Selecting a Computer Interface Interface Options in Software

Drawer Data Matrix 2d barcode in Software Selecting a Computer Interface Interface Options

The primary interface options available for CD and DVD recorders include: SCSI: the original, predominant choice for connecting a disc recorder to a computer, SCSI is still a very popular option, particularly for professional applications Several variations of SCSI have evolved in recent years, offering higher performance and improved behavior when servicing multiple devices Adaptec and other companies continue to extend SCSI capabilities and introduce new host adapters into the market Universal Serial Bus (USB): designed as a low-cost, trouble-free means of interconnecting devices such as digital cameras and storage devices to computers, many new computers include one or two USB ports as standard equipment USB uses serial data transfer techniques, but achieves transfer rates close to 100 times faster than a standard computer serial port USB-compatible devices can be hot-swapped, which means they can be attached or removed without shutting down the computer Parallel Port: the chief advantage of the parallel port interface is that almost every computer has one (with the exception of Macintosh computers) Performance for the modern bi-directional parallel port (compliant with the IE-1284 standard) is adequate for operations such as CD recording, as long as other system operations are kept in balance Enhancements to the parallel port standard, such as EPP or ECP, raise performance capabilities and may be required for some recorder connections While not the most robust transfer method available, the parallel port is still convenient, particularly when connecting recorders to laptop computers that may not have other available interfaces ATAPI IDE: for internal disc recorder installations, ATAPI IDE requires very little circuitry to implement and, because of this, it represents a very inexpensive interface method Most modern computer systems can support awless communication with recorders using this interface and setup is generally very easy This interface option, however, is not as robust as SCSI for demanding applications in the industrial or professional sector You are also limited to internal installations when you rely on this interface; there are no external ATAPI IDE units on the market because of the physical requirements of this I/O interface

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IEE-1394/FireWire: A newcomer to the interface options, the FireWire serial interface originated on Apple computers and originally was targeted at quickly handling large volumes of data, such as encountered with hard disc arrays and digital video cameras Like USB, FireWire is a hot swappable interface, allowing devices to be added or removed without shutting equipment down While there are just a few disc recorders available at the moment that are designed for this interface, the bene ts of FireWire may encourage more manufacturers to produce units compatible with this standard PC Card (PCMCIA): A few portable CD-R units, notably HewlettPackard s CD-Writer Plus M820e, utilize the PC Card interface (formerly called PCMCIA), which is commonly available on laptop computers and as an add-on peripheral for desktop equipment This interface provides reasonably fast, reliable data transfer and is a good option when interfacing with portable equipment

The Small Computer System Interface, SCSI (pronounced scuzzy ), is a bus standard that allows a number of different devices to communicate data over a parallel bus Depending on the SCSI variation, the parallel bus can be 8 bits, 16 bits, or 32 bits wide SCSI rst became widely established in the Apple and UNIX marketplace, where an assortment of devices were developed to take advantage of SCSI's ability to daisy-chain multiple devices under a single interconnect scheme, controlled by a single host adapter The kinds of devices that can be interconnected include: Hard disk drives and disk arrays Tape backup devices Scanners Printers External storage devices, such magneto-optical cartridge drives and removable cartridge drives