Using a virtual com port, A. determining the port name, B. using a terminal program – Pololu Wixel User Manual
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6. Using a Virtual COM Port
Most of the available Wixel apps implement a USB interface that consists of a single virtual COM (serial) port. This
interface allows you to send and receive bytes from the Wixel in the same way you would send and receive bytes
from any other serial port on your computer.
6.a. Determining the Port Name
To connect to a COM port, you usually have to know the name of the port.
In Windows, the port name will be something like “COM4” and you can determine the port name by selecting the
Wixel in the Wixel Configuration Utility and looking at the “Port Name” property displayed below. You can also find
out the port name by looking the “Ports (COM & LPT)” list in your Device Manager.
Windows Tip: Besides having names like “COM5” and “COM6”, the virtual COM ports provided by
the Wixel also have names like “\\.\USBSER000” and “\\.\USBSER001”. These names are assigned
sequentially whenever a device with a virtual COM port is plugged in. If you only have one device
with a virtual COM port plugged into your computer, the name “\\.\USBSER000” will usually be
assigned to it. These names will work with most programs that allow you to specify arbitrary port
names.
6.b. Using a Terminal Program
There are many free terminal programs available which are capable of sending and receiving bytes on a virtual COM
port. These programs include
(Windows or Linux),
(Windows), and
(Windows).
Advanced users developing scripted applications may prefer the free terminal program
To use any of these terminal programs with the Wixel, you must specify the port name (see
) and the baud rate. The baud rate may or may not affect anything; see your application’s documentation. The
characters you type will be transmitted on the programmer’s TX line. Bytes received by the programmer on the RX
line will be displayed on the screen by the terminal program.
Typical terminal programs will allow you to choose several other settings besides the baud rate. If you are not sure
what settings to use, then you should pick 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity, and no flow control.
Typical terminal programs will not allow you to use the serial control signals, but Br@y terminal does. You can click
the “DTR” and “RTS” buttons to change the state of the DTR and RTS signals. The state of the CTS, CD, DSR, RI,
DTR, and RTS signals are indicated by the colors of the corresponding buttons.
Pololu Wixel User's Guide
© 2001–2014 Pololu Corporation
6. Using a Virtual COM Port
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