Belkin F5U002 USB Parallel Printer Adapter

by Belkin

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 7.5 x 2.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00000J1TS
• Item model number: F5U002V1
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 16, 2005

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Connect parallel printers through USB! The Belkin Parallel Printer Adapter provides the easiest way to use multiple parallel printers. Two, three, or more printers can be used with a single PC, while still communicating with a parallel scanner, camera, or storage device through the computer's parallel port. The Belkin USB Parallel Printer Adapter will allow any Windows 98 PC equipped with a USB port to print to any parallel printer. With ExpressBus hubs, up to 127 parallel printer adpaters and other USB devices can be used simultaneously from a single PC. Simply plug the USB connector into the computer USB port and the centronics connector into the appropriate printer.

Product Description

The Belkin Parallel Printer Adapter provides the easiest way to use multiple parallel printers. Two, three, or more printers can be used with a single PC, while still communicating with a parallel scanner, camera, or storage device through the computer's parallel port. The Belkin USB Parallel Printer Adapter will allow any Windows 98 (or higher) PC equipped with a USB port to print to any parallel printer. With ExpressBus hubs, up to 127 parallel printer adapters and other USB devices can be used simultaneously from a single PC.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rethinking Technology Merging, December 8, 1999

By 

Scott Kahler (Fajardo, PR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Belkin F5U002 USB Parallel Printer Adapter (Personal Computers)

I purchased this cable a few weeks ago to replace my bi-directional cable for my HP Deskjet 697C. While I agree that the packaging was poor and left much untold. What I found was a product which I was more than satisfied with. Like the others, I am a Computer Tech. A System Administrator to be exact. I was having communication problems with my printer since purchase. Sometimes the bi-directional communications would work-sometimes not. Print jobs would hang after a couple of pages. This cable has resolved that problem. After reading these reviews, I would like to make mention that the packaging does not guarentee complete compatibility. Remember, this cable is designed to merge two types of communication which were NOT meant to be used on the same peripheral. USB is actually a networking technology. When your printer is connected using this cable, it is seen as a networked printer. If they are not designed to be a network printer, then the limitation is with your printer. And, the bi-directional technology in HP products only serves to provide feedback to the computer like paper outages. The printer works just fine without the bi-directional capability. Though it was a little depressing to find this, it isn't the cables fault. It is just the limitations you get when mixing two types of communication technologies. Overall, I am more than satisfied with the product. Just be smart and do the research before buying and buy from someone who has a return policy if it isn't compatible with your particular printer.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars These devices are not bidirectional, July 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Belkin F5U002 USB Parallel Printer Adapter (Personal Computers)

As a computer technician, even I wasn't able to get this to work. USB to parallel adapters are pretty much useless because they are not bidirectional. That means that it won't work with any type of modern printer, such as an HP Deskjet. It's not just Belkin, other types won't work either. They claim compatability with IEEE 1284 standards and some even claim to be bidirectional but are not. To make it work at all, you have to disable bidirectional support in Windows but if the HP software installation is run again it will fail when it trys to communicate with the printer. Also, Belkin has no useful tech support will not respond to questions in e-mail.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Took a long time to install, but now it works great, May 16, 2001

By 

K. Wild "reluctant consumer" (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Belkin F5U002 USB Parallel Printer Adapter (Personal Computers)

I'm not a tech type, but I end up doing all of my own computer troubleshooting by scouring the net until I find the answers I need. That's what I had to do in order to install this cable on my laptop (which has only USB ports--no parallel port) to connect with my HP LaserJet III. The tough part was getting the cable's drivers installed (note that there are updated drivers on Belkin's web site that you should download). The computer kept freezing up just before the driver finished installing, and Belkin's tech support was NO help--they told me that the cable was defective and that I should exchange it for a new one. I did that, but had the same problem with the second cable. I finally found the answer to the problem in a newsgroup on MS's support site. Turns out Norton System Works was the problem. For anyone else who encounters a similar problem, here's how I fixed it: After I disabled Norton System Works (and my antivirus program) I had to do the Belkin uninstall (as listed in Belkin's manual), then go into c:\windows\inf and delete *all* of the files that were 0 k in size (over 14,000 of them!), and delete the following two files (in the same folder listed above): drvidx.bin and drvdata.bin (these files will be recreated when you restart windows). **Note that these instructions may be specific to WindowsME.** After restarting and plugging in the cable, I went through the same install procedure, and voila! Just printed two test pages, and it was speedy and accurate. Although I give low marks to Belkin's tech support, I am happy with the product otherwise. Good luck!