bagpiper@oxy.UUCP (10/01/87)
In article <8000018@uiucdcsm> reed@uiucdcsm.cs.uiuc.edu: >This problem is either really simple (implying I'm dumb - highly likely) >or its hard (which I doubt). I'm trying to connect an Apple Imagewriter II >to an IBM PS/2 Model 80. Because the Imagewriter II is a serial printer, >I dutifully connected an Apple IIe 8pin <-> RS-232 DB25 cable to the printer >and the serial port of the PC. This is the cable used to connect a IIe to >an ImagewriterII. I then incanted > > mode com1:9600,n,8,1,p > mode lpt1:=com1 > >and tried to print. Print reports that the printer is offline. Now >either I've cabled it incorrectly, or I'm forgetting some command sequence. >By the way, the ImagewriterII DIP switches are still at the factory settings. > >Any ideas? > >Daniel Reed >Department of Computer Science >University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign > >USENET: ...!{pur-ee,ihnp4}!uiucdcs!reed >Internet: reed@a.cs.uiuc.edu This sounds a lot like a problem that has been plagueing us for a while. We can get true blue PC's (8088's) to talk to ImageWriter's, but not to PC AT Clones (80286's). If anybody has any info on this topic, I would be grateful if you could relate them to me and I would guess that the info would also be appreciated by other people on the net. Michael Hunter UUCP : ....{seismo, rutgers, ames}!cit-vax!oxy!bagpiper Box 241 ARPA : oxy!bagpiper@csvax.caltech.edu Occidental College BITNET: oxy!bagpiper@hamlet.bitnet Los Angeles, CA 90041 CSNET : oxy!bagpiper%csvax.caltech.edu@relay.cs.net
mcgurrin@MITRE.ARPA (10/01/87)
It's not a DTE/DCE problem, is it? I'm not sure, but I would suspect the default for the IBM port is for it to act like a DTE, and I'm fairly confident that the Imagewriter wants to be a DTE also, hence a problem. The right cable (which crosses some leads), a null modem (which does the same), or a command to change the IBM port to DCE (if such a command exists) is what would be needed if this is the problem.
kamath@reed.UUCP (Sean Kamath) (10/05/87)
Just short note about using Imagewriters with PC's. PC firmware
requires the use of DTR and other serial lines fo r effective
communication. Note that the IW2 cable does *not* have DTR wired.
Remember folks, if you're having problems with a serial device, nine
times out of 10 it's the cable. You can get cables that support the DTR
handshaking for the IW2.
Also note, if a program accesses the ports directly on the PC, ths
problem may or may not appear.
A good book to read about serial communications is "C Programmers Guide
to Serial Communications" by Joe Campbell. It deals directly with the
IBM PC and KAYPRO, but has a lot to say about serial communications and
should be read by those who question authority.
Sean kamath
PS I have no connection with anyone.
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