scot@amigash.UUCP (Scot L. Harris) (10/03/90)
A few weeks ago I requested information from the net regarding additional parallel ports for the Amiga. As I had guessed the number of responses was underwelming. The ones I did get however were very helpful and provided some good information (especially those replies from Jason Goldberg). I have included those replies I recieved below with my own comments added in. If anybody else has additional information of a good parallel port solution I would be interested. Thanks to those that responded! (I would be very interested in any comments on my ideas at the end of this message, email if possible or if this subject warrants discussion on the net then post, not sure how many people have this requirement.) >From: uunet!ames!uw-beaver!june.cs.washington.edu!dylan (Dylan McNamee) > >there is one. It was by CMI, and a company bought them out, called >DigiFex, or something that sounds like that. It is a serial/parallel >combo board, and costs $200 (discounted) >good luck, and do summarize to the net... > >dylan >-- >dylan mcnamee "...I put the Mu in Mother Goose, >dylan@cs.washington.edu the Doc in Doctor Seuss..." Young MC >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >no, as far as I can tell, they don't advertise. Call one of the >mail order houses. >It might have 2 serial ports, and I know one of them is RS232 and compatible >with the faster RS242 standard. >anyway, good luck. >dylan > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From: Jason Goldberg <uunet!orion.oac.uci.edu!easu015> > >Scot, > I use the PrinterFace by IVS (makers of the trumpcard) it costs >less than $50 and provides a second highly reliable parallel port. It >is a board which interfaces between the 6800[0] chip and its socket and mounts >on the back of the A2000 or hangs out the side of a A500, also works fine >on my A2500/030. The sotware allows you to to change either par: or >prt: to the new port or helps you to patch software to work with it. You >can even use a software switch to alternate back and forth and have multiple >PrinterFaces. > >Goodluck, > >-Jason- > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >From: Jason Goldberg <uunet!orion.oac.uci.edu!easu015> > >Scot, > You understood me correctly, the Printerface is a small daughter >board which plugs into the 68000 socket on your motherboard and in turn >has a socket on it for your 68000 chip. It really isn't a kludge, if you >think about it where else on the Amiga do you have access to all the lines >you need to operate the printer port, including having provisions to address >it seperately from the origonal printer port. > As for your GVP /030 board, it does not present a problem, I have my >PrinterFace in my Amiga 2500/030 (CBM's /030 card), and it works great. >Obviously the 68030 isn't pin capatable w/ the 68000 but even though you are >using the 68030 card you still have the 68000 socket on you motherboard. >The printerface dosn't even need the 68000 to be in place, it just needs the >address lines available in the socket! > I will forward the IVS address as soon as I can look it up for you. >They advertise in all the mags. The Parallel port is called PrinterFace and >their main product is called The TrumpCard HD controller. > >GoodLuck, > >-Jason- The above was in response to my belief that the Printerface is a kludge and at best a hardware hack. Apparently it works well however which is one point in its favor. More of what I was looking for was something along the lines of the A2232. A parallel port (one or more....) on a board that plugs into a Zorro II slot (only have an A2000) that comes with a replacement parallel.device and a new preferences program. The opendevice function supports a unit number for the parallel device although the 1.4 autodocs say the unit number should always be zero for future compatibility. The method CBM choose to handle multiple serial ports can (and should IMHO) be extended to cover multiple parallel ports as well. Allow a default prt: and par: to be set up in the new preferences program that would be unit 0. Unit 1 for the parallel port would of course be the internal built in parallel port with subsequent units being assigned to any additional ports. They would be mounted and addressed as prt1:, prt2:, etc. This keeps things consistent and stays away from kludges like the printerface (sorry). The preferences program would have to allow multiple printer drivers to be selected and assigned to all available parallel ports (or serial ports for that matter, hmmm, had not thought about handling serial printers on an A2232 board before? Ideas anyone?) Anyway, I would really like to have some additional input on this and find out how much work is involved in setting up a new parallel.device etc. Comments CATS? -- _ /// /_\ Scot L. Harris ...!tarpit!rtmvax!amigash!scot \XX/ / \ M I G A Orlando, FL (407)273-1759 [VoRecOne by Impulse. Now my Amiga hears me, but does it really listen to me?]
billsey@agora.uucp (Bill Seymour) (10/13/90)
In article <scot.3816@amigash.UUCP> scot@amigash.UUCP (Scot L. Harris) writes:
:
:More of what I was looking for was something along
:the lines of the A2232. A parallel port (one or more....) on a board
:that plugs into a Zorro II slot (only have an A2000) that comes with a
:replacement parallel.device and a new preferences program.
That's what the DigiFeX board does. (My mail to you must have
bounced from the original responce.)
:The opendevice function supports a unit number for the parallel device
:although the 1.4 autodocs say the unit number should always be zero for future
:compatibility. The method CBM choose to handle multiple serial ports can
:(and should IMHO) be extended to cover multiple parallel ports as well.
:
:Allow a default prt: and par: to be set up in the new preferences program
:that would be unit 0. Unit 1 for the parallel port would of course be
:the internal built in parallel port with subsequent units being assigned
:to any additional ports. They would be mounted and addressed as prt1:,
:prt2:, etc. This keeps things consistent and stays away from kludges
:like the printerface (sorry). The preferences program would have to allow
:multiple printer drivers to be selected and assigned to all available
:parallel ports (or serial ports for that matter, hmmm, had not thought about
:handling serial printers on an A2232 board before? Ideas anyone?)
:
:Anyway, I would really like to have some additional input on this and find
:out how much work is involved in setting up a new parallel.device etc.
:Comments CATS?
DigiFeX did a replacement Port-Handler to allow for multiple unit
numbers. They didn't do a replacement preferences, so you only get one or
the other, not a choice.
: _
: /// /_\ Scot L. Harris ...!tarpit!rtmvax!amigash!scot
: \XX/ / \ M I G A Orlando, FL (407)273-1759
:[VoRecOne by Impulse. Now my Amiga hears me, but does it really listen to me?]
--
-Bill Seymour billsey@agora
***** American People/Link Amiga Zone Hardware Specialist NES*BILL *****
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