MSComm Control

[jmiller321]

I am new to using the MSComm Control. I am trying to to intercept the data that my PC is sending out via its serial port. Once I have captured the data, I would like to store it in a database, and then send it out through the serial port or over the network using UDP or TCP/IP. Anyone have any help on how to get started? Any comments would be appreciated! Thanks!

Jeff

[David.Poundall]

This cannot be done with the MSComm contol. When you point the control to an already active Comm port you will get an error.

[jmiller321]

David -

Do you know if there is any other way to monitor the serial port?


Jeff

[David.Poundall]

I am afraid not - sorry. The best you could hope for would be a DLL that sits between the calling program and Com 1 that acts as a Com 1 proxy that you could interrogate with your VB program. A bit specialised though.

Hmmmm!!

You could loop either the TX or RX of com 1 into Com2 though and hook your VB progarm into Com 2. At least you would be able to monitor either TX or RX. A simple transistor circuit would even allow you to monitor TX and RX if you are running half duplex comms at a slow enough speed.

Another way would be to use the parralel port as your istening device, but watch out for levels - RS232 is plus/minus 10 Volts. Parralel port is +5Volts. You would need to re-constitute the binary into ASCII - messy.

And last but not least - if you have enough com ports link Com 1 TX into Com 2 RX and Com 1 RX into Com 3 RX. Com 2 and Com 3 would hold the complete conversation that was on Com1.

.

[namrekka]

Try to connect the second comm-port RXD-pin to the line you want to intercept. Yes its hardware.

Success.

Edit:
Sorry David, something strange happend with IE. I could not read your post the first time. You had the same soluttion.