RealTerm

RealTerm is a Windows-based terminal application designed for serial port communication with an emphasis on displaying and capturing raw binary data. It is an open-source tool commonly used by engineers and developers to interact with microcontrollers, sensors, and other serial devices, especially when inspecting non-text data or debugging binary protocols.

Overview and purpose

RealTerm provides a focused environment for serial debugging and data capture. It allows users to connect to a selected COM port, configure standard serial parameters, and observe the incoming data in multiple representations. The program is valued for its ability to accurately render data that may not be printable characters, making it suitable for protocol analysis and firmware testing.

Features

Key capabilities include support for common serial configurations (port selection, baud rate, data bits, parity, stop bits, and flow control), multiple display modes that mix ASCII and hexadecimal representations, and real-time data viewing. It offers data logging to files, enabling later analysis or sharing of captured sessions. Users can also send data to a connected device, either from the keyboard, from a file, or in a pre-defined sequence. The interface typically presents a port control area, a data viewing pane, and a sending/input area, with options to adjust display formatting as needed for debugging.

Implementation and availability

RealTerm is distributed as free, open-source software and has project pages hosted on platforms such as SourceForge and related mirrors. While primarily used on Windows, its straightforward, purpose-built design makes it a popular choice for those requiring detailed binary data handling and reliable serial capture.

See also

PuTTY, Tera Term, Minicom (for alternative serial communication tools).