I'm using
the terminal as a console for a minicomputer and something I
have found useful is that the printer/aux port can be set into
'bi-directional' mode, making it possible to connect another computer to
the second port for transparent downloading and uploading between the two
computers without having to switch cables or requiring a switch box.
Neat trick. I might build a second terminal cable then.
I should have mentioned: Note the aux port is DCE whereas the main port is DTE even though
they are both female DB25. (Granted you can figure this out with a meter.)
[BEGIN RANT]
This sort of silliness used to (and still does) annoy me every time I have to deal with
it. My understanding is that the EIA/RS-232 standard specifies that:
DCE == female DB25
DTE == male DB25
If manufacturers had followed this there would be no confusion about plugging things
together, you would be able to look at a terminal/interface/modem/cable/whatever and know
what you were dealing with and life would be very simple (and you wouldn't need gender
changers). Some (many) manufacturers screwed this up (mostly terminal manufacturers doing
female DB25 for DTE, in my experience) and you can never rely on anything and have to make
measurements, etc.
Oh well, it's pretty much a dead technology now anyways, except to us vintage types.
[END RANT]
I would like to know what triggers the
"WAIT" LED on the keyboard
I suspect the WAIT LED is triggered by DCD going inactive or something like
that.
I find no mention in the manual of the WAIT LED and my keyboard doesn't have it.
The terminal does have fairly extensive support for local-edit/block-sending, so it may
indicate 'busy sending' after one initiates a block-send.
and what "U.K." is supposed to signify in
the VT52 and VT100 entries.
Can't help on that as the manual does does not mention the DEC emulations.
It seems Liberty were making revisions quite quickly, even the manual I have (which did
come in the box with the terminal) has some discrepancies with the actual terminal.
Any chance you could scan the manual?
Some day I should go shopping (cringe..!) and get a digital camera and/or scanner, but,
like a good vintage-techy, I figure that Any Day Now a discarded/surplus/repairable
scanner will drop across my path. :) (I'll keep a scan in mind when one does... sorry
for not being able to provide it just now)