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Retrocomputing

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    These rs232 breakout boxes are still available on Amazon, eBay and other retail outlets... Commented Aug 17, 2024 at 15:56
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    There is no need to use such debugging device or guess. The Philips P2000C manual is available for pinout, as well as photos for determining connector type. The problem is not in the USB/RS232 adapter. Commented Aug 17, 2024 at 16:07
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    @Justme: The breakout box used to be a great tool to change the gender (DTE vs DCE) of a connector with full control of what was happening. You are right on one point: when the connection has been understood and works, it becomes useless... at least if you are able to build the custom adapter. Commented Aug 17, 2024 at 22:05
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    @Justme, Sometimes the official documentation is not enough. Sometimes the docs can be incomplete or ambiguous. Let's suppose that the doc labels a pin "TX." Does that mean it's the pin that the device will drive to transmit information to the host? Or, does it mean that it's the pin that the host will drive to transmit information to the device? I've seen both in the docs for real, commercial devices. "RTFM" is good advice in general, but "RTFM and keep your eyes open" is better advice when dealing with async serial ports. Commented Aug 19, 2024 at 12:21