One more thought..... Most would be surprised to discover that there is a serial port on your motherboard on a lot of desktop computers. All you need do is purchase a cable with a DB-9 and a mounting for the back of the computer. I found the cable at TigerTronics for a couple of bux.
73, Rick W3BI > Date: Sat, 12 May 2012 10:56:18 -0400 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected]; [email protected] > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] RS232 vs USB yet again... > > George... > > You're quite correct. I have one of these, currently in storage, waiting > for the day when my DELL XPS 420 shuffles off the mortal coil. > Fortunately, for $20 I could install a PCI board in the XPS 420 that > gives me a pair of COM ports, which I also did. My Parthian comment > about "planning for the succession" includes worries about the several > other PCI and PCIx boards I have in active use, most particularly the > frame grabber that allows me to 'window' my P3 operation. > > Thanks for bringing up the Edgeport boxes. They seem to be very well > thought out. > > John Ragle -- W1ZI > > ===== > > On 5/12/2012 9:07 AM, George Dubovsky wrote: > > One of the still-plentiful, proven, and inexpensive Edgeport boxes > > (USB to 4 or 8 RS-232) would seem to obselence-proof your station. > > > > 73, > > > > geo - n4ua > > > > On Sat, May 12, 2012 at 8:48 AM, John Ragle <[email protected] > > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: > > > > It is very rare that one can find a modern PC desktop that comes > > with 1 > > or more RS-232 serial ports, just as it is becoming more and more > > difficult to find stock desktops with expansion slots on the MoBo. > > Laptops, at least newer than my ancient IBM Thinkpad, are even less > > likely to be equipped with RS-232 ports. This puts hams in an > > invidious > > position -- either use some old clunker of a desktop that came with > > RS-232 equipment, or find an expansion board that will plug into the > > MoBo of a moderately old tower, or use a USB-->RS-232 converter and go > > modern. > > > > Regarding the various items of Elecraft equipment, the choice between > > USB and RS-232 seems to have had very little to do with relative > > merits. > > It is not "which one is better?" but "which one is more suitable?" > > Apparently a substantial fraction of the brethren use superannuated > > desktops because this is a reasonable financial option. Another > > fraction > > of us use modern-day laptops, even though they promise half the > > performance at twice the price of a modern desktop. When the choice is > > between USB-->RS-232 conversion and RS-232-->USB conversion, the > > former > > is more readily available (the USB->RS-232 converters) than the > > latter. > > Again, this is just a marketing matter. > > > > Unfortunately, not all USB-->RS-232 converters are usable; some are > > "more equal than others" (apologies to George Orwell). A lot of the > > previous fuming and fussing over this topic has concerned specific > > chip > > sets and manufacturers of these converters. This is where the archived > > to-and-fro is of most utility. At first I was also a bit put off to > > discover that Elecraft relied on what I thought of as antiquated > > hardware, but in retrospect, I have gone over to the dark side and > > embraced the DB-9. I have used Firewire, USB, and RS-232, and find I > > much prefer the latter. I am fortunate to have a desktop with > > expansion > > slots, though in a bit of a quandary planning for the succession. > > > > John Ragle -- W1ZI > > > > -- > > > > Sent from my lovely old Dell XPS 420 > > > > ______________________________________________________________ > > Elecraft mailing list > > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > <mailto:[email protected]> > > > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > > > > > -- > Sent from my lovely old Dell XPS 420 > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[email protected] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
