USB to parallel converter

[nichomach]

OK, here's the problem. I have a user with a shiny new laptop. He wants to use an application which is secured by a dongle which plugs into the parallel port. Which his new machine doesn't have. Now there's a few USB port expanders which have a parallel port built into them, BUT they don't actually install a parallel port; they install USB printing support and direct the output to the parallel port. Consequently, a dongle which the app is looking for on a parallel port isn't found if plugged into the parallel port on the expander. Does anyone know of a USB expansion block with a parallel port that actually installs as a parallel port, please?

Ta muchly.

[Mike Fishcake]

Admittedly i've only googled for this, so know nothing about it, but could this be an option?

http://www.dpie.com/pcmcia/spp100.html

[Mike Fishcake]

"Many customers have come to us for the SPP-100 for use in laptops without parallel ports where they require a parallel port for a hardware dongle (typically a piece of external hardware plugged into the parallel port which installed software interrogates to ensure that only licensed copies of software are run). "

[nichomach]

That is a HELLACIOUSLY good option! Thanks, Mike - does have a spare cardbus slot, and he's not using it for anything, so I'll find a stockist.

Fast work, thanks very much! They don't do rating of individual posts here, but if they did I'd bung you 5 stars .

[Dougal]

Maplin sell some of the USB -> PArrallel converters, £30~ IIRC

[Mike Fishcake]

That is a HELLACIOUSLY good option! Thanks, Mike - does have a spare cardbus slot, and he's not using it for anything, so I'll find a stockist.

Fast work, thanks very much! They don't do rating of individual posts here, but if they did I'd bung you 5 stars .

Makes it sound like I'm constantly pressing refresh, waiting to pounce on any question

Ta!

[nichomach]

Maplin sell some of the USB -> PArrallel converters, £30~ IIRC

Thanks, Dougal, but the USB ones don't actually install a parallel port, they only add USB printing support and direct that to the "parallel port" on the adapter. No good for dongles .

[Atomic]

We have a simular problem at work with new laptops not having serial ports (for scientific instruments) and its been an odd trend with new laptops.

For a while they removed serial/parallel ports completely, but now they seem to be coming back again...

[nichomach]

We had a problem with that for a while; our engineers use Leica Total Stations for elctronic surveying which dump their data via RS232; fortunately, all the Latitude D600s and D610s that we've bought have had serial ports AND parallel ports, but for some reason the D810 doesn't have a parallel port *shrug*.