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Just to avoid others to run into trouble...
With my constant drive to keep my system up-to-date (thank god my wife does not read PPRuNe) I have installed a 127-connector USB-hub. Works fine, no probs.
Have my laptop connected via USB to my PC, fast and reliable, fine.
Have my parallel printer connected to the USB hub, does not work. It took me about 4 hours with a tiny almost unreadable "manual" to find out that bi-directional data transfer (as my printer needs) will not work via the USB-parallel connectors available now.
Have one for sale now.....
addinfurnightem
1st Jun 2000, 03:14
I have an Entrega hub that gives four USB one parallel, (shown in the book as "printer only") and two serial, try Entrega next time!
Tks for this reply, BUT is this parallel port also bi-directional or not. Doubt this very much as it is PRINTER ONLY. See, this is the shortcoming I am talking about.
Had to buy a bigger hub as I am running also SCSI as well as Cam over the hub, this beside the modem and some other little units, sometimes up to 12 peripheral devices are added, constantly growing.
spannersatcx
2nd Jun 2000, 22:43
Don't bin it, just disable bi-directional ability. All it really gives you is the messages like ink low, add paper etc, once it's disabled your printer should work OK.
cx spanners, unfortunately not true. There are printers on the market which need to run in bi-directional mode.....like my one, has to do with high resolution and color management they say...
Tallbloke
4th Jun 2000, 23:20
Cor your electricity bill must be huge!! Do you use the hub to create a peer to peer network? I only ask as I am trying to rationalise all the stuff my girlfriend and I have and I thought USB might be the way to go as she has a Mac and I a PC. What printer are you using?
It is not peer to peer, unfortunately, and I am not aware that such a USB connection yet exists. It is a very fast and reliable access system and the transfer rate is close to direct HD access, exactly what I wanted. Going on a trip for a few days I just transfer (via a batch file) complete directories and thus I have all mail and important docs I use on the home pc with me. On return it is just v.v. and it takes only a few minutes.
No, the electricity bill is not that much as I have most peripherals off when not in use, the great advantage of USB, the hot connection. Actually, this is one of the reasons I am transfering everything (or at least everything possible) to USB.
I run Epson Stylus Color (which does not work with USB), an old fashioned impact printer for draft prints on endless paper and a color laser printer (which does not work on USB either).
The SCSI connection to my scanner (HP Photosmart, IBM A3 Flatbed) works perfectly ok.
BTW, the USB Hub needs to run on own AC adapter only for a few devices, not a single one I have attached.