diff --git a/api/HardwareSerial.h b/api/HardwareSerial.h
index e8f0657a..4473fe13 100644
--- a/api/HardwareSerial.h
+++ b/api/HardwareSerial.h
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ namespace arduino {
 #define SERIAL_DATA_6        (0x200ul)
 #define SERIAL_DATA_7        (0x300ul)
 #define SERIAL_DATA_8        (0x400ul)
+#define SERIAL_DATA_9        (0x500ul)
 #define SERIAL_DATA_MASK     (0xF00ul)
 
 #define SERIAL_5N1           (SERIAL_STOP_BIT_1 | SERIAL_PARITY_NONE  | SERIAL_DATA_5)
@@ -83,7 +84,12 @@ namespace arduino {
 #define SERIAL_6S2           (SERIAL_STOP_BIT_2 | SERIAL_PARITY_SPACE | SERIAL_DATA_6)
 #define SERIAL_7S2           (SERIAL_STOP_BIT_2 | SERIAL_PARITY_SPACE | SERIAL_DATA_7)
 #define SERIAL_8S2           (SERIAL_STOP_BIT_2 | SERIAL_PARITY_SPACE | SERIAL_DATA_8)
-
+#define SERIAL_9N1           (SERIAL_STOP_BIT_1 | SERIAL_PARITY_NONE  | SERIAL_DATA_9)
+#define SERIAL_9N2           (SERIAL_STOP_BIT_2 | SERIAL_PARITY_NONE  | SERIAL_DATA_9)
+#define SERIAL_9E1           (SERIAL_STOP_BIT_1 | SERIAL_PARITY_EVEN  | SERIAL_DATA_9)
+#define SERIAL_9E2           (SERIAL_STOP_BIT_2 | SERIAL_PARITY_EVEN  | SERIAL_DATA_9)
+#define SERIAL_9O1           (SERIAL_STOP_BIT_1 | SERIAL_PARITY_ODD   | SERIAL_DATA_9)
+#define SERIAL_9O2           (SERIAL_STOP_BIT_2 | SERIAL_PARITY_ODD   | SERIAL_DATA_9)
 class HardwareSerial : public Stream
 {
   public:
@@ -97,6 +103,9 @@ class HardwareSerial : public Stream
     virtual size_t write(uint8_t) = 0;
     using Print::write; // pull in write(str) and write(buf, size) from Print
     virtual operator bool() = 0;
+	virtual size_t write9bit(uint8_t) = 0;
+	virtual void set_tx_mode(void) = 0;
+	virtual void set_rx_mode(void) = 0;
 };
 
 // XXX: Are we keeping the serialEvent API?
diff --git a/api/RingBuffer.h b/api/RingBuffer.h
index 8665cf6a..a5522dad 100644
--- a/api/RingBuffer.h
+++ b/api/RingBuffer.h
@@ -30,20 +30,20 @@ namespace arduino {
 // using a ring buffer (I think), in which head is the index of the location
 // to which to write the next incoming character and tail is the index of the
 // location from which to read.
-#define SERIAL_BUFFER_SIZE 64
+#define SERIAL_BUFFER_SIZE 256
 
 template <int N>
 class RingBufferN
 {
   public:
-    uint8_t _aucBuffer[N] ;
+    uint16_t _aucBuffer[N] ;
     volatile int _iHead ;
     volatile int _iTail ;
     volatile int _numElems;
 
   public:
     RingBufferN( void ) ;
-    void store_char( uint8_t c ) ;
+    void store_char( uint16_t c ) ;
     void clear();
     int read_char();
     int available();
@@ -62,12 +62,12 @@ typedef RingBufferN<SERIAL_BUFFER_SIZE> RingBuffer;
 template <int N>
 RingBufferN<N>::RingBufferN( void )
 {
-    memset( _aucBuffer, 0, N ) ;
+    memset( _aucBuffer, 0, (N * 2) ) ;
     clear();
 }
 
 template <int N>
-void RingBufferN<N>::store_char( uint8_t c )
+void RingBufferN<N>::store_char( uint16_t c )
 {
   // if we should be storing the received character into the location
   // just before the tail (meaning that the head would advance to the
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ void RingBufferN<N>::store_char( uint8_t c )
   {
     _aucBuffer[_iHead] = c ;
     _iHead = nextIndex(_iHead);
-    _numElems = _numElems + 1;
+    _numElems++;
   }
 }
 
@@ -95,9 +95,9 @@ int RingBufferN<N>::read_char()
   if (isEmpty())
     return -1;
 
-  uint8_t value = _aucBuffer[_iTail];
+  uint16_t value = _aucBuffer[_iTail];
   _iTail = nextIndex(_iTail);
-  _numElems = _numElems - 1;
+  _numElems--;
 
   return value;
 }
@@ -138,4 +138,4 @@ bool RingBufferN<N>::isFull()
 }
 
 #endif /* _RING_BUFFER_ */
-#endif /* __cplusplus */
+#endif /* __cplusplus */
\ No newline at end of file