Thinkpads Forum

I am trying to figure out what the latest Thinkpad model is with a RS232 AND a Parallel connector

My knowledge at this moment stops with the A31(p)

Anybody with an idea of a newer model , i would love to find a model that has an USB 2.x port as well

USB to Serial is not an option for me)
A.

I'd guess around the same time as the A31 (maybe a little bit earlier), would be the T23 and T30. However, they both have USB 1.1. You won't get USB 2.0 until the T4x system, but then again, those don't have a serial port!

Someone else was asking about this, and apparently there is an adapter for the t6x ultrabay with native paralell and serial ports (not adapter), so you may want to look into that.
Thinkwiki (look down in ultrabay slim section) I think that is the only thinkpad with native USB 2 and Serial/paralell ports.

I know that one, my problem is that where i need the serial port, a dock or extension is not an option to carry with me and work with.

A.

This adapter goes into the ultrabay, so you have it installed instead of a CD drive

oke, you got me there
looks very good, according to the ultrabay wiki

thanks, i have something to study now

A.

Here's a direct ThinkWiki link to the adapter page:
http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Ultrabay_ ... rt_Adapter

Yes, the adapter goes into the bay instead of the optical drive and provides a native serial and parallel ports. It only works with T6x and R60 according to this blog post:
http://www.ivoidwarranties.com/2008/08/ ... t-bay.html

As seen on the pictures there, the adapter uses an additional connector in the middle of the adapter's back edge. This connector isn't present on all ThinkPads having UltraBay Slim bays. I wonder if it's there on newer T400/T500 models and if the adapter fits there.

Edit:
I guess not because the adapter isn't available anymore from Lenovo. The blog post also mention the lack of the connector in a T400.

So it seems that T61 is the last ThinkPad providing real serial/parallel ports without a dock. And starting with the new series 3 docking solutions (for T400s) there will be no serial/parallel ports on the dock either.

Also, many types of PCMCIA PC Cards with both parallel and serial ports are available...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... &x=14&y=29

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductLi ... &x=14&y=29

I am not able to find a PCMCIA card with both parallel and serial ports at this moment, but I remember seeing a couple of them while searching for a PCMCIA to Firewire Card two weeks ago.

--Edit--
Flush-mounted PCMCIA Parallel Card (quite a bit too expensive though)...
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/search/sea ... a+parallel

I was very disappointed when they discontinued the serial/parallel ultrabay adapter with the T400 series, and I'm extremely disappointed to hear that they will be discontinuing them on the new docks, which has been our current work around. It looks like the X200 docking base still has a serial port, which has been leading me to consider this line for some of our new laptops. I realize that serial is extremely ancient technology, but Thinkpads have historically been marketed to business users, and it is disappointing to see them moving more mass-market. Even Dell continues to offer models with serial ports.

yak wrote:As seen on the pictures there, the adapter uses an additional connector in the middle of the adapter's back edge. This connector isn't present on all ThinkPads having UltraBay Slim bays. I wonder if it's there on newer T400/T500 models and if the adapter fits there.

The Ultrabay Slim "bay" on my T400 has a battery connector on one side, and a 2.5" drive SATA connector on the other side, but no connector in the middle.

Cheers,

Bill B.

zhenya wrote:but Thinkpads have historically been marketed to business users, and it is disappointing to see them moving more mass-market.

I work for a global corporation that uses tens of thousands of Thinkpads for its business users, and as far as I am aware we have no need at all for serial or parallel ports on them, which suggests to me the needs of business users in general for those ports may now be very minimal.

Cheers,

Bill B.

RS-232 is still widely used in industrial control, which is full of machines that were build over a decade ago, and are nowhere near the end of their useful lives.

I personally work with entertainment control systems, such as those used in theme parks and live event production. Lots of matrix video routers, industrial DVD players, large-format video projectors, and plasma screens all have RS-232 interfaces. It may be old, but it's rock-solid, and more than meets our needs. Of course, to program all of this, I need a native RS-232 port that can send 9-bit serial.

I use the Slim Ultra-Bay adapter in my T60p. It works great. And I can hot-swap it with the DVD drive.

Certain industries still have a need for serial ports on the laptops while others don't...

Another reason why Panasonic became the laptop of choice for field use worldwide from British Telecom to Con Ed...good luck accessing a circuit card without a serial port...

Hello there,

just received a used T60 - nice machine!

I wish to control some Cisco equipment (routers, switches) via a serial port, so I would like to hear opinions about a USB to serial adaptor that is working well.

In the meantime, I am looking for the Ultrabay serial/parallel adapter, maybe I can snatch one from Ebay in a reasonable cost.

Cheers from Athens,
N.F.

dropveter wrote:I am trying to figure out what the latest Thinkpad model is with a RS232 AND a Parallel connector
USB to Serial is not an option for me)
A.

Might I ask why? I attach to Cisco Switches, Routers and PIX with my USB serial with no problem at all.

Very few USB to Serial adapter support 9-bit protocols. The Ultra Bay adapter does, since it is a native RS-232 port. Apparently Saelig.com makes one that does, according to these guys:
http://www.alcorn.com/kb/questions/122/ ... y+with+USB

Alcorn McBride (link above) makes show controllers that used to require 9-bit RS-232 to program. Their old machines are still running many shows, which is why I carry my UltraBay adapter. I've never used the Saelig adapter, so I can't personally say if it's actually any good.

I could also see the need to have a more physically secure connection than USB provides. With a real serial port, you can screw the connector in place, whereas USB can be easily pulled out.

Anybody interested in buying a T23 with Serial AND Parallel ports, please PM me.

I also have a T20 with both ports for sale CHEAP. I am not donating it only because I may use it for CNC gear in my home workshop eventually.

My work around for this has been to carry an X32 with the media slice. It's basically just a thicker computer, but it's not larger in the other 2 dimensions like the normal docking stations. My X60T also has both ports on the docking station. I don't actually need the parallel port, but the X32 has one, but no serial so I'm forced to keep the media slice with me. OTOH, most people think it's a really old 90s model Thinkpad hopelessly outdated and so they choose not to steal it. "Wow it's so thick!" "thank you for noticing"