is programming with serial port easier than usb? vb.net

Question

I'm going to buy a VFD display to use with my pos application. But I got stuck on one question. Is programming with serial port easier than usb? it is wd2030a from digipos. I don't have much programming background, and I would like to know if I can programme this item easily with serial or usb. I hope to get the answer soon. thanks.

Answer 1

I cannot read the webpage you linked to, but you should determine whether the device--for the USB option at least--has a custom API or whether it presents a serial port interface to Windows. A lot of USB devices present themselves to a PC as a serial device. If there is a custom API, it might be easier to go with the custom API as it was probably designed for easy of use.

Regardless, programming a serial port is easy with VB. .NET has a Serial Port class, and even with older VB, Microsoft provided a control called Microsoft Comm Control. Worst case, you can call the Win32 API directly (file I/O) and open COM ports. As it is a display, you probably don't have to worry about reading data, which makes the serial port programming even easier.

Answer 2

Given that's a serial device, I think you'll want a USB to Serial device http://www.ftdichip.com/ or others. If your computer already has serial, you don't need that USB device. As suggested by @Dr.Watson using the SerialPort class from .NET is the likely way to go.