[GreenKeys] Interface ASR33 to Linux serial port

fretless fretless52 at gmail.com
Sun Jan 14 10:04:19 EST 2024 

*** Sorry. I hope this one doesn't screw up the subject line this time***

Nice work Michael.
In Jan/Feb 2021 I was working with Johan at kernel.org trying
to get my Prolific dongle to work with my 33.  It worked fine in
Windows so I knew it wasn't a hardware issue.  I was able to
hard code the USB initialization string that I captured in Windows
into the Linux driver and get it to work at 110b, but I was not able
to figure out how to modify the code to generate the string
automatically using the divisor routine.

I was still receiving updates from kernel.org a few weeks later and
saw where you were having the same issue and were eventually
able to get the driver to generate the correct initialization string.

I had to put my 33 in storage shortly after that and haven't been able to
use it.  Hopefully, I will be retrieving it soon.

Joe

On Tue, Jan 9, 2024 at 12:20 PM <greenkeys-request at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

>
>
> I did some work on the Linux Prolific driver to get it to work with
> arbitrary baud rates (e.g. 110). There are several variants and the one I
> had did not give the right speed when set to 100. I was able to reverse
> engineer it (with a lot of trial and error) and now AFAIK all the
> variants now work.
> https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/drivers/usb/serial/pl2303.c
>
> Michael
>
>
> On Tue, Jan 9, 2024 at 12:38?PM Eric Moore <mooreericnyc at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > DriverGenius 4 Port USB to Serial RS232 DB9 Adapter Coverter with 12 X
> > LEDs - Win11 & Mac (4XRS232, Metal) https://a.co/d/6xXQ0fy
> >
> > This is what I use, definitely does 110 baud on all 4 ports, should do
> > lower.
> >
> > Uses the PL2303 I think, the FTDI I have had issues at low speeds.
> >
> > -Eric
> >
> >
> > On Tue, Jan 9, 2024, 11:13?AM Chuck Rehor <chuck at rehor.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi GreenKeyers,
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> In the past for my RS-232 projects when I?ve needed serial
> >> communications, I ran into unexplained problems with USB-to-RS232-Serial
> >> converters incorporating the Prolific chipset. Since Prolific has become
> >> so, well, prolific, it has a huge market share, so foreign companies
> have
> >> knocked off the Prolific chip and flooded the market with counterfeit
> chips
> >> marked Prolific, but are NOT Prolific brand.  These counterfeit chips
> have
> >> flooded the electronics parts supply chain, and therefore, have been
> >> inadvertently used in even legitimate companies' USB adapters (even
> >> name-brand companies).  To protect themselves, Prolific finally changed
> >> their drivers so that their drivers are on the lookout for bogus chips.
> I
> >> think those Prolific drivers are part of the Microsoft Plug-n-Play
> >> devices.  If the new Windows driver finds a counterfeit chip being used
> on
> >> the system, the driver will give a warning and disable the device by
> >> overwriting the driver on your system. With the RPi running its version
> of
> >> Linux, I?ve scratched my head trying to get gettys to run right because
> it
> >> might show the login prompt, but either not accept characters, or it
> >> accepts characters but would not give me a Password prompt, so I
> couldn't
> >> get logged in. Searching on the internet, I saw other people had
> problems
> >> with the Linux drivers too.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> So I?ve given up on Prolific and only use devices which use the FTDI
> >> chipset. If a device doesn't specifically say it uses the FTDI chipset,
> >> chances are it doesn't, so I don?t bother with it.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Recently I?ve had great luck with Gearmo 4-Port RS232 to USB FTDI chip
> >> Adapter w/RX and TX Status LEDs (
> >> https://www.amazon.com/Gearmo-Port-RS232-Adapter-Status/dp/B08P24ZQ1B
> >> $44). It comes in a version that doesn't have the status LEDs for a few
> >> dollars cheaper, but LEDs are well-worth it when trying to debug
> something.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> If you only need one RS-232 port, I can recommend Gearmo's USB to Serial
> >> RS-232 Adapter with LED Indicators FTDI Chipset (
> >> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AHYJWWG   $23).
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> The only thing I can't verify is if it goes down to 110 baud (I don't
> >> have a 110-baud device in the same location).  I did connect Ports 1 & 2
> >> together (via a null modem connector) and opened two putty sessions set
> for
> >> 110 baud, 8 bits, 1 stop, no parity, xon/xoff, and it seemed to work (I
> >> could send characters back and forth between windows).  I used putty
> >> version 0.78 on Windows 11 and a command line of: "C:\Chuck> putty
> >> -serial COM5 -sercfg 110,8,1,n,X" because I could never correctly
> configure
> >> putty with its GUI.  However, when I opened a putty session for 300 baud
> >> and kept the other at 110, I expected I couldn?t communicate between
> them,
> >> but lo and behold, it worked anyway, so I?m not sure it actually went
> down
> >> to 110 and 300 baud.  Maybe it defaults to a certain speed if someone
> tries
> >> to give it a speed it can't handle.  Like I said, I don?t have a 110
> baud
> >> terminal in the same location so I couldn?t really verify 110 or 300
> baud
> >> operation, but sometime I will and report back.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Hope the above helps.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Chuck
> >> W9CFR
> >>
> >> On Mon, Jan 8, 2024 at 2:36?PM Tom Lake <tlake at twcny.rr.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> I have a PiDP-11 as well and the Teletype works fine with it. I replace
> >>> the PiDP-11 with the Pi 5 using the same RS-232 converter and I can?t
> log
> >>> into Linux with the Teletype.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> *From:* Michael Katzmann <vk2bea at gmail.com>
> >>> *Sent:* Thursday, January 4, 2024 5:33 PM
> >>> *To:* tlake at twcny.rr.com
> >>> *Cc:* greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
> >>> *Subject:* Re: [GreenKeys] Interface ASR33 to Linux serial port
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I've got a PiDP11 with a 33 attached.
> >>>
> >>> Usually the 33 is driven off the PDP11/70 SIMH emulator.
> >>>
> >>> I tried running the agetty command as you showed and it looks like it
> >>> worked (except bash is confused for some reason)
> >>>
> >>> The OS is Raspbian (32 bit) but its pretty close to Ubuntu (both based
> >>> on Debian). I favour Fedora myself!
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Michael
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Thu, Jan 4, 2024 at 3:52?PM Tom Lake <tlake at twcny.rr.com> wrote:
> >>>
> >>> I have an Ubuntu 23.10 system with agetty running on its eight serial
> >>> ports. I can hook up most terminals to the ports and login to a bash
> shell.
> >>>
> >>> When I try to use a Teletype ASR 33, however, I get the login prompt
> and
> >>> I answer enter the username. If I hit Return, nothing happens. If I hot
> >>> Line Feed, the Password prompt is shown.
> >>>
> >>> After I enter the password (all uppercase) Incorrect password is shown.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Since the prompts are displayed properly, I?m pretty sure the baud
> rate,
> >>> BPS and stop bits are correct. What else can I check?
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I start agetty this way:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> agetty  -L -U ttyUSB0 110 tty
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> The -L means it?s a dedicated line, not dial-in. The -U means the
> >>> terminal is uppercase only and some upper/lowercase conversions should
> be
> >>> made.
> >>>
> >>> The port is a USB to serial port (ttyUSB0), baud is 110.
> >>>
> >>> ______________________________________________________________
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> >>>
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> >>> >>> Randy Guttery's 2001-to-2009 GreenKeys Search Tool:
> >>> http://comcents.com/tty/greenkeyssearch.html
> >>>
> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
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> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --
> >>>
> >>>    |\      _,,,---,,_             Michael Katzmann
> >>>    /,`.-'`'    -.  ;-;;,_         NV3Z / VK2BEA / G4NYV
> >>>   |,4-  ) )-,_. ,\ (  `'-'
> >>>  '---''(_/--'  `-'\_)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ______________________________________________________________
> >>> GreenKeys mailing list
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> >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> >>> Post: mailto:GreenKeys at mailman.qth.net
> >>>
> >>> >>> Jordan Spencer Cunningham's GreenKeys Search Tool:
> >>> https://teletype.net/gksearch
> >>> >>> 2002-to-present greenkeys archive:
> >>> http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/greenkeys/
> >>> >>> 1998-to-2001 greenkeys archive:
> >>> http://mailman.qth.net/archive/greenkeys/greenkeys.html
> >>> >>> Randy Guttery's 2001-to-2009 GreenKeys Search Tool:
> >>> http://comcents.com/tty/greenkeyssearch.html
> >>>
> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> >>> Message delivered to chuck at rehor.com
> >>>
> >> ______________________________________________________________
> >> GreenKeys mailing list
> >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/greenkeys
> >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> >> Post: mailto:GreenKeys at mailman.qth.net
> >>
> >> >>> Jordan Spencer Cunningham's GreenKeys Search Tool:
> >> https://teletype.net/gksearch
> >> >>> 2002-to-present greenkeys archive:
> >> http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/greenkeys/
> >> >>> 1998-to-2001 greenkeys archive:
> >> http://mailman.qth.net/archive/greenkeys/greenkeys.html
> >> >>> Randy Guttery's 2001-to-2009 GreenKeys Search Tool:
> >> http://comcents.com/tty/greenkeyssearch.html
> >>
> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> >> Message delivered to mooreericnyc at gmail.com
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > GreenKeys mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/greenkeys
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> > Post: mailto:GreenKeys at mailman.qth.net
> >
> > >>> Jordan Spencer Cunningham's GreenKeys Search Tool:
> > https://teletype.net/gksearch
> > >>> 2002-to-present greenkeys archive:
> > http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/greenkeys/
> > >>> 1998-to-2001 greenkeys archive:
> > http://mailman.qth.net/archive/greenkeys/greenkeys.html
> > >>> Randy Guttery's 2001-to-2009 GreenKeys Search Tool:
> > http://comcents.com/tty/greenkeyssearch.html
> >
> > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> > Message delivered to vk2bea at gmail.com
>
>
>
> --
>    |\      _,,,---,,_             Michael Katzmann
>    /,`.-'`'    -.  ;-;;,_         NV3Z / VK2BEA / G4NYV
>   |,4-  ) )-,_. ,\ (  `'-'
>  '---''(_/--'  `-'\_)
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