USB to Serial Adapter?

[iceman]

Hi all

Since my serial port stopped responding, I can't use ImagesPlus to control the long exposures on my camera.

Bird lent me a USB-Serial adapter up at Nambucca a few months ago but I forgot to get one of my own since then.

Any particular one I should get, and where should I get it from?

I need it within the next 2 weeks.

Cheers

[Merlin66]

Get the KeySpan USB-Serial. It works 100% everytime with any program and just does it's job. Go for it!

[gmbfilter]

I have tried a few. I have a Targus "USB 232 converter" from Harvey Norman that works everything I use.

However its only temporary I intend to get one or two from Wildcard ASAP

[Dennis]

Hi Mike

I have used the Socket Serial I/O PCMCIA Adapter (http://www.socketserial.com/)which can give between 1 and 4 RS232 Serial Ports (mine has only one).

It is a PCMCIA Card so requires the slot to be free. I have found it to be 100% reliable. Here is the link to the PDF data sheet (http://www.socketserial.com/support/Cards/CFandPC%20Card%20Datasheet.pdf)(WAR NING: 2.4Mb).

Note that my almost 5 year old IBM ThinkPad R40 has the old PCMCIA slot and not the latest PC Slots. It was expensive at the time, not sure how much they are now?

Cheers

Dennis

[acropolite]

The Aten adapter works fine as well, I've been using one for ages, costs less than $30, I bought mine after one of our members recommended it. Most computer suppliers have them. We use them at work also, for uploading software to PBX's, (one brand of which is notoriously fussy about USB adapters) and have never had a problem.

[RB]

I use a Belkin USB to Serial adapter from Hardly Normal.
The only trouble I've had is when it's cloudy. :P

[centroid]

I think that they are all pretty much 'six of one, and a half dozen of the other', and all made in China anyway.

I use a Belkin, as the price was right (in UK that is, and not Harvey Norman, ouch!!!), and it works fine.

Dave

[Octane]

Mike,

This (http://ijk.com.au/branch/ijk/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=104865) is what I use. It is sturdy and comes with both the 9-pin and 25-pin adapters in the one box.

Regards,
Humayun

[Quark]

Hi Mike,
I would highly recommend the Keyspan adaper that Gary from Wildcard supplies. I use it for my Argo and the data logger on my solar array and have had no problems.

I also have an Aten adapter that is a few years old that I have had problems with.

Regards
Trevor

[gary]

Hi Mike,

This thread has come up before and those who have replied that the
Keyspan one is the one to go for are providing excellent advice.

Suffice to say we are well qualified to offer advice on this topic as well.

Despite what one might hope, not all USB Serial Adapters are born equal
and many just don't reliably work.

However, the Keyspan one will.

Since we get to deal with thousands of astronomy customers, we learnt
through enormous amounts of feedback what adapters people had luck
with and which ones they did not.

The Keyspan Adapter came up trumps again and again and again.

So we decided years ago to stock the Keyspan as a service to our customers.
Since then we have shipped large quantities of them.

In fact, the reason we stock them is partially selfish. I know when we ship one to
some far flung corner of the world that I am not going to get a support
call for it, so that means less work for me. :)

Drop me a line if interested. We have them in stock.
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au/usb_describe.html

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Managing Director
Wildcard Innovations Pty. Ltd.
20 Kilmory Place
Mount Kuring-Gai NSW 2080
Australia
Phone +61-2-9457-9049
Fax +61-2-9457-9593
sales@wildcard-innovations.com.au
http://www.wildcard-innovations.com.au

[montewilson]

They can be quirky - I think Gary's one is the best option. I had a Belkin that would happily talk to my Tak mount (and they quite fussy with software and cooperating with other devices) but wouldn't talk to the RoboFocus which normally is unstoppable.

Strange world.....

[rogerg]

When using XP I've never had one fail, not even cheap ones or common brand ones.

When using Vista I'm still trying to work out the secret to making any work. I haven't tried Gary's and that would be next on my list if I give up with the 3 I have.

To control my 350D I have lashed out on a DSUSB box (http://www.store.shoestringastronomy.com/products_ds.htm) and cable to completely remove RS232 from the equation.

To control my Losmandy I'm still stuck with RS232 converters. I've found recently that I can get them working, usually by forcing them to a com port like 1 or 2 which is in theory already in use, but have not had consistent success. So I agree with Monte, "quirky". I would suggest best avoided if possible.

Roger.

[Quark]

Hi Roger,
I have had no problems with the Keyspan adapter supplied by Gary with my Argo and my operating system is Vista Ultimate. As mentioned in my earlier post I also use this adapter with other applications.

Regards
Trevor

[gary]

Hi Roger,

Thanks for the post.

These days. most new laptops and many desktop machines only come with
USB ports. So for users of these systems who wish to interface to an RS-232
serial device, a USB Serial Adapter is still the recommended choice and can
provide a extremely reliable solution - provided one starts with the right adapter.

A good adapter is a combination of good hardware and just as importantly,
a good software driver.

Part of the legacy of the Windows operating system is a set of services and
interfaces known as the Windows Driver Model, or WDM. The WDM provides
certain unique challenges to driver writers and the bottom line is that not
all vendors appear to get it right.

What typifies serial communications in most amateur astronomy applications
are protocols that only transfer a small number of bytes back and forth at a time.
Whereas RS-232 was optimized for byte oriented transfers, USB was optimized
for bulk data transfers. Sometimes a poorly written USB Serial driver will work perfectly
well when transferring bulk data to a peripheral, but fail when performing byte
oriented transfers.

So any "quirkiness" really only applies to specific products out there, even
though there are no shortage of examples of them. However, truly reliable
solutions do exist and there is no need to avoid using a USB Serial Adapter
as long as one makes a prudent choice.

Best Regards

Gary Kopff
Wildcard Innovations Pty Ltd

[[1ponders]]

Why have just one when you can have 4 Mike. :D
Keyspan USB 4-port Serial Adapter (http://www.streetwise.com.au/product_info.php?products_id=4660&osCsid=610bc43f0d8ce0c26dd0c4a8f857 d18f&)
Works a treat for me on everything I plug it into. ;)

[rogerg]

At the local Astro Camp this weekend I discovered something interesting regarding my USB 2 RS232 converters which I thought it worth mentioning.

Using Vista, I have found that I need to follow the following procedure for any of the converters I have, and with the 2 I have tested it means they ALWAYS work. This may only be applicable to Vista.

1) boot up laptop
2) plug in USB->RS232 converter
3) open device manager and configure to COM 1, ignoring warning about "in use", as I don't have any other com ports.
4) reboot laptop with the adaptor left plugged in.

Upon starting up the laptop the second time, the serial connection appears to work no problems at all.

It seems a reboot is required. I suspect step 3 is not required but I haven't proved that.

Tested with Aten adaptor and a no-name brand one I've had for 5+ years.

Roger.
Roger.

[Screwdriverone]

Hmm,,,

Interesting Roger, I have Vista and need a parallel port for my toucam to do LE and neither of the adaptors I bought work at all. The problem is that they CANNOT be set to LPT1 or 2 etc and when I plug them into the camera, the preview goes black and I get nothing.

Has anyone else had this problem and solved it? I am needing the parallel version of usb as the Toucam has parallel port for the LE.

Also, can you use a serial 9 pin converter and just upsize it to a 25 pin for it to connect to the camera?

Someone save me, its very annoying with Jupiter disappearing, I cant try out Deep sky stuff.

Thanks

Chris

[rogerg]

I can't help much with LPT sorry, but...



No, definitely no. RS232 (serial) and Parallel are very different and so the conversion is not just a wire-to-wire up-size/down-size. I doubt converters are avialble for Parallel to RS232 due to the intended uses/differences.

You would likely find PCMCIA/Express Card adaptorswhich provide you with LPT. But I'm not sure the expenditure on that would be cost effective - might cost half as much as a new camera!

Roger.

[Merlin66]

As Roger said, NOOOO you can't re-plug an RS232 and make it a parallel!!
I had exactly the same problem when I went to the Acer laptop - no parallel port!
I found the ONLY way around it was to buy a bi-directional PCMCIA parallel card from the USA. Watch the bi-directional bit - some cheap printer parallel emulators can't talk back and forth. It cost me more than the camera!
Now I've moved on and use a DMK21 for solar and an ATiK16ic for the spectro.

[iceman]

I ended up getting a Belkin one from an online store for $25 (incl postage) and it works fine in controlling my camera.

I'd already ordered it before I knew Gary sold them :doh: