How do I use a Minitel terminal as a linux dumb terminal
I recently came across a Minitel 1B made for the US market and got it running. There are a couple of differences from the French version: it runs off 120VAC, it has a 6 pin DIN connector instead of 5 pin, and it uses RS232 line levels instead of 5V TTL. The pinout is below; pin locations assume you're behind the unit facing towards the connector.
- pin 1 (upper right) - RX
- pin 3 (bottom) - ground
- pin 5 (upper left) - TX
Like the unit described above it defaults to 1200 7E1. It also appears to use slightly different "Fnct" commands than the French model; here's what I've sussed out so far:
- Fnct-B 1 : set baud rate to 1200.
- Fnct-B 4 : set baud rate to 4800.
- Fnct-M E : toggle echo.
- Fnct-M A : 80-column ANSI mode. The text will be noticeably dimmer in this mode (although you can set bold text with ESC [ 1 m, which will be closer to the brightness you see at boot).
- Fnct-M V : 40-column Videotex mode
I'm talking to it with an FTDI cable passed through a max232. They're fun little terminals!
The correct plug to use is the 5 pin DIN, named "Peri-informatique".
Useful pins are (DIN pin numbering can be found on Wikipedia):
- RX input
- 0V ground
- TX output
Electric levels are 5V TTL. Default protocol is 1200 baud, one parity bit, even parity.
Here are some resources, unfortunatelly in french:
- Minitel 1 bistandard, notice
- How to build a Minitel/RS232 cable
- Connecting and configuring a minitel to a Linux PC
Nope, You have to use the FCTN button, not CTRL. tested on a Phillips minitel2.
press together FTCN and T then release it. then press A.
do the same for FCTN+T, E , FCTN+p, 4
I assume you've configured your serial port along those lines: http://www.vanemery.net/Linux/Serial/serial-console.html
I propose you try out different baudrate settings on each side or contact the guy who wrote the tutorial.