RS-232 Serial Interface Sourcing in China
1 resources tagged with "Rs 232"
RS-232 still ships on industrial gear, point-of-sale devices, and legacy instrumentation, usually terminated on a DB9 D-Sub connector sourced from China. The interface itself is simple, but the connector quality is where issues hide: weak shell-to-shield bonding, thin contact plating, and poor backshell EMC clamping that fails CE emissions testing. For a single-ended ±12V link RS-232 is fine over short runs, but it tops out around 15 meters and 115 kbps, which is why longer industrial links move to RS-485.
Sourcing an RS-232 port mostly means sourcing a reliable DB9 connector and its backshell. The pitfall is an EMC backshell that doesn't actually bond the cable shield to the shell, causing radiated-emissions failures late in certification.
Wiki (1)
FAQ
What connector is used for RS-232?
Most commonly a DB9 (DE-9) D-Sub connector, though older equipment used DB25. When sourcing from China, check contact plating thickness and shell-to-shield bonding, which drive both reliability and EMC results.
When should I use RS-485 instead of RS-232?
RS-232 is single-ended and limited to roughly 15 meters and one device per link. For longer runs, multi-drop buses, or noisy industrial environments, RS-485's differential signaling is the better choice.
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