[Nobody]

This is just a general question. Most computers come with only 2 USB ports. A lot of peripherals are USB and will run on a hub. What is one to do when connecting a device that is USB but has to be inserted directly into the CPU and you have none left? /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[moose_n_squirrel]

What kind of Mac do you have? If you have a slotless Mac, like an iMac or iBook, then you're stuck. You must unplug from a main port and switch 'em.
But if you bought a Mac with expansion slots, like a G5 Tower or a PowerBook, you can just get a USB expansion card and put it in your slot. This will add more ports, fully powered, and will not conflict with the onboard ports. Those cards are cheap.

[nnager]

In reply to:

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: moosensquirrel: . . . . you can just get a USB expansion card and put it in your slot. This will add more ports, fully powered, and will not conflict with the onboard ports. Those cards are cheap.

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What a great idea, Moose! Thank you very much!
Forgive me, pearlyvictoria, for piggybacking a couple questions to the thread you started.
1. Do the G5 towers (I recently got a Dual G5 2.0) require a different USB card than earlier generations of Macs?
2. Would a combination USB/FireWire card work in a G5 tower?
3. Any reason why I can't cannibalize an Orange Micro USB/FireWire card from the Beige G3 I moved to a closet after buying the G5?
Respectfully, Norm

[mdawson]

In reply to:

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pearlyvictoria wrote:
A lot of peripherals are USB and will run on a hub.

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A guess that you meant to say will not run off of a hub, otherwise you would not be facing any problems. Usually having a powered hub alleviates such issues, but if not, then plug the offending device into one port on your computer and the hub into the other. Your input devices do not need to be attached directly to the computer. Secondly, as moosensquirrel indicated, if you have a Power Mac then you can get a PCI-based USB card to add more USB ports to your computer.

In reply to:

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nnager wrote:
Do the G5 towers (I recently got a Dual G5 2.0) require a different USB card than earlier generations of Macs?

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If you have a dual core Power Mac as opposed to the dual processor model, then yes, you will need a different card. All Power Macs prior to the dual core models had either PCI or PCI-X slots. PCI-X is backward compatible with PCI so, those Power Macs could use the same PCI cards, but a Power Mac with PCI slots could not accept PCI-X cards, of which there are few.
The dual core systems use PCI Express (PCIe) expansion slots and are not backward compatible with previous PCI technologies. To date, PCIe cards are few and far between outside of graphics cards and a few high-end cards (e.g. fibre channel, SATA, etc.). I am not aware of any USB PCIe cards currently on the market.

In reply to:

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Would a combination USB/FireWire card work in a G5 tower?

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There are several such cards on the market for Power Macs, but most are PCI cards not PCIe.

In reply to:

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Any reason why I can't cannibalize an Orange Micro USB/FireWire card from the Beige G3 I moved to a closet after buying the G5?

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Again, it comes down to which Power Mac G5 you have. If you have a dual core system, the answer is no.

[macnuke]

depends on the PCI slot and the Orange Micro.
mine was the original Orange Micro in my beige G3 233mhz desktop.
and no, it won't fit.
but the later model 3.3v PCI Orange Micro will fit and will run in the standard PCI slot of a dual core G5.

[mdawson]

In reply to:

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...the later model 3.3v PCI Orange Micro will fit and will run in the standard PCI slot of a dual core G5.

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The dual core Power Mac G5s have a standard PCI slot? /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[macnuke]

nope.
but it IS backwards compatible with the3.3v standard older PCI cards. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
oops.. hadda change the voltage.
I have one of each...

[nnager]

Thanks very much, MDawson and MacNuke.
MDawson, I bought my Dual G5 2.0 before Apple released the dual core. It's helpful to know that I can install PCI cards in that model. I use a self-powered Belkin Mini 6-port FireWire Hub which is more than ample for my FW needs. But I have one less G5 USB port than I have USB peripherals.
MacNuke, I really appreciate the tip on the model: you spared me from the futile exercise of trying the model I installed in the Beige G3 in February 2001, which was an Orange Micro 1.1. I wonder if that vintage USB/FW card would work in a 733-mhz G4 QuickSilver (2001)?
If so, I could then capture for the G5 from the G4 a self-powered Dr. Bott T7 USB Hub for peripherals that do not require a direct connection to the G5.
Respectfully, Norm

[macnuke]

In reply to:

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I wonder if that vintage USB/FW card would work in a 733-mhz G4 QuickSilver (2001)?

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yes it will.
I still have the drivers for that card if you need them. the OS should see it just fine even without them... but you never know.
USB1.1/FW400 .. 3usb/2fw external ports.. and for what it's worth, the card has one of each for internal as well.
my beige is networked into my LAN..
program sharing is ON.
my G5 can access the printer as well as the SCSI scanner that works, so i won't buy new. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
double checked your specs..

code:
 The PCI slots can accommodate mixed voltage (5.0 V, 12 V, or 3.3 V) cards with 32-bit or 

64-bit data widths and a 33 MHz frequency. You can add a 66 MHz card to a PCI slot if the 

card can operate at the lower 33 MHz rate.  

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from the G4 QS spec .pdf /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[moose_n_squirrel]

Glad you all could fill in the rest. My post was sort of stuck in the PCI days before all the confusion of PCI-X and PCI Express, and I don't have any experience with those last two.

[macnuke]

just showing off my age. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
original PCI was in 3 flavors.. so much for standards.
now it's -x or -e.
but the slots are backwards compatible to a point where they may not be -x or -e, but they at least must be 3.3v. the 5v cards don't work in anything new anymore.

[Nobody]

Thanks everyone. I have a G-4 and yes, I did mean "run off a hub". /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

[Reboot]

Your OrangeMicro card will not support deep sleep with storage devices attached, drives, card readers etc, I don;t know of any third party card that does. Plus it may not support deep sleep at all since it is so old, and the Orange Micro cards were noted for not supporting it even when new.