# SOLVED: Any harm in sending bytes to serial buffer never accessed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Programming\ **Created:** [August 6, 2022, 7:32am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735 "2022-08-06T07:32:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RayLivingston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b5ac83/32.png) [@RayLivingston](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/RayLivingston)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 1:52pm UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735/22 "2022-08-08T13:52:18Z")
> [@GoForSmoke](#): > > 115200 baud means 11520 char/sec, No! 115200 BAUD means 115,200 BITS per second. Each character is (usually) 10 bits, so that is 11,520 char/sec. ---
**Author:** ![Whandall](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/whandall/32/222457_2.png) [@Whandall](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/Whandall)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 3:26pm UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735/23 "2022-08-08T15:26:24Z")
> [@GoForSmoke](#): > > 11520 char/sec > [@RayLivingston](#): > > so that is 11,520 char/sec. How does the (internationally confusing) comma make a difference? ---
**Author:** ![MicroBahner](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/microbahner/32/238923_2.png) [@MicroBahner](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/MicroBahner)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2022, 3:43pm UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735/24 "2022-08-08T15:43:31Z")
I think what @RayLivingston wants to tell is, that 115200 baud not automatically means 11520 chars per second. It depends on the bit/char, which can be more or less then 10 bit. But on Arduino it almost always is 10 bit/char. And only in this case its 11520 char/sec. ( With or without the confusing ',' or '.' 😇 ) ---
**Author:** ![westfw](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/westfw/32/213443_2.png) [@westfw](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/westfw)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 12:54am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735/25 "2022-08-11T00:54:35Z")
Note that if you have an Arduino with direct USB connections (like an Arduino Micro), the "Serial" connection will behave much differently than a UART connection. If the USB port isn't plugged in, attempts to do begin/print will hang indefinitely. (I never quite understood why the USB port wasn't made to behave the same way as the UART ports.) Pedantically, and having nothing to do with this thread, "1200 baud" means 1200 _signal changes_ per second. If you have a fancy MODEM, it can cram more than one bit into each signal change, and get (for example) 9600bps out 1200baud. That's how high-speed dial-up modems used to work (at least some of them.) ---
**Author:** ![sterretje](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/sterretje/32/391294_2.png) [@sterretje](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/sterretje)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 1:03am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735/26 "2022-08-11T01:03:19Z")
> [@westfw](#): > > If the USB port isn't plugged in, attempts to do begin/print will hang indefinitely. To my knowledge, that is not true. _`while(!Serial)`_ will hang the board indefinitely if it's used standalone but you can begin() and print(). ---
**Author:** ![gfvalvo](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/gfvalvo/32/1013044_2.png) [@gfvalvo](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/gfvalvo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2022, 1:04am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735/27 "2022-08-11T01:04:42Z")
> [@westfw](#): > > "1200 baud" means 1200 _signal changes_ per second. How about "symbols" per second? ---
**Author:** ![GoForSmoke](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/goforsmoke/32/1127097_2.png) [@GoForSmoke](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/GoForSmoke)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 11:06am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735/28 "2022-08-13T11:06:34Z")
115200 baud means 11520 char/sec, > [@RayLivingston](#): > > No! 115200 BAUD means 115,200 BITS per second. Each character is (usually) 10 bits, so that is 11,520 char/sec. and 11,520 == 11520 ...... are you trolling? ---
**Author:** ![GoForSmoke](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/goforsmoke/32/1127097_2.png) [@GoForSmoke](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/GoForSmoke)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 11:08am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735/29 "2022-08-13T11:08:40Z")
The IDE won't compile it. ---
**Author:** ![GoForSmoke](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/goforsmoke/32/1127097_2.png) [@GoForSmoke](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/GoForSmoke)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 11:10am UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735/30 "2022-08-13T11:10:55Z")
> [@westfw](#): > > If you have a fancy MODEM, it can cram more than one bit into each signal change, and get (for example) 9600bps out 1200baud. Something like Charlieplexing? ---
**Author:** ![gfvalvo](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/gfvalvo/32/1013044_2.png) [@gfvalvo](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/gfvalvo)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2022, 12:14pm UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735/31 "2022-08-13T12:14:39Z")
> [@GoForSmoke](#): > > Something like Charlieplexing? [QAM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrature_amplitude_modulation) and [Coded Modulation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trellis_modulation). ---
**Author:** ![system](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/arduino/user_avatar/forum.arduino.cc/system/32/1140315_2.png) [@system](https://forum.arduino.cc/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2023, 12:14pm UTC](https://forum.arduino.cc/t/solved-any-harm-in-sending-bytes-to-serial-buffer-never-accessed/1019735/32 "2023-02-09T12:14:42Z")
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