[zwirbl]

Yes, but you would still need to convert the differential signals to UART with appropriate voltage levels. A RS-485 to USB adapter might be the better option here. But a buspirate has way more usability than just UART, it's awesome for some quick i2C or SPI experimentation

[bshacklett]

Ah, so Bus Pirate wouldn't help me trigger or decode the messages? My biggest problem is that I don't have the automation system which is expected to talk to the devices, so I'm at a loss as to how I'd even get communication started for me to look at what's going over the wire.