19 Sep
1998
19 Sep
'98
3:06 p.m.
Can I recomend that you grab the parallel port FAQ off
the web. Those
printer ports are really 12 output lines and 4 input lines each. You can
do all sorts of neat stuff with those. Like _directly_ control the
stepper motors (or use some simple stepper control ICs). Hook up
switches/sensors. You can do that from BASIC, but I think you have to be
running MS-DOS and not Windows (cetainly not 95 or NT), since that tends
to get in the way of direct port access.
That's not a problem. I'm using a Tandy 1000TX running DOS 3.2, and
GW-BASIC 3.11
Using the electronics from the printer, faking it so
it thinks it's still
connected to a printer, and the using the motors seems
a rather complex
way to do it, actually.
Maybe. I'm just trying to get something to work, first, then I'll improve
it and make it easier to use after it works.
--
-Jason
(roblwill(a)usaor.net)
ICQ#-1730318