USB to Serial

[Ed]

I have a laptop with no USB port. Can I use some sort of adaptor so I can plug the USB device into the serial port?

 

[Smike]

After limited googling, I think it's one of those things where it's easy to go one way, but not the other. I had similar problems trying to connect a video signal to a PC monitor.

It's probably possible, but I don't think it can be done using a simple piece of wire.

Screw it. Buy a new laptop. If it has no USB ports, it's time for an upgrade anyway...

 

[Wally]

A PCMCIA adapter is probably your only option.

 

[Soapy Sam]

If you put the USB plug in a vice and squeeze it till it's round, then use a hammer...

I bought a "converter" about three years ago that claimed to do what you want. Made in China. Saimo or Saigo, a name like that. 20 pounds.
It didn't work. I took it back and the guy very reluctantly refunded my money. Two days later, the shop was gone. One of those shops- you know?
PC card - USB might be your best bet. If the laptop has no USB slot, the OS may not support USB anyway. Win 95 didn't as I recall. Or early Win 98.

 

[Ed]

I have generally had lousey luck w/ laptops; crapped out CD-ROM and hard drives, smouldering power supplies. When the HD on my Latitude crapped out (2nd or 3rd time, I forget) I bought a desktop and consigned the carcasses of the laptops to the outer reaches. I danced.

Unfortunately, my growing interest in Astronomy, along with my new GOTO mount makes a laptop sorta necessary (particularly if I indulge in astrophotography). That being the case, I have two choices, the old Compaq (which has been a topic of conversation here) running Win 98 SE or the Latitude which aside from having a crapped out disk also has a dead battery. For this single use app I am disinclined to get a new laptop. That in a nutshell is my situation (as if you guys cared)

 

[cyborg]

I have a laptop with no USB port. Can I use some sort of adaptor so I can plug the USB device into the serial port?

Absolutely not - unless the device supports a legacy mode such as USB mice which provide such adaptors.

USB is vastly different to serial systems. Such adapters only work because the device understands them and can adjust its operation mode when such dongles are attached.

 

[Soapy Sam]

I'd guess Win 98SE was an upgrade, as most original 98SE machines would have a USB 1.1 port.
If you get either machine going, you should load this little gem -
http://www.relex.ru/~zalex/files_eng.htm

StarCalc, a very useful free astronomy program.

(No relation to the similarly named Free office spreadsheet).

 

[Ed]

I'd guess Win 98SE was an upgrade, as most original 98SE machines would have a USB 1.1 port.
If you get either machine going, you should load this little gem -
http://www.relex.ru/~zalex/files_eng.htm

StarCalc, a very useful free astronomy program.

(No relation to the similarly named Free office spreadsheet).

Thank you. That is a remarkable program.

I wonder why they don't bundle all of the data files and dlls?

 

[bruto]

I have a feeling that if the laptop is old enough to have no USB ports at all, it will be very difficult even to find a currently produced card that will work in it, because it won't accept cardbus cards, and you'll have to find a PCMCIA card for it. The USB hardware started appearing before Microsoft was ready for it. If the device in question is only a printer you might get by with the last version of Win95b, but otherwise you'll need 98 or 98SE. My ~97 vintage Toshiba Tecra has Win95b but no USB support, and a single USB port, but cannot read a cardbus card. But a slightly newer Satellite with Win98 can. So if you do attempt to do the job with a card, make sure it's compatible, or make sure you get it from someplace like Staples that will take it back. And don't bother trying for anything but a printer with an OS older than Win98, or even 98SE.

 

[teddygrahams]

It seems others have been looking for a 16-bit PCMCIA USB adapter that does not exist. If your laptop does not have a Cardbus PCMCIA, there is no solution.