>> Linux. Its based on the SS-50 bus and runs Flex-09. At present it
>> doesn't have a serial board (it uses a directly connected CRT and
>> keyboard rather than a terminal), so if anybody has a usable SS-50
>> serial board they don't need I'll be happy to take it off them.
>>
>> However if I have to build it a serial i/o board I'd prefer have an
>> ethernet connection rather than RS-232, hence my question about the
>> XPort device.
>>
>> Details of XPort devices are here:
>> http://www.gridconnect.com/ethernetserial.html
>>
>>
>>
> I haven't used that specific one, but have used something similar some
> years ago to set up a tcp/ip telnet connection to a pabx console port.
>
> If you're familiar with RS232 you should be fine. If not, then finding
> or making a cable which will actually connect the device to your host's
> serial card might take some trial-and-error. I can probably remember
> most of the gotchas so if you get stuck, shout.

My most immediate worry would be setting the baud rate, which I've seen
nothing about. As I said, unless some kind person has a surplus SS-50
serial board I'll have to make up my own and will simply mount the
ethernet adapter back to back with an MC6850 ACIA on the same card: in
this case the ability to hard wire both devices to a suitable baud rate
would be appropriate.

As for the rest, I'm happy to either use kermit at the Linux end as a
terminal emulator and for file transfers (IIRC there's a file-transfer
Kermit server available for Flex-09) or to write my own interface
program.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |
From: Tony van der Hoff on 1 May 2010 15:34
On 01/05/10 19:38, Martin Gregorie wrote:
> On Sat, 01 May 2010 19:08:23 +0100, Jim A wrote:
>
>> On 05/01/2010 06:18 PM, Martin Gregorie wrote:
>>> Have any of you who home-brew hardware tried using serial to ethernet
>>> adapters, such as the XPort devices?
>>>
>>> I have an ancient 6809 system that I'd quite like to talk to from
>>> Linux. Its based on the SS-50 bus and runs Flex-09. At present it
>>> doesn't have a serial board (it uses a directly connected CRT and
>>> keyboard rather than a terminal), so if anybody has a usable SS-50
>>> serial board they don't need I'll be happy to take it off them.
>>>
>>> However if I have to build it a serial i/o board I'd prefer have an
>>> ethernet connection rather than RS-232, hence my question about the
>>> XPort device.
>>>
>>> Details of XPort devices are here:
>>> http://www.gridconnect.com/ethernetserial.html
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> I haven't used that specific one, but have used something similar some
>> years ago to set up a tcp/ip telnet connection to a pabx console port.
>>
>> If you're familiar with RS232 you should be fine. If not, then finding
>> or making a cable which will actually connect the device to your host's
>> serial card might take some trial-and-error. I can probably remember
>> most of the gotchas so if you get stuck, shout.
>
> My most immediate worry would be setting the baud rate, which I've seen
> nothing about. As I said, unless some kind person has a surplus SS-50
> serial board I'll have to make up my own and will simply mount the
> ethernet adapter back to back with an MC6850 ACIA on the same card: in
> this case the ability to hard wire both devices to a suitable baud rate
> would be appropriate.
>
> As for the rest, I'm happy to either use kermit at the Linux end as a
> terminal emulator and for file transfers (IIRC there's a file-transfer
> Kermit server available for Flex-09) or to write my own interface
> program.
>
>
Hmm, yeah, well, I have a SSB chieftain(?) system sitting in the loft,
complete with dual, I think, SS-50 serial boards, which hasn't seen
power for 10 years or so. Wonderful system; my first personal computer.
I always intend to stoke it up again (OS9/6809) but I doubt I ever will.
I guess I could let you have one of the serial boards, or make me an
offer for the compete system. Mail me at the reply-to address.

Cheers,
--
Tony van der Hoff | mailto:tony(a)vanderhoff.org
Buckinghamshire, England |
From: Jim A on 2 May 2010 06:03
On 05/01/2010 07:38 PM, Martin Gregorie wrote:
>>> Details of XPort devices are here:
>>> http://www.gridconnect.com/ethernetserial.html

> My most immediate worry would be setting the baud rate, which I've seen
> nothing about.

Looking at the manual for the XPort device, it seems you can browse to
it on the TCP/IP interface and set the baud rate there.

Even if you don't have instructions on setting the baud rate for your
serial card, you should by trial and error be able to find a setting on
the XPort which will work with it (you will need to make sure the card
in the server is enabled for login using getty or similar though).
--
www.slowbicyclemovement.org - enjoy the ride
 | 
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