Question 1 is yes, but  cross connect them TX-RX, RX-TX and GND.  You do need a TTL/RS232 adapter for COM1 if you want to use your RS232 cable for both ports.

This has been frustrating for me also. Maybe it is both an IE11 and a Forum problem. If I login with Chrome, pasting this this message from Notepad into a  Reply box works just fine.

Here is a nice sequential mean and variance estimator,
http://www.johndcook..._deviation.html

Just sample the analog input or distance for X ms and you have the mean value together with the error estimate.

You can also use,

byte B = 0xac;
String S = B.ToString("X2");
Debug.Print(S); //--> AC

There's  easyEDA,

http://easyeda.com/

It was free when I signed up, but I haven't used it much. Also, LTspice IV,

http://www.linear.co...tools/software/

I previously confronted this issue and found a couple of references,
https://www.ghielect...3/serialization
http://bytes.com/top...ture-byte-array

I copied the structure serialize code (near the bottom of the page) from the second reference and it compiles
just fine on the Mini using firmware 4.2.0.1.

Imports Microsoft.SPOT
Imports Microsoft.SPOT.Hardware
Imports SecretLabs.NETMF.Hardware
Imports SecretLabs.NETMF.Hardware.NetduinoMini
Imports System.Reflection
Imports System.Runtime.InteropServices
Imports Microsoft.VisualBasic.Constants
Imports System.Text
Imports System.Threading
Imports System.Collections

Module Module1
    Sub Main()
        Dim s As Struct = New Struct
        Dim ms As MyStruct = New MyStruct With {.el1 = 1, .el2 = 2, .el3 = 3}
        Dim sb() As Byte = Struct.Convert(ms)
    End Sub

    <StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, Pack:=1, Size:=12)>
    Private Structure MyStruct
        Dim el1 As Byte
        Dim el2 As Int16
        Dim el3 As Byte
    End Structure

    Public Class Struct
    'Charles Law 
    'http://bytes.com/topic/visual-basic-net/answers/357098-convert-structure-byte-array

        Public Shared Function Convert(ByVal MyStruct As Object) As Byte()
            Dim al As ArrayList
            Dim Fields As FieldInfo() = MyStruct.GetType.GetFields
            al = New ArrayList

            For Each fld As FieldInfo In Fields
                If fld.FieldType.Equals(GetType(Byte)) Then
                    ' Add byte to array list
                    al.Add(CByte(fld.GetValue(MyStruct)))

                ElseIf fld.FieldType.Equals(GetType(Int16)) Then
                    ' Add 16-bit value to array list
                    Dim i16 As Int16

                    i16 = CType(fld.GetValue(MyStruct), Int16)
                    al.Add(CByte(i16 >> 8))
                    al.Add(CByte(i16 And &HFF))
                Else
                    Throw New Exception("Cannot convert type.")
                End If
            Next fld

            Return DirectCast(al.ToArray(GetType(Byte)), Byte())

        End Function
    End Class

    Public Function PrintArray(title As String, ByVal Arr() As Byte) As String
        Dim s As String = title & vbCrLf
        For i = 0 To Arr.Length - 1
            s &= "i = " & i.ToString & "  " & "Byte = " & Arr(i).ToString("X2") & vbCrLf
        Next
        Return s.Trim
    End Function


End Module

I didn't run it for this post because my Mini is in storage. I lost interest in this because I found for my purposes it was easier to just convert the data type to a string and then convert the string to bytes and then reverse this to go back to the data type (not too efficient, but it works)

Thanks ... Great price, bought one.

 

Mine has sat unused in its box since I excitedly bought one when it first came out. I expect it to stay there.

Mine also 

You need to add,

using System.IO.Ports;

I was using this with an ESP8266 AT command set driver (since abandonded in favor of the Lua firmware). Just instantiate the port without an event handler and then receive serial in a wait loop.

Public Sub New(ByVal ComPort As String, _
                   Optional ByVal baud As Integer = 9600)
        Port = New SerialPort(ComPort, baud, Parity.None, 8, StopBits.One)

        With Port 'note no event handler
            .Handshake = Handshake.None
            .WriteTimeout = 200
            .ReadTimeout = 200
            .Open()
        End With
        InputString = String.Empty
        'need to change if not 9600
        If (baud <> _DefaultBaud) Then '9600 is default baud rate of ESP8266 firmware (0.9.2.2)
            _Baud = baud
        End If
    End Sub

---------------

Public Function GetFromESP(Eot As String) As String
        'this is the main reader for ESP responses. It will wait for the expected Eot or
        'a socket exception will be thrown if the response contains, ERROR or Unlink

        Dim n As Integer = 0
        Dim response As String = String.Empty
        InputString = String.Empty
        While (True)
            If (Port.BytesToRead > 0) Then
                Dim buff = New Byte(Port.BytesToRead - 1) {}
                n = Port.Read(buff, 0, Port.BytesToRead)
                Thread.Sleep(200)
                InputString &= New String(Encoding.UTF8.GetChars(buff))
                'Debug.Print("Inputstring: " & InputString)

                If (Contains(InputString, Eot)) Then 'expected return
                    Exit While
                    'Trap for socket connect to inactive server
                ElseIf (Contains(InputString, "CIPSTART") And _
                       (Contains(InputString, "ERROR") _
                        Or Contains(InputString, "Unlink"))) Then
                    response = InputString
                    InputString = String.Empty
                    Throw (New ESPexception("Socket can't connect: GetFomESP returned ERROR Unlink"))
                End If
                Thread.Sleep(50) 'need this delay (maybe more)
            End If
        End While
        response = InputString
        InputString = String.Empty
        Return response
    End Function

See post #8,
http://forums.netdui...uino-unique-id/

I just bought a discounted Seeed Gprs at Radio Sack,
http://www.seeedstud...erface_Function
I now find that Seeed is selling a new model, but the basic functionality is the same as the old one.

The serial setup is different from yours, but I think they are doing the same thing. I have mine with the jumpers set to hardware. The shield is plugged in to the Netduino and Netduino is directly talking to the module via COM1. If you want to talk to the module from a PC terminal, configure yours for hardware, but don't plug it in to the Netduino.and take power externally. Then connect a USB-TTL cable to D0, D1 on the shield. The USB to RS232 cable you linked is wrong for this application.  You might look at these depending upon the versatility you want ( you can get a cheaper USB to TTL  adapter on ebay),

https://www.sparkfun.../products/12977

https://www.sparkfun.../products/11736

My driver in VB seems to working ok with simple commands,

        SeeedGprs.SendReceiveCmd("AT") 'can communicate
        Debug.Print("CmdSent: " & SeeedGprs.CmdSent)
        Debug.Print("CmdAnswer: " & SeeedGprs.CmdResponse)
        Thread.Sleep(400)
        SeeedGprs.SendReceiveCmd("AT+COPS?", , 400) 'Carrier info
        Debug.Print("CmdSent: " & SeeedGprs.CmdSent)
        Debug.Print("CmdAnswer: " & SeeedGprs.CmdResponse)
        Thread.Sleep(400)
        SeeedGprs.SendReceiveCmd("AT(+CSQ)") 'signal quality
        Debug.Print("CmdSent: " & SeeedGprs.CmdSent)
        Debug.Print("CmdAnswer: " & SeeedGprs.CmdResponse)


CmdSent: AT
CmdAnswer:  OK 
CmdSent: AT+COPS?
CmdAnswer: PS: 0,0,"T-Mobile"  OK 
CmdSent: AT(+CSQ)
CmdAnswer: OR 
 

To go much further, I need an activated SIM card. The phones I have use a micro SIM and these modules take a standard size. I guess the answer is to just use the carrier for a micro SIM in in an activation kit.

Don't know much about it, but may be useful with a Plus 1 or 2.

http://www.amazon.co...e/dp/B00E00C70C
http://slickdeals.ne...free-on-amazon?