In: Categories » Computers and technology » Windows XP » Partying with USB, FireWire, and Hubs
In the days of the early IBM PCs, practically every device that you added was internal (located within the computer’s case). Because so few peripherals existed that you could add to your system, this really wasn’t a problem. Naturally, the parallel port took care of the printer (if you could afford one), and as the modem grew in importance, it took up residence with the serial port. Today, however, PC cases are shrinking. When it comes to size, I can’t tell the difference between many new desktops and my kid’s PlayStation 2. Less internal room means more need for external stuff. Also, because of the huge increase in the number of portable devices that you can add to your computer, those toys are naturally designed to be external, such as digital cameras, MP3 players, and the like. The days of the PC as a monolith are over. So what’s a poor CPU to do? Enter the two star ports of the digital age: Universal Serial Bus (USB) and FireWire. Talk about sassy: They’re fast, offer Plug-and-Play convenience, and won’t hassle you with arcane errors or strange settings. Plus, you can use them to connect practically everything but the kitchen sink to your computer simultaneously. In this section, I share the joy as we party with these two ports together. Comparing USB Ports You might think that all USB ports are the same, but they’re not. In the beginning, only USB 1.x was available. Sure, USB 1.x was a fine little port (easy to use and requiring no configuration) but only a few times faster than an oldfashioned serial connection. To be honest, a FireWire device will wipe the floor with the first generation of USB devices when it comes to speed. Two or three years ago, the list of peripherals that really required 400 Mbps of transfer speed was limited to digital video (DV) camcorders and external audio/visual (AV) hard drives used by video professionals. Today, that list has expanded. To illustrate:
- Digital cameras that produce images with bigger file sizes.
- High-resolution scanners that need to churn out images with 200MB of pixels.
- External CD and DVD recorders that require a high-speed connection. USB 1.x external CD recorders are limited to about 4X speed (and don’t even dream of recording a DVD over a USB 1.x connection). - MP3 players, including my favorite, Apple’s iPod, which was the first MP3 player to use a FireWire connection. Enter USB 2.0, the latest specification. This new generation of port ups the ante, delivering 480 Mbps, which handily tops the original FireWire specification, version A. It’s backward compatible with older 1.1 devices, so you won’t have to start all over with your USB hardware, but naturally, only those peripherals that support the new 2.0 standard can take advantage of the warp speed increase.
I Vote for FireWire
Even with the new 2.0 USB specification, I’m still a FireWire kinda guy, and not just because it has a cooler name. Here’s why:
- Device support: FireWire has been around since 1996 on most DV equipment, so it’s a well-recognized standard. On the other hand, USB 2.0 has only been around for about two years, so don’t expect to see a highspeed USB port on an older DV camcorder.
- Control over connection: Ignore the engineer-speak. Basically, this feature allows you to control your FireWire device from your PC. For example, if you have a DV camcorder with a FireWire (or IEEE 1394, which is the techie name for FireWire) port, you can control your camcorder from your keyboard or with your mouse. Just click Play within your editing software, and your camera jumps into action just as if you had pressed the Play button on the DV camcorder itself. Although USB can send a basic signal or two to the device (for instance, a command to erase an image from your digital camera), it’s nowhere near as sophisticated as the control over connection possible with a FireWire connection.
- Mac and PC compatibility: The current crop of Macs does not offer USB 2.0 ports; you get USB 1.1 ports. However, every single Mac leaving Cupertino (or wherever they’re manufactured) comes equipped with at least one FireWire port. This compatibility allows me to pull my DVD recorder from my PC and plug it right into my Mac. (I prefer life without hassles.) “Hey, Gladys, the external USB drive isn’t getting any power. And I’ve got it plugged in and everything!” Of course, that drive might not be plugged in to the wall socket for AC power an easy troubleshooting task but if you’re using a USB device that’s powered through the USB port itself, the problem might be more insidious. Some USB ports don’t provide the full power support called for by the USB standard because they’re designed only for connecting mice, keyboards, and joysticks. Therefore, try plugging that USB drive into another PC’s USB port to see whether it wakes up.
Or Do You Just Need a Hub?
A technician friend of mine has a great T-shirt with the logo Got Ports? If your PC already has FireWire or USB ports but they’re already all taken, you don’t need to install an adapter card to provide your computer with additional portage. (Of course, you could eject one of those devices and unplug it each time when you want to connect your digital camera, but that probably involves turning your PC around and navigating through the nest of cables on the back.) PC power users eschew such hassles. Instead, buy a hub, which is a splitter box that turns one USB or FireWire port into multiple ports. (Don’t get a USB/FireWire hub confused with a network hub, which is an entirely different beast altogether.) Although using a hub fills a port, you’ll gain four, six, or eight ports in the bargain (depending on the hub), and everything stays as convenient and Plug-and-Play as before. (Engineering that’s both simple and sassy.) Don’t forget to check whether some of your USB/FireWire devices have daisy-chaining ports on the back that will allow you to connect another device. You can tell that a device is designed for daisy-chaining by checking whether it sports two of the same type of port (like a scanner that has two USB ports). If so, you should be able to daisy-chain additional devices. A series of daisy-chained devices will likely help you avoid buying a USB or FireWire hub because everything is still linked to one physical USB or FireWire port on the back of your PC. By using these methods, you can theoretically plug 63 devices into one FireWire port and 127 devices into one USB port. Heck, not even James Bond can stack gadgets that high!
Installing a Port Card
Here’s where the original modular design of the IBM PC (all those many, many moons ago) comes in handy. If your computer didn’t come with USB 2.0 or FireWire ports, you’ll find that adding new ports to your PC is as simple as plugging in an adapter card into a slot at the back of your motherboard. A typical FireWire/USB 2.0 combo card costs around $100 and gives you two USB and two FireWire ports. Follow these steps to do it once the right way:
1. Cover your work surface with several sheets of newspaper.
2. Unplug your PC and place it on top of the newspaper.
3. Remove the case screws and slide the case off, putting the screws aside in a bowl or cup. If you’re unsure how to remove your PC’s case, check the manual that accompanied your computer.
4. To dissipate any static electricity, touch a metal surface before you handle your new adapter card or touch any circuitry inside the case. Yes, I know I keep haranguing you about static electricity but it’s important. I typically touch the metal chassis of the computer.
5. Locate an adapter card slot of the proper length at the back of your computer case. This should be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slot, which is the standard adapter card connector in today’s PCs.
6. Remove the screw and the metal slot cover at the back of the case. Because you won’t need them again, put these in your spare parts box.
7. Pick up your port card by the top corners and line up the connector on the bottom of the card with the slot on the motherboard. The card’s metal bracket should align with the open area created when you remove the slot cover from the back of your PC. Never try to force a connector into a slot that’s smaller! Older 8-bit cards have smaller connectors, and they won’t accept a PCI card.
8. After the connector is aligned correctly, apply even pressure to the top of the card and push it down into the slot until the bracket is resting against the case.
9. Place the screw in the corresponding hole in the bracket and tighten it down. 10.Place the cover back on your PC and replace the screws that you saved from Step 3. 11.Plug your PC back in and turn it on. 12.Run the installation disc that came with your port card or load the driver disc when prompted by Windows XP. Pumping Up Your Sound and Video
Technology has advanced so much that at last we’ve reached the point where the personal computer lives up to all that personal entertainment hoopla. You know, the idea that your PC is at the center of your gaming, audio, and TV environment. Or, as I’ve been putting it for the last couple of years: One box to rule them all and in the den to find them. However, putting your PC at the center of your digital lifestyle is a bit difficult if you’re still stuck with a subpar sound card, or if your computer’s video card is more than a year or two old. Look at what you’re missing out on: Closing your eyes and enjoying Dolby Surround sound with better-than- CD quality audio, watching TV with TiVo-style control on your PC’s crystalclear monitor, and playing games where you can behead a super-realistic, 3-D orc with extreme prejudice. This, ladies and gentlemen, is a good time to be alive! If your system needs an audio/visual upgrade, you’ll find what you need to know right here.
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