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Serial Connection


Texsox

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This adapter was found with a quick search - $36 instead of $50.

 

As far as conveting teh serial to something else, I think teh Serial-USB converter is going to be your best bet.

 

Shop around for a converter, you may find one (even on that site I have here) cheaper!

 

/You laptop doesn't have a 9-Pin serial port? *sigh* I can't stand when laptop makers do that.

 

I found some as cheap as $16, but I always get leary when there is that big of a difference.

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This adapter was found with a quick search - $36 instead of $50.

 

As far as conveting teh serial to something else, I think teh Serial-USB converter is going to be your best bet.

 

Shop around for a converter, you may find one (even on that site I have here) cheaper!

 

/You laptop doesn't have a 9-Pin serial port? *sigh* I can't stand when laptop makers do that.

 

I found some as cheap as $16, but I always get leary when there is that big of a difference.

Mmmm, it might be OK. Do a google search for teh manufacturer name and see if there are any complaints.

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This adapter was found with a quick search - $36 instead of $50.

 

As far as conveting teh serial to something else, I think teh Serial-USB converter is going to be your best bet.

 

Shop around for a converter, you may find one (even on that site I have here) cheaper!

 

/You laptop doesn't have a 9-Pin serial port? *sigh* I can't stand when laptop makers do that.

 

I found some as cheap as $16, but I always get leary when there is that big of a difference.

 

Not much to be leary about. USB is serial. There's not much other than a line driver and a few pieces of "glue" electronics to making one. I've built a few with $9.00 in parts from a RadioShaft. That said - you can find 'em all over around here for ~$20. It's hardly worth building them.

 

The caveat is if you're running Windows98 (and I don't want to hear about it...) - then it comes down to where they get their device drivers. If you have 2k or XP - you're golden as they're supported natively in the OS.

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This adapter was found with a quick search - $36 instead of $50.

 

As far as conveting teh serial to something else, I think teh Serial-USB converter is going to be your best bet.

 

Shop around for a converter, you may find one (even on that site I have here) cheaper!

 

/You laptop doesn't have a 9-Pin serial port? *sigh* I can't stand when laptop makers do that.

 

I found some as cheap as $16, but I always get leary when there is that big of a difference.

 

Not much to be leary about. USB is serial. There's not much other than a line driver and a few pieces of "glue" electronics to making one. I've built a few with $9.00 in parts from a RadioShaft. That said - you can find 'em all over around here for ~$20. It's hardly worth building them.

 

The caveat is if you're running Windows98 (and I don't want to hear about it...) - then it comes down to where they get their device drivers. If you have 2k or XP - you're golden as they're supported natively in the OS.

 

XP Pro, so I shouldn't have a problem. I can't believe anyone would ship an accessory with a serial connecton in 2006 that could be made with USB. Thank You.

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Well, it might have been the case back when I started in the 80's and we called "RS232" "Random Standard"... Now-adays, there's DTE (Data Terminal Equipment) and DCE (Data Communication Equipment). The only difference is that TX and RX are reversed. If that were the case, you'd get a null modem and plug that in between and life would be grand.

 

The upshot is that the garmin is intended to plug into a PC (DTE) so it's wired DCE. Which *is* backward from the intended standard, incidentally. The PC was wired to be a terminal to a mainframe - but that's getting off in the weeds...

 

Anywho - it's intended to plug into a PC. So any USB->Serial adapter is going to work since it's also intended to behave as a PC-side port.

 

A note for technical accuracy so I don't get called on it: There is some oddball equipment that wants certain pins high and certain pins low for stupid nothing-reasons. So there are different types of null modems. DSR pulled high, CD pulled high or low, etc. But those aren't consumer devices, such as GPSrs are.

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To TEXSOX and FIREFIGHTER SKIPPY, you are both welcome. You are going to have to set the addapter and the GPSr to the same com settings, I had to call my sister to figure that out.

 

To the rest...um...I don't have a clue what any of that means, but I guess you all know so, cool, thanks for the info. Um, I should realy learn what these new fangled tv looking things are all about.

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