Parallel port/USB converter

I'm considering getting a miniMac for my daughter. We have an old flat screen monitor, but is has a paralell port connector. Is there such a thing that allows you to interface a USB port with the parallel port connection?
If I have to buy a new display, I'm wondering if it makes just as much sense for the budget to get an iBook, even if it doesn't quite have all the bells and whistles and is destined for obsolesence (though what technology isn't?)
Thanks for your thoughts on this.

David,
I think maybe instead of parallel port you mean a VGA connector for video? A parallel port is a much different, PC-type thing.
And then, just to clarify, you wouldn't use USB to connect a monitor.
The two main kinds of monitor connectors are VGA and DVI. The Mac Mini supports them both. You can hook up an old-school CRT VGA monitor, or an LCD VGA or DVI monitor.
As to what to get, I guess it depends on what you plan to use the computer for. The iBook is a great portable, but personally, for me the small screen would get old after a while. Can't fit too many windows and such on the screen at once.
If you don't need the portability, then a Mini is a fine computer combined with your existing monitor. You'll still have to provide a USB keyboard and mouse.
I recent got a 17" Intel iMac, and it is one awesome piece of machinery. With that, you get a great 17" widescreen and lots of power, yet a reasonably small footprint.
If you decide to go iBook, keep in mind that there may be new intel ibooks on the market soon, to replace the current G4 crop.
If you find this post helpful, please mark it as such. Thanks.

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HP Laserjet 6MP fails to print with parallel-to-USB converter cable

I have a LaserJet 6 MP parallel printer which I was using in 10.3.9 with a parallel-to-USB converter cable. The Printer Utility saw it natively as a USB device and it printed just fine most of the time, although it would occasionally fail to print, so I installed a different driver called usbtb 1.0.15, and after that it printed very reliably.
Now I've upgraded to 10.4.9, and the Printer Utility still detects the HP printer natively as a USB device, and I also installed the formerly-reliable usbtb driver again, but the printer now fails to print with either driver. It acts like it's going to, but then it quits.
When I choose Print, all the features of the printer are shown, and I can select which tray to take paper from etc., and the printer dialogue box says "Printing," the activity light on the printer flashes just as it always does when printing is in progress, but then, instead of printing, the activity light stops flashing and the print job disappears from the dialogue box.
Can anyone tell my why this printer is failing to print now, and how I might be able to get it working again?
Thanks,
Tom

Wait a minute! It's only certain Indesign documents that won't print.
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What kind of craziness is this, anyway? It seems random. I can't figure it out.
Even on the documents that won't print, when I try to print them the printer's activity light blinks as though it is just about to print, but then the light goes out without printing.
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Parallel Port & USB Connections

I have several older Macs & a Windows PC, all connected to an Apple 16/600PS laser printer. The arrangement has worked fine and minimized duplicating hardware. I'm thinking of upgrading the PC, but all newer models do NOT have parallel port connections -- only USB ports.
How does one deal with these changes in connectivity? Is there a way to connect parallel to USB?
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Bill
Windows PC Windows 2000 Apple 16/600PS Laser Printer

Also, you did not indicate whether your other Macs
are simply old and using AppleTalk-over-Ethernet to
the printer, or really, really old and using
LocalTalk from the serial printer ports..
Grant,
Thanks for your suggestions. Yes, the Macs are pretty old (a Quadra and a PPC), but the LocalTalk network does just fine. My connectivity issue would be with any new PC, and Ethernet connectivity is certainly one option. Another is to buy a fairly cheap port replicator for a new laptop that gives one parallel port connectivity. One piece of new HW, no SW or driver changes to make -- that might be a more simple solution to the problem.
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Well, I really can't recommend in this case. I forgot I connect to my 24" Apple LCD display first. I then have the belkin hub connected to it (which is self powered). I also have another non-powered hub connected to the display, which I have my WD drive connected to.
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I have a Laser Jet 4000 that I've tried to connect to my new computer using a parallel to USB cable. Now when I shut down Windows XP I get a Blue Screen and the computer does not shut down automatically. Sometimes I get a message that there is a driver/device conflict. When I disconnect the USB cable to the printer, the problem disappears. What can I due to get the Laser Jet 4000 to work with Windows XP properly?

You could purchase and install an IEEE 1284 card on your PC, which will have a parallel port on it. This way, you can connect the printer directly to the PC. You could also install the latest drivers for the Parallel-to-USB converter and see if it helps.
Make it easier for other people to find solutions, by marking my answer with \'Accept as Solution\' if it solves your problem.
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I am an ex-HP Employee.

PICO DrDAQ USB Parallel Port setting for labview 8.2

Hi,
I have a PICO DrDAQ card (parallel port) and by using USB Parallel Port (USB)connect to the laptop, and i already install this software. I can run DrDAQ with PicoScope(DrDAQ software) and can produce a result, but when i try to run it in LabVIEW 8.2 there's no result generated from it. Furthermore, i had check through the device manager (in My Computer=>System Properties) and prompt to see the Pico parallel port within the USB controllers. Therefore, i would like to know is there any setting i need to perform so that the problem can be solve.
Thanks.

Hi,
Thanks for your reply. Ya before the driver installed, i specify the USB port for this device to used on and after that i set it to port 101 (for USB) in the LabVIEW.
and the programming is on the attach file.
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Attachments:
DrDAQ.vi ‏32 KB

Usb to parallel port converter

Hello all
I am having usb to 36 pin parallel port converter and i try to communicate with that to run a stepper motor.
how can i communicate with that.? I plan to use visa function for that, what are all the pins i have to be grounded. (Can i use visa write funtion for that?)
i have read in forums for IEEE1284 standard i have to ground pin 11 and pin 12.
And i dont know one more thing, in max i can see only COM ports without any problem and i cannot see any usb port in that.
Is COM port and usb port are same.?

This may make things more difficult. You can try if outport to the port addresses hex378 or hex278 works, but probably it doesn't. You may try to find out if your device has a different port address.
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hi steve, i also facing the problem when using the USB to parallel port to control output. before this i direct use the parallel port (PC) to control, now im adding a usb to parallel port to control the output (LAPTOP). it is using the device that u recommeded can solve the problem ? what is the function node that used in labview ? thanks. sheng
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Connecting a HP LaserJet 4000 parallel port to Windows 7 USB port

I have been using a HP LaserJet 4000 via a parallel port for years on a variety of machines / Operating systems without issue. However, having purchased a new Laptop (Windows 7 64bit), there is no parallel port (unsurprisingly). So the question is 'How do I connect my legacy parallel printer to the USB port ?
Regards
John Bennett

Hi,
You need something like this:
http://www.shopbot.com.au/pp-belkin-usb-parallel-printer-adapter-f5u002-price-106075.html
Regards.
BH
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Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

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In trying to install my HP DeskJet 610C Parallel Port printer to my HP Pavilion dv5-1235dx Notebook PC with Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit, I followed instructions given by HP Support some two years back.
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Upon my issuing the Print instruction, the printer invariably prints two copies of what appears to be 'gibberish' in two lines at the start of the sheet. Thereafter it picks up and then ejects 6-8 sheets of blank paper.
Any help in resolving this anomalous situation will be be most welcome and much appreciated.
I might add that the printer works normally when connected in parallel to an older, Compaq Armada 1750 Notebook (XP OS). In this instance too, the Parrallel/USB worked as in the Pavilion PC, above.
This question was solved.
View Solution.

Hi khalidem,
Sounds like you have a communication problem with the printer cables. Have you tried a new parallel to USB cable or adapter?
I am an HP employee.
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Please mark the post that solves your problem as "Accepted Solution"

Can I buy a usb dongle to replace my parallel port dongal

Can I buy a usb dongle to replace my parallel port dongal for my Multisim 2001 product?

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Parallel Printers using USB converter cable?

Hi,
I have a HP Laserjet 6L printer, which only has a parallel port on it. I can successfully use a parallel-usb cable to attach it to my imac, this works fine. But when I attach it to my AE, it isn't detecting.
Should this work?
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Chris

Wait a minute! It's only certain Indesign documents that won't print.
All TextEdit docs will print.
I created a few scribbles in Photoshop and they print.
But with InDesign, there is no predicting which documents will print or will not print. On some that will not print, if I remove all but one text box, then they will print. On other documents that do print, if I copy some text off of one that won't print and paste it in, then that one stops printing too.
On some that won't print, if I erase everything on the page and create a new text box and type a few words into it, the page will print. If I revert to the previously saved version, once again the page won't print.
What kind of craziness is this, anyway? It seems random. I can't figure it out.
Even on the documents that won't print, when I try to print them the printer's activity light blinks as though it is just about to print, but then the light goes out without printing.
Anybody got any ideas what this problem is and how to fix it?
All I know is that EVERYTHING printed before I upgraded from 10.3.9 to 10.4.9.
Tom

Windows XP connecting Peer-to-Peer to Windows 7 with HP LJ 4000 through USB-2-Parallel port

I am running a Peer-to-Peer network and cannot connect my Windows XP computer over the network the 'quasi-server' running Windows 7 that has a connected HP LaserJet 4000 printer connected via a USB-2-Parallel port. The HP LJ4000 works just fine from the Windows 7 box (and serves ONLY as a backup printer) but connecting from either Windows XP PRO boxes will not work.
I have tried opening the Windows 7 Printers window and then updating the printer drivers, like it says it will, and that fails as well.
ANY suggestions would be appreciated!
Thank you,
Brett W. Sabio
Regards,
Brett W. Sabio, CPA-PFA

Hi,
You need something like this:
http://www.shopbot.com.au/pp-belkin-usb-parallel-printer-adapter-f5u002-price-106075.html
Regards.
BH
**Click the KUDOS thumb up on the left to say 'Thanks'**
Make it easier for other people to find solutions by marking a Reply 'Accept as Solution' if it solves your problem.

Parallel port to USB adapter

I'm trying to connect my venerable HP2100 printer to my new imac, but without success. I got a startech adapter which allows the computer to see the printer and vice-versa, OSX loaded the driver fine, but the printing information doesn't seem to get to the printer, which produces pages of nonsense amid many blank pages. Should I use a different adapter? Other solution? Junk the old war-horse printer?
thx, smh

HI,
sorry to hear that it did not work! Just to clarify, this is what I did, after which OS-X installed the correct Gutenberg driver:
The parallel port on the printer can either be a 25-pin D-shaped connector or a 36-pin Centronics style connector.
The iMac’s output is the USB port.
My printer is the HP LaserJet 4L.
Solution:
Purchased an adapter, e.g. Maplin’s A94BF USB to 25-pin Parallel Adapter, at around £15 ($20).
Googled for and downloaded the 180kb file ''usbtb-1.0.17.uni.dmg''
1. Connected the printer via the adapter with the iMac.
2. Added new printer in the Printer and Fax menu, selecting the driver from the drop-down list (i.e. HP LaserJet 4L – Gutenprint v.5.2.3)
3. Install the USBTB software. When the list of the USBTB’s drivers opens, only select a driver from it if one is shown for your printer. Otherwise ‘Cancel’ that operation. The previously installed Apple driver will be ok.
My LJ4L works ok under OS-X, Windows 7 in BootCamp and Windows 7 and XP in two Parallels-5 virtual modes on the iMac.
Good Luck

Parallel port to usb cables

Hi guys,
I just bought a new PC for my parents (Dell Inspiron, Merry Christmas...), and realized only this morning that it doesn't have a parallel port to support their antique laser printer (which still works well).
I did a quick search and found these Parallel Port to USB cables:
http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/ … &CatId=471
http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/Produ … ct=2608263
I prefer the latter because tiger direct charge way too much for shipping and there's a The Source in town here.
Will these work with Linux -- they claim its seamless, but I can imagine cups possibly getting confused if it expects a parallel port and gets USB? Any idea how they work?
Also, the printer is from 1994, will it work with a IEEE-1284 parallel port, or were they using EPP or something else back then?
I could also get a PCI parallel port adaptor, but you've probably heard my horror stories every time I open a case. ;-)
Thanks for any advice!
Dusty

I was just given an old Canon BJC-1000 printer with a parallel to USB adapter today. Cups does find the printer and will print on it. My only problem so far is that the page is shrunk down to about 1/16 of its original size! It's very funny but not real convenient.
Edit
Never mind that. It works!!! Readjusted everything in the CUPS config, restarted my application, and all is well.
Last edited by skottish (2007-12-26 01:49:54)

Parallel port/USB converter

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