[PLUG] USB-to-serial/parallel port adapters

Kyle Accardi sandbox at pacifier.com
Fri Nov 14 13:53:01 UTC 2003


Paul Mullen wrote:
> I'm planning on picking up USB port converters for both serial and
> parallel in the near future and was wondering if there are any caveats a
> Linux user should bear in mind when selecting make/model. I've noticed in
> the kernel menuconfig that there seem to be a large array of drivers for
> these sorts of devices. Are any known to work better than others?  Also,
> what price point should I expect to encounter for a decent product? I've
> only shopped USB-to-serial converters so far, and have seen upwards of
> $50 (Fry's) and as little as ~$10 (eBay auction, new item).

I've used a Belkin serial converter with success (~$30).  If you dig around 
the kernel source (drivers/usb/serial), the commented .c files, will 
indicate various supported models.  Not all supported makes/models will be 
mentioned but if you can find one still offered retail, it's a good bet.

Belkin seems to be widely available and hence popular and largely supported. 
  Have no experience with parallel devices.

--
Kyle Accardi





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