A review of the current state of Chemical Laboratory Serial Connections

This paper provides a study of chemical laboratory equipment utilizing serial connection (e.g. RS-232) communications and highlights the challenges associated with dissimilar communication ports. The problem studied in this paper is significant because many advanced chemical laboratories still rely on equipment with serial ports. The study starts with an analytical review of differences between replacement of laboratory equipment and Personal Computers (PC’s) based upon depreciation, followed by a critical overview of serial communications and their use in chemical laboratory equipment, security issues are noted, and three suggested solutions are offered. Finally, a suggested course for future work is proposed to address the challenges inherent in maintaining chemical laboratory equipment and the connected PC’s which utilize serial connections.