# What communications program is handy for RS232 instrument communication? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 10, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-communications-program-is-handy-for-rs232-instrument-communication/375967 "2006-10-10T18:51:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-communications-program-is-handy-for-rs232-instrument-communication/375967/1 "2006-10-10T18:51:12Z")
I use instruments with RS232 outputs and sometimes inputs. I’d like to find a good Windows terminal program to work with those. Now I use Hyperterminal, but it’s clearly aimed at using modems on telephone lines, and also some things seem unclear - like, I don’t know how to transmit 4 arbitrary bytes, not a file containing them but the 32 bits themselves. What comms programs are simple and allow pretty low level acces and control, especially aimed not at telephone modems? ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-communications-program-is-handy-for-rs232-instrument-communication/375967/2 "2006-10-10T18:59:43Z")
[QUOTE=Napier] What comms programs are simple and allow pretty low level acces and control, especially aimed not at telephone modems? [/QUOTE] Any decent Terminal Emulator freeware package should do the trick for you. On my last project requiring RS-232 commands and responses, we used TeraTerm: - [http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002416/teraterm.html](http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA002416/teraterm.html) If you don’t like TeraTerm, Wikipedia links to this list of terminal emulators for windows: - [http://www.eunet.bg/simtel.net/msdos/commprog.html](http://www.eunet.bg/simtel.net/msdos/commprog.html) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-communications-program-is-handy-for-rs232-instrument-communication/375967/3 "2006-10-10T20:07:59Z")
**Hyper Terminal** is a bare-bones program that might work. I’ve used it before, and it worked pretty well in my application. Best of all, it comes with Windows. Check in \*Programs \* -\> \*Accessories \* -\> _Communications_. If it’s not there, keep looking. Perhaps it’s somewhere else. I’ve also used a commercial package called **ProComm**. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-communications-program-is-handy-for-rs232-instrument-communication/375967/4 "2006-10-10T20:09:15Z")
Oops, I see you’ve already used Hyper Terminal… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-communications-program-is-handy-for-rs232-instrument-communication/375967/5 "2006-10-10T21:39:28Z")
“Realterm is a terminal program specially designed for capturing, controlling and debugging binary and other difficult data streams. It is far better for debugging comms than Hyperterminal. It has no support for dialing modems, BBS etc - that is what hyperterminal does.” Wow… [http://realterm.sourceforge.net/](http://realterm.sourceforge.net/) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-communications-program-is-handy-for-rs232-instrument-communication/375967/6 "2006-10-10T22:44:01Z")
I’ve often used [Windmill comDebug](http://www.windmill.co.uk/serial.html) for short call and reply analysis. ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-communications-program-is-handy-for-rs232-instrument-communication/375967/7 "2006-10-10T23:34:59Z")
I second ProComm. I’ve used it for years, since the DOS versions. The ability to record and playback keystroke sequences via what it calls ‘Metakeys” is what I use to send short control sequences to the RS-232 devices I work with. It has a hex display mode (the “monitor window”) that shows all communication on the line in hex (outgoing and incoming show as different colors), including nulls and control characters. See it at this link: [http://www.symantec.com/procomm/](http://www.symantec.com/procomm/)