[Biturbos4] VAG-COM

[Andy Turner]

On Wed, 16 Feb 2005 10:55:46 -0000, "Robin Gibson"
<robingibson at cowanlinn.co.uk> wrote:

>Hi
>
>I recently purchased a VAG-COM cable with a serial port connection for use with my 1999 S4 Avant.  In the 2 weeks between ordering the cable and taking delivery, my laptop was stolen.  The new laptop has no serial port - only USB's.  The Ross Tech website suggests that I will need the USB version, and that USB-serial adaptors won't work.  Before I stump up £50 to return and replace the cable, has anyone found an adaptor that does work?
>
>Thanks for your help

I've found Uwe Ross to be rather awkward and cantankerous in my
dealings with him. His USB cable costs a fortune yet contains a dongle
which provides the user with no functionality but which is only of
interest to *him* since it helps to reduce piracy. Yet it is the
honest users who find themselves paying *him* (and he *does* make a
profit on these cables), for the dongle that only he really wants. If
you try to discuss topics such as these on the VAG-COM mailing list,
you quickly find out that he's the moderator of the group as your
posts start to go missing.

Anyhow, with that off my chest, to answer the question, USB-serial
converters tend not to work, but PCMCIA-serial cards *tend to* work.
I've got a "Socket", one, very much like this:

<http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6742328814>

which works fine for me. I obviously can't guarantee that it'll work
for you though.



andyt