RS232 Baud Rate Converter

Got two RS232 devices that won't talk ?

The RS232 Baud Rate Converter is a device which can sit in-line with an RS232 cable and change the speed or baud rate of the data passing through.

It has a 7 kilobyte buffer so a fast device can send a fair bit of data to a slow device before you run out of buffer.

Equipment which may need this:


  • Laboratory equipment
  • Data logging devices
  • GPS units
  • Home Automation systems

Configuration is done by a PC running a simple serial terminal such as HyperTerminal. It can be configured from Windows, Mac, Linux and any other device which can function as a serial terminal.

Features


  • Works at most speeds up to 115200bps.
    Click here to see if it supports the rate you want.
  • 7kB memory buffer in each direction.
  • Is has a female DB9 socket on one side and a male DB9 plug on the other so it acts as a pass-through.
  • Easily configured from a PC via the serial port.
  • Fully compliant with RS232 voltage levels.

Note that it does not support hardware handshaking or XON/XOFF flow control.

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15 Aug 2010 Ready to Go

Hooray, the next batch of boards has arrived after after a bit of an adventure – FedEx delivered them late and to the wrong address! Fortunately it was a nice old lady down the street who received the boards and she brought them over to me. I now have stock. All you people holding off [...]

05 Aug 2010 Sold!

Remember those new boards I got yesterday? Well, they all sold today. Bam! just like that! So I guess I’m still out of stock until the next batch arrives :(

04 Aug 2010 First boards in from China

A sample batch of boards have arrived today. Hooray! They all work. Hooray! Overall I am happy with the boards and as an added bonus they are now RoHS compliant and look a lot neater than the hand-soldered ones. There were a few downsides with the process though, the main one being the length of [...]

21 Jun 2010 Adventures in Outsourcing

I’m currently attempting to get a batch of RS232 Rate Converters made in China, I’ve been getting the PCBs etched in China for months now so this is the logical next step. The biggest problem so far has been sourcing the parts. I’m getting most of the stuff from DigiKey because they specialize in smaller [...]

22 Feb 2010 Overkill or Foresight?

The Serial Bit Rate Converter runs an ARM7 CPU which is complete overkill for the simple job of relaying serial data. I’ve often thought I should redesign it to run a cheaper and less powerful CPU like a PIC or AVR. I originally designed it with an ARM7 simply because I like them and enjoy [...]

21 Jan 2010 First Production Volume Box

Finally I have all the parts and I spent last night assembling ten boxes to fill my first order. It looks not half bad. Next I need to set up a web page and finalize pricing so anyone can buy one. So what is a Volume Box I hear you ask? Well, the Volume Box [...]

09 Jan 2010 Volume Box is Almost There

I’m getting orders for the Volume Box already. I haven’t even put up a web page for it. But wouldn’t you know it, the plastic case I want is not in stock with any of my regular suppliers (at least, those ones who are not still on extended Christmas holiday) so I’m having to get [...]

05 Jan 2010 First Prototype Volume Box

The Volume Box board is assembled and tested, the last few firmware bugs are squished and the only thing missing now is the machined end panel for the plastic case and it is ready to sell! Here are the lessons I have learned: 1. PICs can be a mighty pain in the bum to debug, [...]

27 Dec 2009 PCB for Volume Box

I’ve finally taken delivery of my first batch of printed circuit boards for the Volume Box. They look real nice. As usual I got them from Gold Phoenix of Shanghai – The quality of the boards is pretty good and their prices are good for very small runs. My chips and other parts have already [...]

22 Dec 2009 Supply bottleneck solved – for now

Phew, my parts have finally arrived so I can start taking orders again for the RS232 Rate Converter. I was really stressed over the last week about having no stock but now I can breathe easy again.