Gearmo
Gearmo® Ultra Compact 8 Inch USB to Serial Cable
Bottom line: The Gearmo® Ultra Compact 8 Inch USB to Serial Cable ($16.99 on Amazon as of 2026-10-06): FTDI chipset avoids the driver headaches of counterfeit Prolific clones; main trade-off: 8 inches is too short to reach a device more than arm's length away.
As an Amazon Associate, SpecPicks earns from qualifying purchases. Full disclosure →
*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated 2026-10-06. Price and availability subject to change.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- ✓ FTDI chipset avoids the driver headaches of counterfeit Prolific clones
- ✓ 8-inch cable stays out of the way on crowded rack and bench setups
- ✓ COM port retention keeps the same port number across reconnects
- ✓ Signed drivers cover Windows 7 through 11, Linux, and macOS 10.x
Cons
- ✗ 8 inches is too short to reach a device more than arm's length away
- ✗ DB-9 RS232 only; no RS422, RS485, or TTL-level support
- ✗ USB-A plug needs a dongle on USB-C-only laptops
- ✗ Molded one-piece design means a damaged cable is a full replacement
SpecPicks Verdict
SpecPicks scored Gearmo® Ultra Compact 8 Inch USB to Serial Cable using a rating × review-volume × price-fit model applied to published specs and reviews across the cables & connectors category. Gearmo's cables & connectors lineup sits within the broader category mid-tier; price and specs are the deciding factors over brand loyalty here. Judge it on the specification table and the price rather than on sentiment: check the figures that decide your use case, then put it side-by-side with two or three close alternatives in the Compare tool before clicking through.
Common buyer scenarios for cables & connectors of this kind: matching it to an existing build, replacing a failing part, or upgrading from a previous-generation equivalent. Check the spec table below against your current setup — particularly socket / form-factor / power-rating fields — and confirm compatibility on the retailer's listing before purchase. Prices and stock are set by the retailer and may have moved since this page was last updated.
Key Features
- [ COMPACT USB TO RS-232 SERIAL CABLE ] : USB to Serial Adapter 8 Inch Cable Length with an ultra compact DB-9 connector - Easily connect serial devices to modern USB-equipped computers.
- [ EASY INSTALLATION ] : Simple installation and operation with COM port retention provides secure serial connectivity for your devices. No power supply needed - easy plug and play USB interface options.
- [ WIDE COMPATIBILITY ] : Built with an FTDI Chipset. USB to RS232 adapter works seamlessly with Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, Linux, and macOS 10.X.
- [ WHY Gearmo? ] : Your trusted partner based in the USA, providing advanced engineering, highly reliable and superior built products to handle the most demanding industries for over 10 years.
- [ ENGINEERING SUPPORT ] : Need specs? Contact us for CAD files, mechanical drawings, or datasheets to support your integration or project needs.
Full Specifications
| Brand | Gearmo |
|---|---|
| Color | Black |
| Unit Count | 1 Count |
| Connectivity | USB |
| Model Number | USA-FTDI-8 |
| Compatibility | Mac, Linux |
| Input Voltage | 5.7 Volts |
| Warranty Type | 1 Year |
| Connector Type | RS-232 DB9 Male w/ Screws |
| Item Dimensions | 5 x 4 x 1 inches |
| Mfr Part Number | USA-FTDI-8 |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Number of Ports | 1 |
| Power Plug Type | No Plug |
| Compatible Devices | Devices with RS-232 DB9 female serial ports such as printers, modems, CNC machines, PLCs, radios, etc. |
| Warranty Description | 1 Year |
| Smart Home Compatibility | Not Smart Home Compatible |
| Item dimensions L x W x H | 5 x 4 x 1 inches |
| Specific Uses For Product | Connecting legacy serial devices to modern host systems |
| Full listing title | Gearmo® Ultra Compact 8 Inch USB to Serial Cable - Windows/Mac/Linux, 64-bit Compatible RS232 DB9 Adapter with FTDI Chipset |
Ready to buy?
Gearmo® Ultra Compact 8 Inch USB to Serial Cable - Windows/Mac/Linux, 64-bit Compatible RS232 DB9 Adapter with FTDI Chipset is listed on Amazon. Price, availability, shipping and returns are set by Amazon and its sellers — check the listing for current terms. SpecPicks earns a small commission on qualifying purchases — thank you for supporting independent review work.
*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated 2026-10-06. Price and availability subject to change.
Related Cables & Connectors
More guides & deep dives from the SpecPicks archive
Browse all articles & guides →- RTX 4070 Super vs RX 7800 XT — Which to Buy in 2026
- How to Build a Windows 98 Retro PC in 2026
- The Complete Voodoo5 5500 AGP Driver Guide (2026 Edition)
- Best 1440p Gaming GPUs in 2026
- Best Retro Handhelds in 2026 — From $35 to $500
- Best Budget Gaming PC Build 2026 — ~$1,000 ($800 on Sale)
- Emulation Hardware in 2026: FPGA, Software, and Cart-Reader Ecosystems
More reviews from the SpecPicks archive
Browse all reviews →- China Mobile JT-4.1 Flash 236B: A Token-Efficient MoE and What It Takes to Self-Host
- Best Budget GPU for 1080p Gaming in 2026: Is the RTX 3060 12GB Still the Pick?
- ROCm in 2026: Is AMD Finally a Real Local-LLM Option?
- Best 1TB SATA SSDs for PC Builds and Retro Upgrades in 2026
- Best Budget Streaming & Podcast Gear in 2026
- Shared ChatGPT & Claude Chat Malware: Why Local LLMs Cut the Risk
- How LAN Parties Died: A 2002-2008 Cultural Retrospective
- Grok Imagine Video 1.5 Hits #2 — But Local Video Gen on an RTX 3060 Is Still Free
- Period-Correct Win98 Build in 2026: CompactFlash, Drivers, Glide
- Wired Headset vs Bluetooth Earbuds for Competitive FPS: The Latency Math
- Noctua NH-U12S vs DeepCool AK620: Best Air Cooler for AM5 OC
- Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5700X for a Budget Homelab and Virtualization Box in 2026
- Run Chrome's Tiny Gemini Nano AI on PC Without a GPU
- Build a Jellyfin Home Media Server on a Raspberry Pi 4 (8GB) in 2026
- AMD Ryzen AI Halo Mini PC: Open-Source Power Analyzed
- Best CPU Cooler for AMD Ryzen 7 5800X High-TDP Builds (2026)
- Intel Arc LLM Support: What Works in 2026
- Best PC Game Controller in 2026
- Troubleshooting Voodoo 5 5500 PCI Driver Hangs on Windows 98 SE: Field Guide
- How nVidia Killed 3dfx — and Why Voodoo Still Haunts Every GPU Launch
- GTX 1050 Ti 4GB vs Ryzen 5 5600G iGPU: Which Actually Runs Qwen3 4B?
- Benchmarking Open LLMs for Tool-Use: RTX 3060 12GB vs Ryzen 5800X CPU-Only
- MacBook Neo Benchmarks 2026: Apple Silicon vs AMD
- Ryzen 5 5600G vs Ryzen 7 5800X for a Budget 2026 Build
Earliest SpecPicks reviews
Browse full archive →- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 8B (2026)
- Best GPU for Qwen 3 14B (2026)
- Best GPU for Qwen 3 32B (2026)
- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 70B (2026)
- Best GPU for DeepSeek-R1 32B (2026)
- Best GPU for Llama 3.1 405B (2026)
- How to run Llama 3.1 8B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Qwen 3 14B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Qwen 3 32B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Llama 3.1 70B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run DeepSeek-R1 32B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
- How to run Llama 3.1 8B on NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090