Hallo,
I have a new laptop without printer port.
Has Someone tested if PCS500 and PCG10 can work with an USB<->LPT converter?
Thank you.
Pier Andrea.
Dear sir,
LPT <> USB converter doesn’t work !!!
Hi,
i have a PCS500 too, and i have the same problem (my new PCs have no parallel port).
I understood that a “simple” USB-LPT converter doesn’t work, but i think some solution may exist and i would like to have same confirmation:
- on a laptop (without parallel port) does the scope work adding a via PCMCIA parallel port?
- is it impossible on with all operating system?
Regards,
Scipione Dal Ferro.
The PCMCIA adapter should supports direct hardware access to the LPT port that it can be used with the PCS500.
Please note: There is no guarantee that the PCS500 works with the PCMCIA parallel port adaptor anyhow!
(If you purchase a PCMCIA adapter and if you can’t select the standard LPT port addresses 378, 278 or 3BC you can type the LPT port address of the PCMCIA adapter in the hardware setup dialog of the PCS500 or at the startup screen of the PCLab2000SE software.)
With a quick Google search I found following:
From the link:
transdigital.net/info.htm
"[color=green]Low cost USB to Parallel Adapter cable - Converter Cable.
Low cost PCMCIA Card (true EPP Port) - Koutech IO-CBP220 which is dual USB card with built in USB to Parallel converters.
Both of the above solutions emulate the parallel port only. They are not real parallel ports and provide very limited parallel port functionality.
The USB to parallel converters will not work with applications which require direct access to the parallel port registers: Data acquisition, JTAG programmers, software protection dongles etc.
The Trans PC Card - Universal Parallel Port PCMCIA card.
The card we offer here is a real parallel port, mapped to the standard port I/O addresses. It is driven by Microsft drivers of Windows, so there is no need for additional installation/drivers software. The card shows up in the Device Manger as a parallel port LPT1, LPT2 or LPT3. Therefore it is compatible with all parallel devices which can be driven by the fixed parallel ports of desktop PCs. [/color]"
From the link:
compunetsite.com/proddetail.php?prod=SPP-100
“[color=green]Quatech’s SPP-100 fully supports the IEEE 1284 EPP standard, and functions exactly like a computer’s native parallel port.
Thus, unlike the many USB to parallel converters on the market, Quatech’s SPP-100 will work seamlessly with any hardware or software that requires either an EPP or standard parallel port.
It is compatible with any 16-bit PCMCIA, (release 8 and backward compliant) enable laptop, handheld, or desktop computer and with both 3.3V and 5V systems. It is working with hardware key (dongle) too.[/color]”
Okay, fine, but:
-
most users are (unsurprisingly) a dab hand with electronics and
-
USB is now the de facto standard (and LPT is all but dead).
So, is there a USB conversion for the PCS500 on the Velleman workbench? How hard could it be to retro-fit the USB interface from the PCS1000?
I suspect there are plenty of us out there with a PCS500 sitting on a shelf because of this relatively minor interface issue.
Another option - get a super-cheap super-old (but working) laptop from Ebay or - better - a second-hand shop. Doesn’t matter if the battery is dead or the harddrive is small as long as it can at least run Windows XP. You can often find those things for less than $20. Cheaper than a USB-to-parallel converter.
Wolfgang
You talk about upgrading your PC (new laptop w/o parrallel port),
so you only upgrade your PC, but why don’t you upgrade your scope?
We have our PCSU1000 which works with USB!
The PCS500 is for parallel port only and doesn’t work with converters.
Now works PCS-500 through the converter USB-> LPT?
No, it won’t work with a normal converter, as this normally doesn’t support bidirectional data on the control lines. This is essentially needed, as how shall the PCD send its data to the PC other than via these lines?
The only way to do it is with a PCMCIA-Converter, if the PC has a PCMCIA slot.
Dieter
Only Express Card Slot
Please keep it simple, it doesn’t work !
But if we make are own USBtoLPT-converter, just for fun.
And I use for example this schematic
http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/bastelecke/Rund%20um%20den%20PC/USB2LPT/ul-15.gif
Will it work???
Nice circuit diagram indeed 
This topic has been discussed a lot earlier.
It is not possible to run the PCS500 with USB to parallel port converter. 
Sorry to say but it is not possible even with a self made USB / LPT converter.
The problem is that the PCS500 and PCG10 communicate directly to the printer port hardware.
In this thread there is more details of the communication principle: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=4314
To get the adapter working you have to “grab” all the instructions and convert them to USB communication.Then convert back to LPT communications in the adapter etc…
The only working solution may be a PCMCIA to parallel adapter…
Here some customers got a PCMCIA to parallel adapter to work with the LPT port connected oscilloscope:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3307
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3911
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=569
And if we use the software from PCSU1000 and convert his commands to the commends of the PCS500. And let the computer think that he is working white the PSCU1000???
Sorry, this is NOT possible.
Please use our PCSU1000 or PCSGU250.
Topic will be closed.