Hello friends,

I'm trying to communicate with a video projector via serial port. The manual that came with it contains all kinds of information reguarding communication with the device, but I'm having a little trouble.

(I'm using the following example code with Visual Basic.NET 2005 Express [it's free and the projector is not hooked to my computer!]
http://www.devx.com/dotnet/Article/3...k=DXRSS_LATEST

I correctly set the baud rate and other data (which I can supply, I don't have the manual with me at the moment). I can use the example to connect to the projector, and when it powers on, it sends test data back to me and I can see it.

Now the manual says that communication is sent in sets of 7 bytes. The first three are the "Header," which is constant, and the rest is the command (there are tons, all documented).

This is my first dabbling in serial communications, so pardon me if this is a dumb question. When the projector gets a command, it is supposed to do something or send back an error. So I have tried writing out the hex codes provided in the book out in the send field and sending it, I have typed them out in binary, I have sent random data, but I get nothing either in the form of results or errors.

My main question is, if serial communication is done in binary, why does the .Write function ask for a string? Do I need to convert the hex in the book to ASCII and send that? Do I need to tell the projector I'm done sending data?

Any help of any kind that could push me in the right direction would be great ! I will bringing the manual home with me later, so if any information from it is needed, I can provide it.

Thanks !

- Allen