Wanna get started on hardware

[Steve00000]

i read a thread in this forum about hardware programming with c++.
thats something i'd like to do. i wanted to start on the parallel port and so i looked up some parallel port tutorials. later on i thought to myself... wait.. i dont have a parallel port comming out of my computer. so wanting to do this has suddenly become problematic. just for starters i wanted to hook a parallel port to a bread board and have a mini moter go.

heres the real question tho. can anybody help by providing ideas like maybe directing me to a tutorial on usb 2.0 or something.

[Dave Sinkula]

http://lvr.com/ ?

[Steve00000]

I dont think thats the kind of book i want, it deals with file handeling mainly, however there is apparently such a thing as a usb to parallel cable, do you think that would be more worth while to obtain since its somewhat more inline with my original goals than going to all the trouble of finding something to help me get started with the usb drive? or perhaps my thinking is slightly miss led since either way it probably requires me to get access to the drive, I hope you can tell me. one of the alternatives my friend and I thought may just be to simply buy a junker that already has a parallel port on it.

[tux4life]

What do you actually want to achieve using an USB port?
Your question was very vague...
Do you want to write some files to a USB stick?
Do you want to transfer data over a USB cable?
Do you want to control a wireless USB adapter?

USB has much applications :P

Edit:: Out of your post I could make up that you want to control a little motor over an USB port, is this correct?

[Dave Sinkula]

I dont think thats the kind of book i want, it deals with file handeling mainly,

I don't suppose you happened to look at the rest of that page? And the copious links, including http://lvr.com/usb.htm ?

however there is apparently such a thing as a usb to parallel cable, do you think that would be more worth while to obtain since its somewhat more inline with my original goals than going to all the trouble of finding something to help me get started with the usb drive? or perhaps my thinking is slightly miss led since either way it probably requires me to get access to the drive, I hope you can tell me. one of the alternatives my friend and I thought may just be to simply buy a junker that already has a parallel port on it.

Or maybe http://lvr.com/parport.htm ?

Folks who are truly interested in 'getting into the hardware' rarely need to be spoonfed.