Visual feedback – how do i know what port i am on, If no printers are installed, Using the file transfer feature – Belkin F1U128-KIT User Manual

Page 13

Advertising
background image

Page 13

Visual Feedback – How do I know what port I am on?

When the Bitronics switch is in its normal scanning mode, the LEDs are flipping back and forth across the computer ports.

To see the software in action, simply hit the COMPUTER button so you can see a computer port’s connection. Press the
COMPUTER port until the LEDs around “1” are lit up, and you will see which device port it is currently connected to. If it is

in File Transfer mode, the computer port LEDs are green, and neither device port LEDs will be lit. Then, click on the
Bitronics software icon in the taskbar and change ports. You will see the LED of the Bitronics switch to the port you chose.

Using any other parallel device (not printers or mass storage devices) with a printer

When dealing with other parallel port devices, they are set as SCANNERS in the SETTINGS (step 7 above). Examples of

these are scanners, parallel port cameras, and tape drives. When you need access to this device, simply single-click on
the Bitronics system tray icon, and select the device you wish to use. A check mark will appear showing which device is

connected. For example, we have a scanner and a printer on the Bitronics switch:

You will be connected to the

scanner device indefinitely. But lets

say you wish to print to the Ink Jet printer, the software will again automatically switch to the port that has the printer and

send the print job. However, the switch will remain connected to the printer - it will not change back to the Scanner, unlike
the mass storage device mentioned previously. This means that you have to use this method to switch to the scanner each

time you need to use it.

If no printers are installed

If no printers are installed, the SETTINGS type (see step 7) for each device must be set either for MASS STORAGE DEVICE

(if the device adds a drive letter to your system), or SCANNER (for all other types of devices).

The Bitronics software may not function properly in some systems if there is no DEFAULT PRINTER set. To do this, add a
printer using the Add Printer Wizard (click START, SETTINGS, PRINTERS), and just use the “Generic / Text Only” driver.

Remember to use “Local Printer” and “LPT1” when the wizard asks you. This will then be set as your default printer, so that
the Bitronics software can work properly.

Removing and Adding the Bitronics Switch Icon from the System Tray

To remove the icon, simply right click on it, and answer YES to the prompt.

To reload the icon back into the system tray, click on START, PROGRAMS, BELKIN BITRONICS SWITCH, “AutoSwitch-

Multi PCs”

Using the File Transfer Feature

The file transfer feature of the Bitronics switch allows both
computers to connect as if there was a file transfer cable

connected between them. To do this, double-click on the
Bitronics switch system tray icon, and click on FILE

TRANSFER:

A PC LED on the Bitronics switch will turn green. This LED
represents the computer you are on now is set for file

transfer mode.

Next, the second PC must also perform the same operation.
When both sets of PC LEDs on the Bitronics switch are

green, then the computers are ready for file transfer. At this
point, the cables and the Bitronics switch act as if it was a file

transfer cable. You can now run programs such as

Windows

Direct Cable Connection, or Laplink. Please refer

to their user manuals or websites for information on how to
configure their software. Just remember that your Bitronics

switch setup mimics the file transfer cable requirement.

Notes: Computer 1 can only file transfer to computer 2. Computer 3 can only file transfer to computer 4. Also, if a pair of
computers are in file transfer, the other two computers still have access to the devices.

Advertising