• The Challenge Parr Instruments in Moline, Illinois, manufactures laboratory instruments and apparatus for testing fuels. Their worldwide customers include oil and gas companies, coal burning facilities, and pharmaceutical laboratories. Like so many commercial and industrial devices, Parr’s instruments were originally designed to connect through a serial port. But because Universal Serial Bus (USB) has become the most common connector for PCs, Parr incorporated a USB-to- serial converter into their designs. The converter that they chose was failing at a rate that didn’t meet Parr’s standards for quality and performance in tough environments. So Parr looked for a rugged converter that met those standards and could be incorporated as a permanent component in their instruments.

Join for free to read