LaCie FIREWIRE 800/400 user manual USB Questions & Answers

LaCie Biggest Quadra	USB Questions & Answers
User Manual	page 50

9. USB Questions & Answers

What Are The Benefits Of The USB Interfaces?

❖Cross-platform: Use your USB peripherals on both Mac and Windows platforms.

❖“Hot Swappable”: No need to shut down or restart your computer when adding or removing a USB de- vice. Plug it in and its ready.

❖Automatic configuration: Once your device is con- nected, your computer recognizes the device and au- tomatically configures the necessary software.

❖Daisy-Chaining: with USB ports on your computer, you can connect up to 127 peripherals using hubs.

❖Easy Installation: One standardized port and plug combination makes it simple to connect.

What Is The Difference Between USB And Hi- Speed USB 2.0?

The main difference is speed. The original version of the interface is capable of throughput up to 12Mb/s. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 supports data speeds up to 480 Mb/ s, making it 40 times faster than its predecessor. This in- creased bandwidth translates into higher performance in demanding applications requiring high transfer rates.

What Are The Ideal Uses For USB?

USB is perfect for more traditional connections such as keyboards, mice, joysticks and scanners. These types of devices don’t require fast data transfer rates, and oper- ate very successfully at the slower speeds.

What Are The Ideal Applications For Hi-Speed USB 2.0?

Digital cameras, CD/DVD drives, hard drives and scanners will all benefit from the added bandwidth and performance gains of the new implementation of the

USB standard. Hi-Speed USB 2.0 provides the neces- sary fast data transfer rates that today’s devices require, and combines the earlier specifications so older devices that operated under the original USB standards will still work with Hi-Speed USB 2.0.

Will USB Devices Run Faster When Connected To A Hi-Speed USB 2.0 Bus?

Unfortunately, no. The Hi-Speed USB 2.0 specifica- tion is specifically written to allow developers to design higher speed peripherals that can take advantage of the extra bandwidth. USB devices, though, will still operate at 12Mb/s at full-speed and 1.5Mb/s at low-speed on a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 bus. Even though USB devices won’t run any faster, they can work alongside Hi-Speed USB

2.0devices on the same bus. However, if you plug in a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 device to a USB bus, the speed of the Hi-Speed USB 2.0 device will decrease to 12Mb/s.

What Is A USB Hub?

Technically, you can connect up to 127 devices to a single USB bus. For more than two devices, though, you must make new connections using a peripheral called a “hub.” A hub, which you hook up directly to a USB connector on your computer, usually has 4 or 7 output connections enabling you to connect the same number of peripherals. One of the hub’s main functions is to re- generate signals that lose part of their strength as they are transmitted via the USB cable. By connecting yet another hub to a connector on the existing hub, you can then plug in a new set of peripherals and so on, up to a maximum of 127.

Some hubs have no power supply and others are self-powered. When you choose a hub, opt for the self- powered variety, as they have their own AC adapter. The most powerful hubs provide 0.5A of power to each port.