PCS64i and USB-to-LPT-adapter

Hello,

I am using an obsolete Velleman oscilloscope type PCS64i. Now I want to use at a laptop with XP and USB. Is it possible to use a USBtoLPT adapter and do you know one which is suitable?

Thanks and Regards

Dieter

None of our LPT scopes will work with a USB to LPT adapter.

So as far as I understand the other postings regarding that issue, I only can use a PCMCIA-to-LPT adapter and then a newer software which allows to set the special port address to the one of the PCMCIA.

Dieter

Yes, that is correct.
Please note that we have no experience with a PCMCIA to LPT adapter.
Users claim it works…

Most LPT adpaters, USB or otherwise, are designed for connecting parallel printers and only implement a unidirectional (outgoing) 8-bit flow.

Utilities like Laplink and many peripherals that required bi-directional data flow typically used the four bi-directional control lines (strobe, linefeed, initialise, and select) to pass input data in two 4-bit nibbles, and then recombine the nibbles in the driver software–they also often did this by bypassing the BIOS and/or operating systems and directly monitoring the hardware port.

Obviously those devices that directly monitored the hardware will not work with a virtual LPT port, and to permit that “trick” with a legacy device that can use a virtual port a USB->LPT dongle would have to implement the bi-directional nature of the control lines and present them on the virtual port. Something that has no relevance to the PC side of a virtual LPT port.

I suspect that the PCMCIA devices, being bus connected, can perhaps be addressed to “talk” directly to the printer port supplied by such a device.

Hello,

I ordered a PCMCIA adapter yesterday. As soon as it arrives I will try to run the PCS64i with my laptop – and then I will report how the state is.

Regards

Dieter

Hello,

the adapter works well with my PCS64i.

It is a Delock 61624 PCMCIA to Parallel adapter. Installation is important, it is recommendable to use the newest drivers available at the Web, CD drivers and installation routine may be too old. Then, the LPT address is visible in the system settings. This has to be written into the settings of the Velleman program (it has to be the version, which allows to type in an individual address).

Good luck.

Best regards

Dieter

Thank you Dieter for this post.
This is very valuable information to other users in the same situation (no LPT port in a new PC).

Thanks again!

I am in the same situation of needing an adaptor to use my PCS500 with a USB only laptop and am grateful for the work you have done to get a solution for that. I do have a PCMCIA slot on the laptop and assume I can ger a card for the printer connection but am at a bit of a loss over the software configuration. I downloaded the latest version of Pc-Lab 2000 where as far as I can see the port settings are only selectable from a range of values and it is not possible to type in values. If I understand correctly this is necessary so please can someone set me right.

You can type the address to the combo box manually.

You have first to check what is the LPT port address of the parallel port card.
You’ll find it using the Device Manager: The address is the first hexadecimal value of the I/O range.
Then enter this address to the combo box on the PcLab2000SE startup screen.
See also these threads for the solution:
[forum.vellemanprojects.eu/t/help-me-getting-pcs100-to-work-in-vista/1925/1)
[forum.vellemanprojects.eu/t/k8031-interface-with-vista/2333/1)

Thanks, I’ll get a card and use the information you have given me.

I received the card I ordered from Kalea Informatique, the 34mm ExpressCard with adaptor cable to 25 pin parallel socket. When I plugged it in to the relevant slot on the laptop, Dell M1210, the sytem reported presence of the card and then that it was installed and available. However when I searched for it in the Ports section of the Device Manager it was not listed, the only ports listed were those related to a BlueTooth adaptor. Can you suggest how to find it? I have sent an email with the question to Kalea but had no reply after 4 days. Thanks if you can help.

I’ve received the following information from Kalea which seems to say to me that I shall not be able to use an ExpressCard to make the connection to the 'scope. Am I right or is there a way to do it?

Your issue is quite simple : with an expresscard, you do not create a real LPT port, but an emulate one. You will see your new port in USB peripherals, because it’s not a LPT port, but a USB to LPT bridge !!!. It’s not a pb if you want to communicate with a printer, you will have to select this ‘USB bridge’ as communication port in the Printer’s property. But it will be a big issue if you need to use a real LPT address. So far, we didn’t find any supplier providing and expresscard that would create a real LPT port. It’s a shame, because previous technology (PCMCIA) did this…

If I am stuck on this do adaptors exist to use the previous type of PCMCIA card with ExpressCard PCs? Even if so perhaps the software situation will still be the same as with an actual ExpressCard.

[quote]real LPT port. It’s a shame, because previous technology (PCMCIA) did this[/quote]It seems this adaptor is not usable.

Looks like I’m stuck then. However I will try to find a way round, maybe a CardBus to Express adaptor would work, I will contact the vendor of the ExpreesCard for adivice. Anyway thanks for help, I’m much impressed with the forum.

I have a PCS64i that works well under windows 98.
I read in this forum that DIETER had managed to operate this device under Windows XP with an adapter DeLOCK 61624.
I bought this adapter and I tried on my PC running Vista and the result is negative.
The adapter is recognized by the PC which provides in the control panel the port number : LPT1.
I use WinDSO v 2.7
By choosing this LPT1 in the options I have a message: "No hardware response”.
I think it’s vista that is the cause of the malfunction.
Someone would be a solution for this problem?
In advance thank you.

JEANMARIN

Have you checked the LPT port address. You may have to enter it manually to the scope program.
Please see these threads how to find the address and how to enter it.
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=569
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2154
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=3076

Here you’ll find the link to download the latest WinDSO_FG32:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4161

VEL 255
(This is the Google translation of my French text).

Thank you for your quick response and excellent advice you gave me!

My old PCS64i work with my new computer with Vista and Delock 61624 PCMCIA to parallel adapter.

I do not know if Dieter always consult this forum but I would also like to thank him for he has shown the possibilities of using this equipment.

But without the detailed explanations that you gave me, I never knew the right set of values LPT1 (FCC8 on my machine).

Again thank you.

It’s good to see you got it working! :slight_smile:

Hello,
Just to tell that one of my friends asked me to make his pcs64i work on a laptop without a parallel port.
As the laptop had a pci express card port, I bought a DeLock 66220 card.
It works perfectly well under windows xp with the windso_fg32_1_25.zip available on the site. I just had to give the program the parallel port address found in the device manager.