[fpc-pascal] USB serial interface

[Mark Morgan Lloyd]

Andreas Berger wrote:

> > My own feeling if you /have/ to have a DOS environment and don't mean
> > something like the '98 DOS box would be to see if you could run the code
> > under either DosEmu or Qemu, both of which allow guest session ports to
> > be mapped to whatever hardware is supported by the host. I've got one
> > system here where DosEmu has been set up to allow software direct access
> > to an lpt port so it can control an EPROM blaster, but obviously that
> > sort of thing wouldn't work where the physical device types differed.
> >
> Actually, I use DOS directly. I use cheap off-the-shelf motherboard for
> an embedded system that our company uses. The motherboard talks the the
> system (which may be spread over kilometers) via a single serial port at
> 9600 baud. My problem is that there are cheap motherboards appearing
> that no longer have serial ports. I'm afraid that soon none will.
> Therefore I am looking for alternatives.

You might find it easier to design a serial expansion module, alternatively
migrate to something that supports the PC/104 interface which is likely to have
serial modules available for the forseeable future. If it's for embedded work
the last thing you want to do is add GOK how many thousands of gates and lines
of driver code to replace a simple piece of hardware; having said that I'm in
much the same position and have considered USB as well since it's significantly
cheaper than an 8-port card.

-- 
Mark Morgan Lloyd
markMLl .AT. telemetry.co .DOT. uk

[Opinions above are the author's, not those of his employers or colleagues]