New PC with a DB9 Serial Communication Port??

[Peter Meacham]

I would like to upgrade the PC that I use to run my older Trotec engraver to get better performance (more RAM memory) with Corel Draw, etc.

Problem is that the older Trotec has a serial comm port only and no new PC has that old technology.

So, are serial comm boards still available for adding to a new PC - and would Windows 8 recognize the serial comm board?

Or is there another solution - i.e., has anyone used a USB-to-serial comm converter with success?

Thanks,
Pete

[George Carlson]

As long as your new PC has expansion slots you should be fine. The place where you get your PC from should be able to install a serial interface card. I would stay away from USB>Serial devices. They usually work well, but it's another variable that you would have to deal with. The question is, do you think your old software will run under Windows 8?

[Walt Langhans]

I bought my laptop a little over a year ago, HP, dual core, 4 gigs RAM and it has a DB9 connector. There are places on line like tigerdirect and newegg that you can find them.

[Mike Lysov]

You do not have to look for laptops with serial port only, there is few of them on the market and your choice will be very limited.

You can still use any laptop with a USB port or Bluetooth to communicate with a serial connection equipment.

In case of using a usb port you will need a USB to serial adapter(costs $10-90 depending on the brand). If you want to go wireless and your laptop has Bluetooth built in(or you can buy a USB Bluetooth adapter for it) you will need a Serial over Bluetooth module(costs from $50-150). Both methods are proven to work and normally it is 100% replacement for built in DB9 ports.