Getting Started With Minicom - Revision history

Mgloff at 21:45, 13 July 2017

2017-07-13T21:45:07Z

Mgloff at 21:44, 13 July 2017

2017-07-13T21:44:32Z

Awichmann at 19:34, 18 February 2016

2016-02-18T19:34:03Z

Awichmann at 19:23, 18 February 2016

2016-02-18T19:23:43Z

Kyoungmeyer: Fix one minor issue

2015-11-10T18:35:06Z

Fix one minor issue

Mdean: Made some minor fixes and marked FinalDraft.

2015-11-10T17:00:15Z

Made some minor fixes and marked FinalDraft.

Jjung at 21:17, 9 November 2015

2015-11-09T21:17:18Z

Mdean: Reviewed, made changes, noted issues, and marked buggy.

2015-11-06T00:56:52Z

Reviewed, made changes, noted issues, and marked buggy.

Jjung at 23:17, 4 November 2015

2015-11-04T23:17:53Z

Jjung at 20:56, 4 November 2015

2015-11-04T20:56:12Z

@@ Line 128: / Line 128: @@
 {{:Templateimpl:moreinfo | initials=JJ | title=Getting Started With Minicom | desc=Description for SEO | project=OE 5.0 }}
 * [[System_Log_In | System Log In]]
 {{:Templateimpl:whatnext | initials=JJ | title=Getting Started With Minicom | desc=Description for SEO | project=OE 5.0 }}
 * [[Serial_Connections | Serial Connections]]

@@ Line 77: / Line 77: @@
 <br />
-* You will most likely wish to modify the '''Serial Device''' setting to have the path to the serial port you normally use. This way, you'll be able to run the command without any options or commands. The <code>scanserial</code> tool provided in the <code>emac-tools-util</code> package can display a list of serial ports using the <code>-l</code> option.
+* You will most likely wish to modify the '''Serial Device''' setting to have the path to the serial port you normally use. This way, you'll be able to run the command without any options or commands.
 Press the 'Esc' key to be be brought back to the configurations page.

@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 In this screenshot, the "115200 8N1" for the '''Bps/Par/Bits''' setting indicates the baud rate is set to 115200, data bits set to 8 (the '8' in 8N1), parity is set to none (the 'N' in 8N1), and stop bits is set to 1 (the '1' in 8N1).
-* Press enter and scroll to '''Modem and dialing''' and press enter again. Clear out the '''Init string''', '''Reset string''', '''Dialing prefix #1''', '''Dialing suffix #1''', '''Dialing prefix #2''', '''Dialing suffix #2''', '''Dialing prefix #3''', '''Dialing suffix #3''' by pressing the corresponding letters [A-H] then deleting the string. The final result should look like:
+* Press enter and scroll to '''Modem and dialing''' and press enter again. Clear out the '''Init string''', '''Reset string''', '''Dialing prefix #1''', '''Dialing suffix #1''', '''Dialing prefix #2''', '''Dialing suffix #2''', '''Dialing prefix #3''', '''Dialing suffix #3''' by pressing the corresponding letters [A-H] then deleting the string. The final result should look like: <br />[[File:Minicom_dialing_parameter_setup.png| Minicom dialing and parameter setup]]
 * You will most likely wish to modify the '''Serial Device''' setting to have the path to the serial port you normally use. This way, you'll be able to run the command without any options or commands. The <code>scanserial</code> tool provided in the <code>emac-tools-util</code> package can display a list of serial ports using the <code>-l</code> option.

@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 <br />
 In this screenshot, the "115200 8N1" for the '''Bps/Par/Bits''' setting indicates the baud rate is set to 115200, data bits set to 8 (the '8' in 8N1), parity is set to none (the 'N' in 8N1), and stop bits is set to 1 (the '1' in 8N1).
 * You will most likely wish to modify the '''Serial Device''' setting to have the path to the serial port you normally use. This way, you'll be able to run the command without any options or commands. The <code>scanserial</code> tool provided in the <code>emac-tools-util</code> package can display a list of serial ports using the <code>-l</code> option.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{todo| FinalDraft (10.28.2015-16:36->JJ+);(11.2.2015-18:00->JJ+);(11.3.2015-14:25->JJ+);(11.04.2015-13:00->MD-);(11.04.2015-17:15->JJ+);(11.05.2015-18:55->MD-);(11.09.2015-15:14->JJ+);(11.10.2015-11:00->MD+) |Jeffrey Jung| project=OE 5.0,FinalDraft,JJ,MD}}
+{{todo| Complete (10.28.2015-16:36->JJ+);(11.2.2015-18:00->JJ+);(11.3.2015-14:25->JJ+);(11.04.2015-13:00->MD-);(11.04.2015-17:15->JJ+);(11.05.2015-18:55->MD-);(11.09.2015-15:14->JJ+);(11.10.2015-11:00->MD+);(11.10.2015-12:32->KY+) |Jeffrey Jung| project=OE 5.0,Complete,JJ,MD,KY}}
 {{#seo:minicom
 |title=Getting Started With Minicom
@@ Line 80: / Line 80: @@
 Press the 'Esc' key to be be brought back to the configurations page.
-* The next setting that needs to be configured is the '''Modem and dialing'''. Press the 'A' key and delete its content. Hit the 'Enter' key to set the setting as blank. Also do this for B through K. Hit the 'Esc' key when finished deleting the content of these settings.
+* The next setting that needs to be configured is the '''Modem and dialing'''. Press the 'A' key and delete its content. Hit the 'Enter' key to set the setting as blank. Also do this for B through H and K. Hit the 'Esc' key when finished deleting the content of these settings.
 * That's all the modifications that need to be done to get <code>minicom</code> set up. You'll need to save the configurations in one of two ways:
 :*You may want to save the configuration as the default whenever <code>minicom</code> is launched. Arrow down to '''Save setup as dfl''' and press 'Enter'.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{todo| Review (10.28.2015-16:36->JJ+);(11.2.2015-18:00->JJ+);(11.3.2015-14:25->JJ+);(11.04.2015-13:00->MD-);(11.04.2015-17:15->JJ+);(11.05.2015-18:55->MD-);(11.09.2015-15:14->JJ+) |Jeffrey Jung| project=OE 5.0,Review,JJ,MD}}
+{{todo| FinalDraft (10.28.2015-16:36->JJ+);(11.2.2015-18:00->JJ+);(11.3.2015-14:25->JJ+);(11.04.2015-13:00->MD-);(11.04.2015-17:15->JJ+);(11.05.2015-18:55->MD-);(11.09.2015-15:14->JJ+);(11.10.2015-11:00->MD+) |Jeffrey Jung| project=OE 5.0,FinalDraft,JJ,MD}}
 {{#seo:minicom
 |title=Getting Started With Minicom
 |titlemode=append
-|keywods=
+|keywords=minicom,PuTTY,serial console,terminal
 |description=A guide to help customers connect to their devices with minicom
 }}
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 The use of a terminal emulator, such as <code>minicom</code>, is required when connecting to an EMAC board via a serial console. This page sets out to provide general information about using <code>minicom</code> to communicate between EMAC machines and a development PC.
-The following list of arguments can be used to alter its behavior from the command line.
+The following list of arguments can be used to alter minicom's behavior from the command line:
 ;-b <baudrate>
@@ Line 56: / Line 56: @@
 {{cli|sudo minicom -s|hostname=developerpc|username=user}}
-This should bring up a colorful display listing the different settings. If the display isn't colored, arrow down to '''Exit from Minicom'''. Run the <code>minicom</code> command with the option <code>-con</code>. The <code>c</code> specifies the color display and <code>on</code> tells <code>minicom</code> to display the interface in color. <code>minicom</code> can be made to always run in color by modifying the <code>~/.bashrc</code> file, setting an alias for <code>minicom</code> to <code>minicom -con</code>, and restarting your terminal session (or sourcing your <code>.bashrc</code>) to make the change take effect.:
+This should bring up a colorful display listing the different settings. If the display isn't colored, arrow down to '''Exit from Minicom'''. Run the <code>minicom</code> command with the option <code>-con</code>. The <code>c</code> specifies the color display and <code>on</code> tells <code>minicom</code> to display the interface in color. <code>minicom</code> can be made to always run in color by modifying the <code>~/.bashrc</code> file, setting the <code>MINICOM</code> environment variable by adding the lines shown below, and restarting your terminal session (or sourcing your <code>.bashrc</code>) to make the change take effect:
 <pre>
 alias minicom='minicom -con'
 </pre>
 * The first thing that will need to be configured is the '''Serial port setup'''. Arrow down to the title and press the 'Enter' key.
@@ Line 73: / Line 74: @@
 In this screenshot, the "115200 8N1" for the '''Bps/Par/Bits''' setting indicates the baud rate is set to 115200, data bits set to 8 (the '8' in 8N1), parity is set to none (the 'N' in 8N1), and stop bits is set to 1 (the '1' in 8N1).
-* You will most likely wish to modify the '''Serial Device''' setting to have the path to the serial port you normally use. This way, you'll be able to run the command without any options or commands. The <code>scanserial</code> tool provided in the <code>emac-tool-util</code> package can display a list of serial ports using the <code>-l</code> option.
+* You will most likely wish to modify the '''Serial Device''' setting to have the path to the serial port you normally use. This way, you'll be able to run the command without any options or commands. The <code>scanserial</code> tool provided in the <code>emac-tools-util</code> package can display a list of serial ports using the <code>-l</code> option.
 {{cli|scanserial -l| hostname=developerpc|username=user}}
@@ Line 79: / Line 80: @@
 Press the 'Esc' key to be be brought back to the configurations page.
-* The next setting that needs to be configured is the '''Modem and dialing'''. Press the 'A' key and delete its content. Hit the 'Enter' key to set the setting as blank. Also do this for B through K, and for H. Hit the 'Esc' key when finished deleting the content of these settings.
+* The next setting that needs to be configured is the '''Modem and dialing'''. Press the 'A' key and delete its content. Hit the 'Enter' key to set the setting as blank. Also do this for B through K. Hit the 'Esc' key when finished deleting the content of these settings.
-* That's all the modifications that need to be done to get <code>minicom</code> set up. You'll need to save the configuations in one of two was:
+* That's all the modifications that need to be done to get <code>minicom</code> set up. You'll need to save the configurations in one of two ways:
 :*You may want to save the configuration as the default whenever <code>minicom</code> is launched. Arrow down to '''Save setup as dfl''' and press 'Enter'.
@@ Line 97: / Line 98: @@
 <cl>1. Run the <code>minicom</code> command to start <code>minicom</code> with the serial port setting you configured above. If you wish to use <code>minicom</code> on a different serial port, see the note below.
-* Log in with the appropriate username and password for the device. Login information can be found [[System_Log_In | here]].
+* Log in, if necessary, with the appropriate username and password for the device. Login information can be found [[System_Log_In | here]].
 You're now able to communicate to the device and use <code>minicom</code> in the same way as using the terminal for the device.
 </cl>

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{todo| Buggy (10.28.2015-16:36->JJ+);(11.2.2015-18:00->JJ+);(11.3.2015-14:25->JJ+);(11.04.2015-13:00->MD-);(11.04.2015-17:15->JJ+);(11.05.2015-18:55->MD-) |Jeffrey Jung| project=OE 5.0,Buggy,JJ,MD}}
+{{todo| Review (10.28.2015-16:36->JJ+);(11.2.2015-18:00->JJ+);(11.3.2015-14:25->JJ+);(11.04.2015-13:00->MD-);(11.04.2015-17:15->JJ+);(11.05.2015-18:55->MD-);(11.09.2015-15:14->JJ+) |Jeffrey Jung| project=OE 5.0,Review,JJ,MD}}
 {{#seo:minicom
 |title=Getting Started With Minicom
@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 {{:Templateimpl:geninfo | initials=JJ | title=Getting Started With Minicom | desc=Description for SEO | project=OE 5.0 }}
 The use of a terminal emulator, such as <code>minicom</code>, is required when connecting to an EMAC board via a serial console. This page sets out to provide general information about using <code>minicom</code> to communicate between EMAC machines and a development PC.
 The following list of arguments can be used to alter its behavior from the command line.
--b <baudrate> = The serial port baud rate used by the external device–typically a SOM.
+;-b <baudrate>
+:The serial port baud rate used by the external device–typically a SOM.
--D <device_name> = The device name for the serial port being used.
+;-D <device_name>
+:The device name for the serial port being used.
--h = Show a list of arguments that minicom accepts.
+;-h
 For a more comprehensive list of options and their descriptions, read the manpage for minicom:
-man minicomThe calling convention for minicom is as follows:
+{{cli|man minicom|hostname=developerpc|username=user}}
-−
-minicom [OPTIONS] [configuration]
+The calling convention for minicom is as follows:
-Where[OPTIONS] is a space-delimited list of options from among those listed above.
+Where <code>[OPTIONS]</code> is a space-delimited list of options from among those listed above.
-[configuration] is a configuration file that can be found in /etc/minicom/.
+<code>[configuration]</code> is a configuration file that can be found in <code>/etc/minicom/</code>.
-Note that most configurations are named minirc.<some_name> where <some_name> is what should be specified in place of [configuration] above.
+Note that most configurations are named <code>minirc.<some_name></code> where <code><some_name></code> is what should be specified in place of <code>[configuration]</code> above.
 <!-- /*********************************************************************************************************/ -->
@@ Line 62: / Line 61: @@
 </pre>
-{{warning | It still shows the alias instead of the use of the MINICOM variable.}}
+Another method to set <code>minicom</code> to always display in color is to set the <code>MINICOM</code> environment variable. This variable will be used to store any default options you wish to have always run when launching <code>minicom</code>. Set the variable to '<code>-con</code>', then export the variable:
 * The first thing that will need to be configured is the '''Serial port setup'''. Arrow down to the title and press the 'Enter' key.
@@ Line 78: / Line 80: @@
 * The next setting that needs to be configured is the '''Modem and dialing'''. Press the 'A' key and delete its content. Hit the 'Enter' key to set the setting as blank. Also do this for B through K, and for H. Hit the 'Esc' key when finished deleting the content of these settings.
-* That's all the modifications that need to be done to get <code>minicom</code> set up. Arrow down to '''Save setup as dfl''' and press 'Enter'.
+* That's all the modifications that need to be done to get <code>minicom</code> set up. You'll need to save the configuations in one of two was:
-If a message pops up saying "<code>cannot write to /etc/minicom/minirc.dfl</code>", you likely aren't running the command as root. Re-run the command with <code>sudo</code>.
+:*You may want to save the configuration as the default whenever <code>minicom</code> is launched. Arrow down to '''Save setup as dfl''' and press 'Enter'.
 * Once you have saved the configuration, arrow down to '''Exit from Minicom'''.
 </cl>
 == Running Minicom ==
 Now that everything is configured, you are ready to open the serial connection.
-<cl>1. Run the <code>minicom</code> command to start <code>minicom</code> with the serial port setting you configured above. If you wish to use <code>minicom</code> on a different serial port than the one you configured above, see the note below.
+<cl>1. Run the <code>minicom</code> command to start <code>minicom</code> with the serial port setting you configured above. If you wish to use <code>minicom</code> on a different serial port, see the note below.
 * Log in with the appropriate username and password for the device. Login information can be found [[System_Log_In | here]].

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{todo| Buggy (10.28.2015-16:36->JJ+);(11.2.2015-18:00->JJ+);(11.3.2015-14:25->JJ+);(11.04.2015-13:00->MD-) |Jeffrey Jung| project=OE 5.0,Buggy,JJ,MD}}
+{{todo| Review (10.28.2015-16:36->JJ+);(11.2.2015-18:00->JJ+);(11.3.2015-14:25->JJ+);(11.04.2015-13:00->MD-);(11.04.2015-17:15->JJ+) |Jeffrey Jung| project=OE 5.0,Review,JJ,MD}}
 {{#seo:minicom
 |title=Getting Started With Minicom
@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 * The <code>minicom</code> settings will need to be changed so that the application will be able to find your device. Pull up the settings using the <code>-s</code> option.
-{{cli| minicom -s|hostname=developerpc|username=user}}
+{{cli|sudo minicom -s|hostname=developerpc|username=user}}
 This should bring up a colorful display listing the different settings. If the display isn't colored, arrow down to '''Exit from Minicom'''. Run the <code>minicom</code> command with the option <code>-con</code>. The <code>c</code> specifies the color display and <code>on</code> tells <code>minicom</code> to display the interface in color. <code>minicom</code> can be made to always run in color by modifying the <code>~/.bashrc</code> file, setting an alias for <code>minicom</code> to <code>minicom -con</code>, and restarting your terminal session (or sourcing your <code>.bashrc</code>) to make the change take effect.:
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 <br />
-{{warning | You shouldn't need to run minicom with sudo.  If you do, you have your permissions misconfigured.  You'll need to add your user to the dialout group.
+<!-- I tried using adduser from my machine and it said I'm already in the group, yet still couldn't save unless I ran sudo. I talk to Michael G about it and after a while, we determined that it'll only work if we use sudo. -->
 * The first thing that will need to be configured is the '''Serial port setup'''. Arrow down to the title and press the 'Enter' key.
@@ Line 54: / Line 52: @@
 <br />
 In this screenshot, the "115200 8N1" for the '''Bps/Par/Bits''' setting indicates the baud rate is set to 115200, data bits set to 8 (the '8' in 8N1), parity is set to none (the 'N' in 8N1), and stop bits is set to 1 (the '1' in 8N1).
-{{warning | You need to tell them how to find and configure their serial port as well.  I wrote a program called scanserial, which is part of the emac-tools-util package, for just this purpose.  It doesn't seem to have been documented on the wiki yet, though.  You can provide a link to a stub article, which will be written soon.  I'll create it here:  http://wikidev.emacinc.com/wiki/Scanserial }}
+* You will most likely wish to modify the '''Serial Device''' setting to have the path to the serial port you normally use. This way, you'll be able to run the command without any options or commands. The <code>scanserial</code> tool provided in the <code>emac-tool-util</code> package can display a list of serial ports using the <code>-l</code> option.
 * The next setting that needs to be configured is the '''Modem and dialing'''. Press the 'A' key and delete its content. Hit the 'Enter' key to set the setting as blank. Also do this for B through K, and for H. Hit the 'Esc' key when finished deleting the content of these settings.
 * That's all the modifications that need to be done to get <code>minicom</code> set up. Arrow down to '''Save setup as dfl''' and press 'Enter'.
-If a message pops up saying "<code>cannot write to /etc/minicom/minirc.dfl</code>", <strike>you likely aren't running the command as root. Re-run the command with <code>sudo</code>.</strike>
+If a message pops up saying "<code>cannot write to /etc/minicom/minirc.dfl</code>", you likely aren't running the command as root. Re-run the command with <code>sudo</code>.
 * Once you have saved the configuration, arrow down to '''Exit from Minicom'''.
 </cl>
 == Running Minicom ==
 Now that everything is configured, you are ready to open the serial connection.
@@ Line 74: / Line 74: @@
 </cl>
-{{ note | The description of how to run minicom -D should be here.  Remember, the customers reading this will usually only have one EMAC board, which they will keep attached to their computer for several months straight (if not 1+ years).
+{{ note | When opening a connection to a different serial port than what has been saved from the <code>minicom</code> configurations, use the <code>-D</code> option and specify the path to the desired serial port. See the example below.
 }}
@@ Line 87: / Line 81: @@
 <!-- /*****************************************       Examples        *****************************************/ -->
 <!-- /*********************************************************************************************************/ -->
-<!-- Don't really need an example do we? It's rather straight forward -->
+{{:Templateimpl:examples | initials=JJ | title=Getting Started With Minicom | desc=Description for SEO | project=OE 5.0 }}
-<!-- {{:Templateimpl:examples | initials=JJ | title=Getting Started With Minicom | desc=Description for SEO | project=OE 5.0 }} -->
+Suppose the port <code>/dev/ttyS10</code> is specified as the default. If the desired path to a different port is at <code>/dev/ttyUSB0</code>, run <code>minicom</code> as follows:
 <!-- /*********************************************************************************************************/ -->
 <!-- /******************************************     Conclusion      ******************************************/ -->
@@ Line 100: / Line 95: @@
 {{:Templateimpl:moreinfo | initials=JJ | title=Getting Started With Minicom | desc=Description for SEO | project=OE 5.0 }}
 * [[System_Log_In | System Log In]]
 {{:Templateimpl:whatnext | initials=JJ | title=Getting Started With Minicom | desc=Description for SEO | project=OE 5.0 }}
 * [[Serial_Connections | Serial Connections]]