Digi International Inc. introduced Macintosh compatibility for its multiport USB-to-serial adapters today allowing iMac and G3 users to continue to use their serial devices via the USB port. The AccelePort USB adapters come in two Macintosh compatible versions: the AccelePort USB 2 provides two serial ports and one parallel printer port, while the AccelePort USB 8 provides eight serial ports and two downstream USB ports.
According to market research firm Dataquest Inc., virtually 100 percent of new PCs will have USB by 2001, limiting port availability for existing serial peripherals. Digi's AccelePort USB serial port adapters eliminate this problem for users of MacOS 8.5. Products start at a list price of US$199 and are available from thousands of resellers worldwide.
The AccelePort USB 2 serial port adapter attaches to a PC's USB port, providing two DB-9 asynchronous serial ports (EIA-232) and one DB-25 parallel printer port. The ports support speeds up to 115 Kbps and do not require additional I/O ports. The AccelePort USB 8 has eight DB-9 asynchronous serial ports (EIA-232) and two downstream USB ports. Some Macintosh users may need to purchase a Mac MDIN8-to-DB9 peripheral adapter, widely available for about US$5.
Note that the company warns that some Mac users will need to purchase a converter from MDINI8 to DB9. Most Mac serial peripherals use the MDIN8 connector while PC devices use a DB9 connector. With the converter, Mac users will be fine.