On Mon Mar 30 2009 10:40:41 Dave Smith wrote: > Nicholas Leippe wrote: > >> However, in theory I can just tell my computer to speak serial out my > >> ethernet port. > > > > No, in theory and in practice, you can't. They are totally different > > electrical specifications. > > Just to clarify, the reason Nicholas is right is because of the Ethernet > MAC and PHY on your computer, which can't speak RS-232.
It was wrong of me to say that it can't be done in theory, because in theory you could create a chip that could switch modes. Since the practical use is so small I doubt anyone would ever do so. Some serial chips, however, can switch between many various modes--rs-232, rs-422, hdlc, sdlc, T1 (with all the various framings and encodings), etc. Perhaps this is where you got the idea. /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
