Docklight is a testing, analysis and simulation tool for serial communication protocols (RS232, RS485/422 and others). It allows you to monitor the communication between two serial devices or to test the serial communication of a single device. Docklight significantly increases productivity in a broad range of industries, including automation and control, communications, automotive, equipment manufacturers, and embedded / consumer products. Docklight is easy to use and runs on almost any standard PC using Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP or Windows 2000/NT 4 operating system.

• Simulating serial protocols
• Logging RS232 data
• Detecting specific data sequences
• Responding to incoming data
  
  　

The extended Docklight Scripting software provides an easy-to-use program language and a built-in editor to create and run automated test jobs. Docklight Scripting is also network- enabled and allows TCP or UDP connections. See Docklight TCP/UDP for an introduction.


　

[Overview]

Docklight RS232 Terminal / RS232 Monitor

  Simulating serial protocols

Docklight can send out user-defined sequences according to the protocol used and it can react to incoming sequences. This makes it possible to simulate the behavior of a serial communication device, which is particularly useful for generating test conditions that are hard to reproduce with the original device (e.g. problem conditions).

  Logging RS232 data

All serial communication data can be logged using two different file formats: use plain text format for fast logging and storing huge amounts of data. Or create a HTML file with styled text that lets you easily distinguish between incoming and outgoing data or additional information.

  Detecting specific data sequences

In many test cases you will need to check for a specific sequence within the RS232 data that indicates a problem condition. Docklight manages a list of such data sequences for you and is able to perform user-defined actions after detecting a sequence, e.g. taking a snapshot of all communication data before and after the error message was received.

  Responding to incoming data

Docklight lets you specify user-defined answers to the different communication sequences received. This allows you to build a basic simulator for your serial device within a few minutes. It can also help you to trace a certain error by sending out a diagnostics command after receiving the error message.


Docklight will work with the COM communication ports provided by your operating system. Physically, these ports will be RS232 SUB D9 interfaces in many cases. However, it is also possible to use Docklight for other communication standards such as RS485 and RS422, which have a different electrical design to RS232 but follow the RS232 communication mechanism. Docklight has also been successfully tested with many popular USB-to-RS232 converters, virtual null modem software drivers, and many other Embedded Development tools that appear as a virtual COM port in Windows.