[Coco] Serial Connection from Linux to CoCo3

[Don Johnson]

On 2010-12-04, at 3:07 PM, gene heskett wrote:

> 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=

Well the OS9 xmode output is a lot different, but here is what I currently have.

OS9: xmode /T2
 -upc bsb bsl echo lf null=0 pause pag=24 bsp=08 del=18
eor=0D eof=1B reprint=04 dup=01 psc=17 abort=03 quit=05
bse=08 bell=07 type=00 baud=06 xon=11 xoff=13


> 
> 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?

Yes, something like &003


> 
>>> 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)
> The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look 
> respectable.
> 		-- John Kenneth Galbraith
> 
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