old friend is slimming down the warehouse

[Todd Killingsworth]

Ethan - There are pallets of printers as well, although I don't remember
any of the brands besides Okidata.
TK

On Fri, Jun 24, 2016 at 3:17 PM, Ethan Dicks <ethan.dicks at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Jun 24, 2016 at 1:01 PM, Mark J. Blair <nf6x at nf6x.net> wrote:
> > I didn't see any printers mentioned, but I'm specifically looking for a
> DEC LP32 series band printer, or perhaps another printer made for use with
> the DMF32 controller.
> >
> > http://vt100.net/docs/tp83/chapter16.html
>
> We had an LP25 on our DMF32.  ISTR it's a Dataproducts B300 or
> something close to that.  It was a bit fiddly when it got old (I was
> the one that got to fix it when it broke), but we ran multiple boxes
> of paper through it per day.  It was _the_ printer on a VAX-11/750
> with 75 to 10 users (decreasing over time)... developers code
> listings, non-letter-quality documentation (serial LA210 for the "good
> stuff", used sparingly), diagnostic sheets in every product box,
> e-mails, calendars, customer lists... ASCII art.  ;-)
>
> I think there's a simple circuit (a few TTL inverters and a pin
> swabbing cable) to use an LA-180 (i.e., _non_ Dataproducts printer) on
> the DC37 on a DMF-32.  The basic lines are all the same but a couple
> of them need their sense inverted.  An LA-180 is much lighter
> (van-sized and small pallet) as long as you don't need massive
> volumes.  One could also rig up a Personal Computer-grade dot matrix
> printer with a Centronics interface similarly, if the goal is just to
> have some form of hardcopy, not specifically to "enjoy" the
> band/chain-printer experience.  It is fun, though, watching and
> listening to a band printer fire up and zip through greenbar paper.
>
> -ethan
>