Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!bnrgate!bigsur!bgtys6!dave
From: dave@bgtys6.uucp (Dave Hubert)
Subject: mac cable to 48sx, using MacKermit
Message-ID: <1991Mar28.144445.24501@bigsur.uucp>
Sender: news@bigsur.uucp
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa, Canada
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 91 14:44:45 GMT

Hi.  I've now taken apart a mac serial cable and have connected female pins
to the wires and connected them to the 48sx port.  I'm using MacKermit, but
something is amuck, like...

Where does the shield go?????????
ANYONE?  ANYONE?

    Mac rs232(mini 8)              HP serial port
    _____________                  ______________
   |  o   o   o  |                 | o  o  o  o |
   |             |                  \|__|__|__|/
   |  o   o   o  |                   |  |  |  +-> SHIELD
   \  ^   ^   ^  /                   |  |  +-> TX(output)
    \ | o |  o| /                    |  +-> RX(input)
     -|---|---|-                     +-> Signal GND
      |   |   +-> RX(input)
      |   +-> Signal GND
      +-> TX(output)

This is all labled from the 48sx's point of view.  Is this right?

Another important question...
    I would suppose that the wires should be connected TX to TX, RX to RX,
    Signal to Signal, and SHIELD to SHIELD???
                          ~~~~~~    ~~~~~~
    Could I be wrong?  ( I am not an engineer, but a mathie! )

Now, assuming that the SHIELD does not have to be connected, and that the
connections should be as above, then I should have a working cable. I have
taken some sort of ??voltometer?? and the connections of the cable are as
they should be. The cable is plugged into the modem port of the mac.
That would mean I am not using MacKermit properly. Therefore...

These are my settings:
    MacKermit:  baud 9600, parity none, block check type1, handshake none,
                                    ( recieve, send )
                start of packet char(1, 1)
                end                 (13, 13)
                pad char            (0, 0)
                padding             (0, 0)
                seconds for timeout (30, 10)
                packet length       (90, 90)
    48sx setup: wire, ASCII, baud 9600, parity none 0, checksum type 1,
                translate code 0.

Then, following the manual, pg.623, using local/local configuration:
    1.  on 48sx, execute RECV
    2.  on MACII, send a file called "dave" under FILE menu.  I am sending
        a MS-word file that is saved as text only containing "dave was here!".

The 48sx and MacKermit both reply retry #1, retry #2, .... with lengthy pauses
in between and an eventual timeout error on the 48sx.

I have tried send a variable containing a string on the 48sx to the mac, with
the same response.

Any and all responses are welcome!  Don't try to mail me, responses would probably
bouce almost as far as my checks do, off my net address.

Thanks,
An exasperated and disappointed...
-Dave.

NOTE:  I even called HP and they said it would cost $50.55 to have them order
and mail me their serial cable, with 6-7 weeks for delivery.  Sigh...