I was thinking about the PC parallel port route, but
instead I built a Remex parallel to RS-232 converter
with a Scenix microcontroller:
This made it easier to hookup to non-PC stuff.
The Remex's (the early, silver ones) are built like
battleships. The later ones, the "Directors", are
micro-driven, not really as well made, mine had RS-422
interface boards and I'm working on
reverse-engineering them to RS-232.
--- "Dwight K. Elvey" <dwightk.elvey(a)amd.com> wrote:
Hi
I have an old Intel tape reader ( I think it was
made
by REMEX ). It was a parallel output. I took me
about
20 minutes to make an adapter to plug into the
bi-directional
printer port on my laptop( it took me longer to buy
the
cable since I went to Fry's to buy it). I took me
another
hour or so to look up the info on the parallel port
to write a
simple reader to take input from the printer port to
a file.
I started without schematics or docs on the reader,
just knowing that it was parallel. One should be
able to
find the output strobe and data lines with a logic
probe
( although I used an oscilloscope ).
Dwight
From: "Loboyko Steve"
<sloboyko(a)yahoo.com>
They once made these but I haven't seen any surplus
in
years.
Until I picked up some paper tape readers on eBay
(cheap - no one wants readers, they want punches) -
I
was considering making one out of tiny
phototransistors/IR emitters using wooden strips
masked with Mylar tape punched with the RUBOUT
character. I definitely think this is doable. But
seriously, I'd look at eBay, because readers with
nonstandard interface go for cheap. I recently
missed
a complete Remex reader (with reels, etc) for $20
(nobody bid on it), and I DO know how to interface
these.
--- "Dwight K. Elvey" <dwightk.elvey(a)amd.com>
wrote:
> Hi Glen
> There isn't much application for things with
this
> spacing.
> Remember, you will most likely be connecting this
to
> a
> uP. You really don't need to space then in a
> straight
> line. You can stager them and reassemble the
entire
> byte width afterwards.
> Another though would be to use one of the linear
> arrays,
> used in scanners. Most of these are about as wide
as
> a paper tape. You could use a collimated
source
and
> drag the tape directly over the array.
You'd need
> to do a little image processing but it shouldn't
be
> too
> difficult.
> There are some mechanical options that might
work
> as well.
> Like I said, use some imagination.
> Dwight
>
>
> >From: "Glen Slick" <glenslick(a)hotmail.com>
> >
> >I was hoping there might be some sort of
> preassembled optical sensor array
> >available with the right spacing for paper tape
> holes, but maybe that is
> >hoping for too much. If you build one with
> discrete sensors, is it easy to
> >find ones that are narrow enough to stack side
to
> side with the correct
> >spacing?
> >
> >
> >>Hi
> >> Ahh, such concepts as make one come to mind.
> You could
> >>scrap a number of mice for the optical sensors
(
> two for
> >>each axis, 4 total per mouse ) or you could buy
> photo
> >>transistors from Jameco. In a pinch, the clear
> lensed
> >>LED's make reasonable detectors.
> >> Use a little imagination.
> >>Dwight
> >
> >
>
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