What do I need to hook my datalogger cable to my Laptop?

[RandyJr]

I bought a nice datalogger cable with an adaptor to hook up to a Palm and a Laptop off of e-bay but I can't get it at all to hook up to my 1 year old Laptop. Is there a special adaptor, and where does it hook to, a USB or printer port? What kind of software do I need, Tunerstein?

 

[Aikouka]

You need to hook it up to a serial port. They look a lot like VGA ports, but a serial port has less prongs. If I remember right, I was looking on eBay and I saw that you needed a null modem adapter (an adapter that's Female to Female) to make it work with a laptop.

Yeah, Tunerstein should work just fine.

EDIT: Here's a link to a picture of a serial port.

http://www.ixbt.com/comm/router/nexland/pro800-turbo/pro800t-serial.jpg

Oh, and I forgot to mention. They do have cables for the computer that have a serial connector on one end (Male) and then a LPT1 (Printer) and a serial connector on the other end. I have one for my old Creative Modem Blaster and it allows you to connect the modem to either the printer port or the serial port.

 

[RandyJr]

I have that adaptor but no where to hook it too. I guess my Laptop is too new and never came with a VGA or serial port. What do I do now?

 

[Aikouka]

Actually, it looks like the one store close to me sells Serial to USB adapters. So just pick one of them up. Tunerstein should work with it.

Here's one from Belkin:
http://www.unicornelex.com/newunicorn/detail.php?itemno=56-9221&

And here's some generic one:
http://www.unicornelex.com/newunicorn/detail.php?itemno=56-9218&

It looks like you will still need the null-modem adapter (DB9 female to DB9 female), which that place also sells:

http://www.unicornelex.com/newunicorn/detail.php?itemno=51-8761&

They're kind of expensive, so if you have a computer store (NOT some retail chain) next to you that sells lots of weird geeky things, try there. Or you can check online for the Belkin product and probably find it cheaper.