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USB Printer
Sharing Switch
I had two
computers, a Mac Mini and a
generic Windows computer. Both were on different networks, but in the
same room, and I wanted to share a Lexmark USB laser printer between
the two of
them. I ended up making this switch to share the printer between the
two computers.
Two USB printer cables were
cannibalized to make the switch. The square plug (USB Type B) connects
to the printer and two rectangular plugs (USB Type A) connect to the
computers. If in doubt, just look a the sockets you want to connect to.
After this photograph was taken, I added the labels "MAC" and "PC" to
the switch. Naturally, the labels were printed on the Lexmark Printer.
The Mac and PC were on different
networks, and maybe this is good, but I was getting tired of switching
the USB cable from the Lexmark printer between the two computers, and
besides, I had not yet found grounded plug strip for the PC and risked
getting a 220 VAC tickle whenever I picked up the cable from the
PC. I saw the sparks whenever I connected the PC to the grounded
printer and felt that it was only a matter of time before I became part
of the circuit. It seemed that some kind of switch that would allow me
to switch the printer between the Mac and the PC, all the while keeping
the grounds connected, would be the solution.
The switch doesn't really care
which operating systems are used. It could be two Macs, to PCs, or a
pair of Linux boxes, as long at its USB, or something vaguely similar,
its ok with the switch. The logos of for two popular operating systems
and the printer brand have been deliberately blurred because I respect
their respective copyrights.
I visited the Fortune IT Mall in Bangkok and a couple of computer
stores in other shopping centers, but I did not find
a USB peripheral sharing switch. After looking around on the web, I
found a
couple of USB peripheral sharing switches, starting at about US$39, but
shipping would cost me about another $50. For that kind of money,
I can
continue to swap cables at the printer. Or, I thought, "Why not look in
my junkbox and see if I can do it myself?"
Over the years, I have had one Apple and one Epson ink jet printer go
dead on me, leaving me with two perfectly good USB peripheral cables.
Those, and the power cords, were about all the worthwhile components I
could salvage from the old printers. If I could come up with a 4 pole
double through switch, I though, it would be a piece of cake. That way,
I could switch all four USB conductors - VBUS (+5 volts), D+, D-, and
Ground) between the two computers. Unfortunately for me, the best I
could come up with was some double pole double throw (DPDT) toggle
switches.
With a DPDT switch, I can switch the two data lines. I tried
connecting the shields from the two computers together, the grounds two
computers together, switching the D+ and D- lines with the DPDT switch,
and leaving the VBus lines float, but for some reason it didn't work.
The Lexmark printer seemed to need to see the +5 Volts. It had been
many years since I read the USB standard (It was USB 1.0 back then) and
I did not recall a function for the VBus beyond providing power to the
peripheral, but in true experimentalist fashion, I added a transistor
switch to supply VBus to the printer from whichever computer was
connected, and the printer started working.
The switch, a miniature DPDT
switch from the surplus
store, switched
the
data lines, and a pair of Schottky diodes provided VBUS (nominally
+5 volts)
to the printer from whichever
computer was on.
I used a pair of transistors to
"OR" the Vbus voltage from the two cables that go to the computers, but
a while after building it, I realised that the "off" transistor could
turn on because the backwards transistor (collector and emitter
swapped) could still work, but with most transistor types with a lower
gain. Modifications to prevent the "off" transistor from turning on
would have resulted in a lot of parts, so, abut two years after
building the switch, I tried a pair of Schottky diodes as David Hogg, a
reader of this web site.
I used 1 Amp diodes instead of the lower current diodes because it will
stand up better to abuse, and the 1 Am diodes will have a lower voltage
drop than one with a lower current rating at a given current. The
diodes work just fine in my office.
While on this subject, a fellow by the name of Jim Glasgow build a
switch before he came across this web site. His switch used a four pole
break-before-make switch. I think this is a superior method, if you can
find such a switch. One possible hitch to switching the ground, is that
there is no way to be sure that the ground connects first, so the data
or Vbus conductors could connect first, thereby possibly subjecting the
circuits in the printer or one of the computers to hazardous voltages.
Its best to tie all the grounds together and only switch data and Vbus.
Click on the above image
to see the original circuit.
I no longer recommend this
circuit.
The common admonishments apply to this circuit: Keep the wires as short
as practical, make sure you don't have any shorts, and check operation
before closing up the box.
CONNECT
THE SHIELDS FROM ALL OF THE CABLES TOGETHER. In the one I
built, I did not use any sort of circuit board. I just wired the
transistors and resistors to the conductors from the USB cables, using
plenty of heat shrink tubing to keep things insulated. As soon as the
circuit checked out in operation, I put the cover on the box.
The Lexmark printer is a USB 2.0 printer, and the USB ports on both of
the late
model computers are USB 2.0, but I doubt that communications were
flying along at the blinding 480 Mbps High Speed data rate. More than
likely, things are loafing along at 12 Mbps Full Speed data rate.
That's my guess. The switch may work at 480 Mbps, but beyond keeping
leads short, it may take some luck.
Now a word about this project. This is not a complete do-it-yourself
project for the inexperienced. It is merely an example of what I did to
solve a problem I had. The selection of the components used in
this project depended mainly upon availability and convenience, and
there are likely better choices. If you undertake this project, you may
have different results. For example, if the cables are miswired, and
your equipment is not grounded, there is a chance of damaging the
printer, one of the compuers, or all three. USB is well designed and
robust, but its not completely
fool
proof, especially in cases in which fool connect nonstandard equipment.
Though this switch worked on my systems without a hitch, it may
not work in your system. This project does not have an assembly
diagram, printed circuit board artwork, or bill of material. You
are responsible for any circuit you build. Before you start building,
be sure you what you are doing and the implications of any mistakes you
might make.
First posted in July, 2006
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