Unrecognizable Data in the Analyze Window

After opening up the Port > Analyze Window in WinWedge and sending data from your device to the computer, you're receiving psuedo-random ASCII characters that don't correspond to the expected output from your device.

The reason that you are getting unrecognizable ASCII characters in the Analyze window is because you probably have not setup the serial communication parameters correctly in Winwedge. In order to fix this problem you will have to find out the communication parameters for your device and set up WinWedge to exactly match these parameters. If you do not know the parameters used by your device you will need to either consult the users manual for the device or contact its manufacturer for this information. You can set up WinWedge by selecting the SETTINGS option from the PORT menu, and select the appropriate serial communications parameters. Once WinWedge is configured properly you should see recognizable data in the analyze window.

You can also use the Port Analyze feature in the Software Wedge to try different parameters until you get data that appears correct. Try different baud rates using seven data bits, even parity, and one stop bit until you get data that looks either partially or completely correct. Finally, try different combinations of parity, number of data bits and number of stop bits until all data is correct. Most devices use either seven data bits with Even or Odd parity or eight data bits with No Parity. One stop bit is also used more frequently than two.

It is also worth noting that some serial devices will still send strange characters even when the communications settings match exactly. Some older devices that were designed for outputting to serial printers will often send printer control codes that appear as garbage in the analyze window. In many cases there is a setting on the device that can disable this, but you should contact the manufacturer of the device to find out whether the data you are receiving is normal, and what your options are. Even those that do not send printer control characters will often send unprintable characters such as STX, ETX, carriage return and Line feeds as part of the data stream. The manual that comes with your serial device should provide you with sample data that you can compare what you are actually receiving.

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