#Mac usb serial terminal emulator install#

Also note that sometimes two wires from the Pad-end have to be joined to just one pin on the Mac-end plug.

This is important because when you are soldering (in particular the Mac minidin) you are looking at the plugs the wrong way round. When you use the pin numbering diagrams, note that the view is looking into the cable plug from the front (as if you were about to plug it into your face). I bought a PC null modem cable and then simply cut off the PC end, savage perhaps, but it saves you soldering the Pad-end plug, and you know for sure that you have the right type of cable (it does mean that you have to use the test meter to identify which wire hanging out the cut end is connected to which pin on the Pad-end). You need a fine point soldering iron, the relevant plugs, some cable, a test meter, and a steady hand, because soldering the 8 pin Mac minidin is very fiddly. Alternatively you can make your own cable by following the instructions below.

I suggest taking both your Mac modem cable (if you already have one) and the Amstrad with you to the shop so that you can make sure all the sizes and plug 'genders' are correct. One way to achieve this set up is to use a normal Mac serial modem cable (becoming rare but still available) combined with a standard PC null modem serial cable. I have never seen a Mac to PC null modem serial cable on sale, but they may well exist. It is advisable switch off your Notepad before plugging or unplugging the serial cable.

#Mac usb serial terminal emulator install#

You also need to install the latest software driver for the device (widely available on CD and downloadable). I use the very common Keyspan two-port USB to serial converter (There are numerous others on the market (including PCI cards) that would probably work equally well. (If you have an NC200 your Mac can read and write the floppy disks without problems).

Tim's Amstrad NC Users' Site - Serial transfers featureД¬onnecting an Amstrad NC100 Notepad to an Apple Macintosh running OS XДespite the Mac's big switch to UNIX and USB you can still connect your Notepad and exchange files.