USART to PC

Hi All

I'm at the moment setting up A 16F88 to communicate with my pc's serial com port. My issue is with the many circuits I have seen and the way in which to wire up the MAX232 converter. Almost every circuit i look at has the max232 chip hooked up differently and the 4 capacitors seem to be connected with random polarity in all the diagrams...
Anyway so far I've been unable to get a peep out of the terminal on the pc. Anyone know a circuit that definately works so I can be sure I have got this part right first.

Cheers

Tony

Are you using a real, actual MAX232? Or one of the many derivatives out there?
The datasheet for your particular MAX232 chip should show exactly where/how to place said capacitors...

I thought you got out of the PicBasicPro business...
http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=7808

Hi Tony,
Are you sure of which COM port you are using ? Which terminal program are you using ? Can you tell your terminal program to switch com ports?
If not you may be able to change them in the computer's BIOS.

Hey Ski...No never, dont think i'll be leaving PBP any time soon although I have been cheating a little with Mikroe Basic!

I think your referring to a copy of PBP I sold a while back I bought 2 at the time because the company I bought it off in Italy were selling them for around €100 each for the Pro version think it was a sale (without vat it was even less :-P).

As for the chip, its a real MAX232CPE, allcircuits I was looking at used the MAX232 chip... anyway I was going to try again thisevening but I'm just too knackered, i'll give it a bash tomorrow and see how it all goes...

All the Best

Tony

Ok I lied about leaving it until tomorrow.... I just couldnt leave things alone! Anyway its all working now, I think it was just the polarity that was wrong.

Tony