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3 PCs 1 BS2 — Parallax Forums

3 PCs 1 BS2

alnajjar1alnajjar1 Posts: 110
edited 2014-03-13 08:32 in BASIC Stamp
Hello,

I have a project where I want to communicate from 3 PC to a single BS2 circuit via RS-232. I have done RS-232 successfully using 1 PC with a BS2 but wonder how easy it would be using 2 and if there are any pitfalls I need to watch for.

Many thanks,

Al

Comments

  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2014-03-13 08:14
    Hello,

    The BASIC Stamp Module only has one RS-232 compatible interface. Any I/O pin can be a serial port, however you would need to convert your RS-232 signals to TTL serial. Even then, since the BASIC Stamp Modules do not have a UART or FIFO buffer the BASIC Stamp Module iteself would really need to drive the communication between the PCs. If the PCs were arbitrarily sending data to the BASIC Stamp Module it would most likely miss data while listening to another PC since it is a single-tasking MCU and can only perform one command at a time. On the other hand if the BASIC Stamp Module were to send a request for information to each PC one at a time and wait for a reply then you could ensure nothing was missed.
  • alnajjar1alnajjar1 Posts: 110
    edited 2014-03-13 08:27
    Thanks Chris, I understand the challenges of keeping track of all data. With data coming in randomly from these PCs it will be very difficult to keep track. Many thanks.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2014-03-13 08:32
    So, if I may ask, are the PCs waiting for a message from the BASIC Stamp Module to send data or will they try sending data at any given time?
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