Anyone know about Serial Ports?

[Ibram]

I'm not quite sure where to ask this so I'll throw it here...

I've been working on a project involving communication between a PC and an OOPic Microcontroller. The thing is it looks like the OOPic is going to have to be about 10 meters away from the PC. My question is... can the serial port communicate over that distance? and if it cannot is there a way to bost the signal so that it can?

 

[reveal]

If you're talking about a standard RS232 cable, then you're fine. The maximum length for an RS232 serial cable is 50 ft (~15 meters).

http://www.arcelect.com/rs232.htm

 

[tarchon]

I'm not quite sure where to ask this so I'll throw it here...

I've been working on a project involving communication between a PC and an OOPic Microcontroller. The thing is it looks like the OOPic is going to have to be about 10 meters away from the PC. My question is... can the serial port communicate over that distance? and if it cannot is there a way to bost the signal so that it can?

Yeah, under most conditions 10 m is OK, though it depends somewhat on what kind of speeds you're looking at. Use good cable.

 

[MaxKaladin]

Of course some of us know about Serial Ports. That's what we had before you kids came along with your fancy, new-fangled "USB" nonsense.
{/Crochety old grump}

10 Meters ought to be ok, BUT watch out for interferance. Unless you have a well-sheilded cable, all sorts of electrical signals can interfere with your communication. I know a lot of people used to try to use those old ribbon cables with less-than-stellar results...

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

10 Meters ought to be ok, BUT watch out for interferance. Unless you have a well-sheilded cable, all sorts of electrical signals can interfere with your communication. I know a lot of people used to try to use those old ribbon cables with less-than-stellar results...

What he said.

You should be fine, if you use good cables.

 

[mojo1701]

Is this not better in the Computers, Software and D&D Utilities Forum?

 

[reveal]

Is this not better in the Computers, Software and D&D Utilities Forum?

Maybe. But he already got his answer, so maybe not.

 

[Ibram]

Thanks... I got about 25' worth of cable today from CompUSA (a computer store). I did get an odd look when I asked one of the salesman where the serial cable was kept, but after I described it he said that it was probably near the USB cable (which it was).

I'll have to wait until the week to give it a good test though, and I am worried abit about interference. the program currently communicates at 9.6k, but it can probably be scaled back if we have trouble.

 

[BSF]

Unless you have a really noisy enviroment (interference wise) you can probably get 9600 just fine. If you were looking for 56k or something, you might have a little more trouble at that length.

 

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

I've run serial at 19.2 for well over a hundred meters. You should be fine.