# Ruby-serialport on OS X? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [September 3, 2007, 10:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-serialport-on-os-x/113685 "2007-09-03T22:50:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 10:50pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-serialport-on-os-x/113685/1 "2007-09-03T22:50:17Z")
has anyone run into any gotchas compiling ruby-serialport on OS X? I get the weirdest error message. > > require “serialport.so” NameError: (eval):1:in `private_class_method': undefined method `create’ for class `Class' from (eval):1 from (eval):1 from /opt/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:28:in `require’ from (irb):1 > > x there’s a .bundle file which is created when you compile, I’m guessing that’s a way to use Ruby with C. the bundle file has lots of binary stuff in there but you can also see Ruby code, with the create statement that Ruby’s objecting to here. I’m running Ruby 1.8.6. This is the actual Ruby code in the bundle file: class SerialPort private\_class\_method(:create) def SerialPort::new(port, \*params) sp = create(port) begin sp.set\_modem\_params(\*params) rescue sp.close raise end return sp end def SerialPort::open(port, \*params) sp = create(port) begin sp.set\_modem\_params(\*params) if (block\_given?) yield sp sp.close return nil end rescue sp.close raise end return sp end end (with indentation added.) ruby-serialport hasn’t seen active development since 2003, but all the blogs I’ve found say setting it up on OS X was a piece of cake. the Lego Mindstorms Bluetooth library ruby-nxt uses it and I’ve seen people use that with no problems. (or at least, no significant problems.) I’m totally stumped on this. – Giles B. Blog: [http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com](http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com) Portfolio: [http://www.gilesgoatboy.org](http://www.gilesgoatboy.org) Tumblelog: [http://giles.tumblr.com/](http://giles.tumblr.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 10:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-serialport-on-os-x/113685/2 "2007-09-03T22:57:18Z")
Update: I went inside the bundle file and commented out the private\_class\_method line. Result was this error: ! irb > > require “serialport” > > dyld: NSLinkModule() error > > dyld: bad local relocation length > > Trace/BPT trap – Giles B. Blog: [http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com](http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com) Portfolio: [http://www.gilesgoatboy.org](http://www.gilesgoatboy.org) Tumblelog: [http://giles.tumblr.com/](http://giles.tumblr.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 10:59pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-serialport-on-os-x/113685/3 "2007-09-03T22:59:18Z")
Another update: Tried adding a blank create method - figured the private\_class\_method call might be trying to hit something defined in C. No dice: ! irb > > require :serialport > > /opt/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/i686-darwin8.10.1/serialport.bundle: > > [BUG] Segmentation fault > > ruby 1.8.6 (2007-03-13) [i686-darwin8.10.1] Abort trap – Giles B. Blog: [http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com](http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com) Portfolio: [http://www.gilesgoatboy.org](http://www.gilesgoatboy.org) Tumblelog: [http://giles.tumblr.com/](http://giles.tumblr.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2007, 9:58pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-serialport-on-os-x/113685/4 "2007-09-04T21:58:19Z")
> Don’t edit .bundle files. It won’t achieve anything and just give you > nasty errors (as you’ve found) 🙂 It’s /sort of/ the equivalent of .so > files like you’d find on Linux, so any code in there is basically just > debugging stuff. The code in the .bundle file definitely did _something_, as the errors I got changed when I edited the .bundle file. I don’t know what .so files are, though. I do know you can require serialport with a .so extension, though, even though the file doesn’t really have one. that’s a bit odd. > I can’t really help though. I use ruby-serialport for interacting with > a GPRS / SMS modem and it compiled fine. I had to change the > references to /dev/ttyS etc to the device names of my modem, but it > all went okay. This was on PowerPC at the time though… I haven’t > tried on Intel since. I know it compiles on Intel. according to various blogs most people have seen it compile more or less effortlessly. I don’t get it - my system’s pretty standard. I’ll look into changing the device names, though, that’s probably key. a lot of blogs mention that. I don’t really know how that should work, though. I might not need the serial port library anyway. this is all supposed to enable the Bluetooth component of the ruby-nxt library for remote-controlling Lego Mindstorms robots, and I hate to say this, but I’ll probably have to use Java to program my robot, and/or modify ruby-nxt. ruby-nxt _only_ does remote control - if you want to compile a program and download it to the robot, no dice. not only is compilation more effective for this kind of thing, but remote-controlling something by Bluetooth is inherently fragile when that thing has the ability to drive itself out of Bluetooth’s limited range. – Giles B. Blog: [http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com](http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com) Portfolio: [http://www.gilesgoatboy.org](http://www.gilesgoatboy.org) Tumblelog: [http://giles.tumblr.com/](http://giles.tumblr.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-serialport-on-os-x/113685/5 "2007-09-03T23:10:19Z")
On 9/3/07, Giles B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Another update: Tried adding a blank create method - figured the > private\_class\_method call might be trying to hit something defined in > C. No dice: Don’t edit .bundle files. It won’t achieve anything and just give you nasty errors (as you’ve found) 🙂 It’s /sort of/ the equivalent of .so files like you’d find on Linux, so any code in there is basically just debugging stuff. I can’t really help though. I use ruby-serialport for interacting with a GPRS / SMS modem and it compiled fine. I had to change the references to /dev/ttyS etc to the device names of my modem, but it all went okay. This was on PowerPC at the time though… I haven’t tried on Intel since. Cheers, Peter C. [http://www.petercooper.co.uk/](http://www.petercooper.co.uk/) ---
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2007, 11:02pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-serialport-on-os-x/113685/6 "2007-09-09T23:02:13Z")
On Sep 3, 4:49 pm, “Giles B.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > > > require “serialport.so” > > > NameError: (eval):1:in `private_class_method': undefined method `create’ for class `Class' from (eval):1 from (eval):1 from /opt/local/lib/ruby/site_ruby/1.8/rubygems/custom_require.rb:28:in `require’ > > > from (irb):1 I wrote ruby-nxt… there’s something wrong with ruby serialport when you are also loading rubygems. I got around it by not doing a require ‘serialport’, instead do Kernel::require “serialport”. ---
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 7:22am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-serialport-on-os-x/113685/7 "2007-09-10T07:22:56Z")
No dice: [09-09 22:14] ~ ! irb > > Kernel::require “serialport” > > /opt/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/i686-darwin8.10.1/serialport.bundle: > > [BUG] Segmentation fault > > ruby 1.8.6 (2007-03-13) [i686-darwin8.10.1] Abort trap ruby-nxt is cool but leJOS is crazy well-specified. subsumption architecture, navigation, LCD graphics, sound, low-level connection libraries for Bluetooth and USB - probably I’ll use leJOS with JRuby, depending on whether or not it can compile to bytecodes without involving any JRuby stuff in the actual compilation output (which would undoubtedly overwhelm the tiny NXT brain). On 9/9/07, removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > I wrote ruby-nxt… there’s something wrong with ruby serialport when > you are also loading rubygems. I got around it by not doing a require > ‘serialport’, instead do Kernel::require “serialport”. – Giles B. Blog: [http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com](http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com) Portfolio: [http://www.gilesgoatboy.org](http://www.gilesgoatboy.org) Tumblelog: [http://giles.tumblr.com/](http://giles.tumblr.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/848f3c/32.png) [@Giles\_B](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Giles_B)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2007, 3:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/ruby-serialport-on-os-x/113685/8 "2007-09-10T15:56:34Z")
On Sep 10, 1:21 am, “Giles B.” [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > No dice: > [09-09 22:14] ~ > ! irb\>\> Kernel::require “serialport” > /opt/local/lib/ruby/site\_ruby/1.8/i686-darwin8.10.1/serialport.bundle: > [BUG] Segmentation fault > ruby 1.8.6 (2007-03-13) [i686-darwin8.10.1] > Abort trap Hm, not sure what to tell you then, it works for me. I’m on a macbookpro, same version of ruby, and using ruby-serialport-0.6. Only possible difference, I compiled ruby from source, but it looks like you’re using ruby from darwin ports? Not sure why that would cause a problem… > ruby-nxt is cool but leJOS is crazy well-specified. subsumption > architecture, navigation, LCD graphics, sound, low-level connection > libraries for Bluetooth and USB - probably I’ll use leJOS with JRuby, > depending on whether or not it can compile to bytecodes without > involving any JRuby stuff in the actual compilation output (which > would undoubtedly overwhelm the tiny NXT brain). ruby-nxt is sort of a mess at the moment as I don’t have much time to work on it, but I do have usb support done in the svn repository. I really wish I didn’t have to deal with ruby-serialport, but there’s no native bluetooth for ruby. Someone is working on a bluetooth gem, but he doesn’t have a mac so it’s windows/linux only and incomplete. I had thought of accessing the serialport /dev directly instead of using ruby-serialport, but then it wouldn’t work in windows. I had wondered if you could use jruby with lejos somehow, but I know next to nothing about java. I wish I had the time and knowledge to figure out a way to run ruby code directly on the NXT. I have a few ideas on ways to parse ruby code into NXT bytecode, but again, I just don’t have the time.