I purchased a USB cable from Dennis Koroluk in town. He also has PIC serial cables, I upgraded from this cable. Works great with FMS, Easyfly and Reality Craft simulators. There is no such thing as a cheap cable. One schematic used a printer port. Still needed $35.00 worth of parts. Dennis's work great, no glitches. Check out his website.
http://www.rc-circuits.com