TechBlog from Sewell

Hello,

Maybe one of you experts can help me out.

I am moving into a new house next month. I would like to burn all my cds to my computer and run all my music through it. Here is the setup that I would like:

Computer in bedroom
Run audio and video through Cat 5 to living room
In living room, run audio to stereo receiver and video to HDTV
Get an RF mouse to select and change music (while viewing options on TV)

This seems very doable. However, I am not sure of the optimal way to do it. When I say “optimal”, I mean “maximize quality of sound and video while minimizing cost”. I already have the computer, audio receiver, TV, and a house wired for Cat 5. Can I establish all the needed connections for uner $200? Do I need a sound card for my computer to ensure the best quality audio in stereo?

Any thoughts/assistance greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Cliff

If you have a Mac and want to uninstall the PL-2303 USB to Serial driver then you’ll need some luck and some terminal skills. We do not support removal of prolific drivers, but these steps should do the trick.

Follow these steps:

1. Open “Applications-> Utilities-> Terminal”. You need to create ID & password first on NetInfo Manager.

2. Login to root user and type “su” and enter password.

3. Type “cd /System/Library/Extensions” to go to the “Extensions” folder.

4. Unload the driver (if it had been loaded) by typing “kextunload PL2303.kext” or “kextunload ProlificUsbSerial.kext”

5. Remove the driver by typing “rm -r PL2303.kext” or “rm -r ProlificUsbSerial.kext”.

Here are some very easy instructions to get the Quatech Parallel PCMCIA card working with FastLynx:

1. Install the Quatech card and drivers

2. Open the Quatech Parallel Port properties in device manager

3. Click on Resources tab

4. Click on I/O address and uncheck “Use Automatic Settings”

5. Click on the “Change Settings” button

6. Enter range EFF8 – EFFF (a range slightly lower should work if this address is already taken.)

7. Click Okay

8. Click on “Port Settings” tab

9. Select “Try not to use an interrupt” or “Never use an Interupt” (an interrupt gets in the way for some reason)

10. Enable “Legacy Plug and Play detection”

11. Click Okay

12. Restart your computer

13. Open FastLynx

14. Click on “Specify Remote Connection Parameters” button

15. Specify whether the computer with the Quatech card is the Client or the Server

16. Select the LPT port that corresponds with the Quatech card

17. Lower the speed to 4-bit normal (it had issues in higher speeds. These issues may just have been the computers we were using. The connection broke every once and a while at the higher speeds.)

18. Click okay, and connect the two computers

19. Start transferring files

Here is a picture of a successful connection using the link integrity test.

We are often asked the difference between USB 1.1 and USB 2.0. Essentially the difference is the speed. The theoretical limits of USB 1.1 is 12 Mbps (Mega bits per second) and USB 2.0 is 480 Mbps

In practice, nothing actualy runs at the theoretical limits, and there can be many things that can cause a bottleneck. Our Fastlynx file transfer program has a benchmark function that will let you test the speed and reliability of your connection.

Both USB 1.1 and 2.0 were reliable…I didn’t lose any packets.

USB 1.1 bridge cable gave an actual throughput of 6.9 Mbps
USB 2.0 bridge cable gave an acutal throughput of 187 Mbps

If you need to get a USB to Serial adapter working with your palm pilot try these steps. These steps are from the Palm Support Knowledge Library at http://kb.palm.com/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,kb=PalmSupportKB,CASE=obj(919),ts=Palm_External2001

Solution ID: 919

Can’t synchronize through USB-to-serial adapter

If you cannot perform a HotSync® operation after plugging the USB into the serial port adapter, the serial port settings need to be adjusted.
To adjust the serial port settings, do the following:

1. Check the USB to serial port adapter connections.
2. Launch HotSync Manager.
3. Open HotSync Manager and click Enable/Disable.
4. Open the Instant Palm Desktop and select HotSync Manager.
5. Select Setup and click Disable/Enable.
6. Under Local Setup, select PalmConnect® USB from the Port list.
7. Click the HotSync Controls tab and select Enabled.
8. Perform a HotSync operation.
9. If an error message appears when you remove the USB to serial port adapter and reboot your Macintosh, simply click OK in the message box.

To prevent this error from appearing during reboot, launch HotSync® Manager, choose Setup, disable HotSync Manager, and then disconnect the USB to serial port cable. Future versions of HotSync Manager eliminate this error message.

When in the HotSync Manager, avoid making changes in the “HotSync Software Setup” dialog box while the USB adapter is unplugged. If you have trouble performing a HotSync operation after unplugging and replugging your USB adapter, plug the adapter in and restart your computer. Then launch HotSync® Manager and re-select the correct USB port from the Local Setup section of the “HotSync Software Setup” dialog box.

Palm, Inc. plans to correct this problem in a future revision. Apple System Profiler reports two PalmConnect devices for each USB adapter connected at startup. This does not affect functionality. Palm, Inc. is working with Apple to correct this problem.