Serial Port Using Visual Basic .NET and Windows（串行端口使用Visual Basic。）.pdfVIP

Serial Port Using Visual Basic .NET and Windows Introduction The serial (COM) port is one of the simplest ways to communicate between a PC and a microcontroller circuit. Most microcontrollers have hardware serial ports and most microcontroller compilers have built-in functions to read from and write to the hardware port. Hardware serial ports with their 9-pin D connectors have disappeared from laptop and desktop computers, but are easily produced with a low-cost USB-to-serial cable adaptor. For embedded systems, a common approach is to add a FT232R USB-to-serial chip to the circuit so that the hardware connects to the PC though USB. Another option is to add a USB-to-serial module, for example the UM232R by FTDI or the USBMOD3 from DLP Design. These modules add glue circuits and a USB connector to the converter chip for an easy-to-use self contained solution. On the PC side, the USB adaptor appears as a virtual serial port that can be accessed by an application program just like a hardware COM port. On the microcontroller side, the adaptor appears as a standard serial port. If using an adaptor cable, the application circuit needs a convertor chip, for example the Dallas DS275 or the Maxim MAX233 to convert RS-232 serial levels to TTL logic levels. Circuits and code for serial port connections to a PICmicro are in the ME 8243 Boot Camp exercises. Checking the Virtual Serial Port Connection Check that device appears as a COM port on the PC by using the Device Manager. Right-click on My Computer Properties Hardware Device Manager Ports (COM LPT). Should see something like PL2303 COM Port (COM6), which means the cable is showing up as COM port number 6. Your port number may be different. The port number will change if you plug the cable into a different USB port on your computer. For quick access to the Device Manager: Start - Run - devmgmt.msc The simplest way to test a serial connection is to connect to a PC terminal program. In