Mother Necessity In Action?

Given thats a Cruzer Mini (or at least some sort of USB memory stick) plugged into an adapter meant to plug a USB keyboard into a ps/2 port and eventually into a parallel port...it wouldn't.
 
Ok, just to follow the chain...

USB->PS2->9-pin serial->25-pin serial -> ? coming out of the computer
 
Please, that is not anything functional. I mean really, a flash drive plugged into a PS/2 mouse adapter?
 
It could be a hardware key for a software package, it may even read it lol
 
I don't know if it would work or not, but it remind me of a place I used to work where we would plug in a string of adapters to use a multiplexer with a USB connection on a laptop and a terminal emulator.
 
I think I still have at least one of each of those adapters kicking around still. Hell I still can't bring myself to ditch my serial Supra 28.8 (flashed to 33.6 [H] :p modem).. one never knows when they might need a hardware modem.
 
No way would this work, unless the usb key's controller for god-knows-why implements a serial path which IIRC only M/KB bother with.
 
And to top it off, that's not even a proper serial-to-parallel adaptor, it's just a 25-pin male to 25-pin male converter. Parallel and serial speak completely different languages, there is no way that mere passive converters can allow *ANY* USB device to speak to a parallel port.

Yes, there are USB-to-parallel adapters, but they work the other way, and they are active converters that take ECP/EPP and actively convert it to the defined-from-day-one USB "parallel device profile".

Yes, there are even parallel-to-serial adapters, most commonly sold as "Macintosh Parallel printer adapters", also active devices. (And most use the old Macintosh-standard mini-DIN-8 port for serial, not DB-25 or DE-9.)i

So, from computer:
  1. Improper use of DB-25 female to DB-25 female adapter (usually used for serial ports)
  2. DB-25 to DE-9 adapter (almost exclusively used for serial ports)
  3. DE-9 to PS/2 adapter (used to convert a PS/2 mouse to serial)
  4. USB to PS/2 adapter (used to convert a USB mouse to PS/2, although most such adapters also work for keyboards)
  5. Sandisk Cruzer USB flash memory stick (which speaks USB Mass-storage, not HID, and so won't even survive the "translation" to PS/2, much less any of the other "translations".)
Now, plug that mess into a proper DB-25 serial port, and put a legacy-compatible USB mouse on the end, and it would actually have a chance of working.
 
Why is it so hard for some people just to laugh? The analysis in this thread is unbelievable
 
CharonPDX said:
And to top it off, that's not even a proper serial-to-parallel adaptor, it's just a 25-pin male to 25-pin male converter. Parallel and serial speak completely different languages, there is no way that mere passive converters can allow *ANY* USB device to speak to a parallel port.

Yes, there are USB-to-parallel adapters, but they work the other way, and they are active converters that take ECP/EPP and actively convert it to the defined-from-day-one USB "parallel device profile".

Yes, there are even parallel-to-serial adapters, most commonly sold as "Macintosh Parallel printer adapters", also active devices. (And most use the old Macintosh-standard mini-DIN-8 port for serial, not DB-25 or DE-9.)i

So, from computer:
  1. Improper use of DB-25 female to DB-25 female adapter (usually used for serial ports)
  2. DB-25 to DE-9 adapter (almost exclusively used for serial ports)
  3. DE-9 to PS/2 adapter (used to convert a PS/2 mouse to serial)
  4. USB to PS/2 adapter (used to convert a USB mouse to PS/2, although most such adapters also work for keyboards)
  5. Sandisk Cruzer USB flash memory stick (which speaks USB Mass-storage, not HID, and so won't even survive the "translation" to PS/2, much less any of the other "translations".)
Now, plug that mess into a proper DB-25 serial port, and put a legacy-compatible USB mouse on the end, and it would actually have a chance of working.
Click to expand...

I take back my previous post, you are most likely correct.
 
Ok, so it looks cool, but what's wrong with the USB ports two inches away? And if it were theoretically possible, who really wants to use a flash drive at the 12kbps that a parallel port is capable of?
 
LOL awesome

It could never work as devices need the electronics to run on different ports/modes. It is not just a matter of wire switching like adaptors imply. (ie. You cannot even use a USB to PS/2 keyboard or mouse adaptor on every keyboard and mouse. If there is no PS/2 hardware inside the device, you're hooped.) At one point many PS/2 mice came with RS232 adaptors, but again the mice were technically both internally. You could not use the adaptor with just any PS/2 mouse.

Serial to USB adaptors have a chip inside and drivers to run RS232 devices. IMO the opposite, like a USB flash to RS232 or parallel would require some conversion box with a chip and firmware and/or drivers with a separate power supply to be possible.

There are boxes to convert HDMI to CAT 5 and back again for long distances so it could probably be done.
 
RumpleForeSkin said:
I think I still have at least one of each of those adapters kicking around still. Hell I still can't bring myself to ditch my serial Supra 28.8 (flashed to 33.6 [H] :p modem).. one never knows when they might need a hardware modem.
Click to expand...
lol, good luck finding a POTS line to use it on! Then again, it would probably work out that the only things still running after a bomb dropped would be the old analog equipment!
 
Haha, nice. :D
Ahh, the simple things in life such as laughing.

Reminds me of all the ginormous components of years ago compared to what we have today (that usb drive). I love this ever advancing hobby.
 
joblo37pam said:
Ok, so it looks cool, but what's wrong with the USB ports two inches to the left? And if it were theoretically possible, who really wants to use a flash drive at the 12kbps that a parallel port is capable of?
Click to expand...

Also, whats wrong with the DE-9 port, 2 inches to the right! You could have at least skipped the first 2 adapters!

I also think its only funny if it works!!
 
CharonPDX said:
So, from computer:
  1. Improper use of DB-25 female to DB-25 female adapter (usually used for serial ports)
  2. DB-25 to DE-9 adapter (almost exclusively used for serial ports)
  3. DE-9 to PS/2 adapter (used to convert a PS/2 mouse to serial)
  4. USB to PS/2 adapter (used to convert a USB mouse to PS/2, although most such adapters also work for keyboards)
  5. Sandisk Cruzer USB flash memory stick (which speaks USB Mass-storage, not HID, and so won't even survive the "translation" to PS/2, much less any of the other "translations".)
Now, plug that mess into a proper DB-25 serial port, and put a legacy-compatible USB mouse on the end, and it would actually have a chance of working.
Click to expand...
You know, it's probably possible to get an arbitrary USB device to communicate with the computer over the parallel port, but it'd be even messier than the pic. You'd have to replace the crystal inside the USB device with one of much lower frequency, then write a virtual device driver which implements USB over the parallel port. The data rates would be horrendous, and the USB device would be useless if placed back on a standard USB port, but it'd work.
 
I recall years ago a customer trying to plug his external cd-rom burner in his pc.

He told me it came with a cable but it wouldn't fit, so he used some adapters he bought, but it didn't work.

IIRC this is what he used.

The CD-rom had a paralel interface.

DB25 to DB9
DB9 to usb
usb to minidin
minidin to din and back to mini din for genderchange
and mini din to the mouse port.

He had quite a lot of adapters so I'm probably missing something. but I do remember it went from paralel to the mouse port.
 
Mohonri said:
You know, it's probably possible to get an arbitrary USB device to communicate with the computer over the parallel port, but it'd be even messier than the pic. You'd have to replace the crystal inside the USB device with one of much lower frequency, then write a virtual device driver which implements USB over the parallel port. The data rates would be horrendous, and the USB device would be useless if placed back on a standard USB port, but it'd work.
Click to expand...


countdown until you see a "hacker" do this in a movie in.....5....4....3........... :p
 
joblo37pam said:
Ok, so it looks cool, but what's wrong with the USB ports two inches away? And if it were theoretically possible, who really wants to use a flash drive at the 12kbps that a parallel port is capable of?
Click to expand...

I agree. Total BS.

Even if it *did* work, the fact that there are two UNUSED USB ports on the machine shows the guy is a complete attention whore (or is that attention gigalo?)
 
...and the sad thing is one of the other admins here ( a large university ), as well as my supervisor believe you can actually do this kind of crap.

It used to be funny, now after years of it, I just don't know why I bother anymore.
 
By the way, as somoene said before, there already are USB ports not being used on that tower. Either they're broke or this is an attention grab. I'm going to assume the latter.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top