If you’re experiencing issues with your RS232 device data appearing unreadable or missing, try the following troubleshooting steps. This applies to our WinWedge and BC-Wedge software.
If the data from your device appears unreadable or garbled
It’s likely that your RS232 communications parameters are incorrect in your WinWedge or BC-Wedge Port Settings.
- If you are using WinWedge, go to “Port” > “Settings.” If you are using BC-Wedge, go to “Settings.”
- Set the Parity to “Even”, the Data Bits to “7”, and the Stop Bits to 1.
- Try different Baud rates until you get readable data.
- If none of the available Baud rates work, contact the manufacturer of the device you’re using to find out its exact RS232 communications parameters and adjust your port settings accordingly.
If your device data does not appear despite being sent to your PC
Ensure that the correct COM port is selected in your WinWedge or BC-Wedge settings by checking its assigned COM port number in the Windows Device Manager.
- In Windows 10 and 11, right click the Windows Start button and select “Device Manager” from the menu.
- Expand the section labeled “Ports COM & LPT” by clicking the small arrow. If this section is not present, then there are no COM ports installed. If you’re using a RS232-to-USB adapter, it may be because the driver software hasn’t been installed. Contact the adapter manufacturer to get the necessary driver software.
For more info, see this article.