When discussing terminal emulators, it's these terminal of days past that are being referenced. Terminals that could display text only were referred to as text terminals, and later came graphical terminals. Many consisted of a keyboard and a screen. These terminals came in many form factors, but they soon began to resemble what would become their personal computer descendants. Punch cards and paper tape reels where one such interface, but there was also what was known as a terminal that was used for entering and retrieving data.

Back when computers where big, bulky, and took up entire rooms, there were only a handful of ways to interface with them. To understand the use of the word terminal, we must visit the not so distant past. Terminal emulators go by many names, and, due to the varied use of the word terminal, there can often be some confusion about what someone means when they say terminal.

Connector Basics particularly the USB section.

If you need a refresher, feel free to pop on over to these links. You should be familiar with these topics before diving into this tutorial. In this tutorial we will discuss what a terminal is, which terminal programs are best suited for certain situations and operating systems, and how to configure and use each program. There are lots of different terminal programs out there, and they all have their pros and cons. Once you have learned the ins and outs of a terminal application, it can be a very powerful tool in your electronics and programming arsenal. They allow you to see data sent to and from your microcontroller, and that data can be used for a number of reasons including troubleshooting/debugging, communication testing, calibrating sensors, configuring modules, and data monitoring. In short, serial terminal programs make working with microcontrollers that much simpler.

This tutorial is here to help you understand what these terms mean and how they form the larger picture that is serial communication over a terminal.

For someone who isn't familiar with these terms and the context in which they are used, they can be confusing at times. These are all words that get thrown around a lot when working with electronics, especially microcontrollers.

Arduino Serial Monitor (Windows, Mac, Linux)ĬOM ports.

Screen for mac os x terminal emulator