OT a little: Linux program to talk to serial port for downloading firmware?

Feb 09, 2006 13 Replies

First reply

Grant Edwards

It may seem to be straightforward, but Hyperterminal sucks so badly that things which seem to be straightforward usually aren't. Kermit. If you have sz/sx installed, Kermit knows how to invoke it to send files. Or you can just invoke sz from the command line or a shell script.

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I'm working on a project using a TI MSP430. The compiler/IDE tool (IAR) wants to run on Windows.



To download new flash code, it want me to use zmodem protocol over a serial line. Which seems to be pretty straightforward on Windows using Hyperterminal.



I haven't used a modem or serial communications program in this century. Is there a nice linux way to do the same thing?



Thx


Pat

I would recommend minicom.

Bertrand

It may seem to be straightforward, but Hyperterminal sucks so badly that things which seem to be straightforward usually aren't.

Kermit. If you have sz/sx installed, Kermit knows how to invoke it to send files.

Or you can just invoke sz from the command line or a shell script.

Grant Edwards grante Yow! NOW do I get to blow at out the CANLDES?? visi.com

If you need a good windows terminal program, try teraterm.

Yup, that's what I was trying to remember. I avoid windows as much as possible, but on occasion in the past have had to do terminal stuff on Windows. Teraterm was always the terminal program that was recommended by the people who suffered windows for a living.

Grant Edwards grante Yow! Now that I have my at "APPLE," I comprehend COST visi.com ACCOUNTING!!

I've never understood this. The version shipped with Windows 2000 and XP is particularly heinous; under Windows 95/98 it mostly worked.

The normal MSP430 boot loader doesn't use zmodem, so I assume this is a loader that is part of the application. There are various Linux terminal emulators available, XTerm, eterm, rxvt, xvt among them. Look here:

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Paul Burke

Didn't know that. Its an Ember ZigBee board, The loader is not part of my application, may be part of the Ember stack.

I'm trying minicom. using an Xterminal is the wrong direction, It works great to let me enter shell commands on my linux box. I want to send characters out /dev/tty0

It seems that no one talks boring old serial RS232 anymore everyone assumes you have Ethernet and use TCP/IP for everything. Or they implement PPP for you.

Pat

Eh? The '430 has a built-in serial bootloader, and it doesn't use Z-Modem. Are you talking to some sort of ROM-monitor?

Unless you're talking to a ROM-monitor program on the 430, you could just use an MSP430 downloader utilities that runs on Linux

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Grant Edwards grante Yow! My CODE of ETHICS at is vacationing at famed visi.com SCHROON LAKE in upstate New York!!

Minicom will proably work. I prever kermit. For Z-modem support, both depend on the command line "sz/rz" command line programs from the lrzsz package (at least that's the package name on Gentoo).

There are a few of us left.;)

Grant Edwards grante Yow! I'm not available at for comment... visi.com

Has anyone found a similar way to program the MC9s08?

Thanks.

Steven D. Swift, novatech@eskimo.com, http://www.novatech-instr.com NOVATECH INSTRUMENTS, INC. P.O. Box 55997 206.301.8986, fax 206.363.4367 Seattle, Washington 98155 USA

Well, the '430 is embedded in an Ember dev kit. You actually talk to its "rabbit" processor. Plus, I'm a newbie at this embedded stuff.

Thanks for the link, there is tons of good information there.

Pat

There is a Linux flavor of the Professional-YAM comms program, with an integrated ZMODEM.

Industrial ZMODEM(Tm) is used in a number of embedded applications which are not well suited to the 1986 programs.

Chuck Forsberg caf@omen.com www.omen.com 503-614-0430 Developer of Industrial ZMODEM(Tm) for Embedded Applications Omen Technology Inc "The High Reliability Software" 10255 NW Old Cornelius Pass Portland OR 97231 FAX 629-0665

Try gtkterm. I use it for downloading code to an 8051 SBC.

Ian

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