Can i use serial to USB ccable for accessing Serial Port of FPGA kit

[moonnightingale]

My Laptop is not having serial port.
I want to use serial port of my FPGA kit
Can i use the cable having serial connector at one end and USB at other.
Will my FPGA kit work with this

 

[Marcel Majoor]

Yes, an USB-to-serial adapter can be used to connect to the serial port of an FPGA kit (or to any serial port for that matter).
Only in very rare situations you might have incompatibility issues if the signals levels from the USB-to-serial adapter and the FPGA kit are not according to (RS232) specifications (I assume here the FPGA kit has RS232 levels and not 'TTL' levels).

 

[moonnightingale]

I am having Spatran 3E FPGA Starter kit.
this is written in manual of my kit

The FPGA supplies serial output data using LVTTL or LVCMOS levels to the Maxim device,
which in turn, converts the logic value to the appropriate RS-232 voltage level. Likewise,
the Maxim device converts the RS-232 serial input data to LVTTL levels for the FPGA. A
series resistor between the Maxim output pin and the FPGA’s RXD pin protects against
accidental logic conflicts.

 

[Marcel Majoor]

This would indicate that the serial port of the FPGA kit indeed uses RS232 levels.
In conclusion, you can use a USB-to-serial converter in your case.

 

[bigdogguru]

Yes you can, Marcel Majoor is correct! However, all USB-to-serial converters are not created equal. I have test numerous units, many fail or have OS conficts. One USB-to-serial converter which passed all tests with flying colors was the Keyspan USA-19HS works with Mac or Windows, maybe even Linux, although I have not tested it with that OS. It's manufacturered by TrippLite oddly enough.

System Requirements

Windows:

An available USB port
Compatible with Windows 98, 98 SE, Me, 2000, XP 32- and 64-bit, 2003 Server 32- and 64-bit, Vista 32- and 64-bit, and 7 32- and 64-bit


Macintosh:

An available USB port
Compatible with Mac OS 8.6 through 9.x, Mac OS X 10.2.8 through 10.5.x (both 32- and 64-bit), and Mac OS X 10.6 (32-bit and 64-bit)

They're only $45 MSRP, on sale regularly and available on eBay.

One should fix you right up.