Connect Opencockpits Mastercard

[julianknaf]

Hello everyone!

I have recently ordered the Opencockpits Mastercard as this is the first OC I/O Card I'm using apart from the prebuilt MCP. So I know that you can connect the mastercard either to an expansion card  or directly to the PC via parallel port.
Unfortunately I don't have the option to use an ecpansion card so I wanted to use Option 2, connecting it directly to the PC via parallel port, but there is one problem: My PC has, as many PCs nowadays, no Parallel port on the mainboard, so I will need to find an other solution. One thing I have seen is an adapter to USB, but I'm not quite shure if it really works... has somebody tested it and runs their mastercards with an adapter as well?
Thank you very much!
Julian

[jonesthesoftware]

Hi Julian
I would recommend you buy the OPen Cockpits USB expansion card as it will make your connections easier as well as allowing for future expansion with 4 master cards. There are usb to parallel converters available but they may or may not work with with the OC card. Parallel ports surely are considered obsolete now.
geoff

[julianknaf]

Hi Geoff,

as I have written above, I don't have the option to use an expansion card... Furthermore I don't have the intention of connecting multiple mastercards, I will only need this one.
Does somebody have experience in using an adapter (parallel to USB)?

Greetings from Germany
Julian

[iwik]

Hi Julian,
I am afraid i can only echo Geoffs comments. O/C stopped the Parallel port option because it was so unreliable. Have seen people
attempt to put in a Parallel interface card to get it going with no
luck. Using a USB to Parallel also is very unreliable also. The closest
i have seen to some possibility is with old style pc's.
Really a usb expansion card is the only answer if you dont want to be frustrated.
There are other interfaces and these maybe an alternative but you
have just purchased the M/card. You can take your chance and by
one but it will be hit and miss.
Sorry its not the news you wanted.
Regards
les