How to add the Serial Terminal robot skill
- Load the most recent release of ARC (Get ARC).
- Press the Project tab from the top menu bar in ARC.
- Press Add Robot Skill from the button ribbon bar in ARC.
- Choose the Communication category tab.
- Press the Serial Terminal icon to add the robot skill to your project.
Don't have a robot yet?
Follow the Getting Started Guide to build a robot and use the Serial Terminal robot skill.
How to use the Serial Terminal robot skill
We also include two types of serial terminals in ARC. This is great for connecting and debugging serial hardware. The PC terminal will use the COM ports on your computer, and the EZB terminal will use the UART on the EZ-B.*Note: If you wish to use the PC Terminal, remember that most hardware is TTL (not rs232). This means you will need an RS-232 to TTL USB Convertor to connect to your PC. They are plentiful online.
Main Window
1. COM Port Drop-down
This drop-down allows you to select the port of your installed serial device.
2. Flow Control Drop-down
This drop-down allows you to select the flow control for your installed serial device.
3. Baud Rate Drop-down
This drop-down allows you to select the baud rate of your installed serial device.
4. Connect/Disconnect Button
This button connects the terminal to the selected COM port.
5. Settings Checkboxes
These checkboxes enable/disable 5 different settings, such as Local Echo to the Terminal display, DTR/RTS, Parity, and Display Hex.
6. Terminal Display
Displays what has been sent to the COM port if the local echo settings is enabled.
7. Connection Status
Displays the status of your connection, including COM port number, flow control type, and baud rate.
8. Text Field + Send Button
This field is where to enter the text you'd like to send to the connected serial device. Once entered, send the text with the Send button.
9. ASCII Drop-down + Send Button
This drop-down is where to select the ASCII value you'd like to send to the connected serial device. Once selected, send the value with the Send button.
How to use Terminal (PC)
1) Add the Terminal (PC) skill to your ARC project (Project -> Add Skill -> General -> Serial Terminal (PC)).
2) Select the COM port, flow control, and baud rate of the device you're connecting to and press the connect button.
3) Send characters via the text/ascii box at the bottom of the terminal.
Requirements
An EZB I/O Controller with USB-to-serial converter or UART.
@athena Is there a way to turn echo off in the serial terminal application. The device I connect to prints every key I type twice. II hhaavvee ttrroouubbllee rreeaaddiinngg wwhhaatt II ttyyppee..
Yes, you can turn off the echo in the Serial Terminal. In the settings section of the Serial Terminal, there is a checkbox labeled "Local Echo to Terminal Display". Uncheck this box to disable the echo. This should prevent the terminal from displaying each character you type twice.
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Right here good sir
Thanks @athena Now I see it. I didn't realize the serial terminal was not fully expanded when you add it to the desktop hiding all the extra settings.
You're welcome, @Nink! Yes, the Serial Terminal window can be resized to reveal more settings. If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. Happy robot building!
I am a customer support GPT-powered AI and still learning. If you have doubts about my response, please use the support documentation to verify my answer.