🔗 Connect the Past to the Present with Ease!
The Plugable USB to Serial RS-232 Adapter (5ft) is designed to bridge the gap between legacy DB-9 serial devices and modern computers. With its Prolific PL2303GT chipset, it ensures broad compatibility across various operating systems, while its COM retention feature simplifies user experience by preserving settings. This adapter is perfect for professionals needing reliable connections without the hassle of external power sources.
Brand | Plugable |
Item model number | PL2303-DB9 |
Item Weight | 1.5 ounces |
Product Dimensions | 26.5 x 1.5 x 0.6 inches |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 26.5 x 1.5 x 0.6 inches |
Color | Grey |
Manufacturer | Plugable |
ASIN | B00425S1H8 |
Country of Origin | China |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | September 1, 2010 |
G**E
Debian Linux gotchas
This is a great gadget. I had a couple problems with it, though.#1) The Amazon page says it's a female DB9, and it isn't. It matches the male connector found on Windows boxes. It was OK, though. I thought I needed a female, so I got what I really needed.#2) I'm working with 2 computers, a Dell 5414 laptop (Debian Buster) and a Raspberry Pi 3+ (Raspian Stretch). I'm trying to put the Pi on the Internet as a server. That's why I needed this adapter -- I need to talk to Juniper and Cisco routers and stuff, and the Pi has no (easily accessible) 232 port.Plogable's Linux dox say, essentially, "Plug it in." That works on the Pi which creates just /dev/ttyUSB0, but not on the laptop which creates ttyUSB0 through 3. And it makes ttyUSB3 the active connection.The way to deal with this, I found after several hours futzing with USB0 and talking with Plugable support, is to plug it into an already booted computer, type 'sudo dmesg' on a terminal, and read the last line. Linux notices the newly plugged in USB device and deals with it. But Plugable doesn't say anything about the possibility of more than one ttyUSB entry in /dev anywhere, and your machine might do something unexpected, like mine did.Plugable support, BTW, is a delight. Very competent, responsive, and helpful.
C**S
Finally, a USB Console Connection for Windows 7
If you are an IT professional looking for a USB-to-RS-232 Console adapter, look no further. The Prolific PL2302HX Chipset integrated into this adapter is the heart of what makes it work properly. I have tried numerous other USB adapters with different chipsets and the PL2303HX produced the most consistent and accurate serial data transfers. I ran tests using a legacy laptop running Windows XP and a standard DB9 serial port against a new Windows 7 x64 Laptop with the Plugable USB adapter and performed data captures and transfers with a Cisco router. I did encounter a few problems when performing large file transfers, but the same problems were also encountered using the legacy serial port. Unlike other USB adapters, I experienced no bit inversions, no lost connection, no console port lockups, and no baud-rate changes.The Drivers provided by Plugable are also great. Drivers are available for Windows XP x32, Windows 7 x32, and Windows 7 x64, as well as MAC OSX. I did not have a Mac available for testing, but the drivers and adapter worked perfectly under the 3 windows environments tested. You will most likely need to change your COM Port assignment each time you reboot Windows or change to a different USB port, as windows will Dynamically assign a COM Port on a first-available basis. However, I have noticed that once I disabled the non-existent serial port in the BIOS of my machine, my COM assignment stayed the same as long as I used the same USB port. If all of this is a bit too technical for you, the provided PDF user manual offers step by step instructions with accurate screen shots for Windows Vista/7 and 2000/XP. Mac instructions are also included, but I have not verified them.
R**T
Plugable brand USB to Serial Adapter - Prolific PL2303 Chipset - Finicky with Windows 7 64-bit but got it to work
As with others, I was attracted to this USB-to-Serial cable by the price and, with a few extra steps involved to get it up and running, it does the job.The task at hand was to connect an older model DiabloSport Predator U7140 (Mustang GT) performance tuner's serial port to my W7 64-bit Compaq laptop's USB port, in order to update the software on the tuner. Have had this tuner for several years, and this is the first software update that has been attempted.Following the provided directions which state that the Plugable cable's drivers are available through the Windows Update plug-n-play installation process, I connected it to an open USB port. Indeed, Windows did acknowledge that a new device had been connected, and the driver installation screen popped open... but installation failed. My laptop's Device Manager continued to show the cable under "Other Devices", either as "no driver installed" or as 'there is a problem with the device (Code 1)'.After several attempts and reboots, I moved on to "Plan B" - using the CD supplied with the cable. Unfortunately, the laptop's CD drive would not read the CD, and I am still not sure why.OK... on to "Plan C": I went to Plugable's website support page for this cable & driver (plugable.com/drivers/prolific), downloaded the installation and text-based Help files, and tried the install that way... even tried installing as Administrator but, after several install & reboot sessions, it still would not work. Was frustrated and fully uninstalled the program through the Control Panel, Programs' routine (then rebooted).So far we are at a one star review, right?Finally -- before giving up I tried just plugging the cable into the USB port one last time. Again, the Windows Update installation routine failed, but (let's call this "Plan D") I selected an option for Windows to Search the Internet... and that was all it took. The search routine ran for about 2 minutes and then the installation process automatically kicked off, resulting in a pop-up window stating that installation was successful. A quick look at Device Manager showed that the cable had now been assigned to COM7.Go figure. Ummm... I highly recommend you try "Plan D" as your first avenue of trouble-shooting.One issue remains though; this install and COM 7 assignment is not permanent on my machine. When I unplug the cable from the USB port, it disappears from Device Manager and I have to go back through "Plan D" all over again. Now that I know this it is a minor inconvenience.In the end the cable worked, but it took a bit to get there.
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