which is better: pcmcia serial card OR usb-->serial adapter

[whistleclient]

which is better: pcmcia serial card OR usb-->serial adapter

wondering if someone's had more problems with one rather than the other for a laptop with no serial port...

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

serial as in DB9, or as in SATA??? if you are talking about the former, it really wouldn't matter either way. Later, I'd go with PCMCIA type 3.

 

[whistleclient]

i was talking about DB9

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

In that case, whatever is cheaper / more convenient. DB9 moves less than USB 1.1 bandwidth IIRC.

 

[bluemax]

false.

In the industrial world where I work, those USB-to-Serial adapters only work with ~75% of those devices out there. The better the USB adapter (and more expensive) the more likely it will work.

If you have the option for PCMCIA, it'll be better because it'll be a hardware-level TRUE serial port. If it's for an industrial app, it may be your best/only bet.

 

[corkyg]

Go PCMCIA. The converters are timed basically for printers and most everything else does not work with them.

 

[bluemax]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Go PCMCIA. The converters are timed basically for printers and most everything else does not work with them.

Don't see too many serial printers these days.
But you're right about parallel, unlike serial the USB-to-parallel adapters will only work for printers and are near-useless for anything else.

 

[tiap]

Originally posted by: bluemax
false.

In the industrial world where I work, those USB-to-Serial adapters only work with ~75% of those devices out there. The better the USB adapter (and more expensive) the more likely it will work.

If you have the option for PCMCIA, it'll be better because it'll be a hardware-level TRUE serial port. If it's for an industrial app, it may be your best/only bet.

 

[redbeard1]

As has been touched on earlier, there are certain timing mechanisms with serial ports that are normally not replicated with usb converters. Testing device companies are starting to make some of their devices with USB, but they are implementing it using special high speed USB chips.

I've used this company's pcmcia serial and LPT cards (as some new laptops don't have a LPT port) with good success. A number of device makers direct you Quatech as the only option that they will support if you don't have a built in serial port.

Quatech