DEVICE: Serial Device [17355]

This article applies to:

E-Prime 3.0

E-Prime 2.0

E-Prime 1.x

Detail

NOTE: This article contains information specific to step #1 of INFO: How do I send a marker to an external device? [42521].

Serial communication is facilitated by adding the Serial device in E-Prime. Adding the Serial device to the Experiment Object allows you to access and specify the port settings for the Serial device.

NOTE: If you plan to use the Serial device, you may need a null modem connected to your serial port to properly handle the data being passed through the port.

You can add the Serial device to your experiment via the Devices tab of the Experiment Object's property pages. The device appears in the "Add Devices" dialog:

The Edit dialog allows you to set properties on the Serial device:

The COM Port property must be configured correctly to ensure that signals are sent or received through the correct port. To do so, open Windows Control Panel and navigate to the Hardware and Sound Category. The Hardware and Sound category should contain a link called "Device Manager". Click this link to access your computer’s Device Manager in a new window. Windows Device Manager can also be accessed directly from E-Studio (INFO: E-Studio provides direct access to Device Manager, Sound, and Joystick Control Panel applets [19558]). Once the Device Manager is open, locate the category called “Ports COM & LPT” and expand its node. This is where the COM Port Address is found. Locate the correct Serial Port that you are using and note its COM number.

NOTE: If the hardware is installed but does not appear, it is likely that the driver for the device is not installed or is outdated, and the latest driver should be installed. PST recommends downloading the latest driver from the manufacturer's website.

NOTE: Editing the Serial Port in Windows Device Manager requires Administrator privileges.

Depending on the type of hardware that you have installed on your computer, the values found under the “Ports COM & LPT” category may look different. Regardless of the number of hardware communication devices found under this category, the serial port is recognizable because the name of the device is followed by a COM number. The COM number is the number that should be specified in the Serial Device's COM Port property in E-Studio.

Other properties of the Serial Device can be specified as well. The values you specify for these properties may depend on the Serial Port's capabilities and/or the equipment that is receiving the signal. PST recommends consulting the user manual and/or the manufacturer for these devices.

See Also:

DEVICE: How To: Serial Port Communication [25287]

INFO: Use of DB9 Serial to USB adapter within E-Prime [17569]

INFO: New SerialDevice read mode property introduced [27856]