Reddit reviews C2G 25 Pin to USB Adapter - Connect DB25 Serial & USB 1.1, 2.0 & 3.0 Devices - Perfect for Printers, Cameras, Other 25 Pin Serial Devices
We found 3 Reddit comments about C2G 25 Pin to USB Adapter - Connect DB25 Serial & USB 1.1, 2.0 & 3.0 Devices - Perfect for Printers, Cameras, Other 25 Pin Serial Devices. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Quickly convert your DB25 serial device to USB; great for many digital cameras and POSPerfect for connecting a serial device to a laptop or PC's USB portUSB-A male to DB25 maleCompatible with USB 1.1, USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports1 Year Warranty
I actually have an external 56 Kbps modem sitting here next to me but I don't think there's anywhere I could dial into. Oh and I think I would need one of these.
Went back to my OP and provided the links to Amazon below for each:
Raspberry Pi (pick a flavor but it needs to have an available USB port. Go for a B+ or Pi 3)
Install tcpser - read the docs and install his update, which has some improvements over the APT version.
sudo apt-get install screen (so you can run tcpser in the background)
Now, the hardware:
This “6 Ft Apple/Mac to HAYES Modem Cable” (Mini-DIN 8M to DB25M) link
A 6-ft DB25M to USB RS232 cable (for the RasPi/tcpser option) link
A DB25F/DB25F gender changer link
Lastly, my command line (insert in /etc/rc.local once you test):
su - pi -c "screen -dm -S tcpser /home/pi/tcpser/tcpser -s 19200 -l 7 -d /dev/ttyUSB0 -tsS -i\&k0"
Adjusting for the actual path to tcpser and desired baud rate. The Plus and SE (therefore, everything else newer than these) can handle 19.2k with no problem.)
Also important: plug in the USB cable and "cat /dev/ttyUSB*" to see which USB interface enumerates - should be 0 - but check and adjust if needed.
What you're doing here is opening a screen session, setting to 19,200 bps, pointing it to listen on the virtual USB serial port, debug-level logging and disable flow control (via AT command). If you want to test without screen (and should), just delete everything prior to /path/to/tcpser.
THEN, if this is all working correctly, you need to launch ZTerm/MacTerminal/etc, set the baud rate to 19,200, ANSI if possible and save. You should be able to type 'AT' and get back a familiar 'OK.' Then it's just a matter of going all 'ATDTbbs.fozztexx.com' to get your feet wet.
I would then recommend looking into installing SLiRP on your Pi, which can provide a PPP stack for your "dial-up" machine (like any old dial-up ISP) but start simple.
Good luck!
Damn, you're prepared! Since I don't find myself doing this very often, I just picked up one of these.