[aprssig] Really CHEAP Puck-type USB GPS Receiver

[Steve Noskowicz]

--- Boyde asked:
I wonder if the puck could be opened up and a serial cable (terminated in a DB-9 or some such) be soldered on before the USB conversion?
Boyd Prestwood K5YKG


--- Sander Pool wrote:
... Boyd asked if a serial -cable- could be soldered in front of 
the USB circuitry. The answer is still 'no', sorry. You need to add a 
MAX232 or something similar to do the level conversion.
...     Sander W1SOP

  Which sounds/is completely correct.  The GPS engine has to talk TTL to communicate with the USB chip, which, signal-wise, could be converted to RS-232 with a Max232 chip or equivalent.  It could be something lower in voltage level too, e.g. 3 v cmos. 
 Opening, digging, adding hacker type stuff, YMMV, yadda yadda pip pip cherio and all that stuff.

  That said...  some things called simply "cable" these days also have conversion circuitry in them making the distinction between a simple cable (wires and connectors only) and a level converter with cables attached blurred.  

Now, for the important stuff. (;-)

 The D-Sub connector referred to is a DE-9, not a DB-9.  I called it that for a long time as many do; and usually still do in mixed company.  The "B" is the shell size and the 25 pin shell is the "B".  The 9 pin shell is an "E" size.  When it was 25 pins, we just got used to using the B.
 So there!  Put that in your smoke and pipe it.

Happy 2012, Steve, K9DCI
(;-)