I really need to communicate with a pic and I don't have ready access to a max232 chip. I have an old 1488 and 1489 that I'm trying my best to work with. Anyone have any experience with em? Electronics are hard to come by right now so it'll be great if I can wind up using them.
Sorry mate cant help you but I had to post about your signature.
Laughed my ass off there! :D
Wish I came up with it. My friend's mom sent me an email asking me to explain it one day. An aim conversation and two back and forth emails and still no luck.
They should be dead simple to get going. Get the data sheets.
The receiver 1489 is run from 5V. You just connect the chip output to the pic input and the chip input to the RS232 RX.
The transmitter 1488 is run from a dual supply +/-12. You just connect the pic output to the chip input and the chp output to the RS232 TX.
If you need handshaking then you need use the same connections for the handshake inputs and outputs respectively.
The MAX232 effectively removed the need for the +/- supplies.
(There must be some examples on the web)
In case you do have some transistors, resistors and diodes lying around, you could try this:
http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardSerialSingleSided (http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardSerialSingleSided)
André
thank you guys. did the early christmas thing so I was out for a little bit. I'll give it another good stand.