Documentation

Serial Monitor Workspace

Serial Monitor Workspace reads and writes raw bytes through a USB serial adapter or an Osprio RS-485 bridge. Use it when you need a transparent view of the bus rather than OSDP packet decoding, emulation, provisioning, or conformance automation.

Workspace story ​

The workspace follows three stages:

  1. choose an Osprio Bridge or a USB serial adapter
  2. configure and open the port
  3. inspect received bytes and transmit data with the line composer, raw keyboard mode, or saved macros

Serial Monitor does not interpret traffic as OSDP packets. For decoded protocol fields, secure-channel inspection, and .ovb evidence, use Capture.

Choose a device ​

The device picker separates two connection paths.

Osprio Bridge devices ​

An Osprio device running the Bridge App exposes its RS-485 bus through Osprio View's normal USB device flow. In the browser build, pair the device first if it is not already authorized. Osprio View then drives the bridge over WebUSB; do not select the same device's CDC serial interface as a separate USB serial adapter.

If an Osprio Mini is running another app, use App Switcher to install Bridge App, then return to Serial Monitor.

USB serial adapters ​

Serial Monitor can also connect to USB-to-serial adapters and devices that expose a virtual serial port through the browser's Web Serial API. Choose the USB serial adapter action, authorize the device in the browser picker, and then select it from the device list.

Browser serial support requires a compatible Chromium-based browser. Platform and browser policies can restrict adapter discovery or access. The installed desktop build handles supported Osprio hardware through its native runtime, but USB serial adapter availability depends on the active runtime backend.

Connect and configure ​

Selecting a port opens the monitor page without opening the bus immediately. Review the settings, then press Connect.

The toolbar exposes the baud rate directly. Advanced contains:

  • data bits
  • parity
  • stop bits
  • received-line framing
  • delimiter notation and value
  • bytes per hex row
  • row density and zebra-striping preferences

Serial settings and viewer preferences are remembered for later tabs. A new tab always starts the composer in the safer buffered Line mode rather than silently capturing raw keystrokes.

Read the byte stream ​

The stream can show ASCII, hexadecimal bytes, or both. At least one representation remains enabled.

Display controls include:

  • ASCII and Hex representations
  • named glyphs for control characters
  • timestamps
  • RX/TX direction
  • autoscroll or scroll lock
  • framing by a start-of-frame or end-of-line delimiter

The toolbar also reports received bytes, transmitted bytes, and the current byte rate. Clear removes the tab's current log. Save exports the retained serial log to a file.

The rendered stream is intentionally bounded even when the underlying session has retained more data, keeping a busy bus responsive.

Send data ​

Line mode ​

Line mode buffers a payload until you press send. Choose ASCII or hexadecimal notation for the input. Optional prefix and suffix bytes are applied when the payload is transmitted, which is useful for terminators and simple framing.

Previously sent payloads are available through input history. Changing between ASCII and hex changes how the same bytes are represented rather than changing their meaning.

Raw mode ​

Raw mode sends supported keyboard input immediately, without line buffering and without applying the configured prefix or suffix. Use it for interactive consoles and devices that react to individual keystrokes.

Because keys are transmitted live, click into raw input only after confirming that the intended port is connected. A fresh Serial Monitor tab never starts in Raw mode.

Macros ​

Macros save frequently used payloads in the shared Serial Monitor library. A macro can be sent once or repeated on a timer. Repetition stops when the port closes. Prefix, suffix, notation, and repeat behavior should be reviewed before using a macro against production equipment.

Errors, disconnects, and lifecycle ​

If the device closes the port or a read/write operation fails, the workspace stops treating the port as open and shows an error banner. Reconnect after checking the cable, device role, port ownership, and serial settings.

Returning to the device picker releases the current binding. Closing the tab closes its port and discards that tab's in-memory byte log. Save anything you need before closing; saved macros and general Serial Monitor preferences persist independently of the tab.

Only one workspace session can own an Osprio Bridge at a time. If it is already in use, close or disconnect the owning tab before opening it in Serial Monitor.