On 02/05/2016 04:31 PM, william degnan via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
As long as someone is prepared to support you'll be fine with whatever the person doing the support wants.
Me personally I think a real serial port is more reliable. I have had to re-install drivers, reboot the computer, etc when using the USB-->serial cable on Win Vista and up.
Even with a new machine there is usually a serial port on the motherboard, just connect an internal serial port cable to the motherboard and pull it from the motherboard to an external slot so you can get to it. I'd go that route if this is a permanent need. Serial to USB is best for laptops and temporary use.
But like I originally said, 95% of the time USB to serial works fine as long as you're ok with occasionally exiting out of an application and re-entering once in a while, and also unplugging/re-plugging in the USB cable every so often if something goes wrong.
Right now I have five USB<->serial adapters connected to my main desktop machine. Two CP2102, two PL2303, and one FTDI. They're all in heavy daily use for work. I've never once had to reboot, re-install (or install in the first place, or even be aware of) drivers, or unplug/re-plug anything. The problems you're talking about are Windows issues, not USB<->serial adapter issues. -Dave -- Dave McGuire, AK4HZ New Kensington, PA