[Elecraft] USB to serial angst

[S Sacco]

Great debate, but perhaps misplaced?

Would not a better answer be an Ethernet connection on the K3?

73,
Steve



On Sun, Mar 14, 2010 at 5:50 PM, Joe Planisky <jplan at jeffnet.org> wrote:
> Comments embedded.
>
>
> On Mar 14, 2010, at 11:41 AM, Eric Manning wrote:
>
>>
>>> Placing a USB port in the K3 would simply move the USB UART
>>> currently found in the USB to serial converter onto the KIO3
>>> board.
>> Correct, and would thus avoid the un-necessary and superfluous
>> packaging
>> and connector costs of the USB/RS232 dongle.
>>> ...
>
>>>  Going to USB requires a substantial added
>>> investment by the manufacturer and a major ongoing support
>>> cost.
>>>
>> True, depending on what you mean by substantial and major.
>> But avoids us customers being forced to  buy thousands of those stupid
>> and crash-prone dongles.
>
> So wait a second.  You admit that putting a USB interface in the K3
> would essentially be repackaging the same chips that are in the
> dongles into the K3.  But then you condemn those dongles (and by
> association the chips in them) as "stupid" and "crash-prone".   How
> will putting the same chips into the K3 make them any less "stupid"
> and "crash-prone"?
>
> If my external dongle doesn't work with my particular hardware and/or
> software, I can go out and buy a different one for less than $20.
> Yes, an irritation and an inconvenience.  But if my K3 (with the
> hypothetical built-in USB interface) doesn't work with my hardware/
> software, then what do I do?
>
> 73
> --
> Joe KB8AP
>
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