RS 232 Connection

I need to set up a connection between my Beaglebone Black Wireless and a Keyence Laser Controller which uses an RS 232 protocol. I have successfully connected my PC to the laser controller and communicated to it using putty, now I want to do the same using my Beaglebone instead of the PC.

To double check, I think I would need an RS 232 to TTL adapter, since RS 232 goes +/- 5V but the Beaglebone goes 0-3.3V which is TTL logic. Is this correct? Also, once I have the right hardware, what can I use on the Beaglebone for the actual communication? Is there something I can use in Nodered to send and receive the commands?

Thanks!

Probably your easiest approach is going to be a USB <–> RS-232 dongle.
The other alternative of converting an exisitng UART based serial port from 3.3V TTL logic to RS-232 signal levels will probably require you to build your own. It might be possible to find such level converters already made, but probably not specifically for the BBB. The usual way to build one of those things is to use something like a MAX233, and that requires a +5VD source, so it’s unlikely that anyone makes one specifically pin compatible with the BBB (or any other board, for that matter).

For serial software, my weapon of choice on Linux is always C-Kermit.