Serial communication with the IrDA port

Archiver

Dear Stampers,
Just in case someone who knows the answer failed to notice my earlier
message, i'd like to come back to the IrDA-COM question. I am using a 40 KHz
carrier for 'normal' serial infrared communication between a port of the PC
and the Stamp. I use either a FireStickII from Reynolds Electronics or a
home-made contraption with a IR-LED and a TSOP1740 receiver module from
Vishay. Both work fine at 1200 and even 2400 Baud.
However, i am extermely keen to use the IrDA port of the (laptop) PC
instead; and economize the serial port. Windows'98 won't yield control of
their 'virtual' port (COM4 on my Toshiba Satellite) so that i can set its
parameters and use it with a terminal emulator for example (or the
editor-debugger software, for that matter).
Has someone met with this problem before? Can you please provide information
towards a solution? Is any software remedy (like IrDA take-over drivers or
something) known?
Any help is most welcome.
George Chamilothoris

Archiver

Strange. I would swear that when I was doing alot of laptop stuff anything
that would work with a wired serial port would also work with the IrDA port
if you had the Microsoft drivers installed. I know for sure we played Hearts
and used Direct Cable Connect. I don't remember if there was a way to adjust
the port speed, etc..., but thats been a good while ago.

Have you tried disabling / uninstalling the IrDA driver and talking to the
physical COM port?? If this is not practical, you could always fire up the
laptop in DOS and try some simple terminal program to see what it does.

---

Original Message

---

> Just in case someone who knows the answer failed to notice my earlier
> message, i'd like to come back to the IrDA-COM question. I am using a 40
KHz
> carrier for 'normal' serial infrared communication between a port of the
PC
> and the Stamp. I use either a FireStickII from Reynolds Electronics or a
> home-made contraption with a IR-LED and a TSOP1740 receiver module from
> Vishay. Both work fine at 1200 and even 2400 Baud.
> However, i am extermely keen to use the IrDA port of the (laptop) PC
> instead; and economize the serial port. Windows'98 won't yield control of
> their 'virtual' port (COM4 on my Toshiba Satellite) so that i can set its
> parameters and use it with a terminal emulator for example (or the
> editor-debugger software, for that matter).
> Has someone met with this problem before? Can you please provide
information
> towards a solution? Is any software remedy (like IrDA take-over drivers or
> something) known?

Archiver

Hi George,
If you want some info on the Stamp end of the IrDA hookup, take a
look at the app note at:
http://www.emesys.com/BS2IrDA.htm

-- best regards
Tracy Allen
electronically monitored ecosystems
http://www.emesystems.com
mailto:tracy@e...


>Dear Stampers,
>Just in case someone who knows the answer failed to notice my earlier
>message, i'd like to come back to the IrDA-COM question. I am using a 40 KHz
>carrier for 'normal' serial infrared communication between a port of the PC
>and the Stamp. I use either a FireStickII from Reynolds Electronics or a
>home-made contraption with a IR-LED and a TSOP1740 receiver module from
>Vishay. Both work fine at 1200 and even 2400 Baud.
>However, i am extermely keen to use the IrDA port of the (laptop) PC
>instead; and economize the serial port. Windows'98 won't yield control of
>their 'virtual' port (COM4 on my Toshiba Satellite) so that i can set its
>parameters and use it with a terminal emulator for example (or the
>editor-debugger software, for that matter).
>Has someone met with this problem before? Can you please provide information
>towards a solution? Is any software remedy (like IrDA take-over drivers or
>something) known?
>Any help is most welcome.
>George Chamilothoris

Archiver

Tracy Hi,
Thank you for your help and the info. This is a different approach from what
i had in mind (i'd like to use a COM rather than an IrDA link) but it could
work equally well...
I will try the MAX3100 and come back with news. If i understand correctly,
your method is good for PC applications that are originally designed to use
the IrDA protocol for communication (particular hand-shaking, automatic
speed adjustment, session management and other network-like features). My
problem with that is i still don't know how to make a serial-speaking
application (like the BS editor) to use the infrared port - either with the
standard serial or with the IrDA protocol. For the moment these applications
let me select COM4 only to announce that it is unavailable or something
equally encouraging.
By the way - congatulations for your great site. A treasure of interesting
things there. Thanks again,
Greorge Chamilothoris

> Hi George,
> If you want some info on the Stamp end of the IrDA hookup, take a
> look at the app note at: http://www.emesys.com/BS2IrDA.htm
> -- best regards
> Tracy Allen
> electronically monitored ecosystems

Rodent Hello,
Yes, Direct Cable Connect and other networking applications bridge over IrDA
ports. My goal, however, is to make the IrDA port work like a normal 2-wire
link - only without the wires. As for disabling the IrDA driver etc. - well,
this is the essense of my question. Has someone done it before? I need to
profit from others' experience since i know very little about the deep-down
functions of the system and experimenting with Win'98 and DOS underware will
probably get me in trouble...
George Chamilothoris

> Strange. I would swear that when I was doing alot of laptop stuff anything
> that would work with a wired serial port would also work with the IrDA
port
> if you had the Microsoft drivers installed. I know for sure we played
Hearts
> and used Direct Cable Connect. I don't remember if there was a way to
adjust
> the port speed, etc..., but thats been a good while ago.
> Have you tried disabling / uninstalling the IrDA driver and talking to the
> physical COM port?? If this is not practical, you could always fire up the
> laptop in DOS and try some simple terminal program to see what it does.