This is not a complete tutorial for minicom. Just the basics to do what you need to do for this course. (If you want more details, type man minicom at a command line prompt.) (Addendum: See Important Note below.)
To start minicom, open a shell and type:
minicom -oA help/menu screen with the various minicom commands can be brought up at any time by typing:
ctrl-A ZThat is: hold down the control key and type A, then release the control key and type Z (the a and z are case insensitive). Ctrl-A puts you in command mode, the next letter typed is the command. To exit minicom, type:
ctrl-A XTo set your options type:
ctrl-A O(thats oh not zero). You will need to edit your options for file transfer, so use the arrow keys to scroll down to "File Transfer Protocols" and hit enter. Then hit the "I" key to select ascii. Hitting the enter key will take you to the next field for editing. Change the line to read:
/usr/bin/ascii-xfr -ds -c 50 -l 300Then hit the enter key to cycle thru the other fields and return to the options menu. At the options menu, scroll down to "Save setup as dfl" and hit enter. Then scroll down to "Exit" and hit enter. (Lower values for -c and -l will speed things up for downloading, but don't set them so low that you start getting errors - 20 and 200 are working on my computer.)
Note: Many options in the various menus in minicom are accessed this way - use arrow keys to select a menu item, type a letter associated with an option and hit enter or type in a value to change or advance to the next item.
To start a file upload to the IsoPod, make sure the IsoPod is turned on, then type:
ctrl-A S (for send file)Use the right arrow key to select [Go To], hit enter, and type in the subdirectory (path) where your program files are. Then, scroll down to the file you want to load and hit the space bar to tag it. Next, hit the enter key, and your file will start downloading. Watch for the "?" errors as the file uploads, and use ctrl-C to interrupt the download. Note: If you want to do away with the [Go To] step above, and you keep all of your files in the same subdirectory, you can set a default subdirectory by choosing the "Filenames and paths" option in the option menu - type B for "upload directory" and type in the name (path) of your subdirectory (relative to your home directory - ie no leading slash). Don't forget to save your options again.
Important Note: While you are uploading your program, if you see any " ? " errors, or any "MSG #17" errors, stop the download with ctrl-C and SCRUB the IsoPod, correct your errors, and start over. If you issue the AUTOSTART command when errors were present, and if you reset the IsoPod without a successful AUTOSTART command, you can lock up the IsoPod. It's easy to recover from a locked up IsoPod, but you will need to come see me for a jumper block and directions on how to do that (without frying it). [Actually the directions for recovering are in the IsoPod manual, and the jumper blocks are in the cabinets, but it's easier to just come see me.]