CS656@OUACCVMB.BITNET (04/10/88)
Bob Rogers writes, >Orange Micro has an "Grappler" interface that is supposed to make a number >of printers emulate the Imagewriter. I called and was told that my printer >(Star SG-10) was supported. Has anybody tried this interface, especially with >this printer? How well/poorly does it work and what are its limits? Thanks. I used a Grappler C to connect my //C to a star sg-10 for a couple of years. I would highly recommend this setup. The Grappler c has switches that can be be set to Imagewriter emulation. I set mine and then never touched them again. I told all of my software that I had an Imagewriter and SuperSerial card. There are 6 differences between this setup and the Imagewriter. (1) The print speed is much slower. (2) No color printing. (3) The dip switches are very accessible on the Star. (4) It uses typewriter ribbons which last longer and cost one third the price of (5) You have built in italics on the Star. (6) The star has a pull feed. This wastes the occasional sheet of paper but is *much* less prone to eating paper. I now have an Imagewriter LQ which I like. If I had my choice between the Imagewriter // and the Star I would choose the Star. A few hints. The grapplerC plugs into the back of the Star interfering with the paper feed. Use a short printer cable to move it. This is also handy if you ever do want to change the pin settings. Put the printer and grappler power cord on the same switchable outlet. Some of the more poorly written software programs, in particuluar NEWSROOM don't bother to clear the buffer. You can turn off the printer and computer and still have characters in the grapplers buffer causing havoc the next time you power up. You'll want to get a copy of the Imagewriter control codes as these are what you really need if using emulation. I hope people don't mind my posting this to the LIST. The Star is such a commonly carried printer that I thought it may be of general interest.