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Asked: 2024-09-26T19:32:14+05:30 In: ,

I’m experiencing issues with a USB-to-serial connection on my Linux system. The data being received appears as gibberish, yet it works fine when I connect the same device to a Windows 10 machine. What could be causing this problem, and how can I resolve it?

I’ve run into a bit of a head-scratcher with a USB-to-serial connection on my Linux machine, and I’m hoping someone here might have some insights. So, here’s the deal: I’ve got a device that I need to communicate with, and on my Windows 10 laptop, everything works like a charm. Data flows smoothly, and I get the expected output without any hiccups.

But when I try to connect that same device to my Linux system, it’s a completely different story. The data coming through looks like total gibberish, and I can’t make heads or tails of it. I mean, it’s not even close to what I’m expecting. It’s super frustrating, especially since I know the device itself is functioning correctly because it works on Windows.

I’ve double-checked all my settings in Linux—baud rate, data bits, stop bits, parity—just to make sure everything is set correctly. I’ve tried different terminal emulators like Minicom and PuTTY, but no luck. I’ve also played around with the USB ports to rule out any hardware issues. The USB-to-serial adapter seems to be recognized without any problems since it’s listed when I run `dmesg`, but the actual data output is just garbled.

One thing I noticed is that the driver versions on Windows and Linux might be different, but I’m not really sure how to check or update the drivers on my Linux system. Could that be the issue? Or maybe there are specific configurations I’m missing in Linux that are causing these communication problems?

Has anyone dealt with a similar issue before? I’d love to hear any theories or solutions. I’m pretty new to Linux, so any step-by-step advice would be super helpful! If there are specific commands I should run to diagnose what’s happening or any configuration files to check, that’d be great. Thanks in advance for your help!

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    2 Answers


    1. Sounds like a tricky situation you’re in with the USB-to-serial connection on your Linux machine! Here are some thoughts that might help you out:

      First off, since the device works fine on Windows, you’ve already done a lot by checking the settings. It’s easy to overlook tiny details, so double-check that the serial settings (baud rate, parity, stop bits, etc.) match exactly what you have on Windows.

      Another thing to consider is the flow control settings. Sometimes, settings like hardware flow control (RTS/CTS) can cause issues if they’re not configured the same way on both operating systems.

      As for the driver version difference, it’s a possibility but often the default drivers for common USB-to-serial adapters (like FTDI or CP210x) work fine. You might want to check what driver your Linux system is using. You can run dmesg | grep tty after plugging in the USB-to-serial adapter to see which device file is created (like /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0). Then use lsusb to view the connected USB devices and see the detailed info.

      If you think it’s a driver issue, try installing the package libftdi1 or linux-tools, depending on the adapter brand. You can find these in your package manager (like apt for Debian-based distros).

      Since you’ve tried Minicom and PuTTY, make sure that when you open them, you’re also selecting the right device file and verifying that all settings (as mentioned before) match as close as possible to what you had on Windows.

      For debugging what’s happening with the data, it might help to try screen as a terminal emulator too:

      screen /dev/ttyUSB0 9600

      Replace 9600 with the correct baud rate. You can exit screen by pressing Ctrl+A followed by Ctrl+D.

      Also, consider testing a different USB-to-serial adapter, if you have one, just to eliminate hardware compatibility issues. Some adapters can be a bit picky with Linux.

      Lastly, if you’re comfortable with the terminal, you can check the output of stty -a -F /dev/ttyUSB0 to see current settings applied to the port and verify they look right.

      Hope this gives you a few ideas to troubleshoot! Don’t hesitate to share any specific error messages or results you get from the commands if you need more help!




    2. USB-to-Serial Connection Troubleshooting

      When dealing with USB-to-serial connections on Linux, the discrepancy you’re noticing in data output compared to Windows can often be traced back to serial port settings or driver issues. Since you’ve already checked essential parameters like baud rate, data bits, stop bits, and parity, ensure that your terminal emulator is set to the correct flow control settings (XON/XOFF or RTS/CTS) as well. It’s also worthwhile to check if the device requires a specific binary mode or certain escape sequences for communication that may differ between operating systems. You can run the command `stty -F /dev/ttyUSB0 -a` (replace `/dev/ttyUSB0` with your actual device) to see the current settings for your serial port and make adjustments with `stty` if necessary.

      Regarding driver issues, Linux typically uses standard drivers for USB-to-serial adapters, but compatibility can vary. You can check for loaded modules related to your adapter using `lsmod | grep usb` and find information about the specific driver being used. Updating or changing the driver may help; you can use `sudo apt-get update` followed by `sudo apt-get install –reinstall ` if you identify a driver package. Additionally, testing with different kernel versions could resolve potential compatibility issues. To diagnose further, you might consider using `dmesg | grep tty` after connection to see if any error messages appear. Lastly, searching for your specific USB-to-serial adapter model in the Linux community might reveal configuration tweaks others have successfully applied.


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