Serial Tap
Serial Tap does NOT require any paid IO Ninja capabilities or subscriptions! The Serial Tap plugin is always ENABLED and can be used under any IO Ninja account (includuing GUEST).
Serial Tap comes with 3 months of FREE subscription that unlocks ALL IO Ninja features!
The Serial Tap is an affordable sniffer for monitoring RS232
, RS485
, and TTL
-level UART
communications. The sniffer taps into the data and control lines of serial links and sends the recorded data to IO Ninja software in real time.
All inputs of the serial tap are available on a quick-release terminal block. The Tap also features two DB9 connectors for "wedge" monitoring of RS232
communications. The board even provides jumpers for swapping and loopbacking RS232
signals, as well as bi-color LEDs for RS232
line status indication. The jumpers and bi-color LEDs give the Tap an additional use as a simple tool for debugging RS232 wiring issues.
Wedge RS232 Monitoring
The Serial Tap allows you to insert (wedge) it in between two RS232
devices. Here is how this is done.
Let's suppose that two serial devices are interconnected by a serial cable. Let's also suppose that the first device has a DB9-F
connector, while the second device has a DB9-M connector. The serial cable is, therefore, of the M-to-F type.
To wedge the Serial Tap between these two devices, you will need the second M-to-F cable:
The Serial Tap has an additional useful feature allowing you to swap and loopback the signals in TX
/RX
, RTS
/CTS
, and DTR
/DSR
signal pairs. To achieve this, two jumpers are provided for each of the three pairs. There are three standard jumper configurations:
- Normal — In this position, the lines are arranged in such a way that wedging the Tap between the serial devices does not change anything. Meaning,
TX
on one end goes toRX
on another end, and vice versa. - Swapped — This swaps signals in a pair. Meaning,
TX
goes toTX
, andRX
goes toRX
. - Loopbacked — Both serial devices "receive back" their own signals. Meaning, the
TX
line on each side "comes back" through theRX
line.
The following diagram illustrates the jumper arrangements. The diagram shows the jumpers for the TX
and RX
signal pair. RTS
/CTS
and DTR
/DSR
jumpers work in the same way:
Key Features
- USB-powered, no additional external power necessary;
- Supplied with a
USB-C
cable and twoDB9
gender changers; - Three operating modes:
RS232
,RS485
, andTTL
-level UART; - Quick-release terminal block facilitates convenient wiring;
- Monitoring of
TX
,RX
,RTS
,CTS
,DTR
, andDSR
lines; - Onboard LEDs for line status indication;
- "Wedge" monitoring of
RS232
communications:DB9
connectors for placing the Tap "between"RS232
devices;- Jumpers for swapping and loopbacking RS232 signals within
TX
/RX
,RTS
/CTS
, andDTR
/DSR
signal pairs; - Bi-color LEDs for distinguishing between positive, negative, and zero voltage levels on
RS232
lines.
Hardware Specifications
Parameter | Value |
---|---|
USB: | USB 2.0 interface, full-speed (12MHz), USB-C connector |
Maximum baud rate: | Up to 1Mb/sec |
Supported TTL logic levels: | From 3.3V to 5V |
Operating temperature: | 0 to +60 degrees C |
Operating relative humidity: | 10% to 90% |
Mechanical dimensions: | 82 x 74 x 30 mm |
Usage
Open the Serial Tap plugin in IO Ninja and select a tap device connected over a USB cable. Then you specify the the baudrate at which the communication to be sniffed works. After that hit the Capture button and you shall see all the communications (including data, control line changes and status line changes) from the DTE point of view.
Note, that you can adjust the serial parameters at any time and flip the DTE
/DCE
roles without re-wiring, simply by adjusting the Flip DTE/DCE
setting.
Remote Capturing
Starting with IO Ninja v5.1.0, it is possible to capture data with a Serial Tap device remotely. For more information, please navigate to the Serial Tap over SSH plugin page.
Documentation
Resource | Description |
---|---|
Hardware Manual (HTML) | This is the Serial Tap chapter in the IO Ninja hardware manual. |
Hardware Manual (PDF) | This is a PDF rendition of the above online HTML manual for downloading and printing. |