usb 2.0 keyboard (can you connect a printer?)

1266 Views 1 Reply 2 Participants Last post by krs, May 16, 2007

flying_ja

Discussion Starter · May 16, 2007

so.. i picked up this matias usb 2.0 keyboard today.. thinking that it would provide me with some extra usb ports for my g4 powermac (at less of a price than the apple keyboard). it has two usb 1.1 ports on the back, and one 2.0 port on the top of it (while taking up two usb slots on the tower).

i have to admit, though, that the feel of the keyboard is a little 'off' (i think the keys might be too close together) and it's pretty noisy.

here's my question (that might help me decide whether to keep it):
can i plug peripherals like a usb printer or external cd-rw into the usb ports on the keyboard? or do those devices need to plugged in directly to the computer?
i'd experiment myself.. but i don't have the printer/external writer with me this week.

(i should also add a word of caution: if you're buying a mouse, beware the mini-mice. i didn't even realize that the mouse i got was a miniature version. and now, after only a few minutes of use, my hand is cramping up like mad).

thanks.

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krs

· #2 · May 16, 2007

I have used the USB 1.1 port on an Apple keyboard to run an Epson printer.
No problem.
The printer is powered externally, not via the USB port, so a low-power USB port like the one on the keyboard is fine.

I have not tried running an external CD writer from the USB 1.1 port on the keyboard. For one, I think USB 1.1 may be a bit too slow for a fast CD writer; there may also be problems if you want to use that external writer to boot up the Mac from the disk. Maybe the USB 2.0 por on that keyboard works since it just seems to be an extension of the USB 2.0 port on the Mac.

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