[sci.electronics] Printer Buffer Design

tts@ttank.UUCP (Karl Bunch) (04/12/90)

Just a novice question here..  I would like to build a parallel 
printer buffer.  I have several megs in 64k memory chips and would
love to build a nice buffer as a project.  I really would rather build
a 256k buffer (Don't ask why so large) but don't want to wire that
many 64k chips together! :-)  Maybe I could use two 1Meg chips and
store one nibble in each chip?

Would static ram be easier to implement?  If so are the prices
inhibitive?

The biggest thing I want to do is get the fastest turn-around on
the parallel line from the host.  Hopefully the design will allow
the host to burst the output without using interrupts. (This is a
Xenix System) 

So, the big question.. Where can I find some designs that would
be useful or even just manuals I can use to piece it all together.

Any input would be helpful.. Just would like to avoid the normal
liquid nitrogen comments.. ;-)

Karl Bunch
root%ttank@ucrmath.edu

henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (04/13/90)

In article <26@ttank.UUCP> tts@ttank.UUCP (Karl Bunch) writes:
>Would static ram be easier to implement?  If so are the prices
>inhibitive?

Static RAM is *considerably* easier to deal with.  (Compare the timing
diagrams if you want an initial notion of the difference!)  DRAMs are
meant for people who are willing to undergo substantial pain to get
maximum density and minimum price per bit.
-- 
With features like this,      |     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
who needs bugs?               | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu