# RS232

The Cognex Designer RS232 device allows you programmatic access to a serial port on the PC.

Control | Description
--- | ---
Name | Specifies the name of the serial device.
COM Port | Specifies the serial port connection. Note: When connecting to a Vision Controller, Designer displays COM1 and COM2 as possible COM Port settings; use COM1.
Baud Rate | Specifies the baud rate for the connection.
Parity | Specifies the parity-checking protocol for the connection.
Data Bits | Specifies the standard length of data bits, per byte, for the connection.
Stop Bits | Specifies the standard number of stop bits, per byte, for the connection.
DTR Enabled | Specifies whether or not to enable the Data Terminal Ready (DTR) signal during serial communication (disabled by default).
Buffer Size | Specifies the size (minimum 1 byte; default = 4096) of the received data buffer for the serial device. Note: This setting can be used in conjunction with the Receive Data block.
Number of Buffers | Specifies the number of buffers (minimum 1 buffer; default = 10) for the received data for the serial device. Note: This setting can be used in conjunction with the Receive Data block.
Packet Splitter | The method (and options) to use to automatically detect packet structure. See the topic TCP/IP Client for details on Packet Splitter configuration.