Installed the configuration software, plugged it in, and it worked immediately. I am using it with WinXP Service Pack 2, and it communicates great with a complex serial interface to an unusual piece of electronics I have, so its very compatible with "real" serial ports, unlike some other adapters I have tried that seem to only work with modems or PDA docks. The adapter as shipped is actually a small 1"x1.5"x3" box connected to your computer with a 3' USB cable that can be unplugged from it. It has a green LED on top to tell you when it is properly configured as well as when a program has opened that serial port and when it is passing data. Very functional and easy to use; the configuration software even includes tests to make sure the device is recognized and is properly communicating with your computer. The configuration software also ensures that the same COM port is assigned to the device, no matter which USB port on your computer you plug it into each time, unlike previous adapters I've had which created a different COM port each time you plugged the device into a different USB port (very annoying); the driver also has an option to behave like those other drivers, but most people will probably want to always have it act like the same COM port, the default.
After executing "mknod /dev/ttyUSB0 c 188 0", I am happily communicating with Palms and GPSs using the new /dev/ttyUSB0 device.My USA-19HS worked ok for a couple of months, then stopped working. It started identifying itself as a a TUSB3410 Boot Device, which Keyspan's website says meant it was defective. I then went into customer service hell. After I posted my info to a tech support forum on their website, they vanished. I poked again a week and a half later, and they came back and told me to mail the device in. I did so. Then they vanished off the face of the earth. No replacement sent to me, no posts to my electronic tech support thread (despite multiple posts by me), and they don't answer their phones (there's a recording saying to visit the website). Eventually, weeks later, after I threatened to go to the BBB, someone posted and said they'd look for my device and get back to me that afternoon. Two days later, nothing again.
The device works fine, but heaven forbid you actually need to get it replaced. At this point, I have neither my dead device nor a refund -I mailed it in, and it's gone in a black hole.After trying other USB to Serial Adaptors to get a Garmin eTrex Summit to communicate with an iMac, I am happy to report this one works flawless. (You will need also the Garmin serial connector)
Now you won't have to suffer Windows to use TOPOS with your Garmin.
Want to connect your Garmin eTrex to a Mac so you can use TOPOS, this works, some others don't. (Have not checked this with Tiger, can't think of a reason it would not work)(Please see my update at the end of this review before considering the purchase of this adapter)
I've been using the Keyspan USA-19HS for years. The first one was purchased after reading recommendations from several control system experts, and I haven't been disappointed. Rockwell Automation sells their own version of a USB serial port adapter (PN 9300-USBS), but it's about $130. Don't bother. The Keyspan is inexpensive and has proven to be 100% compatible with everything I've needed to connect to via a serial cable.
I've used it with laptops and desktops running Windows 98SE, Windows XP and Windows 7. I've used it on SLC 5/xx series processors, ControlLogix 5000 processors, Siemens/TI 505 series processors, Keyence laser measurement equipment, modems, serial printers, barcode scanners, Reliance and Rockwell/Allen-Bradley drives, and just about everything else. Never a problem. It works with straight serial cables, null modem cables, and every type of serial adapter I've thrown at it. The Keyspan USA-19HS is the cheapest piece of control system communication hardware that I own, and it's probably the most-used. It has never let me down.
Since I first started using the Keyspan adapter, I've bought over a dozen more for service techs, co-workers and even a couple of bosses. The Keyspan is extremely configurable, fast, reliable, durable and easy to use. The Keyspan adapter comes with a driver CD and a USB cable and takes just a few minutes to set up. I keep one in my laptop bag at all times.
UPDATE 4/5/12: it appears that Tripp-Lite has made a few changes since they took over the Keyspan line. Among the changes was a decision to use a cheaper USB socket. From the outside, it looks almost the same. The only notable difference is a lack of molded numbers (1, 2, 3 and 4) on the end of the plastic tab in the middle of the port. Unfortunately, the cheaper USB socket doesn't retain the cable connector as well as the older ones did. The weaker spring conductors allow the cable to be pulled most of the way out of the socket, resulting in a lost connection and possibly a BSOD (blue screen of death).
I took a couple of the older Keyspan adapters (no Tripp-Lite logo on the housing) and a couple of the newer Keyspan adapters (with the Tripp-Lite logo on the housing), opened the housings and compared them. The differences I saw between old and new were minor: notably a different PCB manufacturer's logo and a couple of chips that had changed brands. And the USB type B port. The old has a partial back shell (you can see the white plastic on the back of the port), while the new has a full back shell (can't see the plastic in back).
The few cents that Tripp-Lite saved by using a cheaper socket isn't worth it. Whereas the old Keyspans would easily support the weight of the adapter + a 10 ft. coiled-up serial cable, the new Keyspans cannot. The new ones can't support the weight and allow the USB cable to pull partway out of the port. I tested 3 of the new Keyspan adapters and they all performed the same: almost no load-bearing capability at all.
Since the adapters still work fine except for the USB port, I simply desoldered the cheap-o port from each of the new adapters and replaced it with an FCI port (FCI PN 61729-1011BLF -54 cents each). No more problems. Most users probably won't be able replace the port, so a quick (if not awkward and/or ugly) fix is to either glue the USB cable into the port or use tape or a heavy rubber band to retain the cable.
Tripp-Lite, shame on you for ruining a perfectly good adapter to save a few pennies. I have reduced the adapter's 5 star rating to 2 stars based on the poor quality of the new USB port. Like the old Baskin-Robbins saying goes, "There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that man's lawful prey."
UPDATE 10/11/12: A coworker bought a half dozen new Keyspan USA-19HS adapters today, so I wasted no time in testing them out to see if the USB port problem was fixed. I tested all 6 of the adapters and was happy to see that none suffered from loose USB ports. The ports don't have any numbers (1, 2, 3 and 4) molded on the end of the plastic tab in the middle of the port, so I'm guessing they're not anything special, but they seem to hold onto the USB cable quite well. I only hope Tripp-Lite has learned a lesson about trusting others to adhere to high quality standards based on faith alone. I have updated the adapter's rating from 2 stars to 4 stars based on seeing and testing this batch of adapters.
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