Awhile back I saw some USB-to-serial adapters which were extremely slick. Imagine the whole package in the same form-factor as the DB-9 (serial) pin header. That’s right! The whole adapter fits in the same footprint as the serial port connector which your device uses.
DB9 USB-to-Serial Adapter
Now instead of a USB-to-serial cable connected to your device, you can just connect directly to a USB port – no need for that silly adapter cable! Just solder one of these modules in place of the existing passive serial-connector and you have yourself what has effectively become a USB device! What a great way to modernize a legacy piece of equipment.
You can purchase these adapters for about $15 from Digikey.
Update: I purchased a couple of these units and they are fantastic!! I installed one in a DSP-232+
So…did you ever use one of these? Curious how they work? I’m thinking of putting them on some of my TNC’s…I think they would work nice.
N7LT
Heya,
So I’ve not yet ordered the USB-to-serial-in-a-DB9-connector gadget, however, I have spoken with an acquaintance who saw this blog posting and picked a couple of these up. He found the whole replacement rather seamless and is glad to have made the swap.
I really should order one or two just to have on-hand for older equipment … maybe it is time to put together another DigiKey order 😉
James