Question 1

Does this unit have a LED activity light that flashes when transmitting data? Not listed in specs.

Accepted Answer

No, it does not have any LED lights built into the cable or connector end.  This does however seem to work good with Mac OSX 10.7 (Lion) without needing any special drivers (which is big plus for any USB > serial device on OSX 10.7 or greater due to 64 bit driver compatibility).  The cable length is also very good much longer than my last USB>serial adapter. Worked good for console on networking/telco gear no issues so far.

Question 2

i'm looking for this cable but i need a female end for the 9 pin not a male?

Accepted Answer

I am not sure whether they make this cable with a female DB9 end. Any time I have encountered that situation I have used a DB9 (or RS232) gender changer. I do know those are available. That may be your only option and they are not very expensive. Check this link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2XC12P5101

Question 3

Is this compatible with Windows 8.1?

Accepted Answer

You will need to download the latest drivers from the manufacturer's website.

Question 4

Will this work with a PC hp windows 7 and a cordless phone? The adapter does look like it would fit for the cordless Panasonic 6 plug in back. Do I need another adapter for the phone.

Accepted Answer

This is a USB to RS232 adapter. The USB end plugs into a computer. The 9-pin DB9 connector plugs into the serial device. Does your phone have a serial port?

Question 5

As with other USB devices, will this allow me to install the cable driver & the software being interfaced with, before I hook it all together?  The device is a donated metal lathe for our college machine shop.

Accepted Answer

Yes.

Question 6

If the user moves the device to another USB port on her computer, will the driver assign the same COM port to it?  Or will I need to go in and change it back to the one I've configured her application to use?

Accepted Answer

Often the COM port number will change, you can verify in device manager

Questions & Answers