Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Lincoln, NE, USA
Posts: 7

I've seen several of the threads detailing the construction of Serial cables for the Visor, but I need something a little more specialized.

The Motorola i1000plus phone has a built in modem/fax, and I would really like to connect it directly to my Visor.

Motorola & Nextel has cables for going directly to Palm III and Palm V, but not Visor.

I'm wondering if anyone else has a i1000 phone, and is interested in this kind of cable.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

If it requires a true serial cable with handshaking, you're out of luck. The Visor's serial connection only carries RXD and TXD, and they're at TTL level, not RS232. The Visor was not designed for serial peripherals requiring full RS232 control.

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MarkEagle - Ice is nice!

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Lincoln, NE, USA
Posts: 7

So do Palm III's/V's/VII's have full RS232 or the more limited functionality that the Visor does.

If the Visor is the same as the other Palms, then it's just a matter of getting the proper cable put together. If not.. Then someone needs to make a full RS232 springboard...

Registered: Dec 1999
Location:
Posts: 251

I believe that the circuitry in the serial cradle converts to RS232. So, in the meantime you could use that.

Handspring said they will be producing a cable. I can only assume that it will have the same circuitry in that cable.

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

Yes, the cradle does contain the circuitry for converting TTL to RS232. It doesn't provide the additional handshaking, however.

The Palm provides ONLY serial signals on its connector, including handshaking. The Visor combines both USB and serial in its connector, but NO handshaking. I believe Handspring's intent was that Springboards would provide (or replace) the functionality of/for peripherals.

This is a major hardware difference between the Visor and Palm and I think it's confused a lot of people (it did me in the begining).

There were some posts about being able to connect the Visor to an external modem via the serial cradle. I tried and have never been able to get it to work.

I was testing some software called PilotNet this weekend which essentially redirects a serial cradle to the PC's modem allowing "dialing" from the PDA. It was written for the Palm serial connection I'm sure. When using the Visor and trying to dial, no activity appeared on the TX or RX lines at the connector, telling me that the dialing app was looking for a Springboard modem.

The way I understand it, the sync connector on the Visor, in "serial" context, is basically for syncing only. It has enough intelligence to be able to support keyboard activity as well, but I believe only up to 9600 bps as stated in the Devleoper's guide.




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MarkEagle - Ice is nice!

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Lincoln, NE, USA
Posts: 7

So when is someone going to make a Springboard with a Full RS-232 Serial Port on it!!

Registered: Dec 1999
Location: Connecticut USA
Posts: 2682

quote:

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Originally posted by Pimpbot 5000:
So when is someone going to make a Springboard with a Full RS-232 Serial Port on it!!

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I'm not sure there's an advantage to this, except to be able to use the Palm legacy peripherals. If I were making a Springboard, it would be one that actually was the peripheral. And this is what I see so far from the developers.

As for the Visor's docking connector, I think that maybe it may be a software issue. If a "serial" application knew to send its signals to the connector instead of the module. Unfortunately, I'm not well versed when it comes to sending all those bits around inside these gadgets...


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MarkEagle - Ice is nice!

Registered: Nov 1999
Location: Forest Grove, OR, USA
Posts: 8

There is a springboard with a full RS-232 port on it:
http://www.efig.com/SP_products.html

Unfortunately, it's a bit expensive.

Also, ATLConnect has been testing a serial cable for the Visor. Should be available any day now.

I dunno if it will remedy the problems I've been having communicating with serial devices from my Visor (using cradle), but I'm going to give it a try before giving up and going back to a Palm.