[mythtv-users] AM2 Motherboard with PCI slots galore

[Brian Wood]

Ronald Frazier wrote:

> 
> Interesting. I had no idea those IR devices worked like that, or that
> those adapters weren't true serial ports either. I've seen other
> devices besides those adapter cables...thing in the form of a box that
> had multiple (as many as 4) serial ports. I wonder if those suffer the
> same problem or if they do a true emulation.

I'm not sure what you mean by a "true" serial port. A USB-Serial adapter 
can be used for any application that meets the RS-232 spec, assuming you 
have good drivers for the adapter. It's the blasters that are not "true" 
serial devices.

The multi-serial adapters that I have seen are also "true" serial 
devices in that they meet the RS-232 spec. Some use RJ type connectors, 
and some have external dongles as you mentioned. They were common back 
when we often used modem banks or terminal servers, they're not so 
common now.

A lot of modern motherboards have only a single serial port, and a lot 
of Myth systems need more (for example controlling more than one 
DirectTV box).

Actually, RS-232C specifies two separate serial ports in one DB-25 
connector, but that configuration is rarely seen on a PC (it was 
standard on Sun machines). Normally on a mobo you see only one port on a 
DB-9.

beww