Just wondering what people use for easy connection to a serial interface on routers for example a TP-Link TD-W9980...

I've bought several serial to USB adaptors and wires/header pin things, soldered and de-soldered and messed up the USB adaptors so they no longer work, also awkwardly held wires on tiny connections to try and connect to GND..

I'd like to know what you use, for easy connections and less awkward fiddly things!

Hope I can see what is used and eventually flash the above router successfully with OpenWRT.

Thanks for your time!

PS. Unless anyone wants to pop around and do it for me, I'll learn from the process :-) (based in UK)

(Last edited by Crizle on 29 Aug 2016, 20:56)

In many cases soldering the missing pin headers (they're usually quite cheap) to the router board would be the ideal solution, which allows you to connect and disconnect your USB-serial device (careful about the voltage levels, it's mostly 3.3 volts, but increasingly needs 1.8 volts instead) with tiny jumper wires, instead of soldering/ desoldering all the time.

(Last edited by slh on 29 Aug 2016, 21:24)

Thanks, the voltages are something that I keep in mind always.. but mistakes for me are easily done.. is there any thing that can attach to the missing pin headers temporarily? Like some sort of clips etc... something that doesn't require soldering, I've been searching but don't quite know the proper names for the things and worried about it being the wrong size etc..