Recommended Standard 232 defines the physical and electrical characteristics for low-speed serial data communication. It specifies voltage levels, timing, and pinouts for connecting Data Terminal Equipment (DTE) like computers to Data Circuit-terminating Equipment (DCE) like modems. Though mostly replaced by USB for consumer devices, it remains heavily used in industrial control systems, legacy networking gear, and console management ports.
Heard on the job
I need to console into the old switch, grab the RS-232 cable and a USB adapter.