PCI Serial/Parallel Add on card

[Format _C:]

I need one because I have no Serial/Parallel ports (Well usable anyway because they are on a Header/bracket that is no where to be found and Gigabyte Used a non standard PO so my AT Brackets are of no use [Yes I save everything from every computer I toss]) I want to connect an HD44780 Compatible VFD so i need a real parallel port a usb to LPT will not work. OK now to the point I am using Windows 7 64-Bit so I need one with signed drivers as I purchased a USB2LCD board and that had non signed drivers and did not work. So are there any good ones out there with Signed W7 64 drivers and whats a good chipset for these things? or will any do as long as it has signed drivers

 

[engiNURD]

Thats weird, cuz I used a standard LPT header port (DB25) with my X38-DS4 and it works fine. I've got my HP Laserjet 1100 connected to it. I've also got my SmartUPS 1400 hooked up to the serial port.

$6 - Cable Set for Computer Motherboards, IDE, floppy, and LPT/COM ports

 

[Format _C:]

The pin-out is the same on my board so I guess I have a non-standard header (I pulled it from an old Dell) So that is probably my problem. I found the header on the 'bay' and it is about the same as a PCI card so I guess I will buy the card so If I get a new board I can still use my stuff as most new boards do not have a Parallel or a serial port

 

[engiNURD]

oic. which card did you decide on?

I picked up the rosewill one when it was on sale for $10 shipped about a year ago, but I'm not sure if they'll release signed win.7x64 drivers for it.

 

[tarlog]

oic. which card did you decide on?

I picked up the rosewill one when it was on sale for $10 shipped about a year ago, but I'm not sure if they'll release signed win.7x64 drivers for it.

OMG! I keep on learning the strangest (well, to me) little upgrade "gotcha's" on these
forums.

Thanks, Enginurd, et al

(man I feel old)

 

[Format _C:]

I will probably get a real AT cable set then as I can then use the on board LPT controller. To "enginurd" I was just wondering if its not to much trouble can you post a picture of the end that plugs into the MB header? or just do some ASCII art like I am going to attempt to do

XXXXXXXXXXXXX
0XXXXXXXXXXXX

Where X is the holes and 0 is a plugged hole and also on the one I have with me there is a 13 X 2 IDC connector (Like an IDE Cable) and one hole is plugged but I looked at the side of the connector and there is only enough wire for a 12 X 2 IDC meaning the last two holes have no wire crimped on them

Thanks and I hope I make sense

 

[engiNURD]

Its a DB25 to 13x2 header. So, there are 26 holes on the IDC connector, but the ribbon cable has only 25 wires. None of the holes on the IDC connector are keyed/plugged on my IDC connector. The ribbon cable has the standard red wire to denote pin1. I'd take a picture, but my 256MB CF card finally died, lol. The system was offline anyhow, as its being re-tasked.

 

[Format _C:]

Ok thanks
Stupid Dell and their proprietary stuff

 

[Format _C:]

I found an Asrock (Low end Asus) board that the Pinout supposedly looks the same as the one I pulled from a 1994 Dell Now I am confused I just wanted to know if a standard AT Cable set would work so I went searching through older MB manuals and they do not list the pin-out so I started looking though newer MB Manuals and here is what I came across

The first two images are of the header I already have

The Asrock pin-out which seems to match the one I have

The Gigabyte Pin-Out Which is the same on my GA-73PVM-S2H HTPC board

 

[engiNURD]

Found some info at tom's forums...

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/249397-30-getting-optional-items

04-16-2009 at 09:10:58 PM
I bought the Gigabyte LPT cable, 12CF1-1LP001-01R, directly from Gigabyte USA because I couldn't find any retailer in the United States that sells it. (I already had a GA-EP45-UD3R motherboard). I was disappointed with the cable I got. The quality is fine, but it's a generic cable, it's overpriced, and it's a hassle to order.

Gigabyte motherboards that have the LPT header have an unusual pinout. (Gigabyte provides the pinout on their website and in their user manuals.) The header is in a 2x13 configuration, which seems to be what is used on all motherboards that have LPT headers. Unfortunately, pin 24 rather than pin 26 in not connected, which is what makes Gigabyte LPT headers different. Pin 26 is connected to ground, but usually pin 24 would be connected to ground.

The DB-25 end of the LPT cable has 25 pins. Pins 18 - 25 should be connected to ground. If a straight ribbon cable is used to connect the LPT header (pins 1 - 25) to the DB-25 connector, then Gigabyte motherboards will leave DB-25 pin 25 unconnected (DB-25 pin 25 connects to LPT header pin 24).

Generic LPT port cables are available, and inexpensive. They use straight ribbon cables. They connect LPT header pins 1 - 25 to DB-25 connector pins 1 - 25 (but the pins are numbered differently).

Gigabyte has a LPT cable, part number 12CF1-1LP001-01R, but it is in fact just an overpriced generic cable. It uses a straight ribbon cable that does not compensate for the LPT header pin 24 vs. pin 26 issue.

If a circuit on a device connected to the DB-25 connector (via the Gigabyte LPT header and a generic cable) uses pin 25 for its ground connection alone, it will probably fail. If it ties at least one of the other DB-25 ground pins 18 - 24 to pin 25 (or doesn't use pin 25 at all) then it will probably work.

The Gigabyte LPT cable is not sold at many places, and they are overpriced and identical to the generic cables, which are cheaper and sold more places.

If you need a correct DB-25 LPT port from a Gigabyte motherboard, you could take a generic LPT cable, remove the ribbon cable from the IDC connector (it's not soldered), split the ribbon between wires 23 and 24, twist wires 24 and 25 180 degrees, and reinsert the ribbon cable into the IDC connector: wires 1 - 23 where they were before and wire 25 where it was before, but put wire 24 at the end (where the 26th wire of a 26 wire ribbon cable would go), leaving a gap where wire 24 was.

As far as using a USB to parallel port converter, or a PCI to parallel port converter, I don't recommend it. For one thing, the converters are much more expensive than a simple cable. For another, a USB or PCI converted parallel port cannot be configured the same as a true parallel port. The PC architecture devotes a specific set of I/O port addresses and interrupt channels to true parallel ports. USB and PCI do not use that same architecture. That's why a computer can operate all of them simultaneously without conflict. Software that requires a true parallel port will likely not work with a USB or PCI converted to a parallel port. I have read that some people have had a difficult time trying to install PCI to parallel port converters and were never able to make their external device work that was connected to the parallel port. (Also, I'm not sure that the voltages of the signals are the same for true parallel ports as compared to USB or PCI converted to a parallel port, either. True parallel ports use, I believe, +5V and ground for signals, but USB and PCI may use +3V and ground for signals, but I'm not sure about that.) Just because a plug fits into a socket doesn't mean that they're compatible. Some devices are more tolerant than others over such differences. Using a converter is a gamble.

By the way, you should be able to find a generic LPT cable (along with a COM cable!) for about $2 to $3, and if you buy it over the internet shipping should be about $2 to $3. Anything more and you're getting ripped off.

(Incidentally, Gigabyte uses the typical pinout for the COM port header. If you want both COM and LPT ports, Gigabyte only sells them as separate assemblies, requiring twice the space in your computer and twice the money. But you can get a single generic assembly with both, and for only about $3 to $4 total. That's what I would have gotten had I known beforehand that Gigabyte just sells generic cables.)