3400 User Guide
Getting Started
The USB to Serial Converter allows you to connect Serial Devices to the PhidgetSBC using one of its USB connectors.
The USB to Serial Converter is not a Phidget device and therefore, the Converter or any devices connected to it cannot be controlled using Phidgets APIs. Using this product requires a working knowledge of Linux.
Here is a short manual showing you how to use the Converter on a PhidgetSBC.
Connect the Converter to the PhidgetSBC
1. Log onto the SBC via SSH. Your SBC may be running an older version of firmware that does not support the USB to Serial Converter, requiring you to update your SBC firmware to the latest version.
2. Plug the USB to Serial converter into an available USB port on the Phidget SBC. The SBC should automatically recognize the converter.
3. Type dmesg | tail –n 5 on the SBC to view the last 5 lines of the kernel’s message buffer. You should see something similar to the lines below:
usb 1-1.1: new full speed USB device using s3c2410-ohci and address 8
usb 1-1.1: configuration #1 chosen from 1 choice
pl2303 1-1.1:1.0: pl2303 converter detected
usb 1-1.1: pl2303 converter now attached to ttyUSB0
The SBC has recognized the Prolific PL2303 USB to serial converter, and has created a new serial port for it, which can be accessed at /dev/ttyUSB0
Test the Converter using your PC serial port
One way of testing the USB to Serial Converter is by connecting the SBC to a serial port on your PC using a Null modem cable. If your computer does not have a serial port, you can still perform the test by using a second USB to Serial Converter to connect the Null modem cable to a USB port on your PC.
