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USB Printer on non-USB Mac??

tsk

tsk

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 14, 2004
642
0
Wisconsin
I sold a printer on eBay to someone who doesn't seem to know very much about computers. I sold a USB printer and after a few email exchanges, I am finding out that they have an old G3 PB that apparently doesn't have a USB port.

In an effort to be as helpful as possible, I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if it's possible to hook up a USB printer to one of these DIN 9 ports, and actually have it print. If you can point me to an adapter, it would also be helpful.

Thanks.
 
USB PC Card, Print Server, or 'give up'

A USB PC Card would work, but be careful, most of them that are currently available are USB 2.0 cards that require a 'CardBus' slot, which will not work on the non-USB PowerBooks. (CardBus is the 32-bit version of PC Card. SOME CardBus cards are backwards compatible, but I have yet to see a USB 2.0 card that is.)

Another option would be a USB network print server. You plug the USB printer in to this little box, and it 'shares' it over the network. If he already has a network, great, if not, he can just use a crossover cable to plug it directly into the PowerBook. If he's using Mac OS 9, make sure that the print server specifically says that AppleTalk (Might be called EtherTalk) is one of its protocols. (Few of the newer ones do, but many older ones did.)

Of course, the third option is to find an old Mac serial printer, and sell the USB one. (Canon, Epson, and HP were the big Mac serial printer makers, aside from Apple, of course, who really just re-branded various Canon, Epson, and HP printers as their own.)
 
Hector said:
they would need a usb pc card
Click to expand...

Ok, so first I think I forgot to mention that this is MacOS 8.6 (complication #1).

Second, do these old PB's support cardbus (complication #2)? She is unable to tell me exactly what model it is.

I searched google and managed to find one card that lists support for MacOS 8.6, but its got a cardbus connector:

http://www.team-solutions.com/Products/PCMCIA/CCPCMCIA/TSCUSB22.htm
 
ehurtley said:
A USB PC Card would work, but be careful, most of them that are currently available are USB 2.0 cards that require a 'CardBus' slot, which will not work on the non-USB PowerBooks. (CardBus is the 32-bit version of PC Card. SOME CardBus cards are backwards compatible, but I have yet to see a USB 2.0 card that is.)
Click to expand...

Are you sure about the cardbus? I was researching this before I read your post, and I saw some info at lowendmac that looks like cardbus is supported (at least on the Kanga or 3500):

http://www.lowendmac.com/pb2/g3.shtml
"Rob Frohne. "...the 3400c is already cardbus compliant as far as I can tell!" "


I'm reading a bit on his page and I'm concerned that all this will get much to involved for the person I sold this to. I think giving up might be an option here. I'm just trying to avoid neg feedback here mainly...

Edit: Oh, and I'm 95% certain here that there is no network in place that would allow them to do a printserver.
 
If that powerbook will handle a cardbus device, the IO-Gear USB2 card is supposed to work with 8.6. Of course, you'd also have to come up with printer drivers for 8.6...
 
tsk said:
Are you sure about the cardbus? I was researching this before I read your post, and I saw some info at lowendmac that looks like cardbus is supported (at least on the Kanga or 3500):

http://www.lowendmac.com/pb2/g3.shtml
"Rob Frohne. "...the 3400c is already cardbus compliant as far as I can tell!" "


I'm reading a bit on his page and I'm concerned that all this will get much to involved for the person I sold this to. I think giving up might be an option here. I'm just trying to avoid neg feedback here mainly...

Edit: Oh, and I'm 95% certain here that there is no network in place that would allow them to do a printserver.
Click to expand...

Well, to get the 3400 and 3500 (original PowerBook G3) to work with CardBus requires opening it up and doing some soldering. The 'PowerBook G3 series' is true CardBus.
 
An old DeskJet/Writer with the AppleTalk port would probably be best and easiest.

Unless the printer you sold has OS 8.6 drivers it probably won't work even if she did get a Appletalk/Serial-to-USB or a USB cardbus adapter.

Some of the old USB printers came with those old drivers and worked well under the legacy OSs using adapters during the transition period -- but a lot of the newer printers are probably not.
 
I know HP still supports OS 9.1 over USB and Network with some of their printers; but I doubt any other manufacturer still does; and I know HP doesn't support 8.6.
 
I think the bottomline is that this buyer had no business purchasing computer hardware outside of a brick and mortar store (where she could bring the computer in if need be).

If you're ignorant enough to buy a USB printer for a G3 PowerBook then you need some serious help.
 
Tell her to buy a new mac to suit the printer :D
It really sounds like it's time for a new comp... (IMO, of course)

If you're ignorant enough to buy a USB printer for a G3 PowerBook then you need some serious help.
Click to expand...
Except for my PISMO 400, dual USB, dual FW400.. of course ;)
Is this old comp we're talking about definitely a G3?
 
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