Most simple serial communication Windows USB COM
lazarus / 38-Networking and Web Programming

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zanden30@hetnet.nl · 2018-03-14 00:42

I want to send and receive some bytes via a serial port USB (COMx)
from a W10 PC to a Paying terminal with USB serial COM connection (it
behaves like the serial communication with an Arduino board).

In Windows I can set the baudrate and parity/stop bit

What is the most easy way with FPC to realise this.
I would just like to write something like this in Pascal:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]window.onload = function(){var x1 =
document.getElementById("main_content_section"); if (x1) { var x =
document.getElementsByClassName("geshi");for (var i = 0; i assign(f,
'COM1:'); read(f, c); write(f, c); It is not that fast, so  even
buffering is strictly not needed. allthough it would be nice. A
combination with a .ddl perhaps?

Who can give me some help? I only found big libraries, Lazarus OO etc.
I just want something simple.

Added: on 11-11-2020
See very simple working solution beneath....

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tr_escape · 2018-03-14 07:26

Hello,

You can use TLazSerial package for windows and linux OS.

https://github.com/JurassicPork/TLazSerial

Direct download:

http://packages.lazarus-ide.org/LazSerial.zip


But if you look for very simple example is in this forum:

http://www.swissdelphicenter.ch/en/showcode.php?id=841


Extra info:

http://delphi-kb.blogspot.com.tr/2009/03/how-to-communicate-with-com-
port.html

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bigeno · 2018-03-14 07:32

Im using synaser from Synapse. simple and works good.

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Thaddy · 2018-03-14 08:08

Quote from: bigeno on March 14, 2018, 08:32:33 amIm using synaser from
Synapse. simple and works good.
Indeed. Synaser is stable and very easy ti use.

Note that USB COM ports usually map to a higher number than COM1, so
you need to check that. On my laptops it usually is COM12 under
Windows 10.
Note if you know the comport number (or enumerate them) you can indeed
use similar code as your example, but be aware that a slightly more
involved library like Synapse/Synaser gives you much more control.

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avra · 2018-03-14 09:06

Quote from: zanden30@hetnet.nl on March 14, 2018, 01:42:58 amI want to
send and receive some bytes via a serial port USB (COMx) from a W10 PC
to a Paying terminal with USB serial COM connection (it behaves like
the serial communication with an Arduino board).http://wiki.lazarus.fr
eepascal.org/Hardware_Access#Serial_Communication
https://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,33423.msg266388.h
tml#msg266388
http://wiki.lazarus.freepascal.org/Arduino#Minimal_Lazarus_Synaser_ser
ial_example
https://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,36885.msg246260.h
tml#msg246260

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bigeno · 2018-03-14 09:12

Quote from: Thaddy on March 14, 2018, 09:08:31 amIndeed. Synaser is
stable and very easy ti use.

Note that USB COM ports usually map to a higher number than COM1, so
you need to check that. On my laptops it usually is COM12 under
Windows 10.
Note if you know the comport number (or enumerate them) you can indeed
use similar code as your example, but be aware that a slightly more
involved library like Synapse/Synaser gives you much more control.
btw, listing used com ports, tested on win7,10, from my app:
Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]window.onload = function(){var x1 =
document.getElementById("main_content_section"); if (x1) { var x =
document.getElementsByClassName("geshi");for (var i = 0; i     RegINI
:= TRegistry.Create;    with RegINI do       try          RootKey :=
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE;          if KeyExists('HARDWARE') and
OpenKeyReadOnly('HARDWARE') then begin             if
KeyExists('DEVICEMAP') and OpenKeyReadOnly('DEVICEMAP') then begin   
           if KeyExists('SERIALCOMM') and
OpenKeyReadOnly('SERIALCOMM') then begin                   AList :=
TStringList.Create;                   try                     
GetValueNames(AList);                      loop := 0;                
    while loop <= AList.Count-1 do begin                         if
ComName.Items.IndexOf(ReadString(AList[loop])) < 0 then begin        
                  ComName.Items.Clear;                            for
i:=0 to AList.Count-1 do                             
 ComName.Items.Add(ReadString(AList[i]));                           
break;                         end;                       
 inc(loop);                      end;                   finally      
              AList.Free;                   end;                end; 
          end;          end;       finally          RegINI.Free;     
 end;

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zanden30@hetnet.nl · 2018-03-14 11:30

Thanks for the suggestions and overview. I will try one.

I think a good instruction/overview with adequate keywords on this
topic is missing in de FPC documentation/Wiki. With pro's en con's of
the different solutions.

It is al too complicated.

See solution 11-11-2020. That's easy and works excellent.

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SymbolicFrank · 2018-03-14 12:59

You can even use: TStringList.SaveToFile('COM12');

TStringList.LoadFromFile('COM12'); works as well, if the sender stays
within the specs.

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MarkMLl · 2020-11-11 18:46

Able? Yes sure. But I'm afraid that I've got more on my plate in that
area than I can cope with and I'm /particularly/ not messing around
with Windows, so for the moment at least I'd direct you at
https://github.com/MarkMLl/ping-arduino-loader which is how I do it.

MarkMLl

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zanden30@hetnet.nl · 2020-11-11 22:32

Thanks.

I have it running now at 38400 baud. With Synaser.
Problem seemed to be port COM14:.
\\\\.\\COM14 or \\.\COM14 or   \\.\COM14: did not work either.

COM1: works mostly finally. But very sometimes it does not work. I'm
searching under which circumstances it is not working.....

I only use create, ser.connect, ser.config, ser.sendstring,
ser.canread, ser.RecvByte and ser.free.  With a string XOR of CRC
check I think it is reliable enough for me. Missing strings is not a
problem; they will be resent within 200 ms.

Attached the working code for Newbees....

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]window.onload = function(){var x1 =
document.getElementById("main_content_section"); if (x1) { var x =
document.getElementsByClassName("geshi");for (var i = 0; i program
SerialTest; //Uses Synaser {$mode objfpc}{$H+}{Test program for
connection between FPC Pascal on Windows and Arduino via USB/COM1:
portThe Arduino produces every 5 seconds a string of data with the
time.The Arduino reacts on this type of string ¨´e0xf´¨ with a special
answer.Sending and receiving works well during logn time.} uses 
{$IFDEF UNIX}{$IFDEF UseCThreads}  cthreads,  {$ENDIF}{$ENDIF} 
Classes, SysUtils, Synaser, Crt  { add other units after this }; var 
d         : char = 'a';  ser       : TBlockSerial;  SendTime  : comp =
0 ;  function millis : comp; // time in ms like Arduino begin  millis
:=  DateTimeToTimeStamp(Now).time;end; Procedure ReceiveData; begin 
while ser.canread(0) do         //reads buffer empty each cycle   
Write(chr(ser.RecvByte(0)));  //IntToHex for binaryend; Procedure
SendData; begin  if SendTime < millis then // once in a second  begin 
  ser.sendstring( 'e0' + d + 'f'); //sends strings in format ´e0xf´; x
= d loops    d := succ(d);                    //no buffer overflow is
checked.    if  d  >= 'f' then              //amount of data sent is
too little.      d := 'a';                     //otherwise use
ser.canwrite : boolean;    SendTime := millis + 974; 
end;end; Procedure writeStatus;begin    Write('Device: '          +
ser.Device +          ' Windows Status: ' + ser.LastErrorDesc +      
  ' Error Code '      + Inttostr(ser.LastError));   
writeln;end; procedure RS232_connect; begin  ser :=
TBlockSerial.Create;  try    ser.Connect('COM1:'); //ComPort <= 9
 check portnumber on PC    Sleep(1000);          // /dev/ttyUSB0
\\\\.\\ did not work with W10    ser.config(38400, 8, 'N', SB1, False,
False);    Sleep(1000);    writeStatus;        while (not keypressed )
and (ser.LastError = 0) do    begin      ReceiveData;      SendData; 
   Delay(50); //cool CPU of laptop a bit.....    end; //never ending
loop to receive & send data.      finally     Writeln('Serial Port
will be freed...');    writeStatus;    ser.free;    Writeln('Serial
Port was freed!');    writeStatus;  end;end; begin //main 
RS232_connect();  Write('Program quit! Type Enter : ');  readln;end.