[Xastir] RE: ref : New, Updated box time - which Linux??

[Bennett, Bruce]

Another choice? Yeah, in the past I have used a PCI serial port card w/4
ports... $$

I like the FTDI-based USB-to-serial (larger buffer than any other - except
SI Labs) but enumeration is the big issue...  I have had small seeming
changes, such as a new USB mouse scramble the entire port numbering order.

Parallax makes a very cheap FTDI based USB to serial - by now I bet there's
cheaper ones out there.

The SI Labs based devices can actually be re-programmed to bear a unique ID,
and from that can be made to enumerate in a specific order. I know how to
re-program the SI Lab device (a utility SI Labs provides), but I don't know
if Linux can take advantage of ID-based fixed enumeration...

Offhand, I don't know of an OEM branded USB to serial that uses the SI Labs
chip - we embed them in our company's product..



-----Original Message-----
From: Jason Winningham [mailto:jdw at eng.uah.edu]
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2006 2:43 PM
To: Bennett, Bruce
Cc: xastir at xastir.org
Subject: Re: [Xastir] ref : New, Updated box time - which Linux??



On Sep 21, 2006, at 12:32 PM, Bennett, Bruce wrote:

> Now: another question - since true serial ports are scarce, are
> USB-to-serial converters the way to go??

is there another choice?

stay away from Belkin adapters.  I've had good luck with Keyspan, and 
so far one I've played with that's based on the FTDI chipset has 
performed OK.

The big hassle for me is the fact that the device special file name 
depends on the order in which the OS decides to enumerate the device, 
and that order can change depend on where it's plugged in as well as 
other factors.

-Jason
kg4wsv