Introduction to the USB-ASC232
The USB-ASC232 Keyboard and Mouse Emulator is a product designed
to allow RS-232 serial communication to produce USB keystroke and
mouse actions on a target computer.
The USB end of this device can be connected to any USB port that
supports a standard USB Keyboard and Mouse. No special drivers
are required.
The USB-ASC232 is configurable to allow for different standard BAUD
rates, stop bits, parity, handshaking, and mode of translation. Use the
supplied “USBASC232.EXE” program to configure the unit.
Translation Modes of the USB-ASC232
There are three specific translation modes in which the USB-ASC232
can be programmed to operate. Incoming RS-232 data can be
translated from ASCII Mode, Extended ASCII Mode, or Key Number
Mode. Each of these modes vary in the way incoming characters are
treated and their translation into USB keystrokes.
ASCII MODE
(Default Mode)
The ASCII mode is the default factory setting for the mode of operation.
In this mode, printable ASCII characters received, which are each a
one byte value in the range of 0x00 to 0x7F (0 to 127 decimal), will
generate their corresponding USB keystroke on the computer where
the USB-ASC232 USB plug is connected. See the ASCII table on
the next page for a list of the characters which are recognized and
translated for the cable’s ASCII mode of operation.
Example: If a one byte value of 0x41 (decimal 65) is received in this
mode, a capital “A” character will be produced as a keystroke on the
computer at the USB end of the cable.
RS-232 characters received which are out of the 0x00 to 0x7f range
will be ignored in this mode.
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Saving the Configuration to the USB-ASC232
Once the desired parameters have been set on the USBASC232
Configuration Utility Screen, it must be saved to the USB-ASC232 unit
to begin operation according to those settings.
Select the button “Save To USBASC232” to write the configuration to
the unit. Once the configuration has been written, the USB-ASC232
will begin immediately operating according to the loaded parameters.
The configuration may also be read from the USB-ASC232 unit by
selecting the button “Read From USB-ASC232”. The configuration
in the USB-ASC232 attached to the computer’s USB port will be read
into the configuration parameters on the screen.
Once a configuration has been created, it is recommended that it be
stored on the computer so that it may be recalled at a later time. Use
the “File” menu to perform saving and opening of configurations.
Saving the configuration to a file on the computer provides an easy
way to recall the same configuration to save into additional USB-
ASC232 units.
Custom USB-ASC232 Options
We offer special modifications to our standard USB-ASC232 unit to conform to your
exact specifications. Potential modifications include, but are not limited to: special
cable lengths, different gender DB9, RS-422, etc. Let us know if you have special
requirements. Please call or email with your specific custom needs.
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