RS-232 Control of Spyder Requires Hardware Handshaking
Summary
Version 2.9 of software for the Spyder windowing processor requires the use of the RTS / CTS serial lines for handshaking when controlling Spyder externally using an RS-232 serial connection. This article describes the pin connections required for external control of Spyder.
More Information
To enable serial control communication with Spyder systems running the 2.9 version of software, ensure the following pins are connected to enable proper communication with the Spyder system.
| Pin Name | PC Pin | Direction | Spyder Pin |
| TxData | 3 | --> | 2 |
| RxData | 2 | <-- | 3 |
| Ground | 5 | <--> | 5 |
| RTS | 8 | --> | 8 |
| CTS | 8 | <-- | 7 |
Alternately, pins 7 and 8 can be connected directly on the Spyder, linking the RTS and CTS channels together on the Spyder serial port directly.
Note: On some Spyder systems, the RTS / CTS lines required are available only on serial port 1 of the Spyder chassis. If serial control is not working properly when connected to port 2 or 3, reconfigure Spyder to be controlled on serial port 1 instead.
Note: The serial control parameters (Baud Rate, Parity, Stop Bits, and COM Port) are set from the Frame Configuration property panel in the Vista Advanced Software ('Server' --> 'Frame Configuration'). By default, external control is disabled, and must be manually enabled.
Status
The hardware handshaking requirement for Spyder is specific to version 2.9 of the Spyder windowing system.