"Matt Colie" wrote in message
news
Meindert,

I know that what you build works, but I have several devices that are
serial that I need to attach to my newer laptop that only has USB.

Do you know of a serial/usb adapter that will not change port numbers on
a whim?

Sorry, I have no experience with commercially available adapters from the
mainstream market. I sell the one from the FTDI website, I use their chips
in my USB multiplexers and they're darn good. Their USB-serial adapters are
therefore also good, although they have PnP enabled and will exhibit the
"crazy mouse" problem, unless you disable that through the property pages of
the virtual com port in the device manager. I sell them with customised
drivers PnP disabled so they behave as good as my USB multiplexers. They are
a bit expensive though, compared to the junk you can buy at your local
computer store (41 euro/$55).
But you might be able to find them through an FTDI distributor in the US.
They also have a much cheaper model that would go for around $30 I believe.

http://www.ftdichip.com/index.html

Meindert