On Sep 12, 2007, at 4:03 PM, Curt, WE7U wrote:

they use the FDTI chipset which is well supported in many
OS'es including Linux.

I haven't used the devices from Parallax, but I have settled on FTDI as my favorite USB/232 chipset. I have several of these in various forms and they do work well with windows, Mac os X, and linux (can't remember if I've tried them with Solaris, but FTDI doesn't supply Solaris drivers).

I suspect (but don't know) that the Parallax device has a DB9 male connector, as that's the standard.

I have used this one from BG Micro. It has a 6' cable, which could be good or bad depending on your needs. $15:

http://www.bgmicro.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=10405

If you need TTL level interface (roll your own USB interface for a TNC-X or something along those lines), SparkFun.com has breakout boards with a USB jack and through-holes for the TTL levels signals. They're not really cheap at $15, but you don't have to solder an SMT device. The Ic is also available for $5 or so, and it requires minimal external components (not even a clock source).

There are also versions that include 4 serial ports on a single cable - either a box or an octopus type arrangement. I haven't bought one of these yet, but plan to do so within the next few weeks.

-Jason
kg4wsv



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