BUT You guys..........consider this.

If you set the PC comm port to 9600/8N1 it sends a total of 10 bit times per transaction. No parity here means that no parity bit time slot is allocated.

If you sent the PC comm port to 9600/8E1 it sends a total of 11 bit times per transaction. Even parity here means to insert an additional bit (at a 1 or 0 to make the total count of bits per transaction Even).

If you set the PC comm port to 9600/7N1 it sends a total of 9 bit times per transaction. No parity here means that no parity bit time slot is allocated.

If you set the PC comm port to 9600/7O1 it sends a total of 10 bit times per transaction. Odd parity here means to insert an additional bit (at a 1 or 0 to make the total count of bits per transaction Odd).

Any other discussion on this subject, referencing specs, standards and what not is intellectual jibberish. To great degree connectivity these days on an asynchronous serial communications drop is referenced back to the 'defacto standardization' set forth by the PC world. If you want my opinion IBM did a wonderful thing with the original PCs to steer RS-232 toward the PC defacto standard. Many readers here are probably too young to recall the pre-PC world - but I can and will tell you that RS232 was an absolute MESS before 1981. And that can go to show you what good ANSCI, EIA, and TIA specifications are good for!!!

MICHAEL KARAS