Standard Connections or Devices for File Transfer

Floppy Drive Adapter:  A wireless connection using an adapter or disk holder to accomplish the file transfer. A SmartMedia™ card can be removed from a device such as a digital camera and inserted into the adapter, which is then inserted into the 3.5" floppy disk drive slot of the computer. The adapter provides the flexibility of using a SmartMedia™ card which will store more images than other smaller storage devices. Faster file transfer is provided with the device.

Flash Card Readers:  The reader device will accept several types of cards for the downloading of files. The reader will enable computers without built-in slots for cards to accept files from other devices.

Infrared (IrDA):  A device that transfers images without the use of lines or wires connected to the receiving device. A device points toward a nearby receiving unit (computer or reader) and activates or emits an infrared beam of light, which transfers the files. There are many advantages to infrared concept, however the disadvantage is the slow transmission speed.

Parallel Cable:  A parallel cable is a common computer connecting device which enables images or data to be transmitted in multiple bits (8 bits per time) rather than single bits one at a time. A parallel cable connection is a faster method than serial cables for transferring files. It is most often used to connect printers, external storage devices, and card readers to the computer.

Serial Cable:  A serial cable is an RS-232 standard connection used most often to connect analog modems for Web connections. Transmission speeds are very slow, carrying only a single bit of data per transmission. The transfer of a file may take five to ten minutes depending on its size.

SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) Cable:  SCSI utilizes a high-speed bus process, which is prevalent on Macs and some newer PC's. Older PC's will require a SCSI card for the connection to work. It is most often used to connect scanners, hard drives, and CD-ROMS. SCSI will allow multiple connections on a single port (daisy-chaining).

USB (Universal Serial Bus) Cable:  A USB cable is a transmission device which requires a newer Pentium computer. Advantages include, faster transmission speed than parallel or serial cable (12 MBs), thin cable connection, daisy-chaining functionality (over 100 devices on a single port), and hot swappable connectivity. Equipped with a USB port, many devices can connect directly to the computer with a thin cable connection and download stored files.

IEEE 1394 (Firewire):  The IEEE 1394 connection allows over 50 devices to be daisy-chained from a single port. It has faster speeds than parallel, serial, and USB (delivers 200 MBs for all devices of 25 MBs for single devices).

CDR:  A CDR is two-thirds the diameter of a standard CD disk and is a storage device that can be read or connected into any CD drive and can hold 156 MB.

Video Out Cable (NTSC or PAL):  The use of the video out cable transfer device is primarily for preview purposes. A digital camera may have an analog video output terminal which connects to a computer or television monitor allowing images to be viewed, inspected, and discarded to make room for more images in the camera. Images can also be saved to videotape by using this method of transferring files.

Upload to e-mail or Web:  Some devices allow images to be uploaded to the Web or inserted directly into e-mails for the transfer of files. Check the features of the device if this functionality is desired.

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