Comments on: OS X:Terminal Break for Serial Console on OS X

By: Darrell Burnett

Darrell Burnett — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 22:10:50 +0000

If you have virtualization software installed (Fusion, Parallels, etc) you can run Putty from a Windows XP VM for example. Pass the USB to serial adapter to Windows and run Putty. In the Putty console window there is an option to pass the break function (Special Command -> break), this works well. IO Gear is the USB to serial adapter I use, and I never had a problem passing the break function over IO Gear cables.

By: Volker

Volker — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 07:42:48 +0000

An alternative is to set the lowest possible speed for the port, e.g. 110 baud. Pressing SPACE or ENTER should get you into ROMMON. Switch back to 9600 baud after a minute to see the command line. This should work with all adapters especially if they don’t support the Break signal.

Volker

By: Joe Finley

Joe Finley — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:44:10 +0000

Ok, here’s what I did.

download – Installed ITERM
download – install the opensource PROLIFIC drivers
——Not sure if this made any difference——
Open Network Interfaces – Selected USB-Serial D2″, created a new profile “SERIAL”
Clicked Advanced.. “Modem – Vendor Null Modem” Model “9600″ (OK)
Clicked on the USB-Seral D1 to “Default”
———————————————-

Open iTerm, typed “ls -la /dev/tty.*”

crw-rw-rw- 1 root wheel 11, 4 Jul 6 13:22 /dev/tty.Bluetooth-Modem
crw-rw-rw- 1 root wheel 11, 0 Jul 6 13:21 /dev/tty.Bluetooth-PDA-Sync
crw-rw-rw- 1 root wheel 11, 12 Jul 6 13:35 /dev/tty.PL2303-00301124
crw-rw-rw- 1 root wheel 11, 2 Jul 6 13:21 /dev/tty.jfinleysiphone-Wireless
crw-rw-rw- 1 root wheel 11, 10 Jul 6 13:27 /dev/tty.usbserial

Then I typed screen “/dev/tty.PL2303-00301124 9600″
Assuming the opensource is “PL2303-00301124″
Powercycled the router & hit control-a & control-b many times

Finally received the ROM-MON!

By: Chris Welsh

Chris Welsh — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:23:46 +0000

IT WORKED FOR ME – I’m using iTerm though, rather than the built in Apple Terminal program.

Thanks Greg.

By: Gary Smith

Gary Smith — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:56:07 +0000

I think it does depend on the chipset of the convertor – I’ve got a PL2303 based unit here and I’ve been struggling to find a way to issue a break with it. I don’t believe it’s possible to do, although there’s been many rumours about the functionality being added in to a later release of the driver.

Cheers,

Gary Smith

By: Marko Milivojevic

Marko Milivojevic — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:04:43 +0000

I believe that the problem with break on OSX is with Prolific driver. You may wish to try open source one. I had no luck with it (didn’t handle large buffers when pasting) and I’m stuck with Prolific driver.

By: Dmitri

Dmitri — Fri, 15 May 2009 09:51:16 +0000

…and if it works for you – you’re lucky, because not very many USB to Serial adapters pass “break”.