>> [...]
> done.  no effect on my end.  That is with 2 & 3 crossed, and 7 as the
> common between the Grounds/earth AND with both machines running off
> the same phase so I have no detectible ground current.

Pin 7 is *signal* ground, not *earth* ground (RS232-C calls it
"protective" ground, IIRC, and puts it on pin 1).  Any box that
connects pin 7 to earth ground is rather broken.

I would strongly recommend setting up lights to watch pins 2 and 3,
so's to make sure each of them is getting driven.  Otherwise it's far
too easy for both ends to be driving the same line and listening to the
same line.  If you don't have a lights-box, practically any
visible-light LED, with a resistor of 100-500 ohms, should do fine.
Just play with it a little to make sure you know which way to hook it
up, or use two LEDs in parallel with opposite polarity.

					der Mouse

			       mouse@rodents.montreal.qc.ca
		     7D C8 61 52 5D E7 2D 39  4E F1 31 3E E8 B3 27 4B