Usb as a serial port

You can test to make sure that the following components are working correctly and are not the source of the issue:. Use the serial cable, serial port, and serial device in another setup to see if the problem is with the components or the setup. Use a different serial cable, serial port, and serial device in your setup to see if the problem persists. Ideally, you should test a component that you know works in another setup.

Make sure that the COM port number is the correct number for the serial device and that the software being used to connect the computer to the serial device uses the correct COM port number. If the device is listed with an error, follow the instructions on the website to reinstall the drivers. Note: Some serial devices work only if the COM port number is between a certain range.

Perform a serial loopback test. There are a plethora of ports that connect these devices to the computer, for example, the well-known USB port. To fully understand how to install, configure, and troubleshoot input, output, and multimedia devices, you need to know the ports like the back of your hand. In this chapter you learn about serial, parallel, SCSI, USB, sound, and FireWire ports and their corresponding devices; the goal is to make you proficient with the various interfaces you see in the IT field.

The word 'port' is used often in the computer industry, and has many different meanings depending on what technology is being referred to. This hardware could be internal or external. The ports are associated with copper circuits and memory ranges that allow the communication of data between the CPU, RAM, and the ports themselves. Most recent desktop systems have at least four USB ports, and many systems support as many as eight or more front- and rear-mounted USB ports.

Figure shows the rear panel of a typical ATX system, including USB and other port types discussed in this chapter. Cables that are Series A—to—Series A or Series B—to—Series B are used to extend standard cables, and can cause problems if the combined length of the cables exceeds recommended distances.

USB 1. USB 2. USB 3. USB packaging and device markings frequently use the official logos shown in Figure to distinguish the different versions of USB in common use.

Note that the industry is shifting from using the term 'USB 2. With either version of USB, a single USB port on an add-on card or motherboard is designed to handle up to devices through the use of multiport hubs and daisy-chaining hubs. Starting with Windows 98, USB devices are Plug and Play PnP devices that are hot swappable can be connected and disconnected without turning off the system. The maximum length for a cable attached to 12Mbps or Mbps USB devices is five meters, whereas the maximum length for low-speed 1.

A root hub supports two USB ports. In Figure , there are two root hubs listed, indicating that the system has four USB ports. You can access the Device Manager by clicking Start , right-clicking Computer or My Computer in older Windows operating systems , and selecting Manage. The Computer Management window opens, and the Device Manager is located there.

You can also access Device Manager from the Control Panel. Note the fork-shaped USB logo next to the category and each device. Some motherboards have USB header cable connectors, which enable you to make additional USB ports available on the rear or front of the computer. Some motherboard vendors include these header cables with the motherboard, whereas others require you to purchase them separately. Some recent case designs also include front-mounted USB ports, which can also be connected to the motherboard.

Because of vendor-specific differences in how motherboards implement header cables, the header cable might use separate connectors for each signal instead of the more common single connector for all signals. There are two types of generic hubs:.

Bus-powered hubs might be built into other devices, such as monitors and keyboards, or can be standalone devices. Different USB devices use different amounts of power, and some devices require more power than others do.

A bus-powered hub provides no more than milliamps mA of power to each device connected to it. Thus, some devices fail when connected to a bus-powered hub.

A self-powered hub, on the other hand, has its own power source; it plugs into an AC wall outlet. It can provide up to mA of power to each device connected to it.

This is the one I use - if you move the connectors a lot you can buy new duponts to replace them - it also as a low power 5V and 3V output for very simple circuits and it installs without a disk! It also has a couple of LEDs on board shown when comms is active - sometimes useful.

Search for above text on ebay. There are bound to be others available if you can not see that exact one. Since RS voltage levels are generated it will allow operation over long cables. There are bound to be others available if you can not see that exact one.. To progress, next you need a terminal program running on your PC so that you can send data to, and receive data from the microcontroller. A suitable program is "Tera Term" which is a free. All you do is plug your chosen USB to serial interface into the USB port and connect to the development board and then start The terminal program.

Then all you do is select the serial interface that has appeared as a result of plugging in the serial to USB interface and everything works the same as if you had a built in serial link.

Read more. One common problem: Programming a sketch into the chip without a reset control - solved here. How Arduino strtok works, and how to use it and how to avoid problems. Support Resources Get the latest product updates, downloads and patches. Support Services Get the help you need to keep your Digi solutions running smoothly.

Optimizing USB to serial port settings. The default configuration for FTDI's drivers are optimized for high speed serial devices. Digi RF radios operate at lower baud rates than are optimal for these drivers and can cause some communication problems when performing certain tasks. Performing a firmware recovery or firmware update may fail unless the driver settings are modified.

Go to the Windows Device Manager a. Select Manage 2. Select Device Manager from the left-hand column 3.