MSComm or API ?

HI!
I'd like to write a program in VB to communicate with serial PIC programer which uses:
- RTS line as a CLOCK signal
- DTR line as Output Data
- CTS line as Input Data
- TxD line as Vcc for PIC

Clock and Data signals are cca. 0.06 ms lentgh or even less.
My question is: Is it posibble to do this with a MSComm1 control or must I use something else like calling API, or even a routine in C ?
If is posibble, can enybody help me ?

Thx.
Boštjan

60 microseconds?! That's pretty fast! I'm not sure if you can even measure a time interval that small. You can try the timegettime API call though. Or maybe use a custom for-next loop.

As for communication, I suspect you may have to go low-level and write directly to the port latches. To do this, you need to understand low level hardware addresses and you need a control or DLL that will allow you to write to ports. I used inpout.dll for a project I did one time. You might find it out there on the web. It should be free. One place to look is www.cgvb.com and check their links.


"I have a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel!" - Edmund Blackadder

I know it's fast, that's why I'm asking if I can do that with MSComm1 control directly or not ?

P.s.: You can measure signals of 0.06ms with oscilloscope!

You couldn't use MSComm to do this, in my opinion.
Its just not built for that kind of work.
Take BillSoo's suggestion and use it.

Good Luck
-cl

<a href="http://vb.wsoftware.net" target="_new">http://vb.wsoftware.net</a>

Bostjan wrote:

<P.s.: You can measure signals of 0.06ms with oscilloscope!>

Yes I know, I've used oscilliscopes before to check communications on a serial port before. My point was that it may be difficult to get the computer to send a character at such precise intervals. Certainly the timer control is useless and I'm not sure if any API call can work. The most I've asked timegettime to do is +/- 1 ms.



"I have a plan so cunning you could put a tail on it and call it a weasel!" - Edmund Blackadder