How the smeg are you supposed to plug the configuration lead into a laptop if all laptops have female connectors as do the diag leads.

Fits my laptop, which has a male adaptor. Are you sure you're not trying to plug it into the external monitor port ?

I've never seen a female serial port!?!

Maybe you have a 25way serial port and need an adapter?

As Andy said you must be trying the VGA port.

Hi, Thanks for the help.

 

It's my mates Laptop. It's one of the new Dell ones but reading both your comments I think I do have the 25pin female . I will nip down to PC word to get an addapter.

 

Thanks.

If you have a 25 pin female socket on the back of the laptop - that's the parallel port..

 

Serial ports are always male (i.e. have pins in them) on the back of the PC

Parallel are female (25 pin), as is the VGA connector (15 pin)

 

Lots of new laptops come with no serial port at all - my Compaq Presario is like that, while my Armada has a serial port. Basically, everything designed for home use, they just give you a USB port, and expect you to like it or lump it..

 

HTH

Hi All,

Thanks for your replies, Just got back from PC world. I had to buy a serial to USB adapter as I didn;t have a serial or a parallel port. All I had was a monitor connection, printer connection and a USB port.

 

After buying it, connecting it all up and installing the drivers the dam thing still can;t read from my TC unit.

 

Anyone have any ideas ?

 

Stuart (Wigan), did you manage to get connection ?. I'm trying to use the Racelogic window software that you send me - rather than the DOS version that comes with the unit.

 

I may just have to do it the old fashion way use the accelerator pedal and the green LED :o

Did you change the COM port in the box? The COM1 bit. Try changing it to COM2 and try then COM3 and so on. Think there are only 4 of them.

 

I dont know what one it will be on being a USB to serial adapter.

 

 

Stuart

i work in pc world and these usb to serial adapters dont seem to like a lot of software, i tried it with serveral phone manager programs and it just doesnt want to connect, i would recommend u take it back and by a cheap pentium 166 tosh laptop or summat like that for about 100 quid, the adapters are about 60 if i remember. and u get a true serial port on them,

 

in the device manager u can enable dos support for the adapter, see if that helps.

Or get a really long serial cable made up ;)

Well the thing is that it's not my Laptop. I hate the dam things, they are too small !!!!.

 

I borrowed it off a mate who works for the Fords design team. There is an interesting model coming out early next year (the new ford hot hatch) but I'm not allowd to say anymore . :mad: .

 

Anyway I guess I'll just have to ask around my mates to see who has one or wait until the next meeting where if I ask nicley ....:D

 

Thanks for all those who posted to try and help. I am very greatful.