The Belkin boxes are not the "tin" boxes I referred to.  If you want to see
a laundry list of the grief and aggravation HP users have suffered by
piggybacking, go to www.hp.com and then to one of the "community forums" for
particular models where users post questions about specific problems.  The
OS freezing up and/or the printer freezing up are two of the most common.
The forum moderators are quick to point out that HP recommends against
piggybacking as do HP's product manuals.  That your configuration has worked
and continues to work does not mean that it will work somewhere else.  I
would not recommend a setup that HP users have reported so many problems
with, and that HP recommends against.  Besides, my recommendation is exactly
what you describe you did minus the piggybacking.  The need for piggybacking
can be eliminated simply by plugging in another Belkin box to one of the
ports in the two-port FU123's, or by just buying a four-port model.  If you
have two LPT's connected each to a four-port Belkin box, you'd have 8 LPT's
to work with and no piggybacking.  The user is, of course, free to try your
set up, and if it works, that's fine.


I certainly bow to Joel's superior knowledge and experience, but now I
guess I about the luckiest guy alive, as I've committed enough computer
"sins" to spend eternity in computer hell. So, I'd like to learn the
symptoms of malfunctions we should watch for.

We have one computer (K6-2/350) used in a publishing & typ;esetting
business) - which has gone through several OS and hdwe upgrades since
1993 - that had one of Belkin's "tin" switch boxes" A-B'd between scanner
on A and an HP4 laserjet printer (bought new, 1993) piggy-backed to an
external Zip drive on B (worked fine for about 8mo until we installed the
second LPT*).

Since, we added the second parallel port (LPT2), we have a Lexmark 3200
inkjet connected directly to LPT2; on LPT1 the HP4 Laserjet is
piggybacked onto a scanner (three different scanners over three year
period) which is further piggybacked into an external 100mb Zip drive. No
problems during the past three years.*

On another computer (K6-2/266), I have for a couple years had a Belkin
"tin" switchbox switching between a Panasonic KX-P1524 wide-carriage
dotmatrix and a Panasonic KP-6500 laser printer with no problems*.

On my mother's computer (P100, W98SE) we have another Belkin tin box,
switching between a Panasonic KX-P1124 dotmatrix, and a Lexmark 3200
piggybacked into a scanner. Again no problems.

(*) No problems? No problems (and, none unsolved) which could be
attributed to either the piggybacking or to Belkin's tin switchboxes. We
did have one bad box, exchanged by the retailer. All above printers &
peripherals are still working fine after as long as almost 8 years.

I'm sure we are doomed to some kind of trouble, but please advise what
kind of problems - and their symptoms - we should be watching for as a
result of our tin switchboxes and piggybacking.

Most respectfully,
jack payton

On Sat, 31 Mar 2001 06:16:14 -0800 "Joel M. Blackman" <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
> Rod, Jack's suggestions below mention piggybacking devices.  I did
> not
> mention that because again, HP, other printer mfgrs., and scanner
> mfgrs.
> recommend against it, and you may lose some functions like
> bi-directional
> communication with your printer and have some other problems if you
> do that.
> To my knowledge, none of those tin box switchboxes are IEEE-1284
> compliant.
> Also, the Belkin products I mentioned, Belkin F1U123, etc. are not
> switchboxes like Jack is describing.  They also come with a lifetime
> warranty.  Belkin replaced one for me that I had been running for
> two years.
> Belkin's are electronic IEEE-1284 compliant that get power off your
> LPT
> port.  I believe the F1U125 has software so you can switch ports on
> your
> computer.  The 123 requires a manual switch, but those are the ones
> I've
> been using.  I do not recommend any kind of piggybacking because in
> that
> config. you may have your scanner lock up your OS. I used to anwer
> questions
> at HP's printer model forum for the Deskjet 895, and people
> piggybacking off
> other external devices was one of the biggest causes of problems.  I
> also
> recommend against those switchboxes Jack describes below.  I would
> recommend
> the following: add an LPT port (under $20) and connect your scanner
> directly
> to that by itself.  Get a Belkin 123(manual switch two-port model)
> and put a
> printer on one port and the MP3 player on the other, then connect
> that box
> to the other LPT port. This is exactly how I would set it up. No
> piggybacks,
> no switchboxes with the port changer switch on the front (usually
> metal
> boxes).  Joel
>
> Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] switch box
>
>
> On Fri, 30 Mar 2001 18:53:10 -0500 Rod Moss
> <[log in to unmask]>
> writes:
> > I am trying to set up a switch box so I can easily swap between
> > printer, scanner & MP3 download, these 3 devices all connect to my
> > parallel port.
> >
> > They all work when connected directly, none work through the
> switch
> > box.
> >
> > My PC is a P200, 64Mb ram running Win 98, 2 hard disks 1 x 330MB
> > compressed to about 700MB, and 1 x 3Gb plit into 2 drives.
> >
> > Any advice greatfully received
> >
> > Regards
> > Rod Moss
>
>
> Rod:
>
> Joel [separate message] has some good suggestions, eg, adding a
> second
> physical LPT port - we did. Joel didn't mention piggybacking one
> parallel
> device on another, typically a printer piggybacked onto a scanner.
> We've
> run an HP4 laserjet on both a Belkin switchbox and piggybacked onto
> a
> scanner connected to addon LPT port.
>
> We've used various parallel cable switch boxes, from two to four
> outlets
> each. (You're probably using a four-position box.) The only problem
> was
> once when we got a bad box.
> Ensure that if one of your devices is plugged directly into the
> computer's parallel output connection - it works. If not, the
> problem is
> with the computer, not your switch box. If a device works in that
> output
> connection, and your box is still in warranty, consider returning
> the
> switchbox for a trade.
>
> If not, try a bit of troubleshooting. First (this is about as simple
> as
> ensuring your computer is plugged into the wall, but that happens,
> too),
> ensure you have the cables connected to all the proper connections.
> Next,
> rotate the selector switch left to right & back several times (ten
> to 20)
> - if the box has bad or corroded contacts, this might clean them up
> and
> provide proper connections. Next, disconnect all but one device. Try
> that
> device in each of the outlet connections. If none of these work
> (and,
> you're out of warranty), decide if you're handy with electronics -
> if
> not, find a nearby wastebasket.
>
> If so, disconnect all connections, get out your screwdriver, and,
> open
> the case. Check all wire connections to the input side - that's
> where the
> problem will be, as there's no way you could have coincidental
> multiple
> problems with each of the output connections. If any are loose or
> bad
> solder connections, re-solder them. If nothing is loose - or has an
> obviously bad solder connection - you're probably SOL. Sorry.
>
> jack
>
>                The NOSPIN Group Promotions is now offering
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>
>                The NOSPIN Group Promotions is now offering
>               Mandrake Linux or Red Hat Linux CD sets along
>          with our NOSPIN Power Linux CD...  at a great price!!!
>              http://freepctech.com/goodies/promotions.shtml

                         PCBUILD's List Owners:
                      Bob Wright<[log in to unmask]>
                       Drew Dunn<[log in to unmask]>

                         PCBUILD's List Owners:
                      Bob Wright<[log in to unmask]>
                       Drew Dunn<[log in to unmask]>