CoolTerm

CoolTerm is a compact application that allows you to communicate with various devices by sending messages from a terminal. The program can use the computer serial ports in order to send and receive data.

This application is designed to help both specialists and enthusiasts who use their computer to control various devices such as GPS receivers and servo controllers. If your device uses a serial port, CoolTerm should be able to send and receive data messages.

As you probably hinted, before you can use the app you need to configure the connection by specifying the port number, baud rate, parity and other flow control parameters. The terminal supports both raw and line mode which enables you to adjust it to various device types.

The interface is easy to use and displays the messages received from the device as ASCII characters. You can change it to hexadecimal view if you feel more comfortable with this reading mode.

You can send a string or a text file to the connected hardware in order to view the response. If you need to run multiple tests, the app allows you to record the responses to a text document in order to review them later.

While the program is clearly designed for users who know how to send messages through the COM ports, it includes a documentation that aims to familiarize the casual users. Placing the cursor over a parameter displays a tooltip with a detailed description.

If you need to communicate with other devices by using a COM port, the CoolTerm app can come in handy. Since it does not require an installation and can save the settings to any location, you can also use it from an USB stick.