Texan78 Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 I have the SC485 adapter now. I went that route because I wasn't sure of the reliability of the USB at the time. I know with all my weather equipment the more reliable and chosen option is RS232 and wasn't sure if that was also the case with LOR.I am building a new dedicated LOR computer for next season and was curious about the USB adapter. I would like to go USB since the ports are abundant and around here trying to find a RS232 card that works right is a chore, not to mention take up PCI slots.So is anyone using the USB adapter and if so is it a good reliable product? Do you see any lag or data transfer issues, communcation issues with controllers, etc?What exactly is the perferred choice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Fischer Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 I'm still using the serial port, but from what I gather, the majority of folks here are using one of the USB adapters (there are several different ones). I'm planning on upgrading my main machine this coming year, which means I can "hand-me-down" my current machine to run the show -- and I'll switch to USB at that time, since I need the sole serial port for X-10...I think either option works equally well. The only caveat is that you tend to see more driver/conflict issues posted here on the USB adapter, but once it's working it should be fine.-Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidPeterson Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 I'm using the USB with Booster (though not doing anything that requires the booster) and haven't seen any issues with my display. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisquit476 Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 Speed of transfer is most of the difference. I use the USB w/booster and have not had any problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-klb- Posted December 13, 2008 Share Posted December 13, 2008 I'll admit that I've never used the serial version.. There have been issues with the USB drivers in the past, but the one time I had issues I got past it pretty quick. I have a USB-485 and two USB-485B's for my self. The USB-485 is in my computer bag for use where needed. The two USB-485B's were used to test a two network configuration for Halloween. (kind of redundant, as there was only one controller and an iDMX on one network, and two controllers on the second)For the city park show, we have 20 controllers on one USB-485B, 4 controllers and an iDMX (with 75 addressed channels) on a second USB-485B, and 9 controllers on a third USB-485B.Overall, I would say that they work quite well, and have very few issues now. - Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texan78 Posted December 13, 2008 Author Share Posted December 13, 2008 bisquit476 wrote: Speed of transfer is most of the difference.That is what I was afraid of, same goes with the weather equipment that uses USB. That was the main thing I was worried about.I think from the sound of it the USB485B is a sound choice. It is only like $12 more which still makes it fairly cheap to have a piece of mind that there will be no lag. I like that one too because I can connect ELL's to it and fine tune the show wirelessly from my laptop if I have the pair which would be nice.USB485B it is then, my PCI slots will thank me...LoLThanks for the info... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Hamilton Posted December 15, 2008 Share Posted December 15, 2008 I have also been using the USB to rs485 adapter/booster for the last 3 years and never a single problem.I don't think the higher USB communication speed is of any greater value over a serial port if you are also using LOR Linkers because their transmission speed is about the same as a serial port with the most reliable chosen setting.To me the USB is more a matter of better reliability and the fact that most new computers don't even come with serial ports any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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