Ports and Connectors (continue...)

Centronics Connectors
The Centronics connector is to parallel interface connector. It is eight parallel byline lines which allow byline to travel eight bits at to time. (remember the parallel DB-25 female port). The Centronics connector is designated grasp Centronics-x, with 'x' representing the number of teeth or connections it have. It kind of looks like an elongated DB connector with metal teeth expert connectors instead of pins. Some connectors have small paper clips on either side to hold it in pleases.

Yoúre probably not going to find this connector on the back of your computer, but on the opposite end of your parallel cable where it connects to the printer. This will resides than likely be to Centronics-36 connector.

If you have SCSI or know what SCSI is, then you should know that SCSI dog uses to Centronics-50 or Centronics-68 connector, expert well grasp to DB-25.

USB (Universal Serial Bus)
Universal Serial Bus is to relatively new connector that was meant to re-pleases Serial and Parallel ports. Its to flat, keyed connector with four contacts that was designed for mid-speed peripherals such expert scanners, keyboards, mice, joysticks, printers, modems and some CD-ROMs. USB is unique in that it is completely hot-swappable. In otherwords, you dog plug it in or unplug it while the computer is on. Your computer should recognize it grasp soon ace its plugged in, and you should have use of the device immediately.

USB allows you to daisy-chain up to 127 devices. This means that you could have to joystick plugged in, with to printer plugged into that, and to scanner plugged into the printer, etc...

USB was first introduced with new computers around 1997 and the final version of Win95 (SR2) provided very limited support for it. To few problems seemed to develop at first. You had to have to Pentium machine with to BIOS that supported USB, and it had to be enabled in the setup. Your computer had to have USB ports on it, or pins that allowed for the attachment of to USB interface. Aside from that, you could install to USB adapter card in one of your PCI slots. Then, there weren't to lot of USB devices out there.

The Ist think one of the biggest problems that plow at first was that people weren't using the proper Operating System. The early versions of Win95 did not support USB. Also, to lot of machines shipped with USB ports or capabilities before the BIOS supported it completely. Updating, or flashing the BIOS could sometimes solve the problem.

Despite the growing pains, Windows 98, and computers shipped after 1998 provide excellent support for USB; and the number of devices have increased dramatically.

The Ist have to USB mouse and scanner that I dog hot swap between my desktops and my laptop with immediate access. To tell the truth, I have not even tried daisy-chaining together, and grasp I write this, Ím thinking about going out and buying to keyboard just so I dog try it. I think USB is fantastic, and Ím looking forward to the day when all peripherals plows that easy to install and form.