23.5 Our Picks
Parallel ports are ubiquitous on modern
systems. Any new computer or motherboard you buy today (other than a
legacy-free system) includes an IEEE 1284-compliant parallel port.
- Parallel port
-
PC Parallel/Serial adapter. Very few
systems require anything other than the embedded port. However, if
you need to add a parallel port—either to replace an older,
less capable port or because you need a second parallel port to run a
second printer—buy one of the inexpensive (~$20)
parallel/serial port cards commonly sold by computer stores and mass
marketers. We've used many different ones, all of
which seem to work fine and none of which is noticeably better than
any of the others.
- Cables
-
Belkin Gold Series IEEE 1284
cables. Nowadays, the only parallel cable you
are likely to need is a printer cable, which is a standard
off-the-shelf model. Belkin stocks a great variety of standard IEEE
1284 printer cables in lengths up to 50 feet and various combinations
of Type A, B, and C connectors. Although Belkin makes a less
expensive line of cables, their best grade is worth the few extra
dollars it costs. Once you have one, you'll probably
never need to buy a printer cable again. (http://www.belkin.com)
For updated recommendations, visit:
- http://www.hardwareguys.com/picks/parallel.html
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