Serial converter.

[aCynic2]

I have a older model palm, Palm IIIxe, that I use as a back up. It hooks in via the serial port. The board I'm getting doesn't have a serial port.

Can anyone comment on the reliability of a serial->usb converter?

 

[Zepper]

Why choose a motherboard that lacks a serial port (as there are plenty that have one) when you already have a device that needs one? Doesn't make any sense to me... In my experience most of the USB adapters are iffy. Look thru the user reviews on Newegg to see if anyone is using it successfully in a similar application.

This one looks like it works:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812149115

Another: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812156009

Another: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812107108

Looks like there are several others there that will work too.

I also recommend the PCI serial port card that corkyg mentions below. Of course you will be tying up an increasingly scarce PCI slot. There are cards that add several kinds of ports in the same slot so you won't be tying up a PCI slot for just one serial port - they don't necessarily cost much more than a single serial port card either. Then you'll have all the ports that should have come with the mobo in the first place... :roll:

.bh.

 

[corkyg]

If you need a serial port, just add one via PCI. Serial-USB adapters are quirky - usually only good for printers due to timing problems.

 

[steppinthrax]

You can get a usb serial port or get a pci serial port card. The USB serial port is a piece of hardware that creates a hardware serial port for you similar as if you had it on board. It is recognized in your device manager as a serial port. Whereas if you use the printer usb to serial it has no hardware and is really designed for printers where you set the port configuration in the device manager for the printer. You can also get an expansion card that has serial ports on it.