USB Mini-Drive Information

BENEFITS of USB:
Universal Serial Bus (USB) technology allows hardware to be simply plugged in and automatically recognized (Plug and Play) while the computer is running, unlike conventional serial and parallel ports. This "hot-swapping" technique is one of several features that USB shares with the faster, more expensive IEEE-1394 FireWire standard.

The user no longer has to be concerned with tiny DIP switches, IRQ conflicts, or internal adapter card installation --- all of which add a magnitude of error possibility and a magnitude of setup time. Currently, the only operating systems that fully support the USB specification are the popular Windows 98/2000/XP and Apple OS 8.x/9.x. platforms. Most USB peripherals will provide USB drivers compatibility for these major operating systems.

USB also features simplified communications protocols, which means that host and peripheral interface controllers can be comprised of relatively few components. Typical USB host controllers and peripheral controllers use less than half the total number of components needed by FireWire adapters, resulting in significant cost savings and simplified interfacing.


APPLICATIONS of USB:
Low-to-medium bandwidth USB peripheral devices, such as USB digital cameras, USB printers, USB scanners, USB joysticks, USB card readers, and USB speakers can easily be connected to USB-compliant computers, with minimal hardware and software setup requirements. USB is capable of bi-directional data flow, thereby allowing such innovative technology as force-feedback joysticks as well as other software configurable devices.

ADAPTERS:
USB to SCSI adapters, USB to Parallel adapters, USB to Serial adapters, and USB to RJ45 Ethernet adapters are also available, and are ideal for portable computing applications.


FEATURES for OWNERS:

The LEXAN JumpDrive Pro 80X USB flash drive is simply one of the fastest ways to transfer large files via the USB port on your computer. Compatible with the USB 2.0 specification, it supports read speeds up to 14MB and write speeds of up 12MB a second and offers correspondingly larger capacities to accommodate all that data: 256MB, 512MB, 1GB and 2GB (40X).

2-year Limited Warranty

Carry it wherever you go.
With its lightweight size and durability, the JumpDrive Pro 2.0 is a simple and easy way to take your data with you. No cables or adapters are necessary.
* Leave your CDs at home;
* Portable, lightweight and durable solid-state storage;
* Keep your Health-4-All Package with you.

The Purchaser has increased flexibility of use for one may easily transport it and use it on a wide range of other computers without the necessity for loading and installing and without the target system requiring additional storage capacity to accommodate it.

FEATURES for PUBLISHERS:

Store with confidence.
Your data is protected - a light on the device blinks to let you know that your transfer is complete - so you never have to worry that something will be lost in translation.

Transfer a lot of information with ease.
With storage capacities of 256MB and 512MB, 1GB and 2GB, the JumpDrive Pro 2.0 has outstanding storage flexibility and requires no drivers. It can transfer 200 megabytes of data in 50 seconds compared to a full speed flash drive at 5 minutes or a floppy at 65 minutes! Just attach to any computer with a USB 1.1 or 2.0 port.

Store

* A 256MB JumpDrive Stores:*
        4 CD 's worth of MP3 Music, or
      176 Floppy disks of data, or
 Over 200 high resolution digital photos

* Data protection light blinks until data is safely stored

Transfer

  * Transfer 200 Megabytes of data:*
        JumpDrive 2.0 Pro           < 50 seconds
        Full Speed Flash Drive      > 300 seconds
        Floppy Disk                 > 3,750 seconds
  * No drivers required†
  * Works with existing USB 1.1 ports 

  and USB 2.0 ports in both PCs and Macs

Content additions, removals, and changes may be quickly and easily effected at any time during production without the necessaity to destroy hundreds or thousands of already pressed CDs and without the delay of rescheduling a replication event.

Compatibility between systems is enhanced because the content has been stored on and is accessible from a storage drive rather than having to be copied onto an existing computer drive, configured, and installed.

Security of the content being published is enhanced by the mini-drive being capable of password protection and the information being accessible without it having to be copied to or installed on other hardware. This can also assure the purchaser that they have an original version and not one that has been pirated, modified, or tampered with.

Reduced Packaging and Shipping Costs are afforded by the singular composition of the unit, the lack of additional fittings and adapters, and the size of the unit. For large supply quantities, less space is also required for storage.

SPECIFICATIONS:

Specs and System Requirements:
* Capable of 14 MB/s sustained read speed in USB 2.0 system * Capable of 12 MB/s sustained write speed in USB 2.0 system * Compatible with the USB 2.0 specification * Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP * Mac OS X, Mac OS 8.6 or above * One available USB port

Overall Dimensions:
* 77.4mm x 26.8mm x 11.0mm

HISTORY:
USB stands for Universal Serial Bus.
USB is a plug-and-play interface used between computers and add-on devices (such as audio players, joysticks, keyboards, scanners, mass storage devices, and printers). With USB, a new device can be installed into your computer without having to add an adapter card, or even having to turn the computer off. USB CD-RW drives can be installed by simply plugging them into the computer at any time during operation.

The USB peripheral bus standard was jointly developed by Compaq, IBM, DEC, Intel, Microsoft, NEC, and Northern Telecom. The first computers that began shipping with USB capability, began showing up in late 1996. Today, the technology is now openly available for all computer and device vendors. Currently, USB is available on over 90% of computers manufactured today.

Why USB?
The purpose for USB was to provide a universal interface that would eventually replace different types of peripheral interfaces (parallel ports, serial ports, PS/2, etc.), while maintaining wide compatibly with current and future Windows operating systems. Since late 1996, Windows operating systems have been equipped with USB drivers or special software designed to work with specific USB I/O devices complying with the USB 1.0 Standard.

With the introduction of Windows 98, a newer USB 1.1 standard was, for the first time, completely integrated within the operating system. The newer USB 1.1 Standard provided for tighter integration with Microsoft's Plug and Play standard (PnP), making installation of external devices and peripherals virtually hassle-free, while still maintaining backward-compatibility with existing USB 1.0 devices. USB has since been integrated into every Windows operating system, with the exception of Windows NT.

USB Today
Today, most new computers and peripheral devices are equipped with USB capability. The USB 1.1 Standard's integration into the Windows 98 operating system was the catalyst that allowed countless USB devices to be created and sold for use with personal computers. USB has slowly become the interface of choice for connecting such devices as keyboards, mice, scanners, printers, etc.

Newer and more-bandwidth-demanding devices such as digital cameras and external mass storage devices began to demonstrate the limitations of the USB 1.1 Standard. In late 2001, the USB 2.0 Standard was introduced to bridge the performance gap between the USB 1.1 Standard and the demand of high-bandwidth devices, while still maintaining wide compatibility with the current USB 1.1 Standard.

USB 2.0 is over 40 times faster than USB 1.1, with data throughput speeds reaching up to 480Mbits/s. The chart below compares USB 2.0 performance with existing USB 1.1 performance, as well as other interface standards.


The USB ADAPTER:
USB Card Most PCs and Macs now include USB ports as standard equipment. For PCs without USB capabilities (pre-1998) or PCs requiring additional USB ports, a PCI USB Adapter may be used to provide two additional USB ports. Computers that lack external USB ports but have internal USB connectors may only require a internal-to-external USB plate adapter (check your motherboard documentation for further details).


THE USB CABLE:
Two types of connectors may be found on a USB cable: Type A, and Type B. The USB Type A connector has a rectangular profile and is generally used at the end of the cable that plugs into the host USB port. The USB Type B connector has a square-like profile and is generally used on the end of the cable that plugs into the USB peripheral device.

The USB cable itself is composed of four conductor wires. Two wires are used for data communications, leaving the two for transferring 5V power to the USB peripheral devices. In many cases, this 5V source is sufficient to power these USB devices, thereby eliminating the need for an external power supply and providing a neat and tidy installation. USB extension cables may also be used to increase the distance between the USB device and USB port.


How do I know if my PC has USB 2.0?
You can identify whether your PC has Hi-Speed or not relatively easy. Open Device Manager and expand the Universal Serial Bus section. There should be an "Enhanced" USB host controller present.

Windows 98 systems may use a different name, because Hi-Speed USB drivers in these operating systems are not provided directly from Microsoft (Windows ME, 2000 and XP get their drivers through Windows Update).

These drivers are provided by the manufacturer, and may carry the maker?s name (i.e. ADS, Belkin, IOGear, Siig, etc.). There should also be two "standard" version USB host controllers present as well. They are embedded in the USB chip which routes the differing USB speeds accordingly without user intervention.


Do USB 2.0 & USB 1.1 hardware work interchangeably?
You may have heard that USB 2.0 is "backward-compatible" with USB 1.0/1.1 (Full-Speed USB). While that's true, USB 1.1 is also forward-compatible with USB 2.0. Whenever a system has USB 2.0 ports, you'll find the "Enhanced" USB controller in Windows Device Manager, but you will also find two other USB controllers. These two maintain backward compatibility to USB 1.1 devices. Each USB 2.0 host actually has 3 chips onboard.

The USB controller routes signals to the correct controller chip depending on how a device is recognized. Where a device is physically plugged in has no bearing on how it is routed. All ports on a USB 2.0 motherboard can host any USB devices at all as long as the system and devices are healthy.

The vast majority of USB 2.0 devices will work on older PCs and Macs. None should flat-out fail unless there are other issues with the system. Hi-Speed USB devices will revert to Full-Speed operation when connected this way. Understand that Hi-Speed is at least ten times faster than Full-Speed in actual operation, so the speed difference is quite noticeable ? unless you have never experienced Hi-Speed, of course.
By William DeVercelly

USB hub compatibility between USB 2.0 and USB 1.1:

  • A powered hub is always preferable to unpowered.
  • USB hub ports are not as capable or flexible as real PC ports so it's best not to expect the world of them.

  • USB 1.1 (obsolete) hubs will work fine on USB 2.0 ports, but they cannot utilize USB 2.0 capabilities. They will default to slower speeds.

  • Hi-Speed and Full/Low-Speed USB devices can coexist nicely on USB 2.0 hubs. Connecting such a hub to a USB 2.0 port is recommended.

  • USB 2.0 hubs can be used on older USB 1.1 computers.
  • Although it is said that you can "cascade" up to 4 hubs, problems may start to arise after two hubs, it's best to minimize hub usage if possible.

  • Some USB devices don't work well on hubs.
    Cameras, scanners and especially USB drives are known to have problems with hub connectivity.

  • Remember that "active USB extensions" are really just one-port hubs, unless, they are being shared between computers and all of the devices connected are not being used by the same computer at the same time.

If the system and devices are healthy, it should be a "no-brainer" to connect any USB device, provided that you follow manufacturer's instructions.
By William DeVercelly


OTHER RESOURCES:

USB Troubleshooting Notes: USB-solutions.htm

USB.org Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.usb.org/faq

Linux Frequently Asked Questions: http://www.linux-usb.org/FAQ.html

USB Connector Adapters: RAM Electronics


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