Cables Unlimited USB1510 USB Acc, USB To Irda Adapter

by Cables Unlimited

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6 x 3 x 1 inches ; 6.1 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006LSINO
• Item model number: USB1510
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,836 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Cables Unlimited Unlimited USB to IRDA Adapter USB1510 Cable Adapters

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Alternative for Polar connectivity, June 5, 2007

By 

J. Gilmore - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cables Unlimited USB1510 USB Acc, USB To Irda Adapter (Personal Computers)

I ordered this USB to IrDA for communication between my Polar RS800sd and my Windows XP SP2 computer. It works great and I have had no problems transfering data. This product is an excellent alternative to Polar's expensive USB to IrDA. Note that IrDA was super seeded by bluetooth etc, so these adapters for IrDA have become hard to find. That is why Polar can charge such a high price.

The official website of Cables Unlimited can be found by searching "Cables Unlimited". You can then search "USB IrDA" on their site to see all the technical information. Note the driver is also available on the web, so if you lose the disk you are still in business. Summary of the main features:
- Supports IrDA data rates to 4Mbps
- No power adapter. Runs off USB bus
- Compatible with IrDA 1.3, USB 1.1
- Plug and Play compatible
- Transmit distances to 1 meter
- 30 degree max transmit angle
- Comes with an additional short USB cable

I would recommend this product. I am not sure if the cheaper options on Amazon are any good, as some people have said they are a bit temperamental. Do these cheaper models work with Polars? Maybe someone could post a comment on this review if they have a cheaper option that works with Polar products.

This one has worked fine so far. It is true that the manual has poor English, but Windows can walk you through the installation with the usual Plug and Play installation. There is no need to worry about that aspect. Also, you should always plug the adapter into the _same_ USB port every time you use the adapter, this will prevent you having to falsely "reinstall" the driver. This is a Windows idiosyncrasy and has nothing to do with the IrDA adapter.

Another reviewer said he was having trouble getting the Polar to be found by the IrDA. You need to position the Polar very close, a few centimeters, to the IrDA to get a good signal. IrDA is not like using a normal wireless Internet signal or a wireless mouse etc, you MUST BE VERY CLOSE and have a CLEAR LINE OF SIGHT to transmit properly. IrDA is unreliable even at the best of times. You may also have to sheild the sensors from objects that emit infrared light like bulbs etc. So put your Polar watch a few centimeters from the IrDA and make sure the transmitters on the polar watch (the small holes or whatever you have) face the IrDA plugged into the USB port. You may have to hold it there or get something to put the watch on that is the same height as the IrDA.

Also for people having troubleshooting issues here are my settings: In your Polar software (I have Polar Protrainer 5) verify the following settings:
Options -> Preferences -> Hardware -> IR Communication port -> This should be set to "IrDA"
Options -> Preferences -> Hardware -> Mobile Connection -> Make sure this is unchecked
Then from the same window:
IR Communication port -> Options -> Make sure the first four boxes are checked.

Let me also supply you with the USB-IrDA driver settings that work for me. In short everything is set to DEFAULT. I am using Driver Version 1.3.0.0 from the CD that was supplied. To see the settings follow:
Start->Control Panel->Wireless Link->Hardware->Properties->Advanced
-------------------------------
DebugLevel: None [Default]
Extended Mode: On [Default]
Extra BOFs: 00 [Default]
Infrared Transceiver Type: Vishay TFD [Default]
Min. Turn-Around Time: 1.0mS [Default]
PowerDown: Disable [Default]
ReadDepth: 20 [Default]
ReadThreshold: 05 [Default]
Receive Sensitivity: Enable[ Default]
Receive Window Size: 04 [Default]
ReceiveMode: Fast [Default]
Send Window Size: 01 [Default]
SIR Turbo: Off [Default]
SIRTweak: Enable [Default]
Speed Enable: 4000000 [Default]
Time to Wait: 700 [Default]
Turbo Mode: On [Default]
Write Depth: 20 [Default]
------------------------------
I hope these posts are of assistance to anyone having problems connecting to their Polar.

I'll just add, if I had more money to spare I would have gone with a more expensive version, but I decided to buy the best HRM possible and make do with a less expensive IrDA adapter for the time being. If money is no object, you might want to consider an adapter with better support.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Palm Z22 IR Hotsync with Vista 64, January 11, 2009

By 

chdionn (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cables Unlimited USB1510 USB Acc, USB To Irda Adapter (Personal Computers)

I bought an HP Pavilion Vista 64 laptop at a big box store only to find out that I couldn't do a USB Hotsync with my Z22 because Palm didn't have a 64 bit USB driver. I also found that the IR port on the front of the laptop is receive only for the remote control included with the laptop.

What I needed was not only a USB to IRDA adapter, but one with a 64 bit driver.

The USB 1510 provided the solution. As soon as I plugged it into the USB port of the laptop, Vista went online, found the driver, and installed it. I was able to set up IR Hotsync as I would have on any laptop with a built-in IRDA port.

As another reviewer mentioned, the adapter comes with an extension cable in case the USB port on the laptop is inconveniently located.

I've been using this solution for a couple of months now and I'm completely satisfied with it as well as with the prompt and reliable service I've come to expect from Amazon and their partners.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Windows 7 Drivers Not Available Yet, April 12, 2010

By 

Kiwi (Sydney) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cables Unlimited USB1510 USB Acc, USB To Irda Adapter (Personal Computers)

Message from Cables Unlimited website dated 7 Feb 2010 in response to a user post: The factory and manufacturer of the chip used in USB-1510 is not compatible with Windows 7. If the issue can be resolved and a driver developed that will be stable in Windows 7 and Windows 7 64 we will remove the notice from the USB-1510 webpage that this is not compatible with Windows 7.