Q: PS2 to USB Virtual Serial Com Port and/or something or other

Ok... I have a gps mouse with a ps2 plug. it was being used with a
serial adapter. Now, I have a laptop without serial ports. It only
has 2 usbs and some kind of expansion connector 3. I need to
connect the mouse's ps2 to the laptop's usb and set the usb up as
somekind of virtual serial com port that will facilitate
communication from the gps mouse to Microsoft's Streets & Trips
software. I've searched and can seem to find any answer or one that
I can understand. I need advice and/or a point in the right
direction. If somone can, please help me with this.

Thank you
S

So the mouse has 2 plugs, right? One goes to the serial port to provide
a data connection, and one goes into a PS/2-type keyboard/mouse port in
order to provide power to the mouse. Is that correct?

Now, I have a laptop without serial ports. It only

The *easiest* thing to do is buy a new GPS mouse with a single USB plug.
There is a version of Streets&Trips that includes such a mouse.

If you're determined to use the old mouse, you'll need two adapters.
For power, you'll need a cable with a male A USB plug on one end and a
4-pin mini-DIN (PS2) female on the other end, one which connects USB
power and ground to PS2 power and ground.

For data, you'll have to buy a USB-serial adapter. This isn't a cable;
it actually has a small CPU inside it. It has a USB interface on one
side and a serial port on the other, and passes data between the two.
There's no way to make a USB port speak serial data or vice versa
without such an adapter.

        Dave

Dave Martindale wrote:

If you're not afraid of a soldering iron, you can tap 5V DC from
the USB-serial converter.

You could convert your PS/2 powered serial GPS into a USB one using
the guts from a USB-serial converter.

This is roughly the block diagram of a USB-serial converter:

USB cable USBserial RS232 level Serial port
Chip shifter

+-----------------------+
| +----------+ | /|
--VBus---+--| | +------+ / |
-- D+ ------| |-----| |----| |
-- D- ------| |-----| |----| |
--GND ---+--| |-----| |----| |
| +----------+ +------+ \ |
| | \|
+-----------------------+

You need to attach the two power wires from the PS/2 adapter
to the VBus and GND lines of the USB-serial adapter. VBus
is normally red, GND is normally black.

Kind regards,

Iwo

editor wrote:

What brand is it? Haicom, Rikaline, Holux, and Altina made GPSRs like
that and they also sold of family of PDA and USB adapter cables that
mated with the PS2 connector on the receiver.

The PDA adapter cables usually had DC power plugs/inverters on them that
provided 5V to the GPS receiver (and usually the PDA too). And some
sold a USB adapter too. That used the USB port for the 5V power to the
receiver and housed a serial to USB bridge in a housing on the cable.

The serial to USB adapter needed a driver install to work, that created
a virtual COM port on the PC. The IC often used for the USB adapter was
the Prolific PL-2303 or a clone of that.

If you can find a Rikaline, Holux, and Altina adapter cable (eBay is a
good place to start looking for them) those all use the same pinouts on
the PS2 connectors and the adapters are interchangeable. Haicom used a
different pinout on theirs. Those receivers were packaged in a number
of sizes shapes and colors and sold marked with a number of different
brand names on them.

The conductors used in the PS2 connector are usually a pair for power
(5V) and a RS-232 TXD/RXD pair.

Jack

--
Jack Erbes in Ellsworth, Maine, USA - jackerbes at adelphia dot net
(also receiving email at jacker at midmaine.com)

Big Thank-yous to you all... What can be done is now clearer.
Now, I need to decide which makes more sense for me.

Here is a link to the receiver I have, except it was bought new
near 3 years ago, not refurbished:
http://www.semsons.com/itmousgpsrec.html . It's worked well
enough once I got use to the 10-40 meter lag distance, depending
on speed, more or less (update time, satellite counts and other
typical issues as well). When standing still, it jumped around
(plotted) withing a 10 meter range 90% of the time.

Anyway...

If rewired to replace the male ps2 connector with a male usb
connector, any suggestions for software/drivers compatible with
Windows 2000 and/or XP Pro. I'm a little iffy here, but there's
away if inexpensive and compatible drivers are available and can
be found.

After reading your posts I found this: USB PS2 adapters, BF-600,
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/usb-ps2-adapter.htm . It Uses
Prolific. It maybe worth the extra $20, or so, that will take
less of my time as well.

What ever I decide. It will be $30, or more, less than buying
something new. In any event, regardless, I will use whatever
moneys saved, if any, to rasie an extra glass, or more, of cheer
in honor of you kind souls and others like you.

Any other comments will once again be greatly appreciated?

Happy Holidays!!!

S