Control a serial device via USB

[RobertoBozzolo]

Hi all, my question is simple: we do have several serial proprietary devices we usually control via the standard RS232 library functions. I would like to know if I can control those devices via a USB to serial adapter and a modified (how?) version of my software. This can be useful when sometimes the application is to be ported to laptop computers that don't have built-in RS232 ports.

[Ryykker]

Roberto,
I think that your solution should be fairly simple: It requires a hardware component that you may already have, (a USB to Serial adapter to go from the USB port to your serial device) and configuring the port on the PC in the typical way, i.e. Control Panel -> system (icon)-> hardare (tab) -> device manager (button). Then click on the desired COM port (i.e. COM1 or COM2 or ...)and setting its configuration to your desired settings (to match those of the device you are talking to). Once you have done these things, all of the standard library calls for rs232 should apply.
Hope this helps,
Ryykker

[MJF]

I would think that the USB to serial adapter would simply look like another COM port if the driver has been properly written. It should be transparent to you and as simple as using any other COM port once the driver has been properly installed.

[RobertoBozzolo]

Thank yu all. I'll take a look to some usb-to-serial adapter.