Setting up the Plugable USB Wireless Audio Kit
Posted on 24. Feb, 2011 by Bernie Thompson in Windows
What if you could plug in a USB adapter, not have to install any drivers, and stream audio wirelessly to speakers 10 meters or more away …
That’s what our new wireless audio product enables, and the homebrew video below shows how the product connected, paired, and configured on a Windows 7 PC.
Firmware Update for the Plugable USB3-SATA-U3 Hard Drive Docking Station
Posted on 08. Feb, 2011 by Bernie Thompson in Windows
[Updated Aug 8, 2011 to provide support for 3 TB+ drives]
[Updated July 13, 2011 to latest LucidPort firmware version 2580]
You can update the firmware of the Plugable USB3-SATA-U3 SATA dock to gain a number of features and fixes, especially for improving interoperability with the evolving set of USB 3.0 host controllers, cables, hubs, and other USB 3.0 devices on the market.
In particular, if you have a unit that works fine over USB 2.0, but drops from the bus or experiences transfer errors on USB 3.0, newer firmware may help in many situations by improving error tolerance.
Steps to update
You will need a Windows PC on which you have administrator access.
- Download the version 2580 firmware package for the Plugable U3, and unpack these files to their own directory
- Open a command prompt as administrator (see below for steps) and go to the directory where you unpacked the files
- Connect the Plugable USB3-SATA-U3 with a USB 2.0 cable (not a USB 3.0 cable, since if you’re seeing a problem, USB 3.0 may generate errors when talking with the device), a SATA drive must be in the dock, have the dock turned on (green LED lit), and no copy operations in progress.
- type “update” and hit enter to start the update.bat file to bring up a list of possible devices to update
- Select the “USB 3.0 LucidPort USB300″ or “USB 3.0 MassStorage” device (which is the Plugable USB3-SATA-U3)
- The new firmware will download to the device within a few seconds
- The command prompt will say “success” and go green when complete. Flip power to dock off/on at any time to reboot the dock with the new firmware
Let us know if any USB 3.0 specific problems remain after the firmware update. Visit plugable.com/support anytime.
Background on firmware changes
This firmware is for the Lucidport USB300 chipset, firmware version 2580, customized for the Plugable USB3-SATA-U3
See the LucidPort site for chip details and firmware revision history.
Here’s how to check what version of firmware your dock currently has to see if a later firmware is available.
Running a Command Prompt as an administrator
Click the Start button. In the search box, type command prompt
In the list of results, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
DisplayLink Releases Beta of Windows Server Support (2003, 2008, 2008 R2)
Posted on 03. Jan, 2011 by Bernie Thompson in Windows
On Jan 1, 2011, DisplayLink released the first beta of their version 5.6 Windows drivers.
The most significant feature in this release is Windows Server support:
- Windows Server 2003 (32-bit only – same as DisplayLink’s XP drivers)
- Windows Server 2008 (32/64-bit)
- Windows Server 2008 R2 and derivatives like Windows Multipoint Server 2011 (64-bit, since R2 is 64-bit only)
Prior to this release, DisplayLink drivers would refuse to install on these server platforms.
This is great news for several use cases, including:
- USB terminals in combination with Microsoft Multipoint Server 2011 Beta. We’ll have much more news on this in coming weeks.
- Anyone using Windows Server SKUs as a client PC (common among software developers)
On the bug fix side, DisplayLink reports improved stability with more than 3 DisplayLink screens.
This release is compatible with all Plugable USB graphics products, and can be downloaded from DisplayLink’s 5.6 Beta Forum. We consider the prior release (5.5 M1 dated Dec 3, 2010) to be a critical upgrade because of nVidia and other compatibility improvements. This one is more of an optional upgrade for the great majority of users on normal client copies of Windows.
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