USB to RS-232 Serial Adapter Advice

[Paul Remde]

Hi,

I have a friend that has an LX Colibri (the older model without a USB
connector) and he is having a tough time getting it connected to his new
laptop. The manual I found online for the laptop does not show it having a
PC Card (PCMCIA card) slot or an ExpressCard slot.

I have had the best luck connecting to soaring instruments using either a PC
card serial port or an ExpressCard serial port.

I have not had any real success using a USB to RS-232 Serial adapter cable.
However, I have seen postings on this newsgroup from glider pilots that have
found USB to serial adapters that work well for them.

Please let me know if you have found a USB to Serial adapter that works well
for you with soaring instruments. Please include the make and model #.

Thank you,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

[KevinFinke]

We are using a Keyspan USA-19HS USB to Serial adapter with an LX7000
computer to download flights. Haven't had any issues with a variety of
different PC's and seems to work with Windows XP and Vista.

-Kevin

[jcarlyle]

I mainly use a Iomega GUC232A adapter, but I also have an EasySync ES-
U-1001-R10. The main difference between the two is that the Iomega
uses aProlific PL2303 chip, while the EasySync uses a FT232RQ chip.

I've always been able to connect to RS232 devices with either adapter,
under both Win98SE and XP Pro. Can't be positive, but I think the keys
are:

1. follow the instructions and install the driver FIRST before
plugging the adapter in, and
2. use Device Manager to change the adapter's Com port to something
between Com 1 and Com 4.

Hope this helps.

-John

On Feb 23, 12:55 pm, "Paul Remde" > wrote:
> Please let me know if you have found a USB to Serial adapter that works well
> for you with soaring instruments. Please include the make and model #.

[[email protected]]

On Feb 23, 10:03*am, KevinFinke > wrote:
> We are using a Keyspan USA-19HS USB to Serial adapter with an LX7000
> computer to download flights. Haven't had any issues with a variety of
> different PC's and seems to work with Windows XP and Vista.
>
> -Kevin

I use the same adapter to connect to an LX 7000 - no problems. I use
SeeYou to connect, rather than the LX software which is kind of
klunky.

9B

[jcarlyle]

Forgot to mention that a USB-Serial adapter will ONLY work if the
program on the PC is written for Windows. A program written for DOS
will go straight to the hardware, which doesn't exist when you use a
USB-Serial adapter. To get the hardware for DOS programs, you need
something like a PCMCIA to serial adapter.

-John

On Feb 23, 1:16 pm, jcarlyle > wrote:
> I mainly use a Iomega GUC232A adapter, but I also have an EasySync ES-
> U-1001-R10. The main difference between the two is that the Iomega
> uses aProlific PL2303 chip, while the EasySync uses a FT232RQ chip.
>
> I've always been able to connect to RS232 devices with either adapter,
> under both Win98SE and XP Pro. Can't be positive, but I think the keys
> are:
>
> 1. follow the instructions and install the driver FIRST before
> plugging the adapter in, and
> 2. use Device Manager to change the adapter's Com port to something
> between Com 1 and Com 4.

[Tuno]

Paul,

I don't have make, model & serial numbers with me (I can get those to
you later), but all three of the USB-RS232 adapters I've used had one
trait in common: the PC would *think* they were working properly, but
without the manufacturer's driver installed (go figure). But with the
driver(s) installed, they always worked flawlessly.

I know one is the aforementioned Keyspan.

2NO

[Darryl Ramm]

On Feb 23, 10:35*am, jcarlyle > wrote:
> Forgot to mention that a USB-Serial adapter will ONLY work if the
> program on the PC is written for Windows. A program written for DOS
> will go straight to the hardware, which doesn't exist when you use a
> USB-Serial adapter. To get the hardware for DOS programs, you need
> something like a PCMCIA to serial adapter.
>
> -John
[snip]


I could not resist the ONLY in caps. That would be only EXCEPT if you
run Windows (or even real MS-DOS) within a VMware virtual machine with
the USB-serial adapter running on the host OS. Then the software in
the virtual machine won't care and cannot tell there is a USB adapter
involved.

I use a Keyspan USA-19HS on my MacBook Pro and can connect Windows
running in a VMware Fusion virtual machine to this device on the Host
OS. Software in the virtual machine will see a standard UART physical
interface and cannot tell there is a USB adapter involved so should
work fine with MS-DOS or Windows applications. It has worked for the
serial apps I've tried to a C302. Virtual is the new physical.

Darryl

[jcarlyle]

I stand corrected! What I was trying to do was to try and prevent
someone not as well versed as you to buy a USB serial adapter, plug it
into Windows running as the sole OS, and then wonder why his DOS
program wouldn't talk to his SN10. Naturally, there are many ways to
skin a cat - especially if you are a computer expert.

-John

On Feb 23, 1:54 pm, Darryl Ramm > wrote:
> I could not resist the ONLY in caps. That would be only EXCEPT if you
> run Windows (or even real MS-DOS) within a VMware virtual machine with
> the USB-serial adapter running on the host OS. Then the software in
> the virtual machine won't care and cannot tell there is a USB adapter
> involved.

[Darryl Ramm]

On Feb 23, 11:07*am, jcarlyle > wrote:
> I stand corrected! What I was trying to do was to try and prevent
> someone not as well versed as you to buy a USB serial adapter, plug it
> into Windows running as the sole OS, and then wonder why his DOS
> program wouldn't talk to his SN10. Naturally, there are many ways to
> skin a cat - especially if you are a computer expert.
>
> -John
>
> On Feb 23, 1:54 pm, Darryl Ramm > wrote:
>
> > I could not resist the ONLY in caps. That would be only EXCEPT if you
> > run Windows (or even real MS-DOS) within a VMware virtual machine with
> > the USB-serial adapter running on the host OS. Then the software in
> > the virtual machine won't care and cannot tell there is a USB adapter
> > involved.
>
>

Your advice was great. My expectation is that many users have problems
with USB adapters, even with plain Windows apps. And many of those
users will give up because dealing with Windows device management is
too hard and they did not realize they probably needed to load
drivers.

In Mac land, the Keyspan is one of the few (only mainstream?) USB
adapter that has driver support. It works but has a few bugs (The
Keyspan driver can panic OS X if I do unnatural things to the device
at very high baud rates, much faster than any flight computer can
talk. It has never failed in normal use). I have notes on using this
and debugging general serial port things that I keep meaning to finish
and post on my blog.

Darryl

(Who remembers writing MACRO-11 and FORTAN code to talk to DHV11
serial muxes on RT-11. And is now feeling old.)

[DRN]

On Feb 23, 2:07*pm, jcarlyle > wrote:
> I stand corrected! What I was trying to do was to try and prevent
> someone not as well versed as you to buy a USB serial adapter, plug it
> into Windows running as the sole OS, and then wonder why his DOS
> program wouldn't talk to his SN10. Naturally, there are many ways to
> skin a cat - especially if you are a computer expert.
>
> -John

Warning, further confusion posted above...
* ILEC SN10 software includes versions for 32-bit Windows
AND 16-bit Windows/DOS.
* DOS versions of SN10 and many other programs run great
under "simulated" DOS, including:
- DOSbox (runs your ILEC software on a Mac with no Windows)
- PC emulators that run on PDAs (as above)
- etc.

For PCs, we recommend Belkin USB-to-serial adapters, as
Belkin drivers have fewer bugs, exist for 64-bit windows, etc.
Many adapters will only function correctly at certain settings,
which *might* be what you need - or not.

For Mac, we recommend Keyspan.

Many adapters have drivers for only one OS (ie, Windows
or Mac), so you have to be a bit careful !

Hope this helps,
Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

[DRN]

On Feb 23, 2:36*pm, DRN > wrote:
> On Feb 23, 2:07*pm, jcarlyle > wrote:
>
> > I stand corrected! What I was trying to do was to try and prevent
> > someone not as well versed as you to buy a USB serial adapter, plug it
> > into Windows running as the sole OS, and then wonder why his DOS
> > program wouldn't talk to his SN10. Naturally, there are many ways to
> > skin a cat - especially if you are a computer expert.
>
> > -John
>
> Warning, further confusion posted above...
> * ILEC SN10 software includes versions for 32-bit Windows
> * AND 16-bit Windows/DOS.
> * DOS versions of SN10 and many other programs run great
> * under "simulated" DOS, including:
> * - DOSbox (runs your ILEC software on a Mac with no Windows)
> * - PC emulators that run on PDAs (as above)
> * - etc.
>
> For PCs, we recommend Belkin USB-to-serial adapters, as
> Belkin drivers have fewer bugs, exist for 64-bit windows, etc.
> Many adapters will only function correctly at certain settings,
> which *might* be what you need - or not.
>
> For Mac, we recommend Keyspan.
>
> Many adapters have drivers for only one OS (ie, Windows
> or Mac), so you have to be a bit careful !
>
> Hope this helps,
> Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"

Ooops, forgot this link:
http://www.nadler.com/sn10/SN10_USB_Serial_Notes.html

[nimbus]

My portable PC (VAIO) runs on Vista.

I bought a USB-RS232 cable (unknown trademark , manufactured in
China), installed the driver ...and was not able to connect the Zander
GP941 logger.

Anyone with a reference for a cable that is working fine in this
configuration?

Regards,
Bruno

[jcarlyle]

I give up. I had problems with talking to a SN10 using a DOS program
running on Win XP Pro, the problem went away when I used a PCMCIA to
serial adapter to get serial hardware. Jumped to a conclusion,
apparently - sorry.

-John

On Feb 23, 2:36 pm, DRN > wrote:
> Warning, further confusion posted above...
> * ILEC SN10 software includes versions for 32-bit Windows
> AND 16-bit Windows/DOS.
> * DOS versions of SN10 and many other programs run great
> under "simulated" DOS, including:
> - DOSbox (runs your ILEC software on a Mac with no Windows)
> - PC emulators that run on PDAs (as above)
> - etc.
>
> For PCs, we recommend Belkin USB-to-serial adapters, as
> Belkin drivers have fewer bugs, exist for 64-bit windows, etc.
> Many adapters will only function correctly at certain settings,
> which *might* be what you need - or not.

[Tim Taylor]

On Feb 23, 10:55*am, "Paul Remde" > wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have a friend that has an LX Colibri (the older model without a USB
> connector) and he is having a tough time getting it connected to his new
> laptop. *The manual I found online for the laptop does not show it having a
> PC Card (PCMCIA card) slot or an ExpressCard slot.
>
> I have had the best luck connecting to soaring instruments using either a PC
> card serial port or an ExpressCard serial port.
>
> I have not had any real success using a USB to RS-232 Serial adapter cable.
> However, I have seen postings on this newsgroup from glider pilots that have
> found USB to serial adapters that work well for them.
>
> Please let me know if you have found a USB to Serial adapter that works well
> for you with soaring instruments. *Please include the make and model #.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Paul Remde
> Cumulus Soaring, Inc.

I used a Belkin adapter with mixed results with the Colibri. One of
the things to look at is the port that it gets assigned to. The
Belkin would get assigned comm port 3 or 4 and SeeYou would only let
you have options of 0 and 1 so would not recognise the unit. Wish
SeeYou would allow more port options. I could hard reassign the ports
and make it work.

I ended up back with the serial cable, but my old laptop still had a
serial port.

[[email protected]]

On Feb 23, 12:24*pm, Tim Taylor > wrote:
> On Feb 23, 10:55*am, "Paul Remde" > wrote:
>
>
>
> > Hi,
>
> > I have a friend that has an LX Colibri (the older model without a USB
> > connector) and he is having a tough time getting it connected to his new
> > laptop. *The manual I found online for the laptop does not show it having a
> > PC Card (PCMCIA card) slot or an ExpressCard slot.
>
> > I have had the best luck connecting to soaring instruments using either a PC
> > card serial port or an ExpressCard serial port.
>
> > I have not had any real success using a USB to RS-232 Serial adapter cable.
> > However, I have seen postings on this newsgroup from glider pilots that have
> > found USB to serial adapters that work well for them.
>
> > Please let me know if you have found a USB to Serial adapter that works well
> > for you with soaring instruments. *Please include the make and model #.
>
> > Thank you,
>
> > Paul Remde
> > Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
>
> I used a Belkin adapter with mixed results with the Colibri. *One of
> the things to look at is the port that it gets assigned to. *The
> Belkin would get assigned comm port 3 or 4 and SeeYou would only let
> you have options of *0 and 1 so would not recognise the unit. *Wish
> SeeYou would allow more port options. *I could hard reassign the ports
> and make it work.
>
> I ended up back with the serial cable, but my old laptop still had a
> serial port.

Since this has gotten all geeky - has anybody tried the RS-232-to-
Bluetooth adapters on the sailplane instrument side and if so can
something like SeeYou output to the laptop's internal Bluetooth
adapter or do you need to go USB-to-RS-232-to-Bluetooth or USB-to-
Bluetooth on the PC side. It sounds lazy, but as a practical matter
I'd love to be able to upload tasks and download flights between
SeeYou and my flight computers from the airconditioned comfort of my
car. It makes it a lot easier to read the screen too.

BTW - I'm running SeeYou on a current generation 13" MacBook (with the
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics controller, but not the dual
controllers of the MacBook Pros). I'm running both Bootcamp and
Parallels Virtual Machine. Both are running Vista - mostly because
Best Buy was out of XP. Both configurations work great! Under
Parallels the 3-D playback with satellite terrain images starts to get
a little jerky with above about a dozen gliders - as good as my old
StinkPad. Bootcamp is faster, but lacks the convenience of Parallels.
It's also pretty darn stable - surprisingly so. I've not yet tried
hooking the Keyspan adapter, but it's good to know that the host OS
takes care of all of the monkey motion for you - thanks Darryl.

9B

[Mike the Strike]

With a whole bunch of gliding and engineering instruments equipped
with serial ports, I have found no reliable way to use a USB to serial
converter. The problem is the allocation of ports, as mentioned by
another responder. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Even
when they do, they often hijack a port already being used by another
application.

My colleagues and I have dealt with this by using only computers with
a real serial port or in the case of some laptops, a docking station
or port replicator that has a serial port built in.

You can't always rely on devices with a USB connector either. I have
found a couple that have internal serial connections and an internal
USB to serial converter that behaves exactly like the after-market
ones.

Just don't so it! The effort of fighting conflicts is just too much
(unless you have a Mac).

Mike

[Darryl Ramm]

On Feb 23, 1:21*pm, wrote:
> On Feb 23, 12:24*pm, Tim Taylor > wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Feb 23, 10:55*am, "Paul Remde" > wrote:
>
> > > Hi,
>
> > > I have a friend that has an LX Colibri (the older model without a USB
> > > connector) and he is having a tough time getting it connected to his new
> > > laptop. *The manual I found online for the laptop does not show it having a
> > > PC Card (PCMCIA card) slot or an ExpressCard slot.
>
> > > I have had the best luck connecting to soaring instruments using either a PC
> > > card serial port or an ExpressCard serial port.
>
> > > I have not had any real success using a USB to RS-232 Serial adapter cable.
> > > However, I have seen postings on this newsgroup from glider pilots that have
> > > found USB to serial adapters that work well for them.
>
> > > Please let me know if you have found a USB to Serial adapter that works well
> > > for you with soaring instruments. *Please include the make and model #.
>
> > > Thank you,
>
> > > Paul Remde
> > > Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
>
> > I used a Belkin adapter with mixed results with the Colibri. *One of
> > the things to look at is the port that it gets assigned to. *The
> > Belkin would get assigned comm port 3 or 4 and SeeYou would only let
> > you have options of *0 and 1 so would not recognise the unit. *Wish
> > SeeYou would allow more port options. *I could hard reassign the ports
> > and make it work.
>
> > I ended up back with the serial cable, but my old laptop still had a
> > serial port.
>
> Since this has gotten all geeky - has anybody tried the RS-232-to-
> Bluetooth adapters on the sailplane instrument side and if so can
> something like SeeYou output to the laptop's internal Bluetooth
> adapter or do you need to go USB-to-RS-232-to-Bluetooth or USB-to-
> Bluetooth on the PC side. It sounds lazy, but as a practical matter
> I'd love to be able to upload tasks and download flights between
> SeeYou and my flight computers from the airconditioned comfort of my
> car. It makes it a lot easier to read the screen too.
>
[snip]
> 9B

Exactly. I want to do the same, maybe not sit in my car but certainly
be able to walk up to the glider with my MacBook and download flights
or mess with settings in the Cambridge without messing with cables.

I've not tested this yet, I've been too busy playing at home with my
iPAQ 310 PNA, including driving SeeYou Mobile with the Silent Wings
simulator NEMA output, either via a K6 BT adapter connected to a
Keyspan USB-to-serial adapter or via the Mac's internal bluetooth
adapter. Once I fly with it more and install the K6 adapter in the
glider I plan on testing this.

Darryl

[[email protected]]

> Exactly. I want to do the same, maybe not sit in my car but
certainly
> be able to walk up to the glider with my MacBook and download flights
> or mess with settings in the Cambridge without messing with cables.
>
> I've not tested this yet, I've been too busy playing at home with my
> iPAQ 310 PNA, including driving SeeYou Mobile with the Silent Wings
> simulator NEMA output, either via a K6 BT adapter connected to a
> Keyspan USB-to-serial adapter or via the Mac's internal bluetooth
> adapter. Once I fly with it more and install the K6 adapter in the
> glider I plan on testing this.
>
> Darryl

Great - since we're neighbors maybe we can throw a Bluetooth party.

Here are some web links on adapters:

http://aaxeon.com/s.nl/sc.7/category.8777/.f

http://www.ipenabled.com/bluetooth-rs232-usb.html

Note that these are Class 1 devices with 100 meter range rather than
the Class 2 devices with 10 meter range found in most PCs and phones
so maybe I can sit in my car. They appear to work on up to 12v so
perhaps you can just wire it into the panel power. Would be neat.

9B

[Paul Remde]

Hi,

Just to clarify. I am pretty good at working with the Windows Device
Manager and I know I installed the provided drivers. The USB to serial
adapter I bought (I can't find a brand marking on it) does not work with any
soaring instrument.

I will try the Belkin one recommended by Dave Nadler. Hopefully that will
get my friend connected to his Colibri.

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde

"Darryl Ramm" > wrote in message
...
On Feb 23, 11:07 am, jcarlyle > wrote:
> I stand corrected! What I was trying to do was to try and prevent
> someone not as well versed as you to buy a USB serial adapter, plug it
> into Windows running as the sole OS, and then wonder why his DOS
> program wouldn't talk to his SN10. Naturally, there are many ways to
> skin a cat - especially if you are a computer expert.
>
> -John
>
> On Feb 23, 1:54 pm, Darryl Ramm > wrote:
>
> > I could not resist the ONLY in caps. That would be only EXCEPT if you
> > run Windows (or even real MS-DOS) within a VMware virtual machine with
> > the USB-serial adapter running on the host OS. Then the software in
> > the virtual machine won't care and cannot tell there is a USB adapter
> > involved.
>
>

Your advice was great. My expectation is that many users have problems
with USB adapters, even with plain Windows apps. And many of those
users will give up because dealing with Windows device management is
too hard and they did not realize they probably needed to load
drivers.

In Mac land, the Keyspan is one of the few (only mainstream?) USB
adapter that has driver support. It works but has a few bugs (The
Keyspan driver can panic OS X if I do unnatural things to the device
at very high baud rates, much faster than any flight computer can
talk. It has never failed in normal use). I have notes on using this
and debugging general serial port things that I keep meaning to finish
and post on my blog.

Darryl

(Who remembers writing MACRO-11 and FORTAN code to talk to DHV11
serial muxes on RT-11. And is now feeling old.)

[BT]

I have an AirLink101 USB to Serial adapter and it works just fine with my
Garmin 76 to download igc files.
Works with SeeYou and other GPS grabber (GPS Dump) programs. The Garmin 76
came with a 4pin to Serial cable.

BT

"Paul Remde" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
>
> I have a friend that has an LX Colibri (the older model without a USB
> connector) and he is having a tough time getting it connected to his new
> laptop. The manual I found online for the laptop does not show it having
> a PC Card (PCMCIA card) slot or an ExpressCard slot.
>
> I have had the best luck connecting to soaring instruments using either a
> PC card serial port or an ExpressCard serial port.
>
> I have not had any real success using a USB to RS-232 Serial adapter
> cable. However, I have seen postings on this newsgroup from glider pilots
> that have found USB to serial adapters that work well for them.
>
> Please let me know if you have found a USB to Serial adapter that works
> well for you with soaring instruments. Please include the make and model
> #.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Paul Remde
> Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
>

[Big Wings]

It's probably worth trying to use the LXe software to connect. It is
shipped with the Colibri and may be more flexible in the ports it can use.


Re:
"I used a Belkin adapter with mixed results with the Colibri. One of the
things to look at is the port that it gets assigned to. The
Belkin would get assigned comm port 3 or 4 and SeeYou would only let you
have options of =A00 and 1 so would not recognise the unit. SeeYou would
allow more port options. =A0I could hard reassign the ports and make it
work."

[Dan[_6_]]

On Feb 23, 4:45*pm, Big Wings > wrote:
> It's probably worth trying to use the LXe software to connect. *It is
> shipped with the Colibri and may be more flexible in the ports it can use..
>
> Re:
> "I used a Belkin adapter with mixed results with the Colibri. One of the
> things to look at is the port that it gets assigned to. The
> Belkin would get assigned comm port 3 or 4 and SeeYou would only let you
> have options of =A00 and 1 so would not recognise the unit. SeeYou would
> allow more port options. =A0I could hard reassign the ports and make it
> work."

I've had the same trouble with my Volkslogger. I got a docking
station for my laptop that has a serial port and has worked fine. I
do wish I had an adapter that worked. Any suggestions?

Dan Rihn
WO

[Ryan Spicer]

On Feb 23, 10:37*pm, Dan > wrote:
> On Feb 23, 4:45*pm, Big Wings > wrote:
>
> > It's probably worth trying to use the LXe software to connect. *It is
> > shipped with the Colibri and may be more flexible in the ports it can use.
>
> > Re:
> > "I used a Belkin adapter with mixed results with the Colibri. One of the
> > things to look at is the port that it gets assigned to. The
> > Belkin would get assigned comm port 3 or 4 and SeeYou would only let you
> > have options of =A00 and 1 so would not recognise the unit. SeeYou would
> > allow more port options. =A0I could hard reassign the ports and make it
> > work."
>
> I've had the same trouble with my Volkslogger. *I got a docking
> station for my laptop that has a serial port and has worked fine. *I
> do wish I had an adapter that worked. *Any suggestions?
>
> Dan Rihn
> WO

I don't own or regularly use any of the electronic instruments, so I
can't speak from direct soaring experience, but I use the Keyspan
KS-19a with Apple and Wintel laptops for programming microcontrollers
(Atmel AVR via STK500 or AVRISP, if anyone's counting). I switched to
this unit from a Belkin on the advice of some folks in the DIY
electronics community, and I'm very satisfied. I've even made it work
with a few Windows apps emulated through WINE on my Macbook. Through
WINE, I can just assign it to COM1. Not sure what the situation is
like on Windows, but I bet there's some Device Manager trickery to do
the same.

Ryan Spicer

[[email protected]]

Hi Paul, I had trouble with easily-found USB-to-Serial interface
cables from Circuit City and BestBuy, trying to connect from a PC
laptop to my Volkslogger (a finicky piece of equipment), using
StrePla. One problem was Microsoft ActiveSynch, which does funny
things (I'm a techno-bozo and that's as good as the description
gets). If I disabled ActiveSynch, things generally went better (and
better yet when I was trying to load my IPAQ 3955 with Pocket StrePla,
but that's another thread).

The best serial adapter I've used is found at
http://www.pfranc.com/cgi-bin/P/USB_G4/garmin-GPS-cables ; they also
make a bunch of different Garmin plugs for cabling. They have worked
for me, and several friends. I recommend them - I have no financial
interest (I'd like them to be around for a long time). They make 4
inch and 6 foot ones (handy to put laptop on wing if downloading from
the glider). On one laptop, I had to re-install drivers (available
from the same site at http://www.pfranc.com/usb/usb.shtml#drivers)
before it worked.

You might want to search on your drivers, and update them - outside
chance it'd work. You might want to become a Pfranc too!

Dan

[jcarlyle]

I talked with Larry Berg at Pfranc in October 2008 about buying his
USB to serial converter. Unfortunately, he no longer sells them. He
was unhappy because the manufacturer wouldn't support the drivers, and
didn't want his name associated with them anymore. He recommended any
adapter with the Prolific PC2303 or higher chip set, as long as it had
current XP or Vista drivers (he said that the drivers are the primary
source of trouble).

-John

=======

On Feb 24, 12:54 pm, wrote:
> Hi Paul, I had trouble with easily-found USB-to-Serial interface
> cables from Circuit City and BestBuy, trying to connect from a PC
> laptop to my Volkslogger (a finicky piece of equipment), using
> StrePla. One problem was Microsoft ActiveSynch, which does funny
> things (I'm a techno-bozo and that's as good as the description
> gets). If I disabled ActiveSynch, things generally went better (and
> better yet when I was trying to load my IPAQ 3955 with Pocket StrePla,
> but that's another thread).
>
> The best serial adapter I've used is found athttp://www.pfranc.com/cgi-bin/P/USB_G4/garmin-GPS-cables; they also
> make a bunch of different Garmin plugs for cabling. They have worked
> for me, and several friends. I recommend them - I have no financial
> interest (I'd like them to be around for a long time). They make 4
> inch and 6 foot ones (handy to put laptop on wing if downloading from
> the glider). On one laptop, I had to re-install drivers (available
> from the same site athttp://www.pfranc.com/usb/usb.shtml#drivers)
> before it worked.
>
> You might want to search on your drivers, and update them - outside
> chance it'd work. You might want to become a Pfranc too!
>
> Dan

[carbonprop]

On Feb 24, 11:10*am, jcarlyle > wrote:
> I talked with Larry Berg at Pfranc in October 2008 about buying his
> USB to serial converter. Unfortunately, he no longer sells them. He
> was unhappy because the manufacturer wouldn't support the drivers, and
> didn't want his name associated with them anymore. He recommended any
> adapter with the Prolific PC2303 or higher chip set, as long as it had
> current XP or Vista drivers (he said that the drivers are the primary
> source of trouble).
>
> -John

One trick is to install the latest Prolific drivers if your converter
is a generic type. I have a generic converter from Best Buy. It
works fine with SeeYou and CAI but I could not get LXe to work with it
even after installing the latest drivers from the converter
manufacturer. I finally determined that it was using the Prolific
chip set so I installed the latest drivers from Prolific and the
converter began to work properly with LXe.

Aren't there any other mac whackers out there besides me?

[Martin Gregorie[_4_]]

On Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:21:24 -0800, carbonprop wrote:

> On Feb 24, 11:10Â*am, jcarlyle > wrote:
>> I talked with Larry Berg at Pfranc in October 2008 about buying his USB
>> to serial converter. Unfortunately, he no longer sells them. He was
>> unhappy because the manufacturer wouldn't support the drivers, and
>> didn't want his name associated with them anymore. He recommended any
>> adapter with the Prolific PC2303 or higher chip set, as long as it had
>> current XP or Vista drivers (he said that the drivers are the primary
>> source of trouble).
>>
>> -John
>
> One trick is to install the latest Prolific drivers if your converter is
> a generic type. I have a generic converter from Best Buy. It works
> fine with SeeYou and CAI but I could not get LXe to work with it even
> after installing the latest drivers from the converter manufacturer. I
> finally determined that it was using the Prolific chip set so I
> installed the latest drivers from Prolific and the converter began to
> work properly with LXe.
>
> Aren't there any other mac whackers out there besides me?
>
I bought a pfranc converter in 2004 because the laptop I had then had a
working USB socket but a dead serial port. I needed a serial connection
at the time. Since then its worked whenever needed, including for hotsync
into an iPAQ 3830.

However, I must admit that I use it with Linux where it 'just works', no
drivers needed.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

[hans]

I sell a USB to serial converter with 30 days money back guarantee if it
does not work for you, but only in Continental Europe
http://www.trautenberg.net/usb_index.htm

nimbus schrieb:
> My portable PC (VAIO) runs on Vista.
>
> I bought a USB-RS232 cable (unknown trademark , manufactured in
> China), installed the driver ...and was not able to connect the Zander
> GP941 logger.
>
> Anyone with a reference for a cable that is working fine in this
> configuration?
>
> Regards,
> Bruno

[hans]

Some Pfrancs still sell these converters and the driver support by MCT
got back to the old good level.

Hans
Pfranc of Germany

jcarlyle schrieb:
> I talked with Larry Berg at Pfranc in October 2008 about buying his
> USB to serial converter. Unfortunately, he no longer sells them. He
> was unhappy because the manufacturer wouldn't support the drivers, and
> didn't want his name associated with them anymore. He recommended any
> adapter with the Prolific PC2303 or higher chip set, as long as it had
> current XP or Vista drivers (he said that the drivers are the primary
> source of trouble).
>
> -John
>

[nimbus]

Indeed. I have a Prolific PC2303 USB-232 cable delivered with a
installation CD.
The installation CD contains a VISTA driver. After Installation, I
can't connect my portable PC to the GP940 logger. I tired to install
several other drivers but without success.

Hopefully, I still have an old PC running XP with a serial connector.

[[email protected]]

On Feb 23, 11:36*am, DRN > wrote:

> Warning, further confusion posted above...
> * ILEC SN10 software includes versions for 32-bit Windows
> * AND 16-bit Windows/DOS.
> * DOS versions of SN10 and many other programs run great
> * under "simulated" DOS, including:
> * - DOSbox (runs your ILEC software on a Mac with no Windows)
> * - PC emulators that run on PDAs (as above)
> * - etc.
>
> For PCs, we recommend Belkin USB-to-serial adapters, as
> Belkin drivers have fewer bugs, exist for 64-bit windows, etc.
> Many adapters will only function correctly at certain settings,
> which *might* be what you need - or not.
>
> For Mac, we recommend Keyspan.
>
> Many adapters have drivers for only one OS (ie, Windows
> or Mac), so you have to be a bit careful !
>
> Hope this helps,
> Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"


I have been using a Belkin USB/ Serial Portable Adapter F5U 409 for 6
years
SN-10, Volkslogger, and now Windows Vista with success.

Has anyone tried using a CyberSerial ExpressCard (with serial port) in
the Express Card slot that most new laptops have now? Could this
solve the
problem we are having with the adapters?

http://www.nextwarehouse.com/item/?227211

Mario CM

[[email protected]]

On Feb 25, 1:32*pm, wrote:
> On Feb 23, 11:36*am, DRN > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Warning, further confusion posted above...
> > * ILEC SN10 software includes versions for 32-bit Windows
> > * AND 16-bit Windows/DOS.
> > * DOS versions of SN10 and many other programs run great
> > * under "simulated" DOS, including:
> > * - DOSbox (runs your ILEC software on a Mac with no Windows)
> > * - PC emulators that run on PDAs (as above)
> > * - etc.
>
> > For PCs, we recommend Belkin USB-to-serial adapters, as
> > Belkin drivers have fewer bugs, exist for 64-bit windows, etc.
> > Many adapters will only function correctly at certain settings,
> > which *might* be what you need - or not.
>
> > For Mac, we recommend Keyspan.
>
> > Many adapters have drivers for only one OS (ie, Windows
> > or Mac), so you have to be a bit careful !
>
> > Hope this helps,
> > Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"
>
> I have been using a Belkin USB/ Serial Portable Adapter F5U 409 for 6
> years
> SN-10, Volkslogger, and now Windows Vista with success.
>
> Has anyone tried using a CyberSerial ExpressCard (with serial port) in
> the Express Card slot that most new laptops have now? *Could this
> solve the
> problem we are having with the adapters?
>
> http://www.nextwarehouse.com/item/?227211
>
> Mario *CM- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I believe that the CyberSerial actually uses the USB interface part of
expresscard, so it's the same situation.

Todd

[Darryl Ramm]

On Feb 25, 10:32*am, wrote:
> On Feb 23, 11:36*am, DRN > wrote:
>
>
>
> > Warning, further confusion posted above...
> > * ILEC SN10 software includes versions for 32-bit Windows
> > * AND 16-bit Windows/DOS.
> > * DOS versions of SN10 and many other programs run great
> > * under "simulated" DOS, including:
> > * - DOSbox (runs your ILEC software on a Mac with no Windows)
> > * - PC emulators that run on PDAs (as above)
> > * - etc.
>
> > For PCs, we recommend Belkin USB-to-serial adapters, as
> > Belkin drivers have fewer bugs, exist for 64-bit windows, etc.
> > Many adapters will only function correctly at certain settings,
> > which *might* be what you need - or not.
>
> > For Mac, we recommend Keyspan.
>
> > Many adapters have drivers for only one OS (ie, Windows
> > or Mac), so you have to be a bit careful !
>
> > Hope this helps,
> > Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"
>
> I have been using a Belkin USB/ Serial Portable Adapter F5U 409 for 6
> years
> SN-10, Volkslogger, and now Windows Vista with success.
>
> Has anyone tried using a CyberSerial ExpressCard (with serial port) in
> the Express Card slot that most new laptops have now? *Could this
> solve the
> problem we are having with the adapters?
>
> http://www.nextwarehouse.com/item/?227211
>
> Mario *CM

I believe this is a USB to serial adapter. I have no idea what chipset
is uses. If it works well then it may be more convenient/compact to
carry around than an external adapter and cable.

One problem with how ExpressCard devices are marketed is that the
ExpressCard connection includes both connection to a PCE-Express x 1
lane and a USB 2.0 connection. Many ExpressCards devices like memory
card readers just use the USB interface so you certainly don't get any
PCI-Express performance advantage with those devices over standard
external USB card readers (and often if you want the very fastest card
readers you'll find those are external USB 2.0 or Firewire 800). I
think this SIIG adapter is using USB, they are quiet about what
exactly the device is using but the installation manual describes what
looks like a USB to serial driver. I'd love to be wrong.

BTW other SIIG PCI based serial adapter cards you plug into deskside
computers are definitely not USB based and are great options for
getting real serial ports. I have a quad port SIIG card kicking around
here somewhere. If you have the I/O slots available that is almost
always a better way to go than USB to serial adapters.

Darryl

[Paul Remde]

Hi,

I have used the SIIG "CyberSerial ExpressCard" with good results. It works
much better than any cable USB to serial converter I've tried. However, it
does seem during installation that it is acting like a USB to Serial
converter. I have used mine to connect to Cambridge 302s, ILEC SN10s, LX
Colibris, LX7000s, etc. It works flawlessly. If your laptop has an Express
Card port, I highly recommend this option over a cable USB to serial
converter.

If your card has a PC card slot (PCMCIA) then that is the best solution. It
adds an actual serial port and is not a USB connection to the computer.

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

"Darryl Ramm" > wrote in message
...
On Feb 25, 10:32 am, wrote:
> On Feb 23, 11:36 am, DRN > wrote:
>
>
>
> > Warning, further confusion posted above...
> > * ILEC SN10 software includes versions for 32-bit Windows
> > AND 16-bit Windows/DOS.
> > * DOS versions of SN10 and many other programs run great
> > under "simulated" DOS, including:
> > - DOSbox (runs your ILEC software on a Mac with no Windows)
> > - PC emulators that run on PDAs (as above)
> > - etc.
>
> > For PCs, we recommend Belkin USB-to-serial adapters, as
> > Belkin drivers have fewer bugs, exist for 64-bit windows, etc.
> > Many adapters will only function correctly at certain settings,
> > which *might* be what you need - or not.
>
> > For Mac, we recommend Keyspan.
>
> > Many adapters have drivers for only one OS (ie, Windows
> > or Mac), so you have to be a bit careful !
>
> > Hope this helps,
> > Best Regards, Dave "YO electric"
>
> I have been using a Belkin USB/ Serial Portable Adapter F5U 409 for 6
> years
> SN-10, Volkslogger, and now Windows Vista with success.
>
> Has anyone tried using a CyberSerial ExpressCard (with serial port) in
> the Express Card slot that most new laptops have now? Could this
> solve the
> problem we are having with the adapters?
>
> http://www.nextwarehouse.com/item/?227211
>
> Mario CM

I believe this is a USB to serial adapter. I have no idea what chipset
is uses. If it works well then it may be more convenient/compact to
carry around than an external adapter and cable.

One problem with how ExpressCard devices are marketed is that the
ExpressCard connection includes both connection to a PCE-Express x 1
lane and a USB 2.0 connection. Many ExpressCards devices like memory
card readers just use the USB interface so you certainly don't get any
PCI-Express performance advantage with those devices over standard
external USB card readers (and often if you want the very fastest card
readers you'll find those are external USB 2.0 or Firewire 800). I
think this SIIG adapter is using USB, they are quiet about what
exactly the device is using but the installation manual describes what
looks like a USB to serial driver. I'd love to be wrong.

BTW other SIIG PCI based serial adapter cards you plug into deskside
computers are definitely not USB based and are great options for
getting real serial ports. I have a quad port SIIG card kicking around
here somewhere. If you have the I/O slots available that is almost
always a better way to go than USB to serial adapters.

Darryl

[Paul Remde]

Hi,

After receiving some excellent feedback from this newsgroup, I invested in 2
USB to serial adapters for testing.

In the past I have had excellent communications when using the SIIG
CyberSerial Express Card, and a Socket PC Card serial port, but had never
found a USB to serial adapter that worked well with the many soaring
instruments I work with. The great news is that I had good results with the
Belkin F5U409 unit and excellent results with the Keyspan USA-19HS unit.

I did encounter some issues with the Belkin unit, but I'm pretty sure the
issues are due to the fact that I have tried so many different USB devices
over the 2 or 3 years I've owned my laptop that the drivers are a bit
confused by each other. My laptop is running Windows XP.

At first the Belkin unit worked OK with a Colibri but very slow with a
Cambridge 302. I followed the directions on their web site on how to
uninstall the drivers and re-install them, but after that effort the unit
won't work for me at all. I then tried it on my Windows Vista (32-bit)
desktop PC and it worked OK with the Colibri, but very slow with a Cambridge
302. I have exchanged several e-mails with Belkin through their "customer
support" portal and the support has been very poor. There is no way to talk
to anyone. I suppose they can't afford to help every customer through the
USB drivers hell that I fell into. The lastest note from them suggests that
I send the unit to Belkin for replacement or repair. Perhaps I just
received a dud. Also, it was a bit of a pain to install because after
installing the drivers, you must do a re-boot (or 2) before connecting the
unit. That was not necessary with the Keyspan unit.

The Keyspan unit worked great. The install software and test utility are
great. The unit works perfectly with a Colibri and Cambridge 302. It is
fast and perfect in every way. This is the one I recommend.

Again, I imagine the Belkin unit is OK for most people, but the Keyspan unit
worked much better for me with soaring instruments. You can see details
here:
http://www.amazon.com/Keyspan-Speed-Serial-Adapter-USA-19HS/dp/B0000VYJRY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1236286908&sr=8-1

I plan to return the Belkin unit for a refund if possible.

I am very glad to have found a reliable and easy to setup unit. After
recommending against the use of these devices for several years, it is nice
to now be able to recommend one.

Thank you for all the advice given in this wonderful group. I am often
amazed at the technical skills of many of the members of this group.

Good Soaring,

Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
http://www.cumulus-soaring.com

[John Orton[_3_]]

I used a Belkin for some time until it stopped. It does not work any nore.
I have been using a ATEN UC-232A with great sucess ever since.

"Paul Remde" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
>
> After receiving some excellent feedback from this newsgroup, I invested in
> 2 USB to serial adapters for testing.
>
> In the past I have had excellent communications when using the SIIG
> CyberSerial Express Card, and a Socket PC Card serial port, but had never
> found a USB to serial adapter that worked well with the many soaring
> instruments I work with. The great news is that I had good results with
> the Belkin F5U409 unit and excellent results with the Keyspan USA-19HS
> unit.
>
> I did encounter some issues with the Belkin unit, but I'm pretty sure the
> issues are due to the fact that I have tried so many different USB devices
> over the 2 or 3 years I've owned my laptop that the drivers are a bit
> confused by each other. My laptop is running Windows XP.
>
> At first the Belkin unit worked OK with a Colibri but very slow with a
> Cambridge 302. I followed the directions on their web site on how to
> uninstall the drivers and re-install them, but after that effort the unit
> won't work for me at all. I then tried it on my Windows Vista (32-bit)
> desktop PC and it worked OK with the Colibri, but very slow with a
> Cambridge 302. I have exchanged several e-mails with Belkin through their
> "customer support" portal and the support has been very poor. There is no
> way to talk to anyone. I suppose they can't afford to help every customer
> through the USB drivers hell that I fell into. The lastest note from them
> suggests that I send the unit to Belkin for replacement or repair.
> Perhaps I just received a dud. Also, it was a bit of a pain to install
> because after installing the drivers, you must do a re-boot (or 2) before
> connecting the unit. That was not necessary with the Keyspan unit.
>
> The Keyspan unit worked great. The install software and test utility are
> great. The unit works perfectly with a Colibri and Cambridge 302. It is
> fast and perfect in every way. This is the one I recommend.
>
> Again, I imagine the Belkin unit is OK for most people, but the Keyspan
> unit worked much better for me with soaring instruments. You can see
> details here:
> http://www.amazon.com/Keyspan-Speed-Serial-Adapter-USA-19HS/dp/B0000VYJRY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1236286908&sr=8-1
>
> I plan to return the Belkin unit for a refund if possible.
>
> I am very glad to have found a reliable and easy to setup unit. After
> recommending against the use of these devices for several years, it is
> nice to now be able to recommend one.
>
> Thank you for all the advice given in this wonderful group. I am often
> amazed at the technical skills of many of the members of this group.
>
> Good Soaring,
>
> Paul Remde
> Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
> http://www.cumulus-soaring.com
>

[Lars Peder Hansen]

Every time this question has come up on RAS (and that's a lot..) I've
wondered if the laptop users out there realize that many (most?) of the more
common computer brands have docking stations for their laptops. -And that
these docking stations almost always have a good old-fashioned RS232 serial
interface, even though the laptop itself does not. And these work without
any additional drivers etc.

So unless you really need to use the laptop at the gliderport or elsewhere
away from home or office, consider buying a cheap, maybe used, docking
station. -Paul, maybe a niche market here for you?
- Worked for me and my Colibri and many different USB-only laptops over the
years.

Happy Soaring,
Lars Peder
DG-600, Denmark




"Paul Remde" > wrote in message
...
> Hi,
>
> After receiving some excellent feedback from this newsgroup, I invested in
> 2 USB to serial adapters for testing.
>
>...snip... Thank you for all the advice given in this wonderful group. I
>am often amazed at the technical skills of many of the members of this
>group.
>
> Good Soaring,
>
> Paul Remde
> Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
> http://www.cumulus-soaring.com
>