Might you be a tad sensitive? Leaving aside the particulars of this instance ( as you excuse Impaqt of the more general tendancy to " correct " ) if I were to write something that was technically incorrect ( or something you thought was incorrect ) is it not in everyone's best intererst to see it corrected or at least debated? Any forum where shared ideas and opinions occurs can take on the all to human tendancy to reflect hubris or pride, where we wish to prove how intelligent we are more than share ideas. Nonetheless, is it not useful for the community to have had you flesh out your point in greater detial?
I for one would not be so quick to call for a USB connection in place of DB9, stereo mini jack ( which is found on many 3 wire RS-232 devices such as Universal Remte Control and the original Request units ), mini DIN, RJ-11, RF-45 as I could not easily make them in the field. I am not technically proficient to know if the power being present on the connection might introduce any other issues such as ground problems. The problem it seems to me is that lap top manufacturers are at fault for not providing the connectiviy we require. I choose a very heavy Dell Inspiron 8200 precisely because it had DB-9 connections.
As for TCP/IP, it will become more common but I do not know if that will be a very good thing if it is the only means of serial communication ( by the way IR is also a serial protocol, only not bidirectional ). I have had far too many routers and switches lock up and need to be rebooted. The beauty of RS-232 is that it is one to one. No external bandwitdth vacume cleaners like X-Boxes to slow down communication. While a com port can certainly lock up I have seen this on fewer occations than I have routers and switches. And I seriously doubt that lower end control systems will permit TCP/IP as IR will continue to be the least expensive means of control. So if I had to vote with my feet it would be to keep RS-232 and a connector that could be easily terminated in the field. Perhaps the answer would be, as could be the case with Integra, and is with Request, that you could communicate via IR, DB-9, and TCP/IP. If I failed to gain a USB connector I would hardly shed a tear.
I also share you distress in having to carry so many interconnecting cables and connectors for Crestron products but I already carry a Keyspan USB-DB9 serial adaptor to load files into the ML500 so this is a fait accompli in my case. Crestron cannot even keep its com port pin outs consistant between products let alone connectors but this would be an entirely different thread,
Alan
"This is a Christian Country,Charlie,founded on Christian values...when you can't put a nativiy scene in front fire house at Christmas time in Nacogdoches Township, something's gone terribly wrong"
