UCYCOM(4)

📦
version 15.1 · 3 versions
, in freebsd 14.5, freebsd 15.1, nixpkgs unstable

💅 UCYCOM(4) — the ucycom girlie's guide 💅

okay so this is a page from the Kernel Interfaces Manual (section 4, iykyk) and it's all about ucycom — no cap, it's a whole vibe. let's get into it 🦋

✨ NAME ✨

ucycom — bestie, it's the device driver for the Cypress CY7C63743 and CY7C64013 USB to RS232 bridges 💖

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

so like, if you wanna compile this driver into the kernel, you gotta put these lines in your kernel configuration file, fr fr:

device usb
device hid
device ucom
device ucycom

orrrr, alternatively (main character option ✨), if you'd rather load the driver as a module at boot time, you put this line in loader.conf(5):

ucycom_load="YES"

that's it. that's the whole thing. slay 🎀

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so the ucycom driver provides support for the Cypress CY7C63743 and CY7C64013 bridge chips 👑

ngl, these chips were designed to provide a low-cost transition path to USB for existing RS232 devices — and the way that they did that was by having, um, fairly limited capabilities. like, they're doing their best, but they're not the icon that a modern chip is 💀

and the ucycom driver? it behaves like a tty(4). periodt. that's the whole personality 💅

🔥 HARDWARE 🔥

right now (as in, currently), the ucycom driver supports these devices that incorporate Cypress USB to RS232 bridge chips:

  • DeLorme Earthmate USB GPS receiver 🛰️ (yes, just the one — she's exclusive)

🎀 FILES 🎀

here's the file situation, and yes you need to know all of it:

  • /dev/ttyU* — for callin ports 💜
  • /dev/ttyU*.init — the corresponding callin initial-state device
  • /dev/ttyU*.lock — the corresponding callin lock-state device

and then the callout girlies:

  • /dev/cuaU* — for callout ports 🩷
  • /dev/cuaU*.init — the corresponding callout initial-state device
  • /dev/cuaU*.lock — the corresponding callout lock-state device

🧚 SEE ALSO 🧚

go read these next, bestie, they're literally the supporting cast:

⭐ HISTORY ⭐

the ucycom driver first appeared in FreeBSD 5.3 — a true vintage queen, we love a comeback story 👑

🌈 AUTHORS 🌈

the ucycom driver and this manual page were both written by Dag-Erling Smørgrav <des@FreeBSD.org> 🫶 ty king

lowkey reminder that these chips are limited and this driver just does tty things — no extra promises were made, and none are being made now 🙈

okay that's the page!! and for the record, this version is from Debian, dated April 26, 2017 — so if you're reading this in the future, hi, you're welcome, mwah 💋🌸

📦 where this page comes from