On May 18, 1:27 pm, Clark Martin <cm...@sonic.net> wrote:
> Mac G4 wrote:
> > Hello,
> > I have a G4 MDD that only came with 2 (4 if you count the keyboard) usb
> > ports. I am not very concerned with the 1.0 versus 2.0, so considering
> > that - my question is this: Should I get a usb pci card or just a usb
> > hub?
>
> > If I do get a pci card are they specific to the platform (i.e. mac/pc)
> > or will any usb pci work on a mac?
>
> PCI cards can be problematic. I haven't found one yet that works
> through a sleep cycle. On the plus side I think any current PCI USB
> card will work.
>
> If 2.0 isn't an issue then a hub is your best bet.
While I do agree that a hub is the best bet in this case, I've had
good luck with this PCI USB 2.0 card in the MDD under Tiger:
<http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=AUA-2000>. The chipset is
NEC D720101GJ and any card with the same chipset should be virtually
identical because the card makers usually build them to the chip
manufacturer's reference design for that chipset.
That's the chipset that my research of postings here and on
XLR8yourmac.com seemed to indicate was the best bet.
I've been using that card in an MDD for almost two years now with
(almost) no sleep issues. The 'almost' is because I can't get our two
card readers to work with sleep (actually don't work with wakeup), but
that's a problem whether they're on the PCI card or on the built-in
USB. My solution is just not leave card readers plugged in when I'm
not using them.
We also use this Young Micro four port powered hub plugged into the
PCI card without problems: <http://www.pcmicrostore.com/
PartDetail.aspx?q=p:10505289>. The only inconvenience is that
attached disks throw a "This disk was not put away properly" or some
such at wakeup. This happens because the disk doesn't come back up
fast enough and operating system throws the message before the disk
finishes reconnecting. But the disk reattaches fine. The only
inconvenience is clicking away the premature message.
That Young Micro hub seems to work very well with sleep. At least,
the little blue indicator LED goes off during sleep, and come back on
at wakeup, so it seems to actually *do something* and recognize the
difference between the conditions.
I realize both of the links I provided are out of stock, but those
items may be available elsewhere and the NEC chipset may be available
in other cards.
I like that particular hub because it is very compact, it is powered,
and it is rectangular instead of some weird shape that won't fit well
into a desk space. Oh, and it doesn't have a bunch of extraneous
lights to irritate one. Just the single indicator LED. I bought a
hub on Ebay once which puts on a non-stop light show. Try sleeping
with that thing in the room.
Jeff Walther
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