Serial Port Complete: Programming and Circuits for Rs-232 and Rs-485 Links and Networks [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Jan Axelson (Author) "This book explores one corner of the computer universe: computers that are linked together to monitor and control the world outside themselves..." (more)
Key Phrases: open baudmode, access serial ports, var byte, Global Const, Private Sub, Basic Stamp (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Anyone who wants to build equipment and connect it to a computer will need the information covered here. It covers everything from the basic electrical and physical parameters, cables, and basic architecture to programming for PCs and microcomputers. -- Industrial & Control Systems, October 1998

Axelson's book is about as complete a reference as you'll find on serial communications. The code could save you some time; the reference material surely will. -- Embedded Systems Programming, January 1999

Despite the book's detailed technical content, the style is clear. Although it contains enough material to satisfy most hardware and software engineers who develop products containing communication ports, the book should also prove useful to serious hobbyists. Nevertheless, despite its broad appeal, Serial Port Complete is far from watered-down pablum. -- EDN, March 4, 1999

Serial Port Complete is an accurate title. This book covers everything you'd ever want to know about serial ports and network projects. And it's not all theory. This is a very practical book, full of detailed examples - including Stamps and Visual Basic. This book is a "must-have" for serious experimenters. -- Nuts & Volts, Sept '98

The part of the book I liked most comes in the section that describes how to connect serial devices. Axelson covers not only RS-232 communications but also RS-485, a serial standard that allows for party-line or multi-drop connections. You would spend a lot of time looking for all the information that the book collects in one place. If you plan to use a serial port in any sort of application, buy this book. It should go on your bookshelf alongside Axelson's earlier book, Parallel Port Complete. -- Test & Measurement World, October 1998

Product Description
serial interface information to jump-start projects on several platforms. This it the first book to have extensive on RS-485 , a widely used, industry standard interface for networks. This reference features original content based on the author's firsthand research and experience, not just rewritten specifications and marketing materials. Programmers, engineers and developers will use the designs in this book to get projects up an running quickly. Installation and maintenance staff will find tips for ensuring reliable operation and problem tracking. Students and computer enthusiast can use the book's complete, original examples and tools to design experimental projects for several computer platforms.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Lakeview Research; Pap/Dsk edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965081923
• ISBN-13: 978-0965081924
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #408,195 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Serial Port Complete is for the Visual Basic user, January 8, 1999

By A Customer

The book Serial Port Complete is an excellent review of the hardware and signal handling aspects of using the RS-232 and RS-485 systems. It deals well with many of the "rules of thumb" that many have had to learn the hard way over time. The book is limited in its help for the PC user. While it has many usefull examples for the Visual Basic user, most of these can not be extended to the C++ user in a simple clean manner. The Section on using the Windows API's is much too simplified to actually use it for anything usefull (even the author indicates it is limited).

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Title Matches Content, June 14, 2000

By	Michael R. Brumm (USA) - See all my reviews

I bought the book hoping that it would cover RS-485 well enough for me to use it as a reference for my next project. I wasn't disappointed. It has all the needed information.

The really nice thing I didn't expect was the helpful "guidelines for trouble-free RS-485 links", which included hints on how to deal with cable delay, impedance, termination, reflections, noise, topologies, circuit protection, etc...

I'm not sure how some of these other reviewers were disappointed. The book is very detailed (for the expert), but still easy to read (for the beginner). There is information about how to use microcontrollers and PCs, but it doesn't come at the cost of information on serial communication. In fact, I found that some of the examples using microcontrollers gave me a few ideas for my project.( )

BASIC is a completely logical language to use for showing examples in this book. It is simple and concise. Anyone who complains about it is a zealot, fighting some language war.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent book, must read!, May 18, 2000

By	zheng wu (U.S.) - See all my reviews

well, i was doing a project that required some very simple interface with a serial device, this book was the only book i brought and it coved more than enough material to make my project work.

about the VB code, well, what i can say, I was using VB.....

well, the book had a very in depth cover of the hardware and the standard of the rs232c. If you want to know how the electronics works, this is the book for you.

if you just want some quick and dirty tricks to make the connection work, this book will also do. as i said early, it had VB examples. in 15 minutes, you will know the basics, and programing in no time!