In your pump to PC cabling you need a USB-RS232 device. Don’t know where? See this.
Just Works
CBL-USB232
The one that always works with pumps is this one known by distributors as CBL-USB232
Plugable USB Rs232 DB9 Serial Adapter
The one I personally use and love is the one from Plugable. It’s worked with me developing SyringePumpPro for the last 5? years oh yeah – it’s compatible.
Other Brands
You can purchase these from almost any local computer or office supplies store. Mostly they will work fine.
Generally most if not all of the USB-RS232 adapters will work.
- Not all of these devices are of equal quality.
- A cheaper device might cause problems with high serial traffic volume. SyringePumpPro with a single pump connected might work fine but with 5 pumps connected it can become unreliable or fail to cope.
- I have found that these devices can stop working in the event of power disruptions. They simply die for no apparent reason.
- These adapters have a tiny computer in them and they do fail from time to time. However interconnection cables are more likely to fail than the USB-RS232 adapters. Before deciding you need a new USB-RS232 device try disconnecting it from everything for a few minutes for them to completely power down. You can get lucky and have them start working again.
- Driver software can be an issue with some adapters. Often they will ship with old driver disks, you should go to the manufacturers website and update to the latest drivers.
- Some time ago there was an issue with clone devices and Windows delibrately blocked the clones from installing drivers. So if you grab an old one from a drawer that used to work – it might not anymore.
Final words.
Order it with your pump or buy the plugable.