Targus Mobile Port Station User Manual

BRUSSELS HANNOVER BARCELONA TOKYO MILANO AMSTERDAM SINGAPORE LONDON PARIS NEW YORK LOS ANGELES TORONTO HONG KONG SYDNEY

Mobile Port Station

USER’S GUIDE

Visit our Web site at: www.targus.com

Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. © 2003 Targus Corp.

400-0114-001A

MOBILE PORT STATION

Introduction

Congratulations on your purchase of the Targus Mobile Port
Station. This ultra portable expansion module directly connects
to a desktop or notebook computer via a Universal Serial Bus
(USB) port.

The port station provides the following ports:

• Audio (out)

• RS232 serial

• Parallel (printer) Enhanced (bi-directional)

• RJ-45 Ethernet 10/100

• Five (5) USB 2.0

Package Contents

In addition to this user’s guide, the package contains:

• Targus Mobile Port Station

• 6-foot (180 cm) USB 2.0 cable (A/B type)

• Driver software CD

• AC power adapter

NOTE: The supplied AC power adapter is a universal adapter
that you can use in any 100 to 240 AC volt outlet.

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Mobile Port Station

System Requirements

Hardware

•PC with an Intel® Pentium® processor or equivalent and a
hard disk drive

• 64 MB RAM or higher, depending on the operating system

• CD-ROM drive

• USB version 1.1 or 2.0 port

NOTE: When connected to a USB version 1.1 port on your
computer, the port station’s performance level will be less
than optimal. For best results, connect it to a USB version 2.0
port.

Operating System

• Windows® 98SE/Me/2000/XP

Installing the Device and Drivers

To use the Targus port station, you must first install the port
station driver onto your computer. Then, connect it to your
computer and install the hardware drivers for each port.

WARNING: You must install the port station software BEFORE
connecting it to your computer. Otherwise, the port station
will not work properly.

Installing the Port Station Driver

Installing the port station driver enables your operating system
to recognize the port station and it’s ports once it’s connected.

1 Turn on your computer.

2 Insert the driver software CD into your computer’s

CD-ROM drive.

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Mobile Port Station

3 If setup does not begin automatically, click Start, Run,

then enter D:\Setup.exe (where D: is the path of your
diskette drive) and then click OK.

The Welcome screen appears.

4Click Next.

®

5 If you are running the Windows

XP operating system, the

Important Information screen appears. Click Next.

The PA090 Setup program begins installing the port station
drivers.

The Setup Complete screen appears.

6Click Finish and restart your computer when prompted.

Connecting the Port Station to Your Computer

After installing the port station software, you are ready to
connect the port station to your computer. To do this:

1 Connect the USB cable’s type B end to the port station.

Type A Type B

USB 2.0 cable (A/B type)

2 Connect the USB cable’s type A end into an available USB

port on your computer.

3 Connect the supplied AC power adapter to the AC power

jack on the port station.

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Mobile Port Station

Installing the Default Device Drivers

Once you connect the port station to your computer, the
following default drivers begin installing for each of the ports:

• Ethernet 10/100

• Serial Interface Controller

•USB Device

• Parallel Interface Controller

• Audio (out)

This installation process takes a few minutes. The operating
system doesn’t prompt when installation is complete. If you
attempt to open another application during installation, it will
not respond until installation is complete.

Windows® 2000/XP Operating System

If you are running the Windows® 2000/XP operating system,
some hardware devices may prompt you to install the drivers.

To install the drivers:

1Select Install the software automatically

(Recommended) and click Next.

The Found New Hardware Wizard program begins
installing the hardware drivers.

The Completing the Found New Hardware Wizard screen
appears.

2Click Finish and repeat as needed for each device.

3 Restart your computer.

When your computer restarts, it detects the new drivers.

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Mobile Port Station

LED Status Indicator Lights

Once all device drivers are installed, the LED status indicator
lights glow and you can connect devices to the port station.

• Hub Link light glows green.

• Tx/Rx light flashes green when data is transmitted to or from
the network.

• 100M light glows green when connected to a 100 Mbps hub.

NOTES: The port station supports hot swapping of the
network cable.

• Serial light glows green.

• USB lights glow green.

Installing Additional Drivers for
New Devices

When connecting new devices to the port station, you may
need to install additional software drivers. Consider the
following guidelines:

®

• If your computer is running the Windows
system, a series of screens appear, beginning with the Add
New Hardware Wizard, to guide you through the installation
process.

• If your computer is running the Windows

98 operating

®

Me/2000/XP

operating system, the drivers install automatically.

• To properly install additional hardware drivers, you must run
the Setup or Install program for that device.

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Mobile Port Station

Connecting New Devices

When connecting a new device, do not force the cable
connector into the port on the port station, to avoid possible
damage. If the cable connector does not attach smoothly, turn
the connector over and try attaching it again.

Connecting a Serial Mouse

To connect a serial mouse, attach the cable connector to the
serial port on the port station.

Connecting and Configuring a Serial Modem

To connect a serial modem:

1 Attach the cable connector to the serial port on the port

station.

2 Install the modem software driver according to the

instructions that come with the device.

3 When prompted to select the port, choose the Serial USB

(COMx), where x is the COM port number assigned by
your operating system.

Connecting a Handheld Computer

1 Attach the cable connector to the serial port on the port

station.

2 Verify that the COM port setting, in either your HotSync

or ActiveSync

®

software, matches the setting on the port

®

station.

To verify the COM port setting on the port station, refer to
“Verifying Devices are Installed” on page 11.

To verify the COM port setting on your handheld computer,
refer to the documentation that came with it.

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Mobile Port Station

Connecting a Parallel Printer

The logical port for a parallel printer on the port station is
either LPT2 for the Windows
USB001 for the Windows

®

98\Me operating system or

®

2000\XP operating system. If the
logical port on your computer is set to LPT1, or LPT1 is the
only option when setting up a new printer, you must change it
so that your operating system recognizes the printer via the
port station.

Connecting and Configuring a Printer for the First Time

1 Attach the cable connector to the parallel port on the port

station.

2 Install the printer software driver according to the

instructions that come with the device.

3 When prompted to select a port, choose either LPT2 or

USB001. If this port does not appear in the list, choose the
LPT1 port, complete the manufacturer’s setup for your
printer and follow the instructions below to redirect your
printer.

Checking and Redirecting the Printer Port Settings

Follow these instructions to check the printer port settings and
redirect your printer from the LPT1 port to either LPT2 or
USB001 on the port station.

1 Unplug the printer cable from your computer and plug it

into the port station parallel port.

2Select Start, Settings, and then Printers.

3 Right-click the printer device you are reassigning and select

Properties.

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Mobile Port Station

4 In the Printer Properties window, select Details or

Connection for the Printer. (Section titles vary, so check

your printer’s user manual for specific instructions.)

5 Change the setting to either LPT2 or USB001 to redirect

printing to the port station.

Connecting to a Local Area Network

To connect an RJ-45 ethernet cable, attach the cable connector
to the ethernet port on the port station. Additional procedures
to connect to an actual network depend on the type of network
you are using. Contact your network administrator for detailed
instructions.

Connecting a USB Device

To connect a USB device, plug it into a USB port on the port
station and follow the additional instructions provided with the
device.

Things to Remember

Using a Device with the Port Station

Once connected, use any device according to the instructions
provided with the device.

Global Suspend Mode

When your computer is in suspend mode, the port station also
enters suspend mode to avoid power consumption. When your
computer wakes up, the port station wakes up automatically.

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Mobile Port Station

Product Limitations

General

The port station splits a single connection among a variety of
devices and connections. Some devices, which use large
amounts of bandwidth, such as printers and digital cameras,
can consume all available resources and may interfere with the
performance of other devices.

Some devices may halt temporarily when a high data transfer is
occurring. For example, your mouse may respond slowly while
a graphic print job is printing or while you are experiencing
heavy network traffic.

We recommend the following guidelines:

• Do not transfer data to or from multiple high-speed devices,

such as a digital camera or scanner, at the same time.

• If speed degradation does occur, close other programs that

use a USB device to improve device performance.

Parallel Port

If you connect the port station to a USB 1.1 port on your
computer, the parallel port is only compatible with printers and
only supports enhanced bi-directional printer features, such as
returning printer status. For best results, you should connect
high bandwidth external devices, which have a parallel

®

connection, such as a Zip

drive, directly to your computer.

If you connect the port station to a USB 2.0 port on your
computer, the parallel port supports all parallel devices. No
degradation should occur.

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Mobile Port Station

Troubleshooting

Device Not Working

• Make sure that the device is fully inserted into the correct

port on the port station.

• Plug the device into a different port on the port station. If it

still doesn’t work, test the device by connecting it directly to
your computer.

• Verify that you ran the Setup or Install program for the

device.

• Make sure that the device appears in Device Manager. For

more information refer to “Verifying Devices are Installed”
on page 11.

• Disconnect all devices from the port station and reconnect

them, one at a time. Check that each device works before
plugging in the next one.

Printer Not Found

If your parallel printer is not working, refer to “Checking and
Redirecting the Printer Port Settings” on page 8 for
instructions on how to verify and change the port settings.

Verifying Devices are Installed

You can view the devices installed on the port station from the
Device Manager window in System Properties.

To access Device Manager for the Windows
system, right-click My Computer, Properties, and then click
the Device Manager tab.

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®

98/Me operating

Mobile Port Station

For the Windows® 2000/XP operating system, right-click My
Computer, Properties, then click the Hardware tab, and then
the Device Manager button.

®

Sample Device Manager tab (Windows

XP operating system)

From the Device Manager window, expand the following:

• Network adapters — displays PA090 USB Ethernet 10/100

• PA090 Parallel Port — displays USB printing support

• Ports (COM & LPT) — displays the path Serial on USB

[COM 2] (Windows

®

98 operating system)

• Universal Serial Bus controllers — displays the other PA090

devices installed for the port station and generic hub.

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Mobile Port Station

Verifying a Serial Modem Connection

When attaching a modem to the serial (RS232) port, verify that
the port assigned to your modem is Serial USB (COMx), where
x is the number of the COM port.

If the operating system does not detect automatically that your
modem is assigned to Serial USB (COMx), run the Hardware
Wizard again and choose Select from the list instead of
Autodetect. Then, select Serial USB (COMx) as the COM
port.

Error Message on Your Handheld Computer

If the error message “Connection Not Established” appears on
your handheld computer, check that the COM port setting in
either your HotSync or ActiveSync software, matches the
setting on the port station, see “Verifying Devices are
Installed” on page 11 to verify the COM port setting on the
port station.

Some older versions of the Palm
compatible with the USB to Serial conversion. Please contact
your handheld computer vendor for software updates.

Technical Support

For technical questions, please visit:

Internet: http://www.targus.com/support.asp

®

Desktop software are not

Australia

Internet: www.targus.com.au

Email: [e-mail]

Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. (08:30) to 5:30 p.m. (17:30)
Eastern time: 1-800-641-645

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Mobile Port Station

Canada

Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. (09:00) to 5:00 p.m. (17:00)
Eastern time: 888-827-4877

Europe

Belgium [phone]

Denmark [phone]

France [phone]

Germany [phone]

Italy [phone]

Netherlands [phone]

Spain [phone]

Sweden [phone]

Switzerland [phone]

United Kingdom [phone]

Eastern Europe & others [phone]

Product Registration

Targus recommends that you register your Targus accessory shortly after
purchasing it.

To register your Targus accessory, go to:

http://www.targus.com/registration.asp

You will need to provide your full name, email address, phone number,
and company information (if applicable).

Warranty

Targus warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and
workmanship for one year. If your Targus accessory is found to be
defective within that time, we will promptly repair or replace it. This
warranty does not cover accidental damage, wear and tear, or
consequential or incidental loss. Under no conditions is Targus liable for

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Mobile Port Station

loss of, or damage to a computer; nor loss of, or damage to, programs,
records, or data; nor any consequential or incidental damages, even if
Targus has been informed of their possibility. This warranty does not
affect your statutory rights.

Warranty Registration at: http://www.targus.com/registration.asp

Regulatory Compliance

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause
harmful interference, and (2) This device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

FCC Statement

Tested to Comply

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a
Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These
limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses,
and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in
accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference
will not occur in a particular installation.

If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and
on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or
more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver

• Move the computer away from the receiver

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that

to which the receiver is connected.

Windows and ActiveSync are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Palm and
HotSync are a registered trademarks of Palm, Inc. PS/2 is a registered trademark of
International Business Machines Corporation. Zip drive is a registered trademark of
Iomega Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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