Subject: Tadpole 3GX - working serial ports (almost)
To: NetBSD port-sparc mailing list <port-sparc@netbsd.org>
From: Julian Coleman <J.D.Coleman@newcastle.ac.uk>
List: port-sparc
Date: 02/24/2000 22:16:46
Thanks to Ingolf Koch and Tim Rightnour for pointers in the correct
direction, I have the serial ports on my Sparcbook more-or-less working.
I looked at the code for the auxreg and attached auxio2.  A quick test
(clearing and setting each bit of auxio2), showed that clearing bit 0
powered the serial ports on and setting bit 7 powered them off again.  BTW,
setting bit 0 did *not* power off the Sparcbook.

Plugged in the TVI, fired up `cu -l /dev/ttya dir` and started typing.
Everything I type on the TVI appears on the Sparcbook and everything I
type on the Sparcbook appears on the TVI (sort of).  The snags are :

  when I stop typing on the Sparcbook, I get a sequence of junk on the
  TVI (mainly reversed ?'s) after I stop typing.  The odd thing is, the
  RS232 light box only shows transmit activity when I type, not when the
  junk appears.

  when I type <backspace> or <escape> on the Sparcbook, I get a character
  (looks like one with the top bit set) echoed on the TVI.  If I type the
  same character again (quickly), the TVI gets the odd character, followed
  by the real one.

I checked against a 4/330 (running the same binaries).  Same stty settings,
same cable, same TVI settings.  I don't see the problem with the 4/330.  I
also tested Kermit - same problem.  I wonder if it has anything to do with
the problem with the external mouse.

As the serial ports need the auxio2 attached in order to power on, does it
make sense to attach auxio2 before the serial ports?

If anyone wants to play with this (I might not be able to do anything until
sometime late next week), apply the diffs in :

  ftp://ftp.netbsd.org:/pub/incoming/jdc/tadpole.diffs

I also tried to get the modem working.  I guess that powering on the serial
ports also powers on the modem.  I didn't see a device entry for it, nor
anything in MAKEDEV.  It appears to be c 36, 0.  So, I created /dev/modem
and tried to talk to it.  It's odd.  If I type 'AT', I get an 'OK' back but
also loads of junk.  Recogniseable strings in the junk include 'Internal Unit
Temperature' and 'Internal Battery Voltage', so it looks like I'm also
attached to tctrl0 in some odd way.  I haven't tried a kernel without tctrl0
yet (run out of time).  Using kermit to talk to it got me a Watchdog Reset
and lots of beeping when it hit the PROM.

J

-- 
                    My other computer also runs NetBSD
                          http://www.netbsd.org/