On Tuesday, December 17, 2002, at 08:32 PM, Steve Holroyd wrote: > On 17/12/02 11:24 pm, "Donald Keenan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> If a device (in this case that wretched SmartDisk floppy drive) claims >> to be "completely USB powered--no batteries to buy or charge", does >> that >> mean it's supposed to be self-powered or completely dependent on the >> the >> computer's power provided by the USB port? > > If it is described as "completely USB powered" then, as stated, it > draws all > of its power from the USB connection. To repeat what has been said in > this > thread and others ad nauseam for around two months now, the floppy drive > needs to be plugged either into a powered USB hub or into one of the > two USB > ports on the iMac itself, NOT a USB port on the keyboard. Ever since > Apple > introduced the first USB equipped models, this has been consistent > advice. > > If the device is sold as working from the USB connection on an Apple > computer with no additional configuration needed (and that is my > understanding of the device in question) but it does not in fact work > then > the most likely reason is that there is something wrong with the > device! If > you bought the device direct from Apple (and you have implied on a > number of > occasions that you did), have you made any attempt to contact Apple > with the > nature of your problem? Have you contacted the manufacturers of the > SmartDisk floppy drive in order to report a possible problem under the > manufacturer's warranty agreement and seek their advice? > > Why are we continuing to cover the same ground? > >>
Steve: Sorry to have gotten on your nerves. Despite that, your reply was thoughtfully laid out. I've NO experience with peripherals, so when I asked about USB ports on the list, it became clear that some folks use a hub, some don't, some devices are self-powered, some are not. The wording on the package I have confused me...the fact that it doesn't take batteries made me wonder if it some had the ability to provide power for USB transfer, thus "completely USB powered". It still seems that some advice/opinion on this list suggests that even though Apple marketed it as a compatible USB device, I shouldn't assume that it could be used without a hub. I now have the impression that many devices can't be used directly plugged into the iMacs port. This caused me to revisit the USB issue when I looked down at my keyboard and flashed back to the iMac ads on Apple's site that underscored the additional ports on the keyboard. It didn't make sense to me at that point that they were useful for more than a mouse if power was such an issue. Some responses clarified that they can be used for more than that...with a hub I suppose. So on the one hand, opinion suggests that I shouldn't expect the external drive to work without a hub (esp. a SmartDisk product?) ; on the other, as you suggest, it seems as if it ideally should. I bought it from Apple over a year ago and they, to my knowledge, wash their hands of any responsibility for third party product, especially after 30 days. I emailed SmartDisk and was routed to a FAQ page, but never got more than an automated response. So maybe there are other brands out there that do simply draw enough power from the iMac's port, or as you suggest, maybe mine is substandard. I work in a Windows environment and if I had the option of an internal floppy drive, I would have elected for an iMac with one exactly because of that. CDs will become more common where I study/work I assume, but for a lot of classroom work, we're still expected to bring floppies for text files. a co-worker/student and a local mac tech did cast some aspersions on the reliability of cdrws. Thanks for the comments. Donald -- The iMac List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | - Epson Stylus Color 580 Printers - new at $69 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> iMac List info: <http://lowendmac.com/imac/list.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/imac-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> --------------------------------------------------------------- >The Think Different Store http://www.ThinkDifferentStore.com ---------------------------------------------------------------
