[Elecraft] [acom-list] Re: Elecraft K3 and ACOM 2000A

[Andy McMullin]

USB is also a point to point system. But worse, it's master/slave too. At least with serial both ends are equal; with USB one end must be in charge. That's why devices can't talk to each other, only to a central system. 

If you want multiple connections you need FireWire (or IEEE 1394). All devices are the same priority and you can daisy-chain a number of them together. Designed for sharing multiple gizmos on one set of wires. Fast too. 

Or implement synchronous RS232 with a poll/response protocol like BISync or U100/UTS400. But that would mean implementing all the pins of the RS232 standard wouldn't it? All 25 pins rather than the cut-down version on PCs? 

My gripe? People refer to it as RS232 when the 9-pin system on a PC doesn't implement it. Where's the B channel, the clocks, ring indicator, remote loopback, secondary RTS and CTS, the rate selector? Not there so it's not a true RS232 connector. It's an IBM 9-pin serial instead!!!

<high horse: OFF>

Sorry if there are any typos,
this is sent from my iPad
Andy, G8TQH
Ex-senior instructor comms and terminals; Sperry Univac Europe. 

> On 15 Sep 2014, at 19:12, Bill Turner <dezrat at outlook.com> wrote:
> 
> I'm not a computer expert so maybe this is a simplistic question.
> 
> In the future, wouldn't it be better to abandon serial ports and go to
> USB for data communicating between radio/computer/amplifier and other
> equipment?
> 
> With USB, isn't it possible to write drivers that can work with
> multiple equipment connections and avoid the "collision" problem?
> 
> Or is it not that simple? Is there a better solution?
> 
> 73, Bill W6WRT
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