Serial ports

[Gordon]

I recently built a new computer using a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
motherboard, an Intel Core 2 duo processor, 2 GB RAM and a 500 GB
Western Digital hard drive. I now have this set up running
Windows XP, Pro with SP 2 installed. My client software consists
for the most part of MS Office 2008 and a number of PhotoShop
packages. Everything works very well and I am pleased with it all
except I have no serial ports. I use two Avery CoStar label
printers, but can not connect them to this new computer.

Is there a cable available that would let me connect these label
printers to a USB port. I find USB to Serial adapter cables, but
I would like to get rid of the extra jumble of connectors and
just go straight from a USB port to these label printers.

The label printers have a phone type connector. Surely, if it is
possible to go from a USB port to a male serial socket, it is
possible to just skip the extra connectors and go directly to the
phone plug that matches my label printers' inputs.

Where should I look for one of these?

Thanks for any suggestions, Gordon

 

[The Seabat]

Could this be what you are looking for??

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815124017

 

[Gordon]

Could this be what you are looking for??

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815124017

Thanks, Seabat, that would do it but I was sort of hoping to
avoid using another PCI slot. I still have a couple that aren't
in use, but I may need them for something else, later.

This computer has more USB ports than Carter has little liver
pills. It would be nice if I could use two of them. Surely this
is possible. That is, if they can wire a cable such that it will
adapt a serial port on my label printer's cable to a USB port, it
should be possible to eliminate that extra plug/socket and just
go directly fro a USB connector to the phone plug that fits into
my label printers. But, so far I haven't found this.

Gordon

 

[Andy]

I recently built a new computer using a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
motherboard, an Intel Core 2 duo processor, 2 GB RAM and a 500 GB
Western Digital hard drive. I now have this set up running
Windows XP, Pro with SP 2 installed. My client software consists
for the most part of MS Office 2008 and a number of PhotoShop
packages. Everything works very well and I am pleased with it all
except I have no serial ports. I use two Avery CoStar label
printers, but can not connect them to this new computer.

Is there a cable available that would let me connect these label
printers to a USB port. I find USB to Serial adapter cables, but
I would like to get rid of the extra jumble of connectors and
just go straight from a USB port to these label printers.

You can't. There has to be some electronics between the USB and serial
ports.

 

[John Doe]

....

There has to be some electronics between the USB and serial
ports.

A serial to USB adapter includes electronics? Like what?
Mainly curious.

 

[pcbldrNinetyEight]

...


A serial to USB adapter includes electronics? Like what?
Mainly curious.

I suspect this USB to serial doodad has some electronic bits in it:
http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/SearchDetail.asp?productID=2066&ta=pro
d_info

But I haven't cut one open yet to find out.

 

[yogi]

I recently built a new computer using a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
motherboard, an Intel Core 2 duo processor, 2 GB RAM and a 500 GB
Western Digital hard drive. I now have this set up running
Windows XP, Pro with SP 2 installed. My client software consists
for the most part of MS Office 2008 and a number of PhotoShop
packages. Everything works very well and I am pleased with it all
except I have no serial ports. I use two Avery CoStar label
printers, but can not connect them to this new computer.

Is there a cable available that would let me connect these label
printers to a USB port. I find USB to Serial adapter cables, but
I would like to get rid of the extra jumble of connectors and
just go straight from a USB port to these label printers.

The label printers have a phone type connector. Surely, if it is
possible to go from a USB port to a male serial socket, it is
possible to just skip the extra connectors and go directly to the
phone plug that matches my label printers' inputs.

Where should I look for one of these?

Thanks for any suggestions, Gordon

I just put the question to Google and this was my search:
USB to Serial adapter
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=...ial&q=USB+to+serial+adapter&btnG=Search&meta=
and this was my first lookup.
http://www.moxatech.com.au/products.asp?SectionID=67

I hope that helps
Cheers
Keith

 

[Paul]

...


A serial to USB adapter includes electronics? Like what?
Mainly curious.

On the RS-232 side, the adapter chip gathers the serially
transmitted bits. It pays attention to flow control signals,
if any. A baud rate generator may be built into the adapter
chip.

The adapter chip would have a FIFO. It may gather several
serially transmitted characters and store them until the
right moment arrives.

At regular intervals, the USB bus protocol polls USB devices,
to see if they have any data. The adapter chip would gather
the bytes from the FIFO, and send them as a (relatively) high
speed packet to the USB interface on the computer.

So the adapter chip does rate adaptation, queueing, and protocol
translation. To name a few.

There is an example here. This Prolific PL-2303 chip does USB
to serial, but does not include the final PHY layer driving out
the RS-232 signals. RS-232 signals range from +/-3V to +/-25V,
which requires different circuitry than is present in simple
CMOS chips. By slapping a MAX232 family translator chip on the output
of this PL-2303, you would have a complete RS-232 solution.
Some of those specialized RS-232 translator chips have up to
15KV ESD protection (so they are not easily blown out). If
the PL-2303 did that directly, they wouldn't last too long.

http://www.prolific.com.tw/support/files/\IO Cable\PL-2303X\Documents\Datasheet\ds_pl2303XA_v15F.pdf

While both USB and RS-232 are serial protocols, their behaviors
and requirements are quite different.

Paul

 

[spodosaurus]

I recently built a new computer using a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
motherboard, an Intel Core 2 duo processor, 2 GB RAM and a 500 GB
Western Digital hard drive. I now have this set up running
Windows XP, Pro with SP 2 installed. My client software consists
for the most part of MS Office 2008 and a number of PhotoShop
packages. Everything works very well and I am pleased with it all
except I have no serial ports. I use two Avery CoStar label
printers, but can not connect them to this new computer.

Is there a cable available that would let me connect these label
printers to a USB port.

Our experience they just don't work. We ended up adding a couple of
cheap PCI serial port cards that cost the same (but offered more ports).
I am not aware of anything offhand that would connect the label printer
directly to a usb port. Contact the manufacturer.

Ari

--
spammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply
Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant. Please
volunteer to be a marrow donor and literally save someone's life:
http://www.abmdr.org.au/
http://www.marrow.org/

 

[John Doe]

I suspect this USB to serial doodad has some electronic bits in it:
http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/SearchDetail.asp?productID=2066&ta=prod_info
But I haven't cut one open yet to find out.

Actually I was thinking about my USB <-> PS/2 adapters, monolithic
minimal size package. Then again, I also have PS/2 <-> serial
(9-pin) adapters, also a minimal size solid package. I recall using
both with no drivers and no problems. My guess is that the pin-outs
are the same, except of course for configuration.

A small amount of research would clear this up, maybe tomorrow.

Thanks for the link.

 

[John Doe]

I suspect this USB to serial doodad has some electronic bits in it:
http://www.cyberguys.com/templates/SearchDetail.asp?productID=2066&ta=prod_info

I have a feeling that the "drivers" they include with the
USB <-> serial adapter aren't hardware device drivers.

 

[Michael Hawes]

You can't. There has to be some electronics between the USB and serial
ports.

Try Maplin.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?criteria=usb serial&source=15&menu=-3&WorldSearch=Y&SD=Y

Mike.

 

[Gordon]

I recently built a new computer using a Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3L
motherboard, an Intel Core 2 duo processor, 2 GB RAM and a 500 GB
Western Digital hard drive. I now have this set up running
Windows XP, Pro with SP 2 installed. My client software consists
for the most part of MS Office 2008 and a number of PhotoShop
packages. Everything works very well and I am pleased with it all
except I have no serial ports. I use two Avery CoStar label
printers, but can not connect them to this new computer.

Is there a cable available that would let me connect these label
printers to a USB port. I find USB to Serial adapter cables, but
I would like to get rid of the extra jumble of connectors and
just go straight from a USB port to these label printers.

The label printers have a phone type connector. Surely, if it is
possible to go from a USB port to a male serial socket, it is
possible to just skip the extra connectors and go directly to the
phone plug that matches my label printers' inputs.

Where should I look for one of these?

Thanks for any suggestions, Gordon

Thanks to all for your responses. I think that after reviewing
all these options I will go for the two Serial port PCY card and
see how that works. Those two serial ports would serve both of my
Label Writers and the cost is quite reasonable.

Gordon