Black Box Explains...RS-232. Product Data Sheets
(pdf)...Enhanced Parallel Port Cables RS-232, also known as
RS-232C and TIA/EIA-232-E, is a group of electrical, functional,
and mechanical specifications for serial interfaces between
computers, terminals, and peripherals. The RS-232 standard was
developed by... more/see it nowthe Electrical Industries
Association (EIA), and defines requirements for connecting data
communications equipment (DCE)—modems, converters, etc.—and data
terminal equipment (DTE)—computers, controllers, etc.) devices.
RS-232 transmits data at speeds up to 115 Kbps and over
distances up to 50 feet (15.2 m). The standard, which is
functionally equivalent to ITU V.24/V.28, specifies the workings
of the interface, circuitry, and connector pinning. Both sync
and async binary data transmission fall under RS-232. Although
RS-232 is sometimes still used to transmit data from PCs to
peripheral devices, the most common uses today are for network
console ports and for industrial devices. Even thou