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serial port to PCMCIA converter

My embedded system uses a serial port for configuration and loggin operations. Then, software running on a notebook computer communicate with this embedded system to process configuration and logging data. Th software running on notebook computer implements a DOS-based serial drive not Windows-based serial driver. This serial driver is pretty old.

Most newer notebook computers no longer come with serial port. Instead USB and PCMCIA ports are available. I have contacted many vendors tha offer USB-to-serial port adapters and all of them tell me that thes devices only work with Windows-based serial drivers. I also contacte vendors that make PCMCIA-to-serial port adapters and I get mixe responses. A couple have told me that their PCMCIA adapters will wor with DOS-based serial drivers.

Anyone have any experience with PCMCIA-to-serial port adapters?

Reply to
safetran
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mixed

I have personal experience with the Quatech SSPR-100 PCMCIA cards. At least to Windows, these cards are almost indistinguishable from a 16550 UART on the motherboard's PCI bus. The exact same SERIAL.SYS driver can be used. This is never the case with a USB-connected serial port.

Although I rarely use DOS comm software anymore, my feeling is that you would have a fighting chance with a PCMCIA card, and slim odds with anything else.

-- Scott

Reply to
Scott Barnes

Pcmcia devices get mapped into real I/O space at the 'right' address, so if you can persuade the DOS PCMCIA drivers to map it correctly, and if the card hardware is compatible with standard UARTS, then it should work in principle as it will look like a real hardware serial port.

DOS PCMCIA drivers can be somewhat hard to get to behave, and it is worth trying different ones if you have trouble as they have their own quirks.

Reply to
Mike Harrison

"safetran" wrote in news:m46dnQCpw5tZ6CfYnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

Maybe not what you are looking for, but I have no problems with my USB to serial and PCMCIA to serial converters running a DOS serial comms program in a Windows DOS box.

Sam

Reply to
SamSvL

SMS wrote in news:45bddfe4$0$69000 $ snipped-for-privacy@news.sonic.net:

probably

Check

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They claim to add USB functionality to microcontrollers, so why not legacy DOS machines?

Sam

They

Reply to
SamSvL

Timing crtitical operations do not work at all this way, I have seen people killing two-way radios by programming them this way.

Reply to
Ralph A. Schmid, DK5RAS

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