Rs232 Keyboard

01-05-2021 admin

What is a keyboard wedge?

RS232 Serial to PS2 keyboard protocol RS232 convert RS232 Go to HID DEVICE plug and play. USB to RS232 Adapter USB2.0 Serial DB9 RS-232 DB-9pin Serial Port Converter Adapter Cable FTDI Chip 1m. Ideal for connecting Serial RS232 Barcode Readers, Laser Scanners or Weigh Scales to a USB Type-A connector - Converts RS232 serial to USB keyboard. Available in English, German and French keyboard emulations. Eliminates the need to install any device driver or keyboard. Embedded systems no longer require expensive hand-held terminals with reduced-size keyboards. This device accepts a PS2 connector from the keyboard and provides a standard DB9 RS-232 output to connect to your asynchronous serial port at baud rates.

In the days before USB, bar code readers often came with a hardware keyboard wedge, a little device which allowed both a keyboard and the barcode reader to be connected to the keyboard port (PS/2) of a PC. Codes scanned by the barcode reader could thereby be transmitted as keystrokes. As far as the computer was concerned, there was no difference between a key pressed on the keyboard and one sent by the barcode scanner. This allowed the barcode scanner to be used with any application that accepted keyboard inputs.

While hardware keyboard wedges have become rare (most barcode scanners today connect via USB and appear as a human interface device), this very flexible concept still exists in the form of a virtual keyboard wedge (a.k.a. software keyboard wedge, “RS-232 to keyboard”-software). These programs are usually used with devices that connect to a computer via RS-232 (COM port) or that emulate an RS-232 connection while actually connecting through USB, Bluetooth SPP (serial port profile) or any other kind of virtual COM port.

Such devices include measurement instruments like balances and scales, digital calipers, etc. and legacy devices like serial barcode scanners and card readers. The software keyboard wedge connects to these devices and types received data into any application as simulated keystrokes.

Keyboard wedge software for Windows

This list contains all keyboard wedge programs I know of in alphabetical order. Prices were last updated on June 1st, 2019. Please leave a comment if you know a program not listed here.

232key: Free (232key Plus with additional features: US$30). Easy to configure, extensive documentation available on website. Predefined settings for many balances and scales. Powerful custom regular expressions to capture exactly the data you want (Plus version only). Can be used concurrently with 232key MU (US$50) to connect to two serial devices. Disclosure: I made this.
Bill Redirect: Commercial (US$35). Lots of tutorials available. Particularly interesting for touchscreens.
Datasnip keyboard wedge: Free (AUD 10 for advanced options). Simple, straightforward user interface. Advanced options include hotkey to send command to connected device.
ewCaptSer: Free. Only available in German. Minimal functionality.
Kern Balance Connection 4: Commercial (starts at 150€ excl. VAT, includes device-specific RS-232 cable). Predefined settings for Kern balances and scales.
KeyInjector: Commercial (four versions from US$24.95 to US$74.95).
RsKey (Win CT): Free, only works with scales and balances using A&D’s data format.
TWedge: Commercial (from 116 US$). Extensive functionality, can be adapted to almost any task through scripts (using JavaScript).
WedgeLink: Commercial (89 US$ Lite, 195 US$ Standard), support up to two serial devices.
WinWedge: Commercial (299 US$ Standard, 399 US$ Professional). See feature list comparison.

Which keyboard wedge software is the best?

Impossible to say, without knowing what you’re planning to do, looking at each program in detail and testing it to see if it works reliably. Nvidia video cards for mac.

Generally speaking (and keep in mind that I’m certainly biased here), 232key can do many things for free which would otherwise cost you money (sometimes a lot of money). It is certainly worth trying out, particularly if you want to transfer the weight from a scale or balance to your PC. Please note that 232key cannot (currently) request data from your device (by sending a device-specific command), so you’ll have to press a key on your device instead (like the “Print” key on a scale, though many scales can also be configured to send stable data automatically). Thanks to feedback from my users and customers, I’m constantly adding new useful features to 232key (see changelog).

TWedge is (in my experience with several demanding customers) an excellent choice if you need maximum flexibility or want to connect to multiple devices at the same time. There’s hardly anything it can’t do if you’re willing to modify the scripts that come with it. While some other programs look like they haven’t been updated in a while, TWedge is regularly improved. Its latest version can even intercept and modify data sent by USB human interface devices (HID) like modern barcode scanners.

Further information on RS-232 interfaces

Have a look at my curated page on Zeef which includes links to general information on RS-232, keyboard wedge software, terminal software and RS-232 analyzers.

Measurement Collection Specialists
Connect Any Gage into Any Software

WedgeLink AT Hardware Keyboard Wedge
Input Data from any RS-232 Device into your PC Application

The WedgeLink AT is a user-configurable hardware keyboard wedge that accepts input from any RS-232 device. With the WedgeLink AT, you can transfer RS-232 data into any PC application that accepts keyboard input. Common applications that are used with the WedgeLink AT include Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and Minitab.

WedgeLink AT also has the ability to pass the gage data through a parsing filter before sending to your PC. It is not uncommon for a serial device to output more than just the measurement (date, time, units, etc.). With the WedgeLink AT parsing function, you can extract just the information you need before sending to the PC.

A table comparing the WedgeLink keyboard wedges available from MicroRidge can be found on the WedgeLink Overview page.

'See WedgeLink AT in action!'

Click the link above to request a WedgeLink AT Demo Kit at no charge.
This is part of our Demo Program. No cost or obligation.

Rs232 Keyboard Wedge Freeware

Key Features
All features can be configured by an easy-to-use Windows-based setup program. If you have multiple units to configure, you simply create a file and transfer it into each of the units. Firmware (the software within the wedge) can be easily upgraded by users in the field to allow for software enhancements and customization.

Supports any
RS-232 device

Supports any RS-232 device.
Plug directly into the USB port; looks like a keyboard to your PC.
Automatically detect baud rate and communication parameters of the connected serial device.
Supports baud rates from 600 to 57.6k.
Red/green bi-color LED to notify user of current status.
Simple to use Windows setup program to define the WedgeLink AT operation.
Send commands to your serial device by pressing the built-in read button or optional remote read switch.
Works with serial devices that send single or continuous readings.
Extensive parsing capabilities:
- Remove unwanted characters from the input packet.
- Replace characters with new characters.
- Extract the first numeric field from the input packet.
- Define prefix and/or suffix strings to be included with the wedge output.
- Specify the end-of-packet character to be sent with each data packet.
- Apply parsing procedures based on match strings.
Define different commands for each read switch.
Serial port CommunicationsTest Program (ComTestSerial) included to assist you in understanding what is actually being sent from your serial device. Gist for mac.

Keyboard Setup

Keyboard Selection

WedgeLink AT emulates the following keyboards:

English (United States, QWERTY)
English (United Kingdom, QWERTY)
French (Belgium, AZERTY)
French (France, AZERTY)
German (Germany, QWERTZ)
Spanish (Mexico, QWERTY)

The default keyboard setting when WedgeLink AT is shipped from the factory is English (United States, QWERTY). The keyboard descriptions listed above match the keyboard selection in the Windows Region and Language dialog accessible from the Control Panel.

Keyboard Transfer Rate

The default setting for the keyboard transfer rate is approximately 72 characters per second. In some instances, this rate is too fast for the computer that the WedgeLink AT is connected to. You have the ability to reduce this rate to approximately 30 or 8 characters per second.

Automatic Baud Rate Detection
A unique feature of WedgeLink AT is the ability to automatically determine the serial baud rate and communication parameters. It is not uncommon that you are not sure what parameters your serial device is set to and you have no idea where the manual is. If you can initiate a reading from your serial device by pressing a send or print button, you can have WedgeLink AT automatically determine the serial parameters.

Windows Setup Program

Setup Program
(Click for larger image)

The Setup Program features a series of tabs that allow you to easily configure your desired parsing scheme. To use the Setup Program, simply connect the USB cable to the Setup Port on the WedgeLink AT and press the 'Find the WedgeLink' button on the Setup Program. When you make changes in the setup parameters, the Setup Program will notify you that you need to send these parameters to WedgeLink AT.

What's Included with the WedgeLink AT Hardware Wedge

WedgeLink AT hardware wedge
6' USB cable for connecting the WedgeLink AT to your PC
CD with the following:
- Windows-based setup program
- ComTestSerial (Serial Communications Test Program)
- CD drivers for use with Setup Program
Unlimited technical support

Firmware Updates
Firmware upgrades available at no charge from theProduct Downloads page. Upgrading the firmware is as simple as connecting the wedge to a USB port on your PC, and pressing the Update Firmware button in the firmware update program.

Rs232 Keyboard Protocol

Rs232 Keyboard Adapter

Revised March 24, 2021

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