wct@mordor.UUCP (02/04/86)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I just received a catalog from MCM Electronics which has an item
which may be of interest:
Apple IIc Printer Cable -- used to interface Apple IIc to
a serial printer with RS232 female input. 5 pin male DIN
connector on one end, 25 pin male RS232 connector on the other
six foot long.
#83-750 $6.25 (quantity 1-9, $5.95 10+)
MCM Electronics
858 E. Congress Park Dr.
Centerville, Ohio 45459-4072
(513) 434-0031 (800) 543-4330
1. I've never ordered anything from them before, though they've
been sending me their catalog for about 2 years now. They primarily
seem to stock stuff for TV, electronics repair shops.
2. I haven't seen the connectors side-by-side, but from pictures and
seeing the MacPlus in person, I believe the IIc connectors are the
same as the ones on the IIc. Are they cabled the same? Only
Apple knows at this point--perhaps someone else can tell us. I would
strongly suspect the answer is yes--since both machines use the
Imagewriter II with the DIN connectors and the Imagewriter 1 with
a 25 pin D connector. In any event, $6.25 is
certainly a reasonable price, even if you chop one up to make a DIN
to 9 pin D converter.
--
William C. Thompson III (S-1 Project, Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory)
U.S. Mail: LLNL, P.O. Box 5503, L-278, Livermore, Ca., 94550
Phone: (415) 422-0758
MILNET: wct@s1-c or s1-a UUCP: ...!decvax!decwrl!mordor!wctmlr0@bunny.UUCP (Martin Resnick) (02/05/86)
> Apple IIc Printer Cable -- used to interface Apple IIc to > a serial printer with RS232 female input. 5 pin male DIN > connector on one end, 25 pin male RS232 connector on the other > six foot long. > .... > > 2. I haven't seen the connectors side-by-side, but from pictures and > seeing the MacPlus in person, I believe the IIc connectors are the > same as the ones on the IIc. Are they cabled the same? I think you meant "same as the ones on the Mac+". Anyway, the connectors on the Mac+ are 8-pin DIN connectors. They are NOT 9-pin as other messages on here have implied.
davidl@teklds.UUCP (David Levine) (02/06/86)
In article <5369@mordor.UUCP> wct@mordor.UUCP writes: >I just received a catalog from MCM Electronics which has an item >which may be of interest: > >Apple IIc Printer Cable -- used to interface Apple IIc to >a serial printer with RS232 female input. [...] >2. I haven't seen the connectors side-by-side, but from pictures and >seeing the MacPlus in person, I believe the IIc connectors are the >same as the ones on the IIc [probably meant "Mac+" -DDL]. Are they >cabled the same? I believe the Mac+ connectors are not DIN, but "mini-DIN" plugs. They are similiar in size to AppleTalk connectors (about 1/4" diameter), although they have more pins. Regular DIN plugs are larger (about 1/2"), more readily available in the US, cheaper, and MUCH easier to solder to. They also won't help you a bit in this case. Save your money, unless you enjoy collecting obscure cables (I do!). Now, if you're really desparate for a Mac+ cable and your local Apple dealer can't help you, the Epson Geneva (PX-80) laptop computer also uses mini-DIN plugs. Your local Epson dealer (if any) may have some mini-DIN to DB25 cables (with and without pins 2 & 3 swapped) for about $30. However, I can't guarantee that these cables have the correct number of pins on the mini-DIN end (I haven't actually seen a Mac+ yet), and the pinouts will almost certainly be different. You'd probably have to cut off the DB25 connector and put on another with the appropriate pins connected to the appropriate colored wires. I'd advise waiting for the third-party cables to come roaring into the marketplace. (Ha!) I sure will miss those little thumbscrews on the cables... David D. Levine (...{decvax,ihnp4,hplabs}!tektronix!teklds!davidl) [UUCP] (davidl%teklds%tektronix@csnet-relay.arpa) [ARPA] (You'll note they left the thumbscrews on the mouse cable, though, for strain relief. I guess they figure you don't drag your printer or modem around very much...)
92849160@sdcc13.UUCP ({|lit}) (03/02/86)
For those of you who are not thrilled at the prospect of spending $30 each for two adaptors to convert your "new" DIN8 connectors on your recently upgraded Mac Plus to the old DB9 connectors that all your old peripherals use, there is hope. I have heard (although not checked out myself) that the pins in the DIN8 connectors are too close together to solder to by hand. Judging from the size of the entire DIN8 connector, and the fact that there are 8 wires in it, this may be accurate. However, I have seen DIN8 to DB9 adaptor cables from third parties (professional cable companies), built especially for the Mac Plus, selling for two thirds of the price Apple charges. So check some local hometown computer and/or electronics stores before paying Apple $30 for a $5 adaptor. David Shayer, Univ. of Cal. at San Diego