Hardware

I have a PC hardware question.
I have an old Dell that has only ONE serial port which is currently occupied by a CAT cable. What I want to know is if there is sort of an adapter to plug into the serial port that gives me 2 instead of 1.

Is that clear as mud?

(sorry if my terms are off, not the best with PC terminology)

[ve6wtf]

I have here an external switch that will select either or?

[KC9ECI]

Do you have USB ports? Perhaps you could get a USB to serial adapter for the 2nd connection you need.

[AE6QE]

I believe there are Y-adapters, but if I remember correctly they are rather expensive and for niche uses (like GPS). As others have mentioned, maybe you could use a USB adapter (I use the Prolific chipset with great success). Also, try checking on your motherboard - some motherboards have a set of pins that you can connect a second serial port on. You can buy the extra serial port for $7 or so off of e-Bay.

[K7JEM]

There are plug in cards if you have an extra ISA or PCI slot that will give you extra serial ports, they are not very expensive.

Joe

[n6yg]

Quote[/b] (K7JEM @ Mar. 10 2007,00:35)]There are plug in cards if you have an extra ISA or PCI slot that will give you extra serial ports, they are not very expensive.

Joe
I second this recommendation, ether use an add in card or try a USB to Serial adapter. Just make sure the place you buy the adapter from has a good return policy and don't buy the cheapest one you can find. USB to Serial adapters are notorious for compatibility issues. You might have to try a few brands to find one that works with your combination of hardware.

Cool!
I'll probably look into the USB adapter.

Thanks a lot guys!

[KB3NDN]

i think the serial to usb are upwards from $50 bucks, could be wrong. i would get a serial card, you can get those for practically nothing.

[WA7KKP]

That port with the CAT cable is ethernet, not the traditional RS-232 serial port.

These are usually a 9 pin (older machines had a 25 pin) DB male connector, and most often were used with external modems, and the occasional serial printer interface.

I've seen multiple serial port cards avaiable, but usually ISA buss designs, and very rarely, the PCS. These have been superceded by the USB port, which is simply a superfact serial port with up to 127 differnt devices added a la SCSI. I've seen USB to serial cables available at bargain prices, but I'm not sure how compatible that may be with Windows software, etc.

Gary WA7KKP

[KB3NDN]

Quote[/b] (WA7KKP @ Mar. 19 2007,08:18)]That port with the CAT cable is ethernet, not the traditional RS-232 serial port.

These are usually a 9 pin (older machines had a 25 pin) DB male connector, and most often were used with external modems, and the occasional serial printer interface.

I've seen multiple serial port cards avaiable, but usually ISA buss designs, and very rarely, the PCS. #These have been superceded by the USB port, which is simply a superfact serial port with up to 127 differnt devices added a la SCSI. #I've seen USB to serial cables available at bargain prices, but I'm not sure how compatible that may be with Windows software, etc.

Gary WA7KKP
im not sure you actually saw a straight cable to usb - usb doesnt work that way. there is timing and all other kinds of issues that need to be taken care of to hook a serial port up through usb, which is why i mentioned the "converter box" in my earlier post...

[ka5piu]

Hello.

almost all computers that have a serial port have a UART that is actually 2 serial ports on one chip.
The current generation of Mac laptops have an Intel motherboard and CPU.
After doing Intel hardware research I discovered that the serial ports reported by windows are real.
On the board is the industry standard mini connector so a little hack was the order of the day.
Now there are 2 real 232/485 IO ports on the box, not some convoluted serial port solution.