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User’s Guide
For the
DockPod
Docking Station
Model #: RPDOCKU2FA
Windows & Mac
Please retain this guide.
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CONTENTS CONTACT INFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 WELCOME . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 PACKAGE CONTENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 PRODUCT REGISTRATION FOR WARRANTY COVERAGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 PRECAUTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 ABOUT ROCKETPOD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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3 CONNECTING DOCKPOD TO YOUR COMPUTER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 CONTACT INFORMATION HOW TO STACK&PLAY ROCKETPOD MODULES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 STACKING ROCKETPOD MODULES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Mailing Address: Customer Service: REMOVING STACKED-ON MODULES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 P.O. BOX 5499 customerservice@acomdata.com TURNING OFF A ROCKETPOD STACK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Dia
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4 5 WELCOME PACKAGE CONTENTS Thank you and congratulations on your purchase of DockPod, the The package should contain the following items: Docking Station for RocketPod Hi-Performance Peripherals from • DockPod Docking Station AcomData. • FireWire cable (6-pin to 6-pin) This guide contains instructions on how to connect your DockPod to • USB 2.0 cable (compatible with USB 1.x) your computer and stack on RocketPod modules using the patented • AC adapter and power cord Stack&Play™ system. Fo
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6 7 PRODUCT REGISTRATION PRECAUTIONS FOR WARRANTY COVERAGE BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE PRE CAUTIONS LISTE D BE LOW. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE SE PRE CAUTIONS M AY CAUSE DAM AGE TO YOUR ACOM DATA PRODUCT Please take a few moments to register your AcomData product. AND VOID THE WARRANTY. Registration is required in the event that your product needs warran- ty service. Also, please retain your sales receipt from the purchase • Read this User’s Guide carefully and follow the correct procedures of this pr
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8 9 • Do not expose the device to temperatures outside the range of ABOUT 5° C to 40° C (41° F to 104° F). Doing so may damage the device or disfigure its casing. ROCKETPOD™ • Do not use a third-party AC adapter or power cord. Doing so may RocketPod is a revolutionary new line of damage the device. hi-performance computer peripherals from AcomData––and they’re unlike anything • Do not bump, jar or drop the device as this may damage it or you’ve seen before. result in loss of data.
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10 11 built into RocketPod devices safely and seamlessly relay power and Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and FireWire data signals between stacked RocketPod modules. No matter what interface you choose, you get blazing performance. You can even combine USB 2.0 and FireWire RocketPod modules in Modular Design the same stack with the DockPod Docking Station. Connect a DockPod Docking Station to your computer and then stack on the RocketPod modules that you need right now. Then, simply Hot Swappable add
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12 13 DOCKPOD AT A GLANCE Stack&Play™ Connector Relays electrical power and data ON THE BACK PANEL signals to stacked-on RocketPod modules. Stack Light FireWire Lights up when a link between the (IEEE 1394a) port DockPod and stacked-on RocketPod module(s) is established. Voltage Meter USB 2.0 port Measures the amount of power used by stacked-on RocketPod modules. AC adapter power port Power Button Lights up blue when the DockPod is powered on and ready.
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14 15 Your DockPod is equipped with a built-in, analog voltage meter. The DOCKPOD IN-DEPTH voltage meter measures the amount of power used by stacked-on RocketPod modules. Whenever there is a sufficient power fluctuation STACK&PLAY™ CONNECTOR caused by some activity from a RocketPod module, the needle will Your DockPod has two main functions: 1) to supply electrical power fluctuate until a rest state is reached. for up to five stacked-on RocketPod modules, and; 2) to relay data signals be
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16 17 FireWire––also known as iLink and the High Performance Serial can get their power via the FireWire cable. Bus––is a cross-platform serial input/output technology for transfer- Plug & Play ring data between computers and peripherals. Developed by Apple You do not need to install drivers, assign unique ID numbers, or con- Computer and Texas Instruments, FireWire was adopted as an offi- nect terminators. cial standard by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers; the official na
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18 19 Supports up to 127 devices Connecting more than one or two USB devices to a computer typi- TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS cally requires the use of one or more hubs; each hub can accommo- date several USB devices. Interfaces: - non-operating: .-40 – +70 ºC; FireWire (IEEE 1394a) – 400 Mbps Master-slave architecture Humidity: USB 2.0 – up to 480 Mbps The computer (master) dictates data flow between attached devices - operating : .....5 – 90 % (slaves). Physical - non-operating: .5 – 95% D
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20 21 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR MAC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS • Power Macintosh (G5, G4, Blue & White G3, iBook or iMac) SYSTEM REQUIREMENT FOR PC • Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X • Minimum 233MHz Pentium or equivalent processor • Available USB port and/or FireWire port • Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, or XP • Available USB port and/or FireWire port Mac OS 9 Users: Windows 98 users: • We recommend using the latest version (OS 9.2.2). You can down- load the updates you need at http://docs.info.apple.com/article.
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22 23 1. Plug the AC adapter cord into the power CONNECTING DOCKPOD port on the back of the DockPod. Plug the power cord into the TO YOUR COMPUTER socket on the AC adapter. Plug the other end into a three- Important Notes: prong outlet. FireWire cable • FireWire cables can only be properly 2. Plug the USB 2.0 and/ inserted one way. Be sure to insert DockPod or FireWire cable into the plugs properly or you may dam- the correct ports on age the DockPod. Your DockPod came 6-pin to 6-pin
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24 25 Important Note: HOW TO STACK&PLAY DockPod is not a desktop device, meaning DockPod itself will not appear in My Computer on PCs or on the Desktop on Macs. Only ROCKETPOD MODULES stacked-on RocketPod devices, such as DrivePod hard drives, may be recognized by your computer. Stacking RocketPod Modules 1. With the DockPod powered on, care- fully place a RocketPod module onto it, making sure the orientation is the same and the devices are aligned. When placed correctly, the DockPod co
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26 27 There is no need to press the power button of the stacked-on mod- power on automatically. You can stack up to five RocketPod modules ule. It will power on automatically if the DockPod is turned on. If the onto your DockPod as shown in the illustration on page 26. DockPod is not turned on, press the DockPod power button. After a few seconds, the stacked on module should power on automatically. About Stacking USB 2.0 After you add a RocketPod module to a stack and it powers on, and Fire
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28 29 to communicate with it. When you dismount a device, the com- Removing Stacked-On Modules puter no longer sees it. The device may still be running but the computer cannot access it, as though the device no longer exists. There are several reasons why you may need to remove a RocketPod module from a stack: 2. Once all necessary modules are dismounted, you can safely • You need to quickly transfer very large amounts of data between remove them from the stack (even if they are still power
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30 31 To connect the DockPod to a USB hub, connect the USB cable to the CONNECTION USB 2.0 port on the back of the DockPod and to an appropriate USB port on the hub, as shown in the illustration on page 30. Follow the USB OPTIONS hub manufacturer’s instructions for proper set-up and use of the hub. Connecting DockPod to a USB Connecting your RocketPod Stack Hub to a FireWire Daisy-Chain Important Notes: When daisy-chaining a RocketPod stack, you connect the FireWire port on the DockPod
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32 33 RocketPod Stack If your RocketPod stack is first in the TROUBLESHOOTING/ chain (starting from the computer): As shown in the illustration FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS) at right, connect the FireWire DockPod to your com- Q: My DockPod won’t power on. devices puter; then connect A: Check to make sure all connections are secure. When the the right-hand FireWire DockPod is powered on, the power button will light up blue. port of a stacked-on Q: My computer does not seem to recog
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34 35 RocketPod modules rather than five. However, you can stack on two Before you turn off the DockPod, be sure to dismount all modules. FireWire RocketPod modules, for a total of five modules. Q: Do I need to use both the USB 2.0 and FireWire interfaces of Q: Do I need to turn my RocketPod modules on when I stack them? my DockPod in order for it to work? A: No. If your DockPod is turned on, stacked-on RocketPod modules A: No, you can use only one interface if you so choose. DockPod will pow
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36 37 operate at USB 1.x speeds. You will need to follow any necessary Q: The voltage meter doesn’t seem to work properly. set-up instructions for each RocketPod module, as described in their A: Like the Stack light, the voltage meter is only active when one or respective User’s Guides. more RocketPod modules are stacked onto the DockPod and the DockPod is turned on. Q: I stacked on a RocketPod module and it powered on but my computer did not recognize it. Q: Do I need to worry about the exp
