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John R. Hogerhuis | 1 Dec 01:28
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Re: M-100 compatible printer!

On Nov 29, 2007 1:21 PM, Jan Vanden Bossche <jan80@...> wrote:
>
> Hallo,
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: jhoger@...
[mailto:jhoger@...] On Behalf Of
> >
> > Only printers with a parallel or serial port will be directly
> > compatible.
>
> I never figured out I could use a serial printer with my model T. Not that I
> ever would try it, to be honest. The cereal port (G) should be reserved to
> communication and driving PDDs(emulators).
>
> Anyway, HOW do you use an serial printer on a model T?
>

Not the recommended approach, certainly. Parallel is faster, and
better supported.

It depends on your text formatter. It should give you a way to specify
the device or filename to send formatted output to.

If you are using a BASIC text formatter, then instead of opening the
LPT: device open the COM: port with comm parameters set to match the
printer.

-- John.
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John Whitton | 1 Dec 04:17

Re: M-100 compatible printer!

<x-flowed>
Gee..., it just flashed back to me that I used to use MS BASIC to print 
custom faces for meters using a laser printer and HPGL. That was actually 
pretty neat. I have moments (usually when handing off a pound of flesh for 
an ink cartridge)  when I wish that I had a laser printer. As far as 
printing 'generated' graphics perhaps the same thing can be accomplished 
with an ink jet printer and PCL, i.e. vector graphics??

John
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "M H Stein" <dm561@...>
To: <m100@...>
Sent: Thursday, November 29, 2007 2:38 PM
Subject: RE: M-100 compatible printer!

> If you're only printing text then pretty well any printer with a parallel
> interface should work for you, dot matrix, ink jet or laser. You may
> have some minor issues such as the CR/LF problem and the fact
> that all lasers & some inkjets will want to print a whole page at a
> time, but that's no problem. You will of course require a non-standard
> cable to plug into the M100, but AFAIK Rick can sell you one or,
> if you have a source for the connectors and a piece of ribbon cable,
> they're easy to make (the internal parallel cable in many older PCs
> will also work, with a standard printer cable attached).
>
> To use a serial printer you'd install a small redirection program.
>
> A USB printer like most of the newer inexpensive inkjets would probably
> also be a "WINprinter;" they are NOT compatible because they're too
> dumb to print anything except dots and the computer has to assemble
(Continue reading)

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John R. Hogerhuis | 1 Dec 04:54
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Re: M-100 compatible printer!

On Nov 30, 2007 7:17 PM, John Whitton <jwhitton@...> wrote:
> Gee..., it just flashed back to me that I used to use MS BASIC to print
> custom faces for meters using a laser printer and HPGL. That was actually
> pretty neat. I have moments (usually when handing off a pound of flesh for
> an ink cartridge)  when I wish that I had a laser printer. As far as
> printing 'generated' graphics perhaps the same thing can be accomplished
> with an ink jet printer and PCL, i.e. vector graphics??
>
> John

I think the way graphics worked in PCL5 was that the laser printer
also implemented the HPGL plotter codes. It was some plotted language,
anyway.

And I believe the HP Inkjets all implement a PCL variant.

The nicest for vector graphics though is PostScript, if you can find a
printer that supports it. Laser printers have come down a lot in
price, but they don't typically have PostScript unless they are for
the Mac market.

-- jhoger.
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Rick Herndon | 1 Dec 06:45
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Re: M-100 compatible printer!

<x-flowed>
At 09:54 PM 11/30/2007, John H wrote:
>I think the way graphics worked in PCL5 was that the laser printer
>also implemented the HPGL plotter codes. It was some plotted language,
>anyway.

John,

Yep, check out
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HPGL
which was the first hit on a Google search for exactly this text
+hpgl
which had 866,000 hits! Very popular plotter graphics language. You 
can find viewers, translators, etc. with that search.

HTH,

Pax,
Rick K5FNI
Ganado TX  

</x-flowed>
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Neil Morrison | 1 Dec 06:46
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Re: molex plugs, etc...

Not really. Molex plugs are the type used for the 5.25" floppy drives
for power. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molex for more.

Neil

On Nov 30, 2007 2:29 PM, Michael P. Hamilton <kc8lcy@...> wrote:
> Thee coaxial power plug on your m100/102/200 is called a molex plug.
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Rick Herndon | 1 Dec 06:51
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Very sad for NASA's computers

<x-flowed>
Y'know, we are always whining about our original ROM problem with the 
21st century. Well, NASA seems to have an even more overwhelming 
problem and (seemingly) no way for quality assurance to solve the 
problems. See this release:
>NASA has exactly one week in December to get Atlantis off the ground  with
>Columbus. Otherwise, the launch will have to be postponed until early
>January because of unfavorable sun angles for the docked shuttle and
>NASA's desire to avoid flying a shuttle at the very end of the year. The
>concern is that the computer software might not switch over properly to
>2008.

This astounding revelation in that last sentence was from an AP article:
NASA: Atlantis cleared for launch By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer
Fri Nov 30, 7:25 PM ET

I'm sitting here in Ganado, Texas, sort of strumming my lips and 
blowing bubbles over the vastness of that revelation. Augh. EEK. What 
do you all think?

Pax,
Rick K5FNI
Ganado TX  

</x-flowed>
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Jan Vanden Bossche | 1 Dec 13:35
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RE: M-100 compatible printer!


Hallo,

This is right up my alley. I'm administrator of 500 printers in my company.

> -----Original Message-----
> 
> > As far as
> > printing 'generated' graphics perhaps the same thing can be 
> > accomplished
> > with an ink jet printer and PCL, i.e. vector graphics??
> >
> > John
> 
> 
> I think the way graphics worked in PCL5 was that the laser printer
> also implemented the HPGL plotter codes. It was some plotted language,
> anyway.

Not entirely true, PCL5 and HPGL are 2 different things, PCL has AFAIK its
own graphics mode. True is, that every implementation of PCL5e incorporates
the possibility to switch to HPGL. There might be overlapping codes,
certainly.

> And I believe the HP Inkjets all implement a PCL variant.

Sadly, no. The majority have their own printing language i.e. host-based
printing, some use PCL3, some use PCL5C, and only a minirity - or some with
an add-on - support the full PCL5e. One of their first Deskjet printers, the
DJ 1600, had it all. The consumer Deskjets never had PCL., The Deskjet, + &
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Paul Treuthardt | 1 Dec 13:39
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Re: PG Designs 32K RAM Bank offered

Steve:

You "won" the auction - no-one else bid !
Taking the batteries out, I discovered that the contact strips underneath
are very badly corroded, not surprising given its been in its box for 20
years or so.  Also, I lost one of the tiny screws holding in one of the two
battery retaining bars, because I didn't realise you should only loosen one
and then slide the bar out - it's got a hook on the end.

So all in all, it will wing its way to you free and gratis as soon as you
let me have your mail address.

I've put in a note, but to remind you, the batteries are Union Carbide 389,
plus side upwards.  You may have to search for the current replacement.

I've included the original PG Design manual, the one I scanned some time
back, and also, because I happened upon it, a table of printer codes by The
Covington Group for Text Power 100 relating to various Tandy DWP printers.

Someone may need them some time ...

Regards,

Paul

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Stephen Adolph" <twospruces@...>
To: <m100@...>
Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 6:21 AM
Subject: Re: PG Designs 32K RAM Bank offered
(Continue reading)

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Bob Pigford | 1 Dec 15:50

RE: M-100 compatible printer!

Friends,
I have played with printers and the ModelT for some years.  I recommend
laser printers that "speak" HP's PCL (printer control language) and HPGL
(graphics language).  They also come with several built in fonts that
can be invoked for a nice looking printout. But first, the basics

You need:
1) ModelT with RS designed printer cable (flat connector on ModelT end,
ribbon cable, and blue Centronics parallel connector on the printer end.
2) A printer with a parallel input port.
3) A way to have the printer understand what the characters coming from
the ModelT mean (how to respond when they arrive at the printer).

Most laser printers speak PCL4 and later (each new version is a superset
of previous with new stuff added). I have a set of reference manuals
from HP that explain both PCL commands (like the escape sequences we
used with Epson 'speaking' printers), Raster Graphics commands (telling
each dot where to be on the page), and bit mapped graphics.

I wrote a simple program (SETUP.BA) that I use on the ModelT(s) to send
a set of setup commands to a laser printer so that, when the characters
arrive from the ModelT, it knows which font, margins, and lines/pg to
use.  One of the nice features of PCL4 and higher is that the printer
can be commanded to insert a line feed after each carriage return so you
do not have to do that within the ModelT anymore.  This is only a
rudimentary setup program.  The printer can do so much more.

Currently, I am using a Brother Model HL-5240 laser printer.  This
particular printer has both parallel and USB inputs.  In addition to
it's HPGL and PCL capabilities, it can also be set to EMULATE an EPSON
(Continue reading)

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Russ Oechslin, ink | 1 Dec 19:41
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Gmane