Forum Home
Press F1
Thread ID: 9774	2001-06-14 22:00:00	ps/2 vrs serial	Guest (0)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
14157	2001-06-14 22:00:00	Can someone please explain the difference between ps/2 and serial apart from the physical plug differences.	Guest (0)
14158	2001-06-14 22:32:00	I'm not entirely sure what it is that you want to know, but if you're wanting to connect a mouse, they both do essentially the same thing. There are really two things that I would make a point of: - Some PS/2 mice come with a convertor which allows you to connect the mouse to a serial port. However, these convertors often don't work on mice other than the one for which they were intended. - You won't be able to get your hands on a serial optical mouse; they are all PS/2 and USB only. I believe this is because they require a power supply and a serial port is not able to provide this.	Guest (0)
14159	2001-06-15 00:11:00	Er, not too sure that there is much difference from say the 'mouse' point of view. But don't motherboards use different controllers for PS/2 ports and serial comms ports? That's my understanding anyway. I was also under the impression that a PS/2 connection polled faster than a serial one, so that you would get smoother mouse response and action. Also, if you use a PS/2 mouse connection, then you free up a comms port address for you to use for a modem etc. Someone shoot me down in flames if I'm wrong on any of this please :)	Guest (0)
14160	2001-06-15 03:13:00	You're correct on the polling issue, this is why you wouldn't want to play first person shooter games with a serial mouse.	Guest (0)
14161	2001-06-15 06:07:00	Yes, there is a seperate connector on the motherboard to which the PS/2 port connects. The serial port is usually on the main I/O card (which is another connector on the motherboard), although if you need more serial ports then you can put add-in cards on the PCI bus. Many computers which do not have PS/2 ports actually do still have motherboards with a PS/2 connector on them. This means that a PS/2 port can be easily added for about $10. If, however, you want to get a PCI card with a PS/2 port on it, then that could be a bit more tricky.	Guest (0)
1