Home
JAQForum Ver 24.01
Log In or Join  
Active Topics
Local Time 21:58 23 May 2025 Privacy Policy
Jump to

Notice. New forum software under development. It's going to miss a few functions and look a bit ugly for a while, but I'm working on it full time now as the old forum was too unstable. Couple days, all good. If you notice any issues, please contact me.

Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : the best tty console for Linux

Author Message
dddns
Guru

Joined: 20/09/2024
Location: Germany
Posts: 380
Posted: 09:40pm 27 Feb 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Hi all!

I was struggling for myself for some time but its so simple as can be. Install the package "cu" and e.g. do a
cu -l /dev/ttyUSB0 -s 115200

in a e.g. gnome-terminal and you will get a full featured vt-100 terminal in this shell window. It look like any other shell window but with the prompt of the pico :)

the second easiest way is install screen and do e.g.
screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200


if you want to transfer a file through XMODEM, install lrzsz and
execute
stty -F /dev/ttyUSB0 115200 crtscts

to initialize. Then
connect to the pico (through cu or screen) and issue e.g.
xmodem receive "b:file.bas"

then cut the connection. In cu you do that with "~."
In screen you do that by hitting "ctrl-a" followed by "k"
Then you have time until XMODEM times out to execute e.g.
sx file.bas < /dev/ttyUSB0 > /dev/ttyUSB0


The biggest advantage is, that you can do everything in the way you are used to in a shell terminal, from copy to paste.
All are mature standard shell tools which exist for every distribution or flavor.
This all of cause works without X and a window manager for text console or ssh connection as well.

Have fun
Edited 2025-02-28 07:51 by dddns
 
stanleyella

Guru

Joined: 25/06/2022
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 2417
Posted: 10:46pm 27 Feb 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

what's it do?
 
dddns
Guru

Joined: 20/09/2024
Location: Germany
Posts: 380
Posted: 11:15pm 27 Feb 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

  stanleyella said  what's it do?

sorry, I meant to say execute. And the package "screen" needs to be install first.
It is a way to have a VT-100 terminal like with terraterm or Putty.
Edited 2025-02-28 09:19 by dddns
 
panky

Guru

Joined: 02/10/2012
Location: Australia
Posts: 1111
Posted: 06:47am 28 Feb 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

hi DDDNS,
You should have a look at GFXTerm that one of our members wrote - Rob Rozee - latest version is here
Just copy down from the link and make executable - the associated manual has all the details.
Cheers, Doug.
... almost all of the Maximites, the MicromMites, the MM Extremes, the ArmMites, the PicoMite and loving it!
 
tgerbic
Regular Member

Joined: 25/07/2019
Location: United States
Posts: 58
Posted: 07:51am 28 Feb 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

I am familiar with screen and other command line linux emulators but I just never warmed up to them, and I also use Windows and hate most term apps on it.

I have used putty for years as it is the same on Windows as on Linux, and works for all my VT100 needs.

GFXTerm might be nice but I don't see any code to download and try it out.
 
dddns
Guru

Joined: 20/09/2024
Location: Germany
Posts: 380
Posted: 08:48am 28 Feb 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

  panky said  hi DDDNS,
You should have a look at GFXTerm that one of our members wrote - Rob Rozee - latest version is here
Just copy down from the link and make executable - the associated manual has all the details.
Cheers, Doug.


Hello Doug!

I was reading this thread and I gave GFXTerm a try for some hours. It is a nice program and the look and feel is good. If you whantz to use the extra features GFXTerm offers, than there is no way around it.
The downside is that it neither exists for 32bit nor arm and you need X.
Because I saw some posts of Rasberry Pi users who asked for a solution I thought,
I post this to show an easy way. All you need to do is "apt get cu" and you have what you need.
Edited 2025-02-28 18:51 by dddns
 
JohnS
Guru

Joined: 18/11/2011
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 4006
Posted: 08:50am 28 Feb 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

  tgerbic said  GFXTerm might be nice but I don't see any code to download and try it out.

Download using the link previously posted just before your post.

John
 
Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4918
Posted: 09:19am 28 Feb 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Using Putty

I have found 1 disadvantage. Putty can dos serial with handshake(RTS/CTS or DTR/DSR), XON/XOFF, or NONE.

Typically you use NONE with *Mites. But Putty can NOT add character delay, and en-of-line delay. The only way to slow down communication is to choose a slower baudrate.

Some other serial terminal emulators can insert character/eol delays. This is mainly usefull when communicating with software UART's.

Volhout

P.S. when using linux with multiple (USB) serial ports, I can advise add your USB devices by UDEV rules. Then they get a unique name (i.e. /dev/ttyUSB_my_picomite) so you always connect to the right device. Plenty of instructions how to do so, just google for "udev usb serial".
Edited 2025-02-28 19:24 by Volhout
PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS
 
dddns
Guru

Joined: 20/09/2024
Location: Germany
Posts: 380
Posted: 09:41am 28 Feb 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

  Volhout said  Using Putty

I have found 1 disadvantage.

Is there a way to get around the annoying behavior, that the window closes like imploding when the serial connection gets cut?
That is enough for me to not use PuTTY.. and a big plus for GFXTerm, which handles this nicely
Edited 2025-02-28 19:47 by dddns
 
Volhout
Guru

Joined: 05/03/2018
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 4918
Posted: 10:36am 28 Feb 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Hi dddns,

Actually, you are phrasing it wrong. IF you disconnect a serial device (the RS232 isde), Putty keeps the window open. If you remove the hardware UART (pull the USB plug) Putty closes the channel (this is similar to live extracting an ISA serial card from a PC in the earlier days). Putty does not provide a means to gracefully close the pipes, and re-open the pipes again after the UART is connected again. And honestly, since USB enumeration in linux (historically) potentially assigns a different device number to the re-connected UART, it is the correct way to do.

Linux is changing in that perspective. historically ethernet ports where "eth0" "eth1"/ and suffered the same problem. Current linux assigns a unique name to each network interface. Maybe this is on the roadmap for USB/serial devices as well, and a newer version of Putty could be adapted.

But... Putty is OLD. It has been around for decades. It will always carry around its legacy.

B.t.w. I am very curious how GFXterm behaves when you have 3 windows open, with 3 USB serial ports, and start disconnecting and connecting randomly. Does it still keap each USB interface to the same GFXterm window ? Guess not.....
It can only do this if there is only one USB serial interface.

Volhout
Edited 2025-02-28 20:38 by Volhout
PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS
 
dddns
Guru

Joined: 20/09/2024
Location: Germany
Posts: 380
Posted: 11:10am 28 Feb 2025
Copy link to clipboard 
Print this post

Hello Volhout,

you are completely correct in what you are saying :)
The terminal window does not close, so I can keep my fingers on the keyboard and usually I am then 2 keystrokes away to reopen it..
 
Print this page


To reply to this topic, you need to log in.

The Back Shed's forum code is written, and hosted, in Australia.
© JAQ Software 2025