TechBlog from Sewell

Unfortunately installing the USB to Serial adapter in Mac OS X isn’t as intuitive as it is in other OS’s. So here’s the steps to install our part number SW-1301 or other USB to Serial adapters that use the prolific chipset:

(make sure the cable is not currently connected to the computer)

1 - Find and run the Mac OS installation file from the CD or download it here:
USB to Serial installation file for Mac OS X

The program should open a window like this:

Just run through the basic setup instructions and it will install the driver.

2 - Once that’s done, plug the cable into the computer (without it being attached to any serial devices). Then we’ll want to make sure that it is being recognized properly. Click on the apple icon in the corner and click “about this mac.” This window should come up:

Click the more info button and this window should come up:

Click on the USB link on the left hand side and you should see “USB-Serial Controller” listed under one of the USB Bus sections. If it is not then the Cable did not detect properly or the Driver did not install properly. Before moving on you’ll need to make sure that it is detecting.

3- If it is detecting then we need to enable it. Go to the apple button then click “System Preferences.” Click network at the top and you should see a window like this:

Then you need to click on the Show button and choose the bottom item in the list, “Network Port Configurations.” The window should change to this:

Check the box next to usbserial and click apply now. Now your USB to Serial adapter should be enabled and ready to go.

If it’s still not working feel free to give our tech support a call or an email.

Extensions extensions extensions. Got some amazing devices you need to connect and running into distance problems? Well here’s a list of some common connection types and what you can do to extend them.

First we’ll start with USB extension cables. USB can only be extended up to 15 feet unless you use some sort of active extender.

The passive 6 foot extension is great if you just need a few more feet. You can see it here:
USB extension cable

If you need to go further you can use the 16 foot USB 2.0 active extension cable. This cable has a built in repeater that is self powered by the USB bus. These can also be daisy chained to give you up to an 80 foot extension.
16 Foot USB active extension cable

Need some USB 1.1 ports a long ways away from your computer? You can use a USB over CAT5 extender. This box will convert the usb connection to common CAT5 ethernet cable. Then at the other end it will give you a 4 port USB 1.1 hub up to 150 feet away.
USB 1.1 Ethernet extender

Now let’s look at some firewire extension cables. Firewire also has the same limitation as USB, it can only be extended up to a 15 foot cable unless you use an active extension.

We have a 14.5 foot active extension cable that is 6-pin male to female. This cable also has a bus powered booster built into it (Note: they must be plugged into a 6-pin firewire port on the pc for it to get power. They do not work with 4-pin computer ports.) These can be daisy chained up to a total of 60 feet. They are capable of running the FireWire 400 speed.
14.5 foot Firewire active extension

If you need to go further, or want to power a device while plugging into a 4-pin firewire port on your computer, you can use our firewire repeaters. You can see Mark’s post about those here:
Running long firewire extensions

And for those of you that still have some important serial devices kicking around let’s look at serial extensions.

Unlike firewire and USB, serial can be extended very far without any boosters. We have extension cables from 6 feet to 100 feet. The 100 foot is shown here:
DE9 (DB9) Serial extension cable

For those of you who want to use easy to run cat5 cable to run you serial extension, you can use these serial to rj45 modulators.
Serial to RJ45 modulator

There’s a great product for sharing a serial device with lots of computers. And the great thing is it does it over a wireless network connection. The adapter fully supports 64-bit and 128-bit WEP and WPA wireless security standards.
Wireless Serial device server

If you have any other questions or needs feel free to call the Sewell Direct tech support at 1-800-709-1345. Or email us at support@sewelldirect.com

We have recently recieved some calls from customers who are haveing problems getting the USB to serial, part number SW-1301, to work with Windows Vista.  The lastest driver is sometimes required for it to install and work properly with Windows Vista.  Here are some instructions on how to install the USB to serial driver on a Windows Vista operating system:

1 - Download the driver files for the USB to serial SW-1301

2 - Extract the files to a location that you recognize and will be able to find later.

3 - In the device manager (click start/Vista icon, Control Panel, Device Manger to access the device manger) right click on the USB - serial controller, which should have a yellow sign next to it, and click update driver software.

4 - A new window will pop up, click on “Browse my computer for driver software” and then click on the browse button.  Locate and click on the folder that you extracted.  Click ok and then next and windows should install the driver. 

5 - Click finish and you should be set up and ready to use your serial device with Windows Vista.  (If you still have problems make sure that you have the driver for your serial device installed correctly.)

We had a customer who was having problems installing the prolific USb to Serial adapter. For some reason the install couldnt find the drivers. The following instrucitons helped resolve his problem.

1. Open the Device Manager
2. Right Click on USB-Serial controller D
3. Select Update Driver
4. If asked, don’t have the hardware wizard search the internet for the driver. And click Next
5. Select Install from a list or specific location. And click Next
6. Select Don’t search. I will choose the driver to install. And click Next
7. This next screen isn’t always the same. If you see a Have Disk button then click on it. If you see a list of device types only, then double click on the option to Show All Devices, and then click on the have disk button.
8. Navigate to the \Windows\system32\ folder or the \Windows\system32\Drivers\ folder Or to the folder where you download the attached file. It should identify a file called ser2pl.inf.
9. Select that file and click on the Okay button
10. Follow through with the rest of the wizard, having it use the driver you selected.

From here the driver should be installed correctly. The link for the driver files is http://sewelldirect.com/Drivers/SW-1301-XP2K-FILES.zip

If you have a Mac and want to uninstall the PL-2303 USB to Serial driver then you’ll need some luck and some terminal skills. We do not support removal of prolific drivers, but these steps should do the trick.

Follow these steps:

1. Open “Applications-> Utilities-> Terminal”. You need to create ID & password first on NetInfo Manager.

2. Login to root user and type “su” and enter password.

3. Type “cd /System/Library/Extensions” to go to the “Extensions” folder.

4. Unload the driver (if it had been loaded) by typing “kextunload PL2303.kext” or “kextunload ProlificUsbSerial.kext”

5. Remove the driver by typing “rm -r PL2303.kext” or “rm -r ProlificUsbSerial.kext”.

If you need to get a USB to Serial adapter working with your palm pilot try these steps. These steps are from the Palm Support Knowledge Library at http://kb.palm.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,kb=PalmSupportKB,CASE=obj(919),ts=Palm_External2001

Solution ID: 919

Can’t synchronize through USB-to-serial adapter

If you cannot perform a HotSync® operation after plugging the USB into the serial port adapter, the serial port settings need to be adjusted.
To adjust the serial port settings, do the following:

1. Check the USB to serial port adapter connections.
2. Launch HotSync Manager.
3. Open HotSync Manager and click Enable/Disable.
4. Open the Instant Palm Desktop and select HotSync Manager.
5. Select Setup and click Disable/Enable.
6. Under Local Setup, select PalmConnect® USB from the Port list.
7. Click the HotSync Controls tab and select Enabled.
8. Perform a HotSync operation.
9. If an error message appears when you remove the USB to serial port adapter and reboot your Macintosh, simply click OK in the message box.

To prevent this error from appearing during reboot, launch HotSync® Manager, choose Setup, disable HotSync Manager, and then disconnect the USB to serial port cable. Future versions of HotSync Manager eliminate this error message.

When in the HotSync Manager, avoid making changes in the “HotSync Software Setup” dialog box while the USB adapter is unplugged. If you have trouble performing a HotSync operation after unplugging and replugging your USB adapter, plug the adapter in and restart your computer. Then launch HotSync® Manager and re-select the correct USB port from the Local Setup section of the “HotSync Software Setup” dialog box.

Palm, Inc. plans to correct this problem in a future revision. Apple System Profiler reports two PalmConnect devices for each USB adapter connected at startup. This does not affect functionality. Palm, Inc. is working with Apple to correct this problem.

So initially I thought this product was intended for loan sharks, mob bosses, and any other profession where breaking people’s thumbs was the order of the day. Turns out, it’s another iteration of the ever-popular USB to Serial Adapter, with a twist, literally. This USB to Serial Adapter (Thumbscrew Version) has the standard screws that allow you to attach the cable snugly to the serial port so it doesn’t go anywhere. I can think of a few uses for it. It’s perfect for situations where there’s a lot of traffic near the serial device. This could be because cables are being plugged and unplugged near the serial port, or because there is the possibility of the cable being kicked or pulled. It’s also nice when you’re planning on leaving the USB to serial cable attached to the device for a while, so you won’t have to worry about the cable coming loose on the serial side. This is especially useful if the serial port is in a hard-to-reach spot. Naturally, the cable also works in any situation where a standard USB to Serial cable is used.

We sell a number of USB to Serial adapters that will allow you to connect a serial device to a USB port on your computer. Installing the drivers will set up a COM port in the device manager, and from then on your computer will think that it is using a serial communication port.

Generally Windows will automatically assign the USB to Serial port as the first unused COM port… but Windows can see many things as using a port. Often if a device has polled a port, Windows will show it as In Use.

Sometimes as you disconnect and reconnect the USB to Serial, it will set up a new COM port each time you reconnect the adapter. (We had a test machine that got as high as COM14). If this is happening you can simply reassign the COM port and Windows should remember the new port and continue to use it in the future.

Changing the COM port is simple, we have detailed instructions on our USB to Serial Support page.

Our prolific USB to Serial adapters now support WinXP 64 bit edition. The driver will be up momentarily. Until then, you can download the driver from prolific’s support site.

We are having our USB to Serial Adapter tested with NI’s Labview. To see the results click here.