Uwatec Memo Mouse and Laptop with no serial port

[ScubaBurt]

I have just purchased a new laptop, Sony Viao, and like many new lightweight laptops it does not have a serial port. It does have numerous USB ports. I dive with Uwatec Nitrox computers and to download to a PC you must interface the dive computer via the Memo Mouse. The Memo Mouse requires a serial port. I checked the Uwatec home page and their comment on the serial port issue is as follows:

"The Data TRAK program can detect MemoMouse only if the PC has 16550 compatible UART. This type of UART is standard for the PC's having RS-232 serial port.
For adding an RS-232 serial port to a laptop, a serial I/O PC-Card is needed and the PC-Card must have 16550 compatible UART.
This kind of PC-Card is available, for example, from Socket Communications, Inc. (www.socketcom.com)."

I purchased this card from Socket and could not get it to download my dives from the dive computer. It would start the download and stop at 97% complete and give a "communication between Memo Mouse and PC" error. After a lot of frustration I called a friend at Radio Shack and found they have a USB to Serial Cable, Part# 2600183, that works great. The best part is the Socket PC-Card was $112 and the Radio Shack cable is $43. Just thought I would post this in case anyone else has this same problem.
Dive often and safe.

 

[Gillty]

Thanks for the info I will definitely have to try this as I have been unable to download anything to my laptop and have resorted to download into my desktop. This works fine but it would be nice to have my dives on the computer I use most often.

Thanks

Gillty

 

[ashforma]

The Radio Shack part number quoted is the US version and not available in Canada.

I bought the Canadian part # 268042 at a store here in Toronto and it is a different product. The USB cable terminates in a small black box on which is a Male Serial socket.

It worked fine with my Uwatec Aladin Air X NitrOX after a couple of attempts. http://www.scubaboard.com/images/smilies/icosm01.gif
Cool Grin

There is a USB/Serial adapter from belkin which is targeted at PDA's and similar, I have seen it used with a Suunto computer as that computer also uses a serial interface for its PC interface but I have never been avle to make the Belkin device work with the Memo Mouse.

 

[likelite]

Yeah, I am tearing out my hair trying to do just that. Only add to it the complexity of using a Mac computer and Virtual PC...

All I get is "Memo Mouse not Found" errors. Bah.