Review on Tripp Lite Keyspan High Speed USA 19HS: Maximize Your Connectivity with Lightning-fast USB Transfers by Onsommoshit Mathews

(Please see my update at the bottom of this review before considering purchasing this adapter) I have been using the Keyspan USA-19HS for many years. The first was bought after reading the recommendations of several control systems experts and I was not disappointed. Rockwell Automation sells its own version of the USB Serial Port Adapter (PN 9300-USBS) but costs about $130. Do not worry. Keyspan is inexpensive and proved to be 100% compatible with everything I needed to connect via a serial cable. I've used it with laptops and desktops running Windows 98SE, Windows XP and Windows 7. I've used it with SLC 5/xx series processors, ControlLogix 5000 processors, Siemens/TI 505 series processors, Keyence laser gauges, modems, serial printers, barcode scanners, Reliance and Rockwell/Allen-Bradley drives and pretty much everything else. never a problem It works with straight-through serial cables, null modem cables, and any type of serial adapter I gave it. The Keyspan USA-19HS is the cheapest control system communication device I own and probably the most commonly used. He has never let me down. Since I first started using the Keyspan adapter, I've purchased over a dozen other adapters for service technicians, co-workers, and even a few bosses. Keyspan is extremely customizable, fast, reliable, durable and easy to use. The Keyspan adapter comes with a driver CD and USB cable and takes just a few minutes to install. I always keep one in my laptop bag. UPDATE 4/5/12: It looks like Tripp-Lite have made a few changes since they took over the Keyspan line. Among the changes was the decision to use a cheaper USB connector. Externally it looks almost the same. The only noticeable difference is the lack of molded numbers (1, 2, 3, and 4) on the end of the plastic tab in the center of the connector. Unfortunately, the cheaper USB connector doesn't retain the cable connector like the old ones. With weaker spring conductors, most of the cable can be pulled out of the socket, resulting in a loss of connection and possibly a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death). I took some old Keyspan adapters (without the Tripp Lite logo). on the case) and a couple of newer Keyspan adapters (with the Tripp Lite logo on the case), opened up the cases and compared them. The differences I saw between the old and the new were minor: notably a different PCB manufacturer's logo and a few chips that switched brands. And a Type B USB connector. The old one has a partial back cover (you can see the white plastic on the back of the connector) and the new one has a full back cover (the plastic isn't visible from the back). It's not worth the pennies that Tripp-Lite saved by using a cheaper outlet. While older keyspans could easily support the weight of an adapter + a 10ft twisted pair serial cable, the newer keyspans cannot. The new ones don't support the weight and allow the USB cable to partially come out of the port. I tested 3 new Keyspan adapters and they all showed the same result: almost no loading capacity. Since the adapters still work perfectly except for the USB connection, I simply unsoldered a cheap connection from each of the new adapters. and replaced with an FCI port (FCI PN 61729-1011BLF - 54 cents each). No more trouble. Most users probably won't be able to swap out the connector, so a quick (if not cumbersome and/or ugly) fix is to either tape the USB cable into the connector, or use duct tape or a thick rubber band, to secure the cable. Lite, shame on you ruined a great adapter just to save pennies. I downgraded the adapter from 5 stars to 2 stars due to the poor quality of the new USB connector. As the old Baskin-Robbins adage goes, "There's nothing in the world that someone can't make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and people who think only of price are that person's fair game." UPDATE 11.10.12. : A co-worker bought half a dozen new Keyspan USA-19HS adapters today, so I didn't waste time testing them to see if the USB port issue was resolved. I tested all 6 adapters and was happy to see that none were affected by loose USB ports. The ports don't have numbers (1, 2, 3, and 4) molded into the end of the plastic tab in the center of the port, so I'm guessing they're nothing special, but they seem to hold up. USB cable is pretty good. I only hope that Tripp-Lite has learned its lesson on how to trust others to maintain high quality standards based on belief alone. I have upgraded the adapter's rating from 2 stars to 4 stars based on reviewing and testing this range of adapters.