I used a BBC Micro emulator to send a 2400bps ASCII string to open up a motorised nav screen on a DB9
it was quicker and cheaper than buying RS232-terminal software, all you have to do it Print the characters with the output to the serial port and a few *FX calls to set the baud and parity.

28 year old computer technology, although being emulated on a 2 year old computer running at 1,000 times the clock speed and twice the processors and infinityflibbertygibbets more storage and RAM. It still plays Mr Ee and Starship Command as well :-)

About the same age and still going strong, there are a lot of computer-based industrial devices or garage alignment tools like MOT gas analysers that still need dot matrix printers and ink ribbons to work with three-part carbon paper stationary. Bleurgh!
( Rotating Wobbly Hat That's not a banana. THIS is a banana., Thu 4 Nov 2010, 16:14, 1 reply)

wibble
why use an emulator?
I still have my BBC B from 1983 - full working order and dodgy tape drive
(Zuffle farts silently in lifts then leaves the warm aroma, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 17:57, closed)