tips for buying a USB 2.0 card for Powermac

[skywalkgr]

Hello Happy new year to everyone


I am a happy owner of an ipod nano which i bought recently. We all know that ipod nano comes only with a usb 2.0 cable for syncing & charging. The problem is that i want to use the nano with my powermac g4 mdd @ 1,25 and it doesnt have any usb 2.0 ports available. There are 2 ports usb 1.1 , can i use one of them?

It will damage my ipod ?

I searched the internet and i found a few pci cards (usb2) that it can be installed to my powermac...

http://www.lacie.com/products/product.htm?pid=10084
http://www.adaptec.com/worldwide/pr...y=AUA-3100LP&cat=/Technology/USB/USB+Adapters

Do you have something to suggest?
The cards above will be 100% compatible with mac os x 10.4.3?

Thanks in advance

 

[iGary]

Belkin. Get Belkin.

 

[drbrog]

I have a PM G4 dual 1.42 and installed an Adaptec duoconnect card, adding 3 USB 2 and FW 400 slots. It works well but you have to be careful with certain peripherals attached to it. Specifically, certain perpherals when plugged in will not let the computer go to sleep or wake properly. I unplug things when not needed and it works fine.

 

[skywalkgr]

thank you


I will buy a belkin card! The problem with the sleep mode is fixed? i am using tiger 10.4.3

 

[bousozoku]

I've been using an Adaptec card for a couple of years now. The thing to watch is whether the card is specifically for Macs or not. If it's incredibly cheap, it probably won't work.

The Adaptec cards seem to be on sale at CompUSA every other month 50 % off as an instant rebate and $20 after instant rebate is pretty cheap for a quality card.

Mine has been good and I now have an ADS FireWire + USB 2.0 hub to extend the reach from behind the computer. I have not used my USB cable with my iPod but I expect that using it with the USB 1.1 ports would not damage it, except indirectly, from my frustration and throwing it against the wall trying to sync it.

 

[plinkoman]

wow, i still can't believe that you have to do that.

an MDD is recent enough that it could still be on applecare, and if it were a dual, it could still kill half of apple's current offerings, yet apple doesn't want to spend the extra $5 to have a firewire chip in the iPod to support you.

i love apple, and despite a lack of firewire, the iPod is still the best player, but they can really piss me off sometimes

 

[iGary]

Ugh.

I had Belkin PCI Cards in my G4 MDD PM and my current PM and I never have to plug or unplug anything in order to get the machine to sleep.

Your mileage may vary, but I recommend a Belkin card.

 

[skywalkgr]

@drbrog : i've read about the "sleep mode" issue , but i also read people saying that the issue is no longer exists if you are using X 10.4.3 (is this true or not?)


@bousozoku : The price of the card is low (35$) but it says that it will work both on mac & pee-cee... So i think i must risk it ... dont you think ?

 

[skywalkgr]

wow, i still can't believe that you have to do that.

an MDD is recent enough that it could still be on applecare, and if it were a dual, it could still kill half of apple's current offerings, yet apple doesn't want to spend the extra $5 to have a firewire chip in the iPod to support you.

i love apple, and despite a lack of firewire, the iPod is still the best player, but they can really piss me off sometimes

i totally agree!

 

[skywalkgr]

Ugh.

I had Belkin PCI Cards in my G4 MDD PM and my current PM and I never have to plug or unplug anything in order to get the machine to sleep.

Your mileage may vary, but I recommend a Belkin card.

Okay then I will buy a Belkin PCI usb2 card first thing on Monday morning

I would like to thank everyone for the help

 

[Sedulous]

I've tried the IOGear GIC220U, Belkin F5U219, and the F5U219-APL cards.

The IOGear GIC220U crashes OSX.

With either Belkin card the computer will go to sleep BUT not if the iPod is connected (gets stuck halfway into sleep mode). Strange that this is true only of the iPod (nano 4GB) and only (so far) if you are initiating the sleep mode. For some reason, even with the iPod connected, the computer can put itself to sleep successfully. Furthermore, if the iPod is actually playing something or paused when connected, it will fail to mount and the iPod itself will lock up.

In short, getting USB 2 on a not so old mac has been a costly and annoyingly painful process. USB really sucks. Anyone tried a Keyspan USB adapter?

 

[Dopeyman]

My 2 cents..............

I purchased this card and installed it into my sawtooth g4/450 and it works great.. I've never had any problems...

 

[drbrog]

@drbrog : i've read about the "sleep mode" issue , but i also read people saying that the issue is no longer exists if you are using X 10.4.3 (is this true or not?)

I am running 10.4.3. If I leave my Sandisk Imagemate 8 in 1 card reader plugged in- even if no card is in the slot- my system won't shut down or awaken unless I hold down the power switch for 5 seconds.
It's frustrating when I forget but I've made the mistake enough that I don't do it (very often) anymore.

 

[asencif]

I bought an Iogear 5-port USB 2.0 PCI Card last weekend. The model number is GIC251U and so far have had no issues with it. It has come in handy especially with the iPod and all the other USB 2.0 devices I was limiting to 1.1 on my PM G4. Makes a huge difference that I'm wondering why I didn't buy one earlier. I saw the Belkin models which I know are great, but was not able to find a 5-port one at my local computer store.

 

[bbarnhart]

I bought an Iogear 5-port USB 2.0 PCI Card last weekend. The model number is GIC251U and so far have had no issues with it. It has come in handy especially with the iPod and all the other USB 2.0 devices I was limiting to 1.1 on my PM G4. Makes a huge difference that I'm wondering why I didn't buy one earlier. I saw the Belkin models which I know are great, but was not able to find a 5-port one at my local computer store.

Will you try putting your computer to sleep and then waking it and see if you have any problems. Try with USB devices plugged in and not plugged in. I've been wanting to get a 2.0 card for my older Power Mac as well. Thanks

 

[skywalkgr]

I really really want to buy a Belkin F5U220 , but i cant find it here in Greece. Is there an online shop that it can ship the item to greece??

 

[Cariad]

Problem with Belkin card

I've just bought a Belkin F5U219-APL to put USB2.0 onto my Dual 1.25Mhz PowerMac G4. When I install it the Mac does not recognise the card. I'm using OS 10.4.3 The packaging on the card (no mention of Macs in manual or on CD at all!) says it needs a 3rd party driver to get USB2.0. Has anybody got this card to work. If so, did you use a 3rd party driver? I've emailed Belkin but no reply so far!

Any help or advice gratefully received!

 

[iGary]

I've just bought a Belkin F5U219-APL to put USB2.0 onto my Dual 1.25Mhz PowerMac G4. When I install it the Mac does not recognise the card. I'm using OS 10.4.3 The packaging on the card (no mention of Macs in manual or on CD at all!) says it needs a 3rd party driver to get USB2.0. Has anybody got this card to work. If so, did you use a 3rd party driver? I've emailed Belkin but no reply so far!

Any help or advice gratefully received!

I used that exact card on the same computer with no problem.

 

[bousozoku]

I used that exact card on the same computer with no problem.

I've never had a whole lot of luck with Belkin and USB. Perhaps, they get interface chips from several suppliers, some of which are truly poor quality.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I put a 2-port USB 2.0 card in my Digital Audio (see sig). It was a Belkin, but the reason I bought it was that it was the cheapest card on the rack. Works great though - no issues.