ComputerVoltageSources

You can probably buy a dedicated Pentium 1 laptop with RS-232 for the same price as the 
RS-232 to USB cable. Unless you can find one for free, or kept your old systems.

<humor>
I even have a Sinclair ZX-81 with an external RS-232 adapter, but it doesn't do Windoze. It 
was the first "glass teletype" I owned though.
</humor>

--- In ComputerVoltageSources@yahoogroups.com, "Michael A. Firman" <maf@...> wrote:
>
> 
> I think that John's point was that RS232 Serial connectors 
> are outmoded and generally less and less available as standard 
> i/o devices on computers (even PCs), despite the fact that USB
> may be overkill for this application. This is (or will be when
> it is realized), however, a hobbyist project, so RS232 is perfectly
> applicable here (and adding the USB logic would be way too 
> complicated).
> 
> I do agree with John on the point that RS232 shouldn't be considered
> for a production (read commercial) device.
> 
> BTW all USB->RS232 adapters are not equal they fall into several
> categories based upon the controller devices they use. Even those
> that use the same controller devices can have slightly different
> Configuration Descriptors/Device Decriptors/Interface Descriptors/
> Endpoint Descriptors causing the software that drives them on the
> host to do all sorts of different (and sometimes wacky) things.
> 
> --- In ComputerVoltageSources@yahoogroups.com, "Grant Richter"
> <grichter@> wrote:
> >
> > I am pretty sure the Renasas part just sets up a standard "tickle
> me" for Flash config. During 
> > power up sequencing it probably blits something out a port pin and
> IF it gets a response, 
> > then switches to a Flash load mode. It was probably designed for
> JTAG and they just tacked 
> > RS-232 level translators on the JTAG pins, and set up the handshake
> across RS-232, because 
> > it was cheaper than a JTAG dongle.
> > 
> > USB is laughably overkill for loading 32K of Flash. But info tech is
> SO bloated nowadays they 
> > need all that bandwidth for the 4 megabytes of handshaking needed to
> pass a 32K packet...
> >
>