Re: Information Needed

[dempson@atlantis.actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

In article <li25494@pro-pdunes>,
Lee Griffin <vmbb!pro-scat!pro-pdunes!leeg> wrote:
>  
>         I have a Microtek Apple Dumpling-64 printer card and an Apple AII
> Parallell printer card. 

I haven't heard of the Microtek card.

The other card's official name is the "Apple II Parallel Interface
Card" (according to the manual).  The card says "AII Parallel
Printer".

The recommended switch settings are:

SW1 OFF
SW2 OFF
SW3 OFF
SW4 ON
SW5 ON
SW6 OFF
SW7 OFF

Switces 1-3 control the width of the strobe signal (recommended
settings give the minimum strobe of 1 microsecond, which is fine for
all standard parallel printers).

Switch 4 controls the polarity of the strobe signal.  Switch 5
controls the polarity of the acknowledge signal.  Both of these should
be ON, for a negative-going acknowledge.

Switch 6 selects the emulated firmware.  The main effect of this is
whether or not the card generates a Line Feed character after each
Carriage Return.  With the recommended setting (OFF), line feeds will
be generated.

Switch 7 is used to enable interrupts.  It should always be OFF.

> The printers that I would like to use these cards with are an old
> Imagewriter I, an Imagewriter II

You will have rather a lot of trouble using these printers with a
parallel interface card, because both are serial printers.  You will
need a serial interface card for the IIe.  The IIgs's built-in serial
port may be used with an appropriate cable.

> an old Epson LX-80 and an Epson Action Laser 1000.  The computers
> that these cards can be used in are an Apple IIGS and an Apple IIe
> (enhanced).

No problems here.  In the IIgs, the slot containing the card must be
set to "Your Card" in the control panel.  If you don't need to use the
IIgs printer port at the same time as the parallel card, put it in
slot 1.


In summary:

The Epson printers require a parallel interface in either IIe or IIgs.

The ImageWriter printers require a serial interface in a IIe, or can
use the IIgs's built in serial port.
-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand