ToToTEK.COM

wmwc · Joined: 26 Jul 2011 Posts: 37 Location: USA

Has anybody ever used this on any dumping equipment? I have newer PC's and none of them have parallel ports. I could go buy a scrap one from the local recycling center for 54 USD if necessary. However I was curious to hear if anybody had any luck with the parallel to USB adapters with things like Game Doctor SF7, N64 Game Shark, GameBoy game dumpers etc.

Thanks =)

MottZilla · Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 765

They do not work. The USB Parallel Converters are meant for Printers that used the Parallel port primarily.

wmwc · Joined: 26 Jul 2011 Posts: 37 Location: USA

Ahh right on. I'll have to try to find a slim tower scrap at the recycling center. They give you a free copy of windows xp, legitimate. Which is nice all for 54 USD. I'll get on that in a couple of months.

wmwc · Joined: 26 Jul 2011 Posts: 37 Location: USA

I was wondering does it matter what type of parallel port it is? I know a lot of the new ones are pink, old ones are grey. Is it acceptable so long as it is a 25-pin connector that is bi-directional? I am looking at buying a Dell Optiplex GX620, it looks to be the newest/cheapest computer I can find with a parallel port. Does that seem like a good solution?

Edit: Only reason I ask is because they are advertised/labeled as "printer port." I'm sure they function the same way as the older ones. I just felt like it was a good idea to sak.

MottZilla · Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 765

You need it to support EPP mode probably. There are many modes, SPP, EPP, ECP, ECP + SPP, etc. Products listed on the Tototek website mention the mode required sometimes.

wmwc · Joined: 26 Jul 2011 Posts: 37 Location: USA

All it says is 25-pin bi-directional. I'm almost positive that encompasses all modes. No worries I suppose =)

system64 · Joined: 17 May 2009 Posts: 113

MottZilla · Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 765

Bi-directional is NOT at all the same as ECP, EPP, etc. It's something else. I have an older laptop with that mode and it will not work with EPP devices.

Chilly Willy · Joined: 08 Feb 2009 Posts: 174

There's not enough room to state all the problems with Dell... custom cases, custom cables, custom mother boards, non-standard ports...

My dad keeps buying Dell, which then breaks down fairly quickly. He then asks me to fix it knowing how handy I am at computers... and I keep telling him it's a god-dammed f---ing Dell! You have two choices - send it back to Dell, or toss it in the trash. I pull the memory, drives, and CPU (and video card if it has one) and throw the rest away. Even the damn (internal) USB uses a custom cable. I can't tell you how many people I know who blow their Dell mobo or a USB device trying to use a standard (internal) USB cable on a Dell.

They're not even that cheap anymore. I can put together a new system from standard parts from some place like NewEgg for less. The only thing I can recommend from Dell in the last decade are their monitors, and even those are more expensive than the competition, but they're at least better than their PCs.