Connect Parallel to USB
Alfred Poor
Can I plug a parallel device, such as a printer, into a USB port?
L. Wong
As its name indicates, a parallel port is a parallel interface; the different bits of data are sent simultaneously down eight separate lines. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus, and the data is sent as a series of bits down a single pair of data lines. In order to connect a parallel device to a USB port, an adapter must capture the data and convert it from one format to the other. There are parallel-to-USB adapters available. For example, TigerDirect offers such adapters for less than $25 (www.tigerdirect.com/applications/Category/category_slc.asp?Id=031810). Using one of these adapters, you can turn your old parallel printer into a USB device!
Copyright © 2003 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Small Business Resource Center.
