How to buy a mini Pro - USB 2.0 Hearing Aid Programmer [DIY]

How much faster is the Mini Pro than a serial Hi Pro.

What were your results when you tested the two?

I’m aware that 2.0 is supposed to be faster.

I’m curious what your results were.

My Dad’s Chevy is faster than your Dad’s Ford. How about some data, or perhaps we could debate how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

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Please send me the hardware you want me to test.

I doubt he has the resources, but I would gladly send whatever you need to see the results.

Many of the business grade computers still feature a serial port. After all many applications in business and industrial have serial connections and will for some time to come.

Personally I have a Dell Optiplex with a serial port for my Hi-Pro.

I bought a serial port for my desktop several years ago to run my serial hipro, I’ve never used it much as I also own an Icube.

@PVC I seem to remember conversations from the past regarding serial to USB cables and then having communication issues. Can you recommend one that to purchase for use on a laptop?

I steered clear of that serial-to-USB-adapter mess so I don’t know much about the compatibility of various adapters. I think @audiometrix_hearing said that he has the adapter cable to include with a purchase of the old junk serial Hi Pro (he calls it the Original Hi Pro).

Yup, cable included.

If a USB to serial adaptor cable has thumbscrews like the one pictured will it definitely fit the serial port on hipro(or old junk as PVC puts it)? For the life of me it appears that the pins on the cable are male and the pins on the hipro are as well. Wouldn’t they not mate properly?

Perhaps this line of discussion would be better in the Original Hi-Pro thread but here we are.
Method 1: You’re right. Those serial pins need to be the other gender. Find a different one or use a gender changer. Then you’d need a usb cable with a socket at one end from there to a standard usb connector at the computer.
Method 2: Plug this device into your computers standard usb port and then you’d need a serial cable with the same gender at both ends.
Method 3: One cable.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAC124WW3837&cm_re=db9_female_to_usb--9SIAC124WW3837--Product

But I’m not entirely certain of the directionality of these sorts of usb/serial chips or whether direction matters.

Serial ports are bidirectional. You want to make sure you get the right chip. Not all serial chips are identical. There are a bunch that won’t work. Look at the reviews on Amazon to be sure it works with everything.

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Serial ports are I agree. I"m not sure about the conversion chips. Maybe it doesn’t matter.
FTDI seems to be well regarded. Prolific seems to have some negativity. I think the cable I linked to is Prolific. I was mostly showing the plug possibilities.

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Assuming this Q&A from an Amazon review is something I need to know, how would I find out?

Q: Which pins are rxd, txd, and gnd?

Answer this question
A: 3 for rxd, 2 for txd and 5 for gnd

Serial has been around practically since the beginning of time. USB more recently. They’re all standardized. If anyone is making these things it will follow standards. If you were to find one handmade somewhere then all bets are off.
So basically I wouldn’t worry about pinouts…unless you’re building your own.

Def not building my own. Several years ago this very conversation regarding comparability of cables was a hot topic. Trying to avoid buying several to find the one that works.
The only reason I’m even considering this approach is that I already own “old junk” hipro and hope to make use of it instead of paying large bucks for occasional usage.

The one problem with pinouts is that they aren’t alike. The RX needs to connect to TX so one is reversed. When that is the case, a null-modem device is put between them to give all the signals.

Also, they can be configured in multiple ways, One is with software handshaking where the devices send a software code. With others one unit may require one hardware signal or another. It isn’t cut and dried and the driver is there to sort it, out and if it can’t, it’s is dead in the water.

Serial connections have driven me crazy at times. You need a UART that handles all signals properly or it just won’t work.

I’m an old computer guy and used to know a bunch of this stuff or had references at hand. I haven’t touched anything serial in ages. So I’ll defer to the experts here and back off.
Cables are cheap. Great that you’re trying to re-use your serial Hi-Pro.

This the one I used in 2008 and it worked.
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000067RVJ/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=
It is a DB9 and I think the HiPro is a DB25. So you also would need to pick up either a null modem adapter or a female DB9 to (probably) a DB25 male. If they are both the same sex, look at the TX and RX. If they are the same pins, you need the null modem instead of the straight through converter.

As shown in a picture above in this thread the serial Hi-Pro is DB9 male depending on if you say the shell is the gender or the pins are. I believe it’s the pins.