Serial analysis with a Palm/sup TM/ organizer

Currently available serial protocol analyzers suffer from some serious shortcomings. Among them are large size, high cost, and cumbersome interfaces. In a market where even the simplest devices are being interconnected and given communications capabilities, serial protocol analyzers need to be enhanced to provide an easier, more intuitive means of testing serial links. Using a Palm/sup TM/ Computing device as the interface and display for a protocol analyzer provides a lightweight, easy to use interface for this type of instrument. A basic prototype design, serial link protocol, and algorithms are presented.