[comp.os.minix] Serial port speeds

Ralf.Brown@B.GP.CS.CMU.EDU (07/15/88)

In article <4200004@hpihoah.HP.COM>, bruce@hpihoah.HP.COM (Bruce LaVigne) writes:
}actually stuff into the chip are divisors of an externally input clock.  With
}the clock that IBM used, if you go above 9600 you start using non-integer
}divisors.  What this means is that since you can really only use integer
}numbers into the chip as a divisor, you don't get 19200 but something kindof
}close.  If the other side can handle it, fine, but IBM doesn't support it.

That is not correct.  The divisor for 9600 is 12, so the divisor for 19200 is
6 and for 38400 it is 3.  As a matter of fact, it is the 110 baud that is
off by a small fraction of a percent, whereas 300/600/1200/2400/etc are all
exact (assuming that the clock is exact).

However, from what I have heard, early 8250's had problems sync'ing with the
incoming signal at >19200.  I believe that the various 115k transfer
programs use two stop bits to help the chip recognize the incoming data.

--
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charles@hpcvca.HP.COM (Charles Brown) (07/23/88)

>Just what I meant. The 'kindof close' depends on the input-clock to
>the 8250. As all PC-compatibles will use it, no problem will occur
>because the 'kindof close' will be the same everywhere. If some fancy
>machine which claims to be compatible uses a different clock rate, it
>might not be able to communicate with others, and, more important,
>many programs won`t work as soon as they program the chip directly
>(setting the divisor with the same value won`t achieve the same results).
>	Peter Lipp (plipp@tugiig.uucp)

Your attitude assumes that the IBM PC is the only computer in the
world or at least the only important one.  Disgusting!  It is clear
that you have never used a *real* computer.
--
	Charles Brown
My employer is not responsible for my opinions.