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Connecting External Devices: Dell Latitude CPx H-Series/J-Series User's Guide
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Connecting External Devices: Dell™ Latitude™ CPx
H-Series/J-Series User's Guide
Use Figure 1 to locate the connectors on the back of the computer.
| NOTICE: When disconnecting
external devices from the back of the computer, wait 5 seconds after turning off the
computer before you disconnect a device to avoid possible damage to the system board. |
Figure 1. I/O Connectors
| 1 |
Video connector |
| 2 |
Parallel connector |
| 3 |
Docking connector |
| 4 |
USB connector |
| 5 |
PS/2 connector |
| 6 |
Serial connector |
| 7 |
AC power connector |
| 8 |
Infrared port |
Use Figure 2 to locate the connectors on the side of the computer.
Figure 2. I/O Connectors on Right
Side of Computer
| 1 |
Internal modem connector
(available only on CPt S-Series) |
| 2 |
S-Video connector |
| 3 |
Audio jacks (3) |
You can connect audio devices such as speakers, microphones,
headphones, and record/playback devices to your computer. The following information tells
you how to connect the cables. Figure 3 shows the locations of the audio jacks and the S-Video connector.
- Connect the audio cable from a microphone to the microphone jack,
also called the MIC IN jack.
- Connect the audio cable from the speakers to the headphones/speakers
jack, also called the line-out/speaker-out jack.
- Connect the line-out cable from a record/playback device to the
line-in/audio-in jack. Cassette players, CD players, radios, stereo systems, and tape
players are all record/playback devices.
- Connect the S-Video input/output (I/O) cable from a record/playback
device to the S-Video connector. VCRs and video cameras are record/playback devices.
Figure 3.
Connecting Audio and S-Video Devices
| 1 |
Microphone (MIC IN) |
| 2 |
Speakers and headphones
(line-out/speaker-out) |
| 3 |
Record/Playback
(line-in/audio-in) |
| 4 |
S-Video connector |
 |
NOTE: The C/Port Family Advanced Port Replicator
(APR) also has a headphones/speaker jack. The C/Dock Family Expansion Station has all
three jacks. |
If your computer is running the Microsoft® Windows® 95 operating
system, you can control the sound on your computer through the Dell Control Center
Speaker window, the System Setup program, and key combinations.
You can connect a television with an S-Video connector to your
computer. Figure 3 shows the location of the S-Video connector.
To connect the cables, follow these guidelines:
- If your television uses an S-Video cable for video input, connect one
end of that cable directly to your computer's S-Video TV-out connector and the other end
into your television's S-Video connector. Connecting the S-Video cable that came with your
television to the television's S-Video connector and to the S-Video TV-out connector on
your computer allows your computer to output video information to your television.
- If your television uses a composite video cable for video input, you
need both the Composite TV-Out Adapter cable that came with your computer and the
composite video cable that came with your television. Connecting these cables together,
then connecting them to your television composite video-in connector and your computer's
S-Video TV-out connector, allows your computer to output video information to your
television.
To connect a television which has a composite video-in connector to your computer's
S-Video TV-out connector, perform the following steps:
- Connect the Composite TV-Out Adapter cable that came with your
computer to your computer's S-Video TV-out connector.
- Connect the other end of the Composite TV-Out Adapter cable to your
television's composite video cable.
- Connect the composite video cable to your television's composite
video connector.
You can attach a Personal System/2 (PS/2)-compatible external 101-
or 102-key keyboard to the computer's mini-Deutsche Industrie Norm (DIN) connector, as
shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Attaching an External Keyboard
|
NOTE: If the computer is in suspend mode or
suspend-to-disk mode when you attach an external keyboard, the device is recognized
immediately by the computer when it resumes normal operation. |
You can use the computer's keyboard and an external keyboard at the
same time. When you attach a keyboard to the computer, the embedded numeric keypad is
automatically disabled.
On an external keyboard, the <Scroll Lock> key acts the same
way as the <Fn> key on the computer’s keyboard (if the External Hot Key
option is enabled in the System Setup program).
You can also connect an external keyboard to the C/Port Family APR
or the C/Dock Family Expansion Station.
You can attach a PS/2-compatible external numeric keypad to the
computer's mini-DIN keypad connector.
|
NOTE: If the computer is in suspend mode or
suspend-to-disk mode when you attach an external keypad, the device is recognized
immediately by the computer when it resumes normal operation. |
When you attach a numeric keypad to the computer, the embedded
numeric keypad is automatically disabled. The indicators on the integrated keyboard track
the operation of an external numeric keypad.
You can also connect an external keypad to the C/Port Family APR or
C/Dock Family Expansion Station.
You can attach a PS/2-compatible mouse to the computer's mini-DIN
mouse connector, as shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Connecting an External Mouse
|
NOTE: If the computer is in suspend mode or
suspend-to-disk mode when you attach an external mouse, the device is recognized
immediately by the computer when it resumes normal operation. However, programs
that were already running may need to be restarted in order to recognize the mouse. |
When you attach a PS/2 mouse to the computer, the DualPoint
integrated pointing device is automatically disabled. If you disconnect the mouse, you
must shut down the computer or enter suspend or standby mode and then resume from it
before the DualPoint integrated pointing device is operational. If you do not do this, the
DualPoint integrated pointing device resumes operation in standard PS/2 mode, which means
that many of the configuration features are disabled.
If you are using a PS/2-compatible mouse that is not made by
Microsoft and the mouse does not work properly, reboot the computer. If the mouse still
does not work, install the drivers from the diskette that came with the mouse and reboot
the computer.
You can also connect an external mouse to the C/Port Family APR or
the C/Dock Family Expansion Station.
The diskette drive can be used as an external device if you have a
CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, second hard-disk, or LS-120 drive; battery; or travel module in the
modular bay. The external diskette drive letter is A. If there is a diskette drive in the
modular bay, the external diskette drive letter is B.
Use the parallel diskette drive cable that came with the computer to
connect the drive to the parallel connector on the I/O panel, as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Using the Diskette Drive As an External Device
| NOTICE: When the diskette drive is not being
used externally, remove the parallel diskette drive cable from the parallel connector. |
| NOTICE: Use the parallel diskette drive cable
only with the diskette drive. Do not try to connect any other device to the computer with
this cable. |
If the Diskette Reconfig
option is set to Any Time in the System Setup program, you do not have to
turn the computer off when you connect the diskette drive to the parallel connector.
The drive access indicator does not blink when data is being
accessed from the diskette drive connected to the parallel connector.
| NOTICE: Protect the diskette drive when it is
not in the modular bay. Do not squeeze the drive or place objects on top of it; doing so
could damage the drive motor. |
The computer's video connector is used to connect an external
monitor to the computer. To attach an external monitor, perform the following steps.
| NOTICE: Do not place the monitor directly
on top of your portable computer, even if it is closed. Doing so can crack the computer
case, the display, or both. |
- Make sure that the external monitor is turned off. Set the monitor on
a monitor stand, desk top, or other level surface near your computer.
- Connect the external monitor's video cable to the computer.
Plug the video cable connector into the matching video connector on
the back of the computer, as shown in Figure 7. If the video cable is not permanently
attached to the monitor, connect it to the monitor also.
Figure 7.
Connecting an External Monitor
Be sure to tighten all the screws on the video cable connector(s) to
eliminate radio frequency interference (RFI).
- Connect your external monitor to a grounded electrical outlet.
Plug the three-prong connector on one end of the monitor's power
cable into a grounded power strip or some other grounded power source. If the cable is not
permanently attached to the monitor, connect it to the monitor also.
You can also connect an external monitor to the C/Port Family APR or
the C/Dock Family Expansion Station.
|
NOTE: If you are using the Microsoft
Windows 98 operating system, you can use an external monitor as an extension of your
display. For more information, see the Windows 98 documentation or "Dual-Display Mode." |
When an external monitor is connected to the computer, the video
image automatically appears on the external monitor's screen when you boot your computer.
To toggle the video image between the display, an external monitor,
or both simultaneously, press <Fn><F8> on the keyboard. Press <Scroll
Lock><F8> on an external keyboard if the External Hot Key option is
enabled in the System Setup program.
If the external monitor is turned off when you boot your computer,
the computer still sends the video image to the external monitor. In this case, you will
not see an image on either the computer's display or the external monitor. To see an
image, turn on the external monitor or switch the video image to the computer’s
display by pressing <Fn><F8> on the keyboard or <Scroll Lock><F8>
on an external keyboard if the External Hot Key option is enabled in the System
Setup program.
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