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RS-232 LED link Tester DB-9 Male to DB-9 Female

DB9-TERS
$21.98
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User Reviews

Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Works great for my trouble shooting task

By: N.H.  on 2023-04-24

At work, we constantly run into rs232 issues. With this, we can quickly identify if the rx/tx is communicating.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Simple

By: Amazon Customer  on 2022-06-24

Works great. Very simple
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
It works

By: Jo Jo bo  on 2022-04-01

It works, no problem
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Appears to be well built

By: John W Anderson  on 2022-03-07

Have been testing different USB-RS232 adapters to work with some old legacy radio programing applications, this adapter is the most compatible yet.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Works fine.

By: Joe Austin  on 2021-02-23

Works fine.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Does what it should

By: brian sullivan  on 2021-02-15

Extremely helpful testing RS232
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Works great.

By: Donald D.  on 2020-11-21

This has allowed me to take my understanding of what my devices are doing and lessen the time it takes to run com lines between different appliances. I highly recommend this product.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
I’m a happy camper

By: Richard  on 2020-09-10

My products are fine. Unfortunately the device I needed them for isn’t. But the tester was just what I needed and the serial card is fine as well.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Handy and easy to use - for us dinosaurs

By: oldbaritone  on 2020-06-09

I have a 25-pin version I've used for years, with gender-benders and adapters. It's much easier to use a 9-pin monitor. This one is easy to use, lightweight, and easy to read.It's great for us dinosaurs that still use RS-232 instead of USB, or with a USB-to-RS-232 cable.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Handy for trouble shooting

By: MDS Patient  on 2020-04-17

Nice to have when you have a RS-232 problem.
Product Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Not bad, but could be better

By: Straight Talker  on 2020-01-10

In the attached picture, you can see that the device is simple and informative. It is built into a nice plastic case. But... It could be better. Alongside a similar device, it can be seen how this device is missing the ability to disable individual lines, which could allow for the re-routing of input/output in needed cases. Each device has individual strenghts, but most users of devices like this might appreciate the ability for the greater features of a less beautiful design. It is just a testing device after all and isn't meant to be shown to an end user.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Great RS232 diagnosis tool

By: Ron  on 2016-10-24

This is a great little device! As per the retention hex nut issue, this not a deal breaker. There are some excellent mods listed in the previous reviews. Or you can get a short serial cable on eBay for less than $2. Look for: RS232 DB9 9 Pin Male to Female Serial Port Cable Industrial Adapter 1.3M. Since this cable has thumb screws on both ends, it will act as an adapter.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Very nice

By: Ravenclaw123  on 2016-07-21

Excellent
Product Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
It works well - with a simple catch.

By: Flint Million  on 2016-04-29

It does what it says it does and does it well. The LEDs give you a very clear indication of what's going on inside your serial cable. Only caveat is that this is designed to be a pass-through device (one side is male, one female) but both sides have the "female" retention screw holes. This means you can't plug it directly into pretty much anything, because pretty much all computer and even device serial ports also have the female screw holes. If you take the screw holes off with a hex driver, the metal shielding comes with them, so you end up with an unshielded connection. Your choice is either deal with that or get two M->F cables where both ends have the screw threads and put this in the middle. I ended up using a little Krazy Glue to glue the metal shield to the plastic casing, but without the screw holes it's probably not even doing anything anyway. Just a heads up - you may have to do a little hacking, or get extra cables with the correct ends, to get this to attach to anything.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Five Stars

By: jose luis ayala  on 2016-03-21

excellent
Product Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Four Stars

By: Stacy Unruh  on 2016-02-18

just using it for GPS signal but works great for that.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Five Stars

By: Mark Bitterlich  on 2016-02-06

Does exactly what I needed it to do.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Five Stars

By: Alexandr Kazbanov  on 2016-01-07

This small gadget saves a lot of time during installation or troubleshooting. I use it to test RS232 signal.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Five Stars

By: Mike Cline  on 2015-10-03

It works great! Got it fast! All is GOOD!
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Five Stars

By: Christopher Ryan  on 2015-08-27

perfect for what i needed, good quality,
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Works perfectly. Just what I needed to diagnose RS-232 ...

By: Steve Rohrer  on 2015-06-23

Works perfectly. Just what I needed to diagnose RS-232 issues.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Product arrived on time, as described, no complaints.

By: DJR Computing Services  on 2015-06-17

Product arrived on time, as described, no complaints.
Product Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Incredibly useful.

By: Jonathan  on 2015-06-11

It's not perfect. As others have mentioned, if you remove the screw captures to use it (which is necessary for most applications), the ends fall off. However, I used small counter-sunk screws (the kind you get in little baggies with every piece of Extron gear ever) to keep it together, which does the trick. The device itself works well and is worth its weight in gold for anyone who installs a variety of rs232 controlled gear. If it were up to me, every technician I work with would carry one.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Five Stars

By: Michael Sablatura  on 2015-03-18

Awesome! Worth every penny.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Neat device.

By: purple frog  on 2015-03-07

Works great - Very small. Neat tool for solving serial problems.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Neat device.

By: Amanda Melbourne  on 2015-03-07

Works great - Very small. Neat tool for solving serial problems.
Product Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Four Stars

By: duane d ellis  on 2015-02-24

nice
Product Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
works as expected.

By: R Saulnier  on 2015-01-06

works as expected. one star off ... had to replace stems with 4-40s screws .. very short ... see pictures
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Five Stars

By: Ken Andrews  on 2014-11-05

Great deal and exactly what I needed. Very satisfied.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Excellent diagnostics tool

By: RADAR  on 2014-09-07

Excellent diagnostics tool, expedites troubleshooting and repair of digital circuits. Will order additional, saved hundreds of dollars in lost time.
Product Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Reliable

By: Amazon Customer  on 2014-09-03

Not much to say about this little guy other then it works. I use it to test signal between control systems (AMX, Crestron) and the devices they control. One thing I would change is to make the pegs removable. Currently if you remove them then the metal around the input and output comes off. My workaround for this is to use gender changers on both end without the pegs.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Five Stars

By: Stuart Bercun  on 2014-06-28

Great
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Five Stars

By: Stuart B  on 2014-06-28

Great
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Excellent product, huge AV RS232 control troubleshooting timesaver.

By: AV Pro 77  on 2014-05-17

As an AV professional this is an extreme time-saver for RS232/Serial control trouble shooting. It eliminates the guess work of whether TX & RX are swapped and saves you from pulling out your multi-meter and trying to juggle test leads and DB9 cables in your hands with a flashlight. My only problem that myself and others who have reviewed this product have seen is the lug screw issue preventing you from plugging it into a piece of gear such as a TV RS232 port to determine serial TX pinout. This is easily resolved by swapping them with screws. Excellent product, will buy again!!
Product Rating:
3 out of 5 stars
serves its purpose

By: Gary Beckel  on 2014-05-09

no information to tell you what light status or color indicates, lights poorly mounted, tilt in multiple directions was able to use it for my needs
Product Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Should be used by anyone making first time connections to a serial device

By: Emil Marone  on 2014-01-12

Works very well and can save you lots of time connecting to serial devices for the first time. Lets you know if you need a null converter quickly
Product Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
Works fine.

By: A D Haworth  on 2013-12-26

Small and rugged. Shows line activity for trouble shooting RS-232 data lines in the field. Met my needs for testing.
Product Rating:
3 out of 5 stars
Perfect for current nine pin RS-232 testing

By: Bonkers Bill  on 2013-10-13

These were once hard to find - glad to have them here at Amazon. There are far too many 25 pin RS-232 testers on the market for a connector that's nearly disappeared. I have one of these in every tool kit and at every desk because they are indispensable for figuring out what's going on when a new piece of equipment wanders into the shop. [Update December 2013] One of the low-star reviews mentioned that these won't connect to chassis mount connectors that have jack sockets. I commented "Easy, unscrew the jack sockets on the tester". I got three new testers today and did that and the metal shells fell off. Older testers had captive metal shells so you could just unscrew the jack sockets if they get in the way. Today's don't. Four 4-40 screws will take care of it holding the shells on, but the product has changed in an unfortunate way.
Product Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
RS232 is still alive

By: John Berry  on 2013-10-03

People don't realize that many sensors and I/O devices still use serial connections. These are great for testing a connection and data flow.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Excellent - It does what it says it will do

By: BigdoginTexas  on 2013-05-04

I like some other reviewers know for a fact that serial connectivity is not dead, finding a tester for DB-9 is not off-the shelf available for sure and finding this on Amazon was a blessing. I was in need of a test unit that was inline and simple to use and understand for checking signals from a control panel to an RS-232 external control port to mounted video projectors. I have to ascertain when a projector does not turn on or off from the wall controller if it is the wall controller / wiring, or the projector - if I call the wrong vendor responsible for warranty / repair I have to eat the service call cost. Having a small test unit with a visual indicator makes the diagnosis very simple. I did not find the LED indictors "dim" as some others have mentioned, mine were nice and bright, and exhibited no "bleed over" to the LED next to it. This unit is rugged and does what it says it will do, I did find like some other reviewers that the nuts next to one side of the connector get in the way when not mating to a cable but directly a device, simple to remove however and not a problem at all. I would recommend this to others.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
want a way to ensure your (CONNECTED) this is it

By: kl  on 2013-04-13

does the deed keeps me honest in the field when setting up gear and using *customers* wires on site. (S)
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

By: goWolfpack  on 2013-02-18

I use this on Arduino projects to detect which lines have the data on them. I wish I had bought one of these years ago.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
9 Pin Serial "Tester" - RS-232 LED link Tester DB-9 Male to DB-9 Female

By: z33k  on 2013-02-08

Good for "seeing" your serial traffic and connectivity. Small and compact. Well built. LEDs light up when the pins are active and flash when traffic is passing.
Product Rating:
4 out of 5 stars
DB-9 Tester

By: NickyB  on 2012-09-26

Works very well, glad to have it. The female-thread retainers were cumbersome and interfered with some cables; I had to remove them with pliers. Also would have preferred lights to shine red for positive, green for negative, but it's ok this way too. Very handy item.
Product Rating:
3 out of 5 stars
RS-232 DB-9 LED link tester

By: Bob S  on 2012-07-26

The light for each line shows either none (dim), green, or red. I am not sure whether green means high, and red low, or something else. It works very well for loopback tests (TX connected to RX). It can only be inserted between two cables, not between a cable and a chassis.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Great little lamp box.

By: nethead  on 2012-04-14

I first used this device when I was commissioning data centers for Clearwire. Our job was to start up a newly built data center. Most network equipment is initially configured via a serial connection. Most adhere to the "Cisco standard" but some are just down right odd. One of our tasks was to connect each device to a terminal server. That meant that we had to figure out each pin-out. This little matchbox sized lamp box saved our arses. If your life involves connecting to various odd serial ports, you want this. If you have a serial cable in your kit, you want this in there with it.
Product Rating:
5 out of 5 stars
Excellent tester.

By: ErnieG  on 2011-04-28

Though devices using serial connectivity are becoming a thing of the past, there are still a good number of devices that are not available with native USB connectivity and require serial port connectivity. Unfortunately, serial devices are not as plug-and-play as USB devices and thus often require some level of troubleshooting to get them up and working. This handy little link tester can be invaluable in determining if the serial connection is mated properly and if communications is occurring. I have used a number of these types of devices over the years and this particular 9-pin device is very convenient. The only drawback is the LEDs are not as bright as I would like to see. If you are in a brightly lit room or out of doors, it may be difficult to see the indication. Overall, I give this tester a thumbs-up.