Connect to the USB serial device using the Terminal screen utility by entering the command: screen /dev/xx.usbserial-XXXXXXXX 115200 –L where /dev/xx.usbserial-XXXXXXXX is replaced by your device unique name. Since Network Utility is distributed with every copy of Mac OS X it stands to reason that every copy of Mac OS X has the ability to scan a port without using a GUI tool. Enter one of the best named tools in Mac OS X, stroke.
Active18 days ago
What programs can act as a terminal and access serial ports?
This is not for terminal access on an IP connection, this is so I can access a hardware device plugged into a USB/serial converter running at 9600/8/N/1.
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13 Answers
There's a new Mac app called Serial, available in the app store. Full disclosure- I wrote it. The main advantage over other apps is it can work with most USB to serial devices without having to install any drivers, as it has its own drivers built-in. It also does full terminal emulation so you can use it to work with Linux or other devices that require it. You can try it for free, too.
Also, Apple began including their own driver for FTDI-based devices in Mavericks (10.9). So, if you're on 10.9 or later and your device has an FTDI chip inside, you can use the built-in screen command in the terminal to access your device without worrying about drivers.
Chris KChris K
You can use the terminal command
screen
to do this!!!As seen on ServerFault:
I love using [screen] for connecting to serial consoles, i.e.
Or, if you prefer Mac OS X hints...
I often have to do router configuration via a console port, so I use a Keyspan Serial Adapter to get access. Two problems then present themselves: ZTerm is a horrible Mac OS X app. It hasn't been updated in five years or so, and isn't a Universal Binary. The developer doesn't seem in any hurry to rectify the situation. It is not worth the shareware fee in its current form. Minicom requires installation of Fink or MacPorts and is overly complex. Solution: Use screen, Terminal, and a little AppleScripting.
First, launch Script Editor and type/paste in the following code:
Compile and save as an app from within Script Editor, and you have a double-clickable application to launch a serial Terminal session. You may want to customize this slightly -- you can change the screen colors or number of columns or rows. You may also need to customize the screen command with a different device name if you are using something other than the Keyspan Serial Adapter (do an ls tty* of the /dev/ directory to get the right name).
screen uses Control-A to take commands directed to it. So type Control-A followed by Control- to exit your screen session. If you fail to do this and exit a Terminal session, you'll leave the screen session alive and the serial resource unavailable until you kill the screen session manually. man screen will show you further commands to send to a screen session.
If anyone can reply with a link to a tutorial on how to wrap an interactive Unix App in Cocoa, that would be the next step -- it would be nice to do this without involving Terminal. If you prefer to use Minicom, you could still use the AppleScript to wrap it into a nice launchable app -- use this older hint to find the right command line commands.
Many USB-Serial adapters use the chip from FTDI. Install the 'Virtual COM Port' driver and look for the proper TTY name in
/dev
. For example, on a PowerBook G4 it came up as /dev/tty.usbserial-FTALKY8I
.Community♦
JoshJosh5,1601111 gold badges3232 silver badges5656 bronze badges
The best program I know of for this is
minicom
, available from Homebrew, fink, and macports.Minicom is a serial communication program. It is a Unix clone of the well-known MS-DOS Telix program. It has ANSI color, a dialing directory, dial-a-list, and a scripting language.
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user588
My preference is
cu
. I use it for Arduino or Bus Pirate related fun. It's installed by default and supports parity settings among other options (type man cu
for more info).To bail out when you're done, type
~.
as you would with SSHRandomInsanoRandomInsano
If you prefer not to work in Terminal, you might mant to try CoolTerm (free). Scroll down a bit for description and download. Don’t let the fact it‘s written in RealBasic turn you away... I have used it to connect to plotters, Arduino boards and receipt printers via a Keyspan USB<->Serial Adaptor.
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You should have a look at ZOC, what I think to be the best terminal emulation program available for the Mac. I use it everyday for my job. It has the ability to do direct communication with a serial port. Of course it does way more than just serial communication.
ZOC is a professional SSH/telnet client and terminal emulator. With its impressive list of emulations it lets you easily connect to hosts and mainframes, using communication methods like secure shell, telnet, serial cable or modem/isdn.
Its sleek user interface has many ways of making your life easier. In its own way, this is the swiss army knife of thin clients: versatile, robust, proven.
Key features:
- Tabbed sessions with thumbnails
- Customizable to meet your preferences and needs
- Scripting and automation features
- Compatible with Windows 7 and OS X Lion
- Administrator friendly (deployment, configuration)
- Now $79.99 with attractive bulk discounts
nohillside♦- Tabbed sessions with thumbnails
- Customizable to meet your preferences and needs
- Scripting and automation features
- Compatible with Windows 7 and OS X Lion
- Administrator friendly (deployment, configuration)
- Now $79.99 with attractive bulk discounts
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CarterCarter
C-Kermit is alive and well in Brew, and can be installed with:
Naturally you would require Brew to be installed first. You can find information on how to do this here: http://brew.sh
Alternatively use Macports
This would too require you to have Macports installed
Danijel-James W4,03855 gold badges2525 silver badges5252 bronze badges
ZachZach
And then there still is the old ZTerm which is just as old as it's looks suggest yet it gets the job done just fine and it is available for free. Works fine with Prolific (PL 2303) and FTDI based USB serial adapters.
MacLemonMacLemon
I have had success with cutecom on Ubuntu 16.04
Supported on OSX: http://cutecom.sourceforge.net/
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Another serial terminal for Mac OS X is Cornflake!
It features Device Selection with a Refresh Button, Baud Rate & Packet Type & Flow Control Selection, Port Control and a View Filter to view incoming data as ASCII, ASCII+, Integer or HEX.
maccidmaccid
After trying other approaches (incl.
screen
) unsuccessfully, I started using goSerial from this list of serial port apps for mac. Seems to be working fine. It's a free (donation based) program.Javad SadeqzadehJavad Sadeqzadeh
I use
screen
to connect to my router's serial port on my Mac.After installing it- using either macports or homebrew depending on your preference- use the following syntax:
To connect to my MikroTik RB4011 router my
screen
command is:'cs8' being the bit rate of router and 'ixoff' specifying 'No Flow Control'. '115200' is the baud rate of router. Alternate settings would be 'cs7' for 7 instead of 8 bit and 'ixon' if flow control supported by your serial device.
man screen
All the 'HowTo's' for using
screen
to make a serial connection on the 'net I've found Googling omit these required parameters, so that's why you'll find screen
has not worked if you've tried it just passing only the baud rate.BTW,
minicom -s
(which would also need to be installed via macports or homebrew) also works great, but I prefer screen as I don't have to go through setup menus- I can just pass the serial connection parameters directly to the screen command.F1LinuxF1Linux
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Mac OS X includes a great terminal editor, but among the handful of alternatives is one that easily rises above them all. iTerm2 is our pick for the best terminal emulator for Mac OS X thanks to its vast number of time-saving features and high level of customizability.
iTerm2
Platform: Mac OS X
Price: Free
Download Page
Price: Free
Download Page
Features
- Provides a fully-functional command line interface (CLI) for Mac OS X
- Hot key activation, creating a drop-down 'visor' terminal window on command
- Split-pane view for dual terminal sessions
- Search for text in any session
- Autocomplete
- Mouse-less text selection and copying
- Paste history
- Instant Replay allows you to go back in time to review previous activity in your terminal session
- Full screen mode
- Map any key to a function
- Visual style is highly configurable
- Mouse can be used to position the cursor, highlight text, and perform other functions
- Growl support
- Tabs show up as separate windows in Éxpose/Mission Control
- Create specific profiles for separate terminal sessions
- Works in many different languages
Where It Excels
iTerm2 is a modern fork of the great but late iTerm. They are separate apps but operate on the same code base. iTerm2 is just a little more up-to-date. For the most part it'll feel a lot like the Terminal app that comes with Mac OS X, but there are plenty of additional features that make it a better option. The flashiest of these features definitely has to be Instant Replay, which allows you to rewind your terminal session and see what you just did. Autocomplete is also extremely helpful. It's not only good at figuring out what command you might be typing, but it knows what directory you're in and will fill in the names of files as well (if it detects you might be typing one, that is). But iTerm2 is particularly great because of the little things it does. Being able to select and copy text using your keyboard (as opposed to requiring the mouse), map functions to specific keys, and call up a drop-down 'visor' terminal window with a hotkey are all little things that make iTerm2 the best of the bunch.
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Where It Falls Short
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There really isn't much to complain about with iTerm2. Personally, I prefer that way the Mac OS X Terminal app handles its visual settings because they're so easy to configure and save, but that's a small gripe. Overall iTerm2 is a pleasure to use.
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The Competition
One obvious runner-up is the built-in Mac OS X Terminal app. On the whole it's pretty great, offering pretty fast operation, plenty of visual customization options (with themes), a tabbed interface, window grouping, and a lot more. It's definitely a strong option and almost the best.
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One feature some feel is missing from the OS X Terminal app is what Visor (Free) provides, and that's a drop-down terminal accessible via hot key. You just press the hot key and the Terminal will appear underneath your menubar, ready for commands. This is very useful for command line enthusiasts and heavy users.
Cathode ($10) may not be a terminal emulator you want to buy, but you definitely need to download it and try it. It emulates an old machine, complete with sound effects and the look of an old CRT monitor. It may not be the most practical option, but it's definitely the coolest. Playing with it for a few minutes will definitely put a nostalgic smile on your face.
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Terminator (Free) is just a simple terminal emulator. It's has nice features like automatic logging, drag and drop paths, and a find function. It's also pretty speedy. There's nothing wrong with it, but it's just not as strong of an option. It'll get the job done but won't offer you much beyond its simplicity.
Lifehacker's App Directory is a new and growing directory of recommendations for the best applications and tools in a number of given categories.
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