New FS-Plugin: Serial transfer to other PC or Palm

[ghisler(Author)]

I have written a new file system plugin. The main purpose of this plugin is to access a PalmOS(R) device attached to the serial or USB port from Total Commander. The plugin allows to copy files from/to the Palm, both to internal memory (palm databases only) and to a flash card in the Palm. I wrote this plugin because synchronizing to the internal flash card via USB is very slow - my plugin is much faster. Also there is already a WindowsCE plugin, and people constantly asked me for a Palm plugin.

As an added benefit of this plugin, I have taken its serial port code to write a serial port server for Windows (both Win32 and Win31 with Win32s). This allows to transfer files between two Windows PCs via the serial port. It may work also via Infrared, I couldn't test this because I don't have a PC with IR port. The infrared port needs to be accessed via a virtual com port.

I would appreciate if some of you could test this plugin. It's currently in beta an can be downloaded here:
http://www.ghisler.com/serial.htm

Full source code is included!

[Horst.Epp]

Nachdem ich den Palm Desktop 4.1 installiert habe,
war die Version der USBPort.dll ausreichend.

Was sollte ich denn nun sehen, wenn ich zu meinem m505 gehe ?
Wenn ich das Plugin starte ist einige Sekunden ein Fenster auf und das wars.
Der Hotsync per USB Cradle geht ohne Probleme.

[ghisler(Author)]

2Horst.Epp
Please write in English in this forum!

To use the serial plugin with a Palm, you need to run the tool filepc2pda.prc on your Palm! This is the serial and USB port server for the Palm.

German:
Sie müssen das Tool filepc2pda.prc auf dem Palm starten! Das ist der serielle und USB-Server für den Palm.

[Horst.Epp]

Running the prc on the Palm but still nothing displayed on Windows PC.
I have Palm OS 4.01 and not 5.0 !
May be your program only runs with OS 5

[waelder]

Hello,

the plugin works very well with my environment (WinNT4 an PalmV OS4.1 serial connection). Thanks to Christian.

Horst, you should not run the Palmdesktop nor the Hotsync application. After putting the Palm in the cradle, start the filepc2pda program there. Click the Port-Button to select USB or serial speed. On the PC (with installed sertransplg.wfx ) select "network neighbourhood" (Netzwerkumgebung) and doubleclick "Serial port". In the popup just select the same parameters as on the palm. Press connect button on both "machines" and voila.

Hope that helps.

[pdavit]

Just a question Christian. By using this tool to connect two PCs via USB do we actually take advantage of the USB data throughput or the speed is treated like a serial connection speedwise? What about USB v2.0? Does the tool sup-port the advantages of USB2? To sum up is the connection speed related to the communication’s physical media or not?

[VadiMGP]

I think two PCs can be connected via serial port only. USB connection is used for Palm.

[ghisler(Author)]

Exactly. Reason: Palm provides a driver and a DLL to access their device via USB. There is no such standard for USB bridge cables - each cable comes with its own driver.

Solution: Buy a cable which simulates a local are network via TCP/IP. These cables are a bit more expensive, but you can then use normal shared folders via Network Neighborhood! This way you can use also Total Commander and other programs to access the remote machine.

[aziemer]

I have the same problem as Horst. Nothing happens.

Facts:
Windows 98SE
Handspring Visor edge with Palm OS 3.5.2

- installed latest version of USBport.DLL
- installed filepc2pda on PDA (and running)
- installed sertransplg.wfx in wincmd directory

When clicking the Palm connection in Network neighborhood a window pops up asking me for the connection type (I use USB),
when clicking OK this window closes and another comes up with a progress bar at 0% and disappears after less then a second.

There is no difference in behaviour when I remove the PDA from the cradle!
But there is a difference when I press the hotsync button on the cradle and then try to connect:
Then a beep is heard and the progress window stays open for about 5 seconds...

Andreas

[VadiMGP]

Only problem i encountered for a while: if during directory size calculating connection between 2 PCs is broken TC waits forever.

Beta version of Serial port server for DOS (if somebody except me use it today ) available here:
ftp://mgppublic:public@mgpsoft.com/TCSvr4Dos.zip

I didn't wrote any readme, .ini file self-explanatory enough(i hope).

[ghisler(Author)]

2aziemer
Is there an emulator or simulator for the handspring device? I don't have any, so I cannot test it myself.

2Horst.Epp
Sorry, no idea why it doesn't work. My program works just fine with a Palm m505 simulator with OS 4.0!

Maybe you need to first connect the device to the cradle and THEN start my program. Also make sure to use the same bit rate on your Palm and in the plugin, and try to reduce it to 57600 or 38400 if 115200 doesn't work.

[Horst.Epp]

"ghisler(Author)"

Sorry, no idea why it doesn't work. My program works just fine with a Palm m505 simulator with OS 4.0!

Maybe you need to first connect the device to the cradle and THEN start my program. Also make sure to use the same bit rate on your Palm and in the plugin, and try to reduce it to 57600 or 38400 if 115200 doesn't work.

The Palm is in the Cradle all the time.
As I use USB, bit rates are not necessary.

[ghisler(Author)]

As I use USB, bit rates are not necessary.

Sorry, I didn't notice that you use USB! I cannot test USB with the emulator myself, therefore I need your help.

Please re-download the palm serial server filepc2pda.zip from the above link, I have made some changes. It should now report the ROM version, and which serial manager is used (old, new v1 or new v2). USB is only possible with new v2 at this time. Please let me know what it reports.

I have also changed the code a bit, so that serial manager v2 is used with ROM version >= 0x04000000 and not only >= 0x04003000 (release ROM). Maybe this fixes the problem already.

[aziemer]

2Ghisler

I downloaded the new filepc2pda and installed it. It shows that it's using the "new serial manager v1" and that the ROM version is 0x03523000. I also use USB.

I apply as victim for testing new serial manager v2 with ROM version >= 0x03522999

Btw., I don't know of an emulator especially for the handspring device.

Andreas

P.S.: If USB only works for ROM versions above some level maybe you should disable USB in the port selection dialog if it's below.

[ghisler(Author)]

Thanks for your tests! According to the Palmsource forums, the Handspring device does NOT support the v2 function SrmExtOpen(). However, it could work with some modifications on the PC side.

Therefore please re-download the Total Commander plugin sertransplg.zip from the above link. When connecting, choose "USBh (Handspring)". Please let me know if it works or not!

2Horst.Epp
Could you please also try the new plugin and also the new filepc2pda server? Please try both the "USB (Palm)" and "USBh (Handspring)" settings. Thanks!