4 Jul
2010
4 Jul
'10
11:30 a.m.
I keep an old IBM Graphics Printer (Epson MX-80), HP
Deskjet 500 and
an HP LJ IIIP around for printing off classic computers like my TRS-80,
Atari, Amiga and other systems.
As I've mentioned before, I consider many of the peripherals to be a part
of 'classic computing' and have no problem finding interest in restoring,
say, an HP7245A thermal printer/plotter and then using it on one of my
classic HP machines (although what I do when I run out of the special
sprocketed thermal paper is another matter...).
For the same reason I recently rebuilt an HP2631B (large, text-only
dot-matrix printer with an HPIB interface) which will get used on one of
my HP9000s (and elserhere). And of course I have a few other HPIB
printers, HPIL printers, the CX-VDO laser printer on the PERQ, and the
like.
But I probably wouldn't want to print out longlistings on any of those.
Consumables for them are getting hard to find (and expensive). Normally I
trasnfer the data to this PC and send it to my (classic) laser printer.
For machines which can be convinced to 'print' to a serial port, it's
firly easy to capture the data nad upload it (As I've mentioned before,
the HP95LX palmtop is handly for this..). For machines that have a
parallel interface (not even necessarily Cantronics), it's not hard to
make an RS232 output interface using TTL logic, a dumb UART, or a
microcotnroller (depending on your preference), that looks like a
Centroincs (or whatever) printer to the classic machine and simply
squirts the data out to the HP95...
I wonder (and it's of no use to me at the momnet)... How hard would it be
to make a device with a Centronicts-like _input_ on one side and a USB
port on the other, adn some data buffering memory. The idea is that you
link it between your BBC micro, Amiga, TRS-80, etc (which thinks it's a
printer) and a PC running suitable software. The classic machine 'prints'
to this device. the software on the PC takes the data and stores it in a
file on the PC for later formatting and printing.
My guess is the hardware is little more than a microcontroller, amybe
with a bit of logic to ensure the handshake timing is correct (a D-type
and a couple of gates). The software is another matter, though...
-tony