Interestingly, this this of problem is created for Windows. There are a
limited number of USB/RS232 converter chip types in the world, all
supportable by a small number of drivers. Each seller, though, gets to
set an "id" in the chiop, which tells the OS what driver to load. The
RS232/serial bump-in-the-cord devices could all get by with the same
driver for the same chip if this number weren't changed.
So, why does this number exist? Partly yo allow manufacturers of
hardware to make it look like there's something special about their
devices by adding features in the driver, but mainly to accomodate
automatic detection of devices that directly incorporate these chips and
offer some other functionality (I.e. other than the generic
converters). Devices such as cameras generally have their own protocols
and don't use the generic serial chips, but there are indeed some
devices out there that use this ID to make a useful driver load.
The price we have to pay on Windows is getting a new driver for each
one, and suffering from needlessly buggy copies of the code as Tom has
reported.
If the K3 had its own internal chip with its own ID, there would be an
opportunity to have Windows auto-launch an application (Ham Radio
Deluxe? N1MM Logger?) whenever it detected the special K3 ID. There
isn't much advantage to this, and it would require, because of the way
Windows works, a special driver.
On Linux, the RS232 coverter generic drivers work fine for the
USB-Serial devices, but you don't get the automatic application launch
that you can get with Windows, although it is possible to configure it
for some the special devices. The problems with them come mostly in
the cases where they really are closer TTL instead of RS232 and the
keying circuit depends on the negative swing, or the supply isn't stiff
enough to meet the signalling device needs (both problems on Windows as
well).
Of course, Linux suffers as well from the need to have unique driver (or
more likely application) support for devices that directly incorporate
these chips and offer some functionality other than just serial
conversion.
73,
Leigh/WA5ZNU
On Sun, 6 May 2007 8:51 am, Tom Hammond wrote:
Don Wilhelm wrote, regarding USB to Serial If it's left plugged in
when the PCs booted, the OS (WinXP Pro in my case) wants to re-install
the drivers EVERY TIME!
_______________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net
You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm
Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
