[Coco] Serial Connection from Linux to CoCo3

[gene heskett]

On Saturday, December 04, 2010 05:56:42 pm Don Johnson did opine:

> I've grabbed this out the Glenside IDE booting problems thread so it has
> it's own interest.
> 
> On 2010-12-03, at 4:18 PM, gene heskett wrote:
> 
> ---snip---
> 
> I am still getting  the cables and converters to add a 5.25" drive to my
> Linux box for direct copy of the Nitros .dsk images to a floppy, but in
> the mean time I am attempting this connection and have some
> questions...
> 
> >>> If it helps any, my web pages have disk images that IF you have a
> >>> floppy controller, something like the linux 'dd' command can write
> >>> these to a 3.5" or 5.25" 360k floppy disk.  Various operating
> >>> systems have various tools for this.  For my own lashup here, my
> >>> ASUS motherboards floppy controller does not do 256 byte/sector
> >>> disk formats, so I am forced to run a session of minicom on this
> >>> linux box, to a shell running against my deluxe 232 pack, so I am
> >>> logged into the coco from here, and can then run rz/sz to move this
> >>> stuff back and forth.
> >> 
> >> Okay this may have potential as I do have a mini232 pack here from
> >> CoNect that I can use.  Of course I have no experience in this form
> >> of communication between a Linux box and the CoCo3, but I should
> >> have all the parts.   I different task than this thread, but do you
> >> have any instructions on how you set this up?
> 
> As a preface:  I have put my Mini232 pak into slot 1 of the MPI and
> connected it with a serial cable, null modem, and DB25 to DB9 adapter
> to the Linux box.  I am running Ubuntu 10.10 on the LInux box, and for
> interests sake I have found the port at /dev/ttyS0.
> 
> I am not currently running Nitros9, just OS-9 Level II.
> 
> > Set both interfaces to 9600 baud,

I forget the 8n1 part.
now from the coco's screen, what does an "xmode /t2" say?

It should look something like this:
 {t2|07}/DD/NITROS9/3.2.9:xmode /t2      
 nam=t2 mgr=SCF ddr=sc6551 hpn=07 hpa=FF68 upc=00 bso=01 dlo=00
 eko=01 alf=01 nul=00 pau=01 pag=18 bsp=08 del=18 eor=0D
 eof=1B rpr=09 dup=01 psc=17 int=03 qut=05 bse=08 ovf=07
 par=01 bau=06 xon=00 xof=00 col=50 row=32 xtp=02 wnd=02
 val= sty= cpx= cpy= fgc= bgc= bdc=

Although this xmode is a little mouthier than yours I expect.  You probably 
won't see anything beyond the the 'row=32' and the number there may be 
smaller than 32.

> done
> 
> > start a "shell -i /t2 &" w/o the quotes
> > on the coco,
> 
> done

Did you get a process number on the screen as a return when you did that?

> > install minicom on the linux box, run it with "minicom -s",
> 
> done
> 
> > find the modem strings section and zero that out
> 
> done.  Set the init string to "0", set the reset string to "0".  Not
> sure if that is what you meant, but erasing everything didn't have the
> same success in seeing a online status.  I might have changed things
> sense I did this that may have resulted in the success, but unless I
> have reason to believe otherwise I have saved these two settings as
> default as I did get a limited amount of success.
> 
> > , then select the linux port
> > (you'll have to be root to access the port).
> 
> done, and tested (got the right port :) )
> 
> > You will probably want to
> > also set minicom to make it use the coco's cr as a lf and vice versa,
> > should be in the port config menu's someplace.
> 
> I think this is in the macro settings, but not sure if I have the
> correct macro set up.
> 
> > If successful after exiting the config stuff (save it when it works)
> > then you should see a prompt from the coco that resembles this when
> > the enter key is pressed on your keyboard:
> 
> > {t2|07}/DD/NITROS9/3.2.9:
> Okay now this is not happening.  I see no prompt, but I do have the
> status bar saying I am online, which also tells me how many minutes I
> have been online.  Now I know I am connected because if I interrupt the
> shell on the CoCo3 and direct a command to the /T2 device it will
> appear on the minicom screen, but I can't seem to get a prompt or
> anything on the minicom when I simply direct the shell to /T2.  Typing
> an OS-9 command on the minicom screen will also, not get a response,
> which does not surprise me because I have no prompt, but I thought it
> would be worth a shot.

Sounds like the shell isn't there for some reason.
 
> Right now the connection is there, but the communication seems to be
> only one way, and not the way I want it.  I'd like to be able to
> initiate a command on the CoCo from linux (or initiate a Linux command
> from the CoCo, but wouldn't that require a login?)

Yes, and I am not doing that, primarily because I haven't found a way to 
run supercom on the coco and make it get me a login prompt from this box.

Dinner time, gotta run, or pay the lawyers. ;-)
 
> 
> -Don
> 
> 
> 
> ---snip---
> 
> 
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-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
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