Is there a freeware or open-source program (preferably Windows) that would allow me to monitor what goes over a specific serial port, kinda like Wireshark?
You could try this.
There are still serial ports?
Maybe not on your home desktop system, but they’re still widely used in industrial automation systems and in many commercial and scientific devices.
Thank you! I’ll give it a try and report back.
Indeed, this particular device is a data logger used for science. It records input from various sensors (in this case, water temperatures and flow rate from our solar hot water system). It uses a proprietary program to transmit its data and I want to see the raw protocol so we can bypass that and capture the data directly instead.
It’s annoying that it uses a serial port, but we happen to have an old computer sitting around that still has one.
My usual choice is PortMon, originally from SysInternals, now part of Microsoft. I haven’t tried it on a Vista or Win7 system with UAC, though.
Serial ports are still extensively used, at least in the mobile phone industry, during early development (and in most cases even in the wild). Most mobile phones have a pair of serial lines somewhere on their board.
Interesting.
I hate it when the manufacturers do that, and force us to use their sub par tools.
I use oscilloscope software at work which looks like it was made in the 80’s. Some of them document their formats, but hide it inside some unexpected document.
Good luck!
Here are some more suggestions.
Send me a serial port (RS232C) monitor software to work for both continuous and request mode of transmission. How to know the request data required for a particular instrument with serial data communication system.
You might want to make sure that serial port has a surge suppressor on it. Years ago I worked on a PC that controlled a golf course watering system through the serial port. Talk about using old equipment, it was a 386 and Pentiums were out by then. Lightning through the serial port fried it.
Before that a lot of other stuff mess up that computer. It was stored in a shed that held dirt, fertilizer and other stuff. It overheated due to getting clogged with dirt. I had to make a filtration system for it.
It got hit by lightning and fried the power supply. They put in a surge suppressor on the AC power after that.
The little CMOS battery went out after a few years. After a power outage, the time defaulted to midnight and a few hours later the watering system decided it was time turn on the sprinklers. Of course it was in the middle of the day and the links were full of golfers! They put in an UPS after that.
Lastly was the fried serial port.
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