StarTech.com 4 Port PCI Express PCIe Serial Combo Card with Breakout Cable - 2 x RS232 2 x RS422 / RS485 - Dual Profile , TAA (PEX4S232485)

Purchased this card for a compact PC. Fortunately the card works with half-height bays and includes the adapter. It's nice that despite supporting 4 RS-232/422 interfaces, it only takes one slot. The 4 individual 232/422 connectors connect to the card with a single connection. The slight downside is that the bundle of cables coming off the card is a bit thick and cumbersome. You need to allot some space behind the PC to accommodate this.Worked well with my two RS-232 devices. I plan to connect to 422 devices, but have not done this yet.

Tried to hook this up to my RS-485 stepper motor, which worked fine with a USB-485 converter. No good.Did a loopback test on the card port-No GoodTried hooking the USB-485 to the card to see if it could receive and that DID workBUTIf you switch to a different COM port (not the one hooked up to) it still receives data, just totally garbled so the separate ports aren't properly isolated.I could get it talking port to port, but the loopback never worked.Bottom line, the RS-485 is junk on these. Wasted much more time than the money I tried to save buying this*UPDATE Tried it with a different brand card and it works fine so it was definitely the Startech card being bad

works with setup file

I don't use serial very often and when I do I use a USB to serial adapter. But every once in a while as a computer tech I replace a computer in restaurant or retail location or even our local radio station that has a bunch of serial stuff plugged into it. It's rarer to even find one serial port on a new desktop. This Startech 4 serial port adapter is definitely something I want to have around because it allows me to take a stock computer and add 4 serial ports to it.To test it, I talked to 4 serial printers at one time and had no issues at all. I also talked to two Cisco access points at the same time without issue. I don't have anything laying around that will push this to it's limits, but testing it with the type of equipment I'd use it with gave me no issues. The install was plug-in-play. It doesn't seem to use a lot of CPU resources, and it just works.I only tried it using RS-232, but you can switch to other interfaces by changing jumpers on the card itself. I didn't need the drivers but it's good to know that there are drivers for Windows 2000 through Windows 10.It's physically sturdy. The DB44 connector to breakout cable works really well and is built to last. I have no complaints about the build quality and it has a lifetime warranty! It comes with a low profile and full size bracket It only takes one slot.I'm quite happy with this. It installed easy and works great. I'll definitely be picking another one up next time I need multiple serial ports on one computer!

A wonderful device for connecting newer PC's to older hardware. Simply it gives you 4 serial ports. Easy to install, easy to configure, works well. You have to plug the cable into the back to get your 4 serial connectors - I would have liked an option for a 2 plate card with the sockets mounted to the back of the PC - but thats a really small complaint.StarTech delivers - this is a great gizmo.

Once upon a time PCs came with serial ports, and in fact many at least have the header on the board for them. You hardly need one, well most folks don't, but they can come in handy talking to routers, terminal systems, or connecting to various automation systems. I use this in all scenarios, and while this offers speed that greatly exceed what I need for text interfaces and tasks that I could run on an arduino or pi, but it works.Setup is a breeze (we're long past the days of IRQs and Windows hasn't forgotten how to work with these things). The board is a bit long, but it fits in half height (full height bracket included) systems, and the PCIe demands are modest. The breakout cable gives you multiple connections of a couple varieties.

Sometimes I run into a situation where old equipment requires me to use old connections. As a result, this card and its ability to allow me to continue to use the old equipment and not have to find new solutions has allowed me to save a lot of money. I'm all for that!Nearly fully plug and play. My system immediately recognized it and installed drivers before I had a chance to install anything else.

great add on card if you computer does not come with a serial port. this card will add four ports for you. easy to install. just plug it in and you have four ports, very easy. easy port is attached to a separate cable so there is no conflict and you can screw things into them no matter the shape. Over all we really like this one