- My recorder is serial, my laptop is only USB! Help!
- New problems with old serial ports on some laptops
- New! Motion Master Product Announcement
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My recorder is serial, my laptop is only USB! Help!
New problems with old serial ports on some laptops
New! Motion Master Product Announcement
My Recorder is serial, my laptop is only USB! Help!
Some customers have run into problems interfacing the serial port of their EDR or MSR to a laptop that has no serial port at all. We're glad to say that there is help for you! Before you run out and try to find a PCMCIA card that provides serial ports (they do exist, are hard to find and rather expensive, ~$200+), you can get a USB to Serial Adaptor. However, be careful which one you buy!
It turns out that not all USB adaptors are what they're cracked up to be. In short, not all work in all operating systems, and not all of them work with an EDR or MSR. Since IST equipment expects the port to operate *exactly* according to standard and doesn't tolerate slight differences that most devices can deal with, many USB adaptors don't work from the get-go. We have tested and recommend the adaptor from Ambir (http://www.ambir.com.) You can also get the adaptor by ordering direct from IST, part number is USB-33001. Contact support@isthq.com for setup and download instructions via USB.
New problems with old serial ports on some laptops
In particular, new Dell laptops with USB ports have been found to have serial ports with non-conforming serial ports. What this means is this:
1. You're using delayed start or stop times, but though you set up successfully the recorder doesn't activate as advertised.
2. You connect your EDR-1, -2, or -3, or MSR-1 to the laptop, but the lights constantly cycle around from the time you connect it to the time you disconnect it. You might be able to communicate with it, but that's a slim possibility.
3. You connect your MSR-3C, EDR-3C, EDR-3D to the laptop, and everything seems to work fine, but the recorder seems to never activate when using Send and Start. Your big clue is that the COM light flickers every ~30+ seconds, whether the software is running or not.
All of these are symptoms of a non-conforming serial port. Sometimes, our software will correct these problems automatically if possible. Usually, though, they can't be fixed.
The best solution: Use the USB adaptor above, and you can then use the new serial port it gives you perfectly.
New! Motion Master Product Announcement
The MotionMaster is a new product with internal linear accelerometers AND internal angular rate sensors! There's really nothing like it, and several of our users have been doing this by cobbling together external sensors with one of our EDR-3C or EDR-3D systems. Now you have a far cleaner system with NO wires whatsoever. Check it out
The IST Tech Newsletter Service has been suspended indefinitly. If you have questions about this newsletter, please send them to support@isthq.com. We're happy to help!
The IST Support Staff