heiser@cca.UUCP (Bill Heiser) (02/08/85)
Do any of the readers of this group use TRS-80 Model 4-P
s? If so, do any of you use printers with your machines?
If so, what type of printers have you found to work properly?
I have a 4-P, running under TRSDOS 6.1.2, and I just bought
a Star Micronics Powertype to use with it. The Powertype is a
daisy-wheel printer which is supposed to be compatible with
most computers, either through a serial or parallel interface.
When I connected the printer, though, and turned it on, the printer
powered up for about 2 seconds and died. I exchanged the printer for
a new one, thinking the original one was defective, and the same thing
occurred with the second one. I know the second one worked before
I connected it, as I ran a self-test on it. Now, though, it won't
even power up.
I had the printer conneclted via a "standard?" Centronics
parallel cable to the appropriate card plug on the computer.
Is it possible to use a serial printer with this machine?
Does anyone have any ideas as to what might have caused this
problem with my printer?
Thanks in advance for any possible ideas...
--
Network: decvax!cca!heiser
USPS: Bill Heiser, PO Box 3202, Peabody, MA 01961-3202
dave@ea.UUCP (02/16/85)
Bill, Your problem probably lies in your connection to the printer. Are you sure you have connected the cable to the 4P properly? I have hooked printers to the model 4, and you have to use the right connector, and the cable must be on the right way or you'll blow the fuse in the printer, causing the failure to power-up as you described. Make sure your cable is hookek up right, and that your ribbon cable is undamaged. If you continue to blow fuses in the printers, you probably have a bad parallel interface in the 4P. It seems unlikely that you got 2 defective printers in a row. You should have no problem hooking your 4P up to any Centronics parallel printer. Hope this helps. Robert Braver c/o dave@ea