Black Box Peripheral Sharer 2 to 1 User manual

1000 Park Drive • Lawrence, PA 15055-1018 • 724-746-5500 • Fax [phone]
© Copyright 2000. Black Box Corporation. All rights reserved.

CUSTOMER
SUPPORT
INFORMATION
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FREE technical support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: Call 724-746-5500 or fax [phone]
Mail order: Black Box Corporation, 1000 Park Drive, Lawrence, PA 15055-1018
Web site: www.blackbox.com • E-mail: [email protected]
SEPTEMBER 2000
PI138A
PI138AE
PI140A
PI140AE
Peripheral Sharer 2 to 1
Peripheral Sharer 4 to 1
STATUS
PERIPHERAL SHARER
SELECT
4
3
1
2
STATUS
PERIPHERAL SHARER
SELECT
2
1

3
FCC STATEMENT
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
AND
INDUSTRY CANADA
RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE STATEMENTS
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy
and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the
manufacturer’s instructions, may cause interference to radio communication.
It has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A
computing device in accordance with the specifications in Subpart J of
Part 15 of FCC rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection
against such interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial
environment. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to
cause interference, in which case the user at his own expense will be required
to take whatever measures may be necessary to correct the interference.
Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible
for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emission from
digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulation of Industry Canada.
Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites
applicables aux appareils numériques de classe A prescrites dans le Règlement sur le
brouillage radioélectrique publié par Industrie Canada.
This unit is CE certified.

4
INSTRUCCIONES DE SEGURIDAD
NORMAS OFICIALES MEXICANAS (NOM)
ELECTRICAL SAFETY STATEMENT
INSTRUCCIONES DE SEGURIDAD
1. Todas las instrucciones de seguridad y operación deberán ser leídas antes
de que el aparato eléctrico sea operado.
2. Las instrucciones de seguridad y operación deberán ser guardadas para
referencia futura.
3. Todas las advertencias en el aparato eléctrico y en sus instrucciones de
operación deben ser respetadas.
4. Todas las instrucciones de operación y uso deben ser seguidas.
5. El aparato eléctrico no deberá ser usado cerca del agua—por ejemplo,
cerca de la tina de baño, lavabo, sótano mojado o cerca de una alberca,
etc..
6. El aparato eléctrico debe ser usado únicamente con carritos o pedestales
que sean recomendados por el fabricante.
7. El aparato eléctrico debe ser montado a la pared o al techo sólo como
sea recomendado por el fabricante.
8. Servicio—El usuario no debe intentar dar servicio al equipo eléctrico más
allá a lo descrito en las instrucciones de operación. Todo otro servicio
deberá ser referido a personal de servicio calificado.
9. El aparato eléctrico debe ser situado de tal manera que su posición no
interfiera su uso. La colocación del aparato eléctrico sobre una cama,
sofá, alfombra o superficie similar puede bloquea la ventilación, no se
debe colocar en libreros o gabinetes que impidan el flujo de aire por los
orificios de ventilación.
10. El equipo eléctrico deber ser situado fuera del alcance de fuentes de
calor como radiadores, registros de calor, estufas u otros aparatos
(incluyendo amplificadores) que producen calor.

5
INSTRUCCIONES DE SEGURIDAD
11. El aparato eléctrico deberá ser connectado a una fuente de poder sólo
del tipo descrito en el instructivo de operación, o como se indique en
el aparato.
12. Precaución debe ser tomada de tal manera que la tierra fisica y la
polarización del equipo no sea eliminada.
13. Los cables de la fuente de poder deben ser guiados de tal manera que no
sean pisados ni pellizcados por objetos colocados sobre o contra ellos,
poniendo particular atención a los contactos y receptáculos donde salen
del aparato.
14. El equipo eléctrico debe ser limpiado únicamente de acuerdo
a las recomendaciones del fabricante.
15. En caso de existir, una antena externa deberá ser localizada lejos
de las lineas de energia.
16. El cable de corriente deberá ser desconectado del cuando el equipo
no sea usado por un largo periodo de tiempo.
17. Cuidado debe ser tomado de tal manera que objectos liquidos no sean
derramados sobre la cubierta u orificios de ventilación.
18. Servicio por personal calificado deberá ser provisto cuando:
A: El cable de poder o el contacto ha sido dañado; u
B: Objectos han caído o líquido ha sido derramado dentro del
aparato; o
C: El aparato ha sido expuesto a la lluvia; o
D: El aparato parece no operar normalmente o muestra un cambio
en su desempeño; o
E: El aparato ha sido tirado o su cubierta ha sido dañada.

6
Peripheral Sharer
TRADEMARKS
Hewlett-Packard®, HP®, and LaserJet®are registered trademarks
of Hewlett-Packard.
Lexmark™is a trademark of Lexmark International.
Velcro®is a registered trademark of Velcro USA Inc.
Microsoft®and Windows®are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
All applied-for and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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Peripheral Sharer
Contents
1. Specifications ....................................................................................................8
2. Introduction....................................................................................................10
2.1 Key Features............................................................................................10
2.2 Package Contents ...................................................................................10
3. Installation ......................................................................................................12
3.1 Cables ......................................................................................................12
3.2 Mounting the Peripheral Sharer ...........................................................12
3.3 Connecting Your Devices .......................................................................12
3.4 Configuring the Peripheral Sharer .......................................................12
3.5 Configuring Your PC..............................................................................13
3.6 Installing the Software............................................................................13
4. Using the Peripheral Sharer ...........................................................................14
4.1 Power-On Status......................................................................................14
4.2 Front-Panel Key ......................................................................................14
4.3 Modes of Operation ...............................................................................15
4.4 Status Display ..........................................................................................15
5. Application-Specific Instructions...................................................................17
5.1 Printer Sharing .......................................................................................17
5.2 Sharing Parallel Port Tape Backup Drives............................................18
5.3 Sharing a Printer and a Tape Backup Drive .........................................19
5.4 Sharing a Parallel Port CD-ROM Drive .................................................19
6. Software Utilities.............................................................................................22
6.1 SMART.EXE............................................................................................22
6.2 SMARTCON.EXE...................................................................................23
6.3 DOWNLOAD.EXE .................................................................................24
Appendix A: Cables .............................................................................................25
A.1 PC To Peripheral Sharer Cable.............................................................25
A.2 Peripheral Sharer to Printer Cable.......................................................25
A.3 IEEE 1284 Compliant Cables ................................................................25
A.4 Data Boosters..........................................................................................25
Appendix B: HP LaserJet 4 Series Printers .......................................................26
B.1 Operation Under DOS ..........................................................................26
B.2 Operation Under Windows ...................................................................27
Appendix C: Lexmark 4039 Printer ..................................................................29
Appendix D: Lexmark WinWriter 600 ..............................................................30
Appendix E: HP LaserJet 5 Printers ..................................................................31
Appendix F: HP DeskJet 600 and 800 Printers .................................................33
Appendix G: Troubleshooting...........................................................................35

8
Peripheral Sharer
exceeding 500,000 characters per
second (4 Mbps) are supported.
Connectors—PI138A, PI138AE:
(3) DB25 female: (2) bidirectional
parallel ports for connection to
PCs, (1) bidirectional parallel port
for connection to peripherals;
PI140A, PI140AE: (5) DB25
female: (4) bidirectional parallel
ports for connection to PCs,
(1) bidirectional parallel port for
connection to peripherals.
Operation —Can be used in auto-
scan mode, manual select mode,
or software-controlled mode.
Keypad — Used to select auto-scan
mode, destination or toggle
between manually selected ports.
Status Display — 7-segment display
shows auto-scan mode, auto-
matically selected port, manually
selected port and data flow. LED
indicates output channel A/B
selected.
Options — Timeout options of 20
seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, or
4 minutes. Normal or high scan
rates. Stored in EEPROM and
retained when power is off. Can
be changed using download
program provided. Default
options can be selected by
1. Specifications
General Compatibility — Can be
used with most devices that attach
to PC parallel ports (with the aid
of the SMARTLOG program
supplied). Only one user has
access to the shared peripheral at
a time. Dongles may only be
shared in strict accordance with
software license agreements.
Printer Compatibility — DOS,
Windows®, and graphics printing
from all types of PCs; all printers
with unidirectional (Centronics®
compatible) parallel ports;
printers with bidirectional and
BOISE parallel ports; GDI
printers.
Tape-Drive Compatibility — Tape
drives that attach to PC parallel
ports; tape-drive macros and
scheduled macros that run from
the DOS prompt.
CD-ROM Compatibility — CD-
ROM drives that attach to PC
parallel ports with drivers that
can be loaded from the DOS
prompt.
Performance — Data-transfer rates

9
Peripheral Sharer
holding down key when
powering on the unit.
Software — Supplied on a 3.5" PC
disk (virus-checked). Contains
the following software utilities:
SMARTKEY: DOS and Windows
peripheral-selection software.
SMARTLOG: Windows CD-
ROM/tape-drive selection
software.
DOWNLOAD: Used to update
the unit’s EEPROM options.
Cable Types —
PC to Peripheral Sharer: DB25
male connectors on both ends,
shielded, pinned straight-
through (part number EQN200).
Peripheral Sharer to Printer: DB25
male to 36-pin male printer cable,
shielded, all ground lines
connected (part number
EQN202).
Peripheral Sharer to Other Devices:
Use PC to Peripheral Sharer
cable.
Cable Lengths — Lengths supported
vary considerably with cable type
and PC/peripheral specifications.
IEEE 1284 twisted-pair cables
and high-quality cables generally
support longer distances.
Maximum recommended cable
lengths are:
PC to Peripheral Sharer: 32.8 ft.
(10 m) for printers, 22.9 ft.
(7 m) for tapes/CD-ROMs.
Peripheral Sharer to Peripheral:
6.5 ft. (2 m)
Power — 115 or 230-VAC, 5 VDC,
500 mA
Size — 3.7"H x 8.5"W x 1"D
(9.5 x 21.5 x 2.5 cm)

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Peripheral Sharer
Weight — 1.2 lb. (0.5 kg)
global timeout and scan-rate
options.
2.2 Package Contents
• Peripheral Sharer 2 to 1
or Peripheral Sharer 4 to 1
• 115 VAC (PI140A) or 230-VAC
(PI140AE) power supply
• Software disk (3.5" format,
virus-checked)
• This user manual
2. Introduction
The Peripheral Sharer is a high-
performance parallel-device sharer
suitable for sharing printers, tape
backups, certain CD-ROMs, and
other devices that attach to PC
parallel ports.
2.1 Key Features
• High-performance fully bi-
directional parallel ports.
• Automatic printer sharing and
tape-backup sharing.
• Data-transfer speeds in excess of
500,000 cps are supported.
• Automatic (auto-scan) or manual
port selection.
• Exclusive peripheral use can be
selected via DOS or Windows
software.
• Status indicator shows data flow
and port status.
• Download program for changing