About a year ago, I bought a USB2.0 to RS232 cable to use a dial-up
modem with my older DOS BBS that runs under dosemu under my linux
machine.

That worked well for several months. However, I started noticing that
one of my FTN connections, who *only has dial up access*, was having
trouble getting their mail. What I noticed is that Binkley was
answering the calls fine but, when it came time to send packets out, it appeared that Binkley/the cable/the modem was not using the locked port
rate and was instead sending the data out just as fast as it might over
an internet connection. Binkley would get to about 5120 sent and then
reset back to byte 512 before eventually dropping the connection.

Since it had worked and then stopped, I did some teating and decided I
needed a new cable. Because COVID, it took 2-3 months to get here. In
the meantime, I shifted my dial up node back to an old OS/2 box.

I set up the new cable today. The dial-up FTN call came in. Same
problem.

Has anyone else used one of these USB-to-RS232 cables? Is there some
special setting I need to use to tell it to honor the locked port speed
and not just blast the data out of the port? I have tried locking the
port down as far as 19200. I have also double-checked and all of my
modem init info is the same on both boxes (the OS/2 one that works, and
the linux/dosemu one that used to but quit working) so I am feeling like
there is something special I must need to do for the USB/RS232
connection.

Thanks!
#

--- MagickaBBS v0.15alpha (Linux/armv7l)
* Origin: Possum Lodge South * possumso.fsxnet.nz:7636/SSH:2122 (21:4/134)

I set up the new cable today. The dial-up FTN call came in. Same problem.

Has anyone else used one of these USB-to-RS232 cables? Is there some special setting I need to use to tell it to honor the locked port speed and not just blast the data out of the port?

Well I don't have a huge amount of experience with them. I have one and it works off a Pi as a serial PPP session to the Apple IIgs... and for that it just went swimmingly.

There are supposed to be foibles with differing USB 232 chipsets... although I believe that sort of problem will show up in detection and setup rather than later... but something to hook the peepers onto.

The next thing I'm wondering is if its a handshaking issue rather than a port speed issue. If it never gets a pause while I catch my breath request, RTS/CTS DSR/DTR or XON/XOFF, then the overall result would be the same regardless of the actual speed unless you go so slow there's no need for any pauses at all. I'd check the handshaking settings all the way along the link, whatever the host thinks its doing, and what the modems doing... just in case I'd also consider swapping the serial lead just in case its marginal and won't work consistently.

Just to add extra food for thought, does this happen to every user/connection because if it works for some and not others, theres a good 50% chance that the problem is still handshaking but at the other end, and isn't your fault at all.

Spec


*** THE READER V4.50 [freeware]
--- SuperBBS v1.17-3 (Eval)
* Origin: Scrawled in haste at The Lower Planes (21:3/101)

Spectre wrote to Blue White <=-

The next thing I'm wondering is if its a handshaking issue rather than
a port speed issue. If it never gets a pause while I catch my breath request, RTS/CTS DSR/DTR or XON/XOFF, then the overall result would be
the same regardless of the actual speed unless you go so slow there's
no need for any pauses at all. I'd check the handshaking settings all
the way along the link, whatever the host thinks its doing, and what
the modems doing... just in case I'd also consider swapping the serial lead just in case its marginal and won't work consistently.

I shall have to check this, and the other suggestions, and see. Thanks!


... So easy, a child could do it. Child sold separately.
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