I am trying to datalog using WinALDL, a new hp laptop, aldl to serial cable from aldlcable.com, and a Belkin F5U103 USB-Serial adapter. My problem is that WinALDL can only access data from COM ports 1-4 while Windows XP will only use COM5. I've tried to change the port settings through the Device Manager but it looks like the adapter cannot be changed from COM5. I've tried all of the free software from aldlcable.com but couldn't get any of them to work either. Is there any way to change the adapter on COM5 to COM1-COM4? Or is there any other datalogging software that will use COM5?

 

Is there no way to datalog with just a USB port and Windows XP or should I try some other program like TunerCat or TunerPro?

 

TunerPro supports COM ports higher than 4. You might consider contacting Jonas (the author of WinALDL and a very nice guy) and ask him to increase the COM port numbers supported. You can find him on these boards.

 

Disable the built in modem and IR ports through the device manager. That should give you a com port in the 1-4 range.

 

Try a different usb port, if you haven't already, my laptop has 3 usb ports, each is assigned a different com port.

Also, be sure to change the baud rate in winaldl to 4800.

 

I recently encountered the same "problem" when connecting my new Ostrich with Tuner Pro RT. The recommendation is to use COM3 or 4, but the Win 2000 device manager indicated that 3 and 3 were already taken and wanted to allocate COM5.

I didn't have any device using COM3 or 4, so I just installed Craig's USB drivers, changed the port number to COM3 (or was it 4 ) loaded Mark's TP RT and it all just worked beautifully.

I imagine you don't have 4 coms ports used up already, so just try the renumbering and hope that you don't get the usual USB adaptor incompatibility.

John