Always powered USB ports question

[Tiger-Heli]

This is something I feel like I should know the answer to, but I don't.  I have a USB printer on my home PC.  I found this advice on this website: http://www.4p8.com/eric.brasseur/epson480.html

I didn't print much, neither did I make print head cleanings. Yet my cartridges are empty. What's that?

Each time you turn the computer off or the printer on, the printer will start a park sequences that spills a little ink. People who print a lot will hardly notice it. But if you print a sheet of paper in a while and you switch the power on and off often most of the ink will be lost that way. I don't print a lot so I simply unplug the USB cable from the printer. That way the printer no more can know the computer is switched off. I plug it back in next time I need to print. My current computer motherboard has two different sets of USB ports. One of them keeps delivering power when the computer is shut down (but the mains still plugged in). So I plugged the printer on one of those ports.

Questions:

I use a Shuttle AK38N motherboard with 2 rear USB ports and a PCI expansion card (Zonet ZUH2205) for an additional 4 ports.  I also have a small mini-hub connected.  I would prefer for the printer to be connected to a powered USB connection so it stays on all the time and doesn't know when the computer turns on and off, both so I don't have to plug in the USB cable each time, and so it doesn't waste ink shutting on and off as I plug it in and out.

A quick glance through the manual didn't show a BIOS setting for the rear ports (but there may be one).  Does anyone know of a setting for the expansion card?  If I use a powered hub, that won't make the printer stay on, will it?

Running XP, BTW.

[richms]

It is usually done by jumper rather then a setting as the 5v for the port has to be physically connected to the 5v standby of the powersupply.

Less and less machines are doing it now because of the plethora of USB port powered crap like lights and mug warmers and cellphone chargers etc that dont report there power usage so result in the port being overloaded.

[Tiger-Heli]

UPDATE:  I would really like to find a solution for this.

I seem to be saving ink by only plugging the printer in when I need to, but I found out that it won't work to hot-plug it in, you need to plug it in and then re-boot for it to work again  .

It is usually done by jumper rather then a setting as the 5v for the port has to be physically connected to the 5v standby of the powersupply.

Less and less machines are doing it now because of the plethora of USB port powered crap like lights and mug warmers and cellphone chargers etc that dont report there power usage so result in the port being overloaded.

Actually that helps alot.  I found this in the manual for the AK38N:

USB Power-On Setting (JP4)

AK38/N or AK39/N provides two jumpers to set USB device which connect
to Extended USB connector headers to power-on system.
Place jumper cap on JP4 pin 1-2 for enabling USB device power-on function
on Extended USB connector headers.
Pin 1-2 (+5V)
Pin 2-3 (5VSB)

I quess I should just test it out and see what happens, but if I am reading this correctly, JP4 should be capped on Pin 2-3.

Question 1:  This won't have ANY effect on the USB ports on the PCI expansion card, correct?

Question 2:  The mobo has a pair of USB ports on the back plane, and another two pairs available from header pins.  From your knowledge of Engrish, when it says JP4 controls the extended USB connection headers, is it referring to all the mobo USB connectors, or only the header pin ones and not the backplane ones.

Sorry for the ignorant questions . . .

[Howard_Casto]

Ok common sense to the rescue.  Simply get a powered, usb hub.  As long as you keep that 5v power adaptor plugged in your devices should stay active and yet it won't be taxing on the pc as it isn't supplying the power. 

I would also like to point out that the little bit of ink you loose is lost on purpose. 

Ink at the bottom of the print head is exposed to air and thus tends to thicken up.  Your printer will surely clog if you never let it clean itself.  It thickens quicker than you might think.  A printer left on (or off for that matter) all day will already have a partially clogged head.  That init, simply scrapes off the excess and gets it ready for printing. 

And yes you will loose ink this way, but there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.  It's a flaw of all inkjet printers and it's why they are so much cheaper than laser printers.

Your real solution is to quit switching your printer on and off so much.  Myself I keep my printer turned off until I'm ready to print (which is quite seldom). 

Hope that helps. 

[Tiger-Heli]

Ok common sense to the rescue.  Simply get a powered, usb hub.  As long as you keep that 5v power adaptor plugged in your devices should stay active and yet it won't be taxing on the pc as it isn't supplying the power. 

Okay - that's what I was asking about initially.  Although the jumper solution should work and it's umm. . . FREE! 

Your real solution is to quit switching your printer on and off so much.  Myself I keep my printer turned off until I'm ready to print (which is quite seldom). 

Ah yes, but you don't understand the 480SXU - I understand that there is an initialization routine that wastes ink before you print.  That's fine.  The problem is the Epson runs this procedure whenever you shutdown or restart the PC.  And there is no on/off switch.  So if I turn the PC on and off each day for two weeks without printing anything, a third of the ink has gone to the waste ink pads instead of on paper - which is another problem but anyway . . .

[Tiger-Heli]

Just a quick note to let people know I think I have this working.  I haven't printed anything yet, but the printer isn't cycling on and off with the computer anymore. 

Thanks!