How to use the Smart Logger with a Macintosh computer

The Smart Logger can be used with a Macintosh computer if desired. Since the logger operates using a standard RS-232 serial interface using any suitable terminal software, the question becomes how to physically connect the logger to a Mac and where to obtain suitable software. Note that ICT can only offer advice regarding Mac OS X - Mac OS 9 and earlier is not supported.

Hardware

The standard logger serial cable is terminated with a DB-9 connector compatible with a typical older PC's COM port. Macs (and increasing numbers of PCs) come only equipped with USB ports. USB ports offer many advantages over the traditional serial port, but at present the logger does not directly support a USB connection. Thus a USB to Serial Port adapter is required.

ICT recommend any of the following products:

Keyspan USA-19HS USB-to-Serial adaptor
IOGEAR G-UC232A USB-to-Serial adaptor cable

Note that there are numerous adaptor cables available on the market - any of them that provide Mac drivers should work, though naturally ICT have not tested all possible solutions. The above adaptors are highly recommended because they directly provide a COM-type DB-9 port that is compatible with the supplied Smart Logger serial cable. Many Mac-compatible USB-to-Serial adaptors provide the mini-DIN serial ports that older Macintosh computers used. You will need to use additional adaptors or make up a suitable serial cable for the logger if you want to use this approach; ICT do not recommend this.

General advice and information about Mac serial adaptors can be found here: http://www.planet-rcs.de/en/article/mac_serial_port/

Software

Once you have purchased a suitable adaptor, you'll need to install the driver software that is suppied by the adaptor manufacturer before doing anything else. With some drivers, the machine may need to be rebooted - refer to the manufacturer's instructions.

You then need suitable terminal software. Most people will probably want to opt for the venerable ZTerm application, available here: http://homepage.mac.com/dalverson/zterm/

Another very good terminal application is PortTerm: http://kulesh-software.com/Software/PortTerm/

Those more comfortable in a Unix environment can also make use of Terminal, which is a standard part of every Mac OS X installation (in /Applications/Utilities/Terminal.app). The above adaptors should install a suitable device that you can use from terminal to refer to the port - for example /dev/tty.serial0 or /dev/cu.usb0 (beyond this specific advice is hard to give - this should be considered useful for the more expert user - using ZTerm or PortTerm is recommended for the mere mortals among us).

Settings

The serial settings for the logger should be set as follows:

9600 baud (should operate from 600 to 115,200 baud however)
8 Data bits
1 Stop bit
No parity
Flow control - Xon/Xoff (no hardware handshake)