April 19th, 2000
Keyspan USB Twin Serial Adapter Review Introduction The USB port is an amazing thing. Computer owners now have a hot-swapable, auto-configuring, cross platform method of connecting many common peripherals, from cameras to scanners to storage devices. It reminds one of the days when SCSI was standard on nearly all Macs, allowing one to connect and swap just about any peripheral, with little more effort than selecting an ID and setting proper termination. Alas, USB does little good if you own some older serial peripherals that use the classic Mac mini-DIN8 serial connector. Rather than ditching your older peripherals, Keyspan offers a way to use your old serial peripherals with your new USB port.
Documentation The package comes with a CD-ROM that, when opened, has folders showing the steps one should take to install the adapter. Step 1 involves installing the Keyspan driver. Step 2 refers one to an HTML version of the documentation, with both Explorer and Netscape icons. Take some time to read it. Step 3 tells you how to register your adapter with Keyspan.
Hardware The Adapter follows the nifty translucent theme of current Apple hardware. The Adapter has 2 mini-DIN8 serial connectors, marked 1 and 2. A 12" cable coming out of the unit ends in USB connector.
Installation We decided to check the Keyspan web site, and found a newer version of the installer (1.2 versus 1.1.1 on the CD) so downloaded it and ran it. The installer placed three files on our system: a USB driver, a Manager Control Panel and an Assistant Control Panel. These files are also available via the OS 9 Software Update control panel.
Operation The first place to go is the Keyspan Manager Control Panel. Select the port you want to configure from the Port menu. Most settings can be left as is, except for the Emulate Printer Port checkbox, unless you are connecting a printer. You can also change the name of each port, numbered 1 and 2 just like the adapter, since the defaults of Printer Port USB and P#2USA28X1 are probably not what you want. This name will be what appears in other applications when selecting a serial port.
Keyspan Manager Control Panel The control panel also offers access to statistics via the Status button. You can view bytes sent and received, but more important, the number and type of serial communication errors. This can help diagnose serial connectivity issues, which can rear their ugly head if you have incorrect modem settings or a bad cable.
Operation We tested the Adapter with a Courier v.Everything Macintosh modem connected to Port 1, and a serial Palm Cradle connected to Port 2. Once we named the ports Modem and Palm respectively, we then went to the appropriate applications (the Modem Control Panel and HotSync Setup) to select the new ports. After this we tried establishing a modem-based PPP connection, and to perform a HotSync operation. We were able to achieve both tasks with no problems.
Conclusion We were unable to find any problems with the Twin Serial Adapter. The package comes complete with documentation and software, installation is a snap, and once you name your ports, setup in other applications is exactly the same. We recommend the Adapter for anyone who wants to use their older serial peripherals.
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