Re: replacement inkjet printer for Apple 2

[e p chandler <epc8@juno.com>]

On Nov 23, 7:25 am, "winston19842...@yahoo.com"
<winston19842...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Nov 23, 5:39 am, e p chandler <e...@juno.com> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Nov 23, 2:47 am, A2Aviator <a2avia...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > > Epson still offers the C88+ - which the specifications list as having
> > > parallel and USB.
>
> > > The question begs, is it centronics or the other higher density
> > > connector. But it does support ESCP/2 protocol, which is downward
> > > compatible with ESC and that means the Harmony, Independence and Epson-
> > > APL drivers will work with it. I've used various Epson models over the
> > > years on A2's without any issues. You may not get color from any
> > > standard print drivers, but you can get color from Printshop, and from
> > > AppleWorks using ESC codes to turn it on the same way as the
> > > ImageWriter II/LQ.
>
> > > ...which is also another option for you, find an ImageWriter II, blast
> > > out the head with denatured alcohol and then put a bit if silicone
> > > spray in where the wires are passing through the front. WD-40 is
> > > *bad*. Those C-iToh ribbons are still pretty common.
>
> > > Okidata, Epson and C-iToh are basically it ribbon wise.
>
> > See other message. Thanks for the idea to try the C88+. I happen to
> > use one on my Vista system (as USB). Again, I'm amazed that it prints
> > at all under Apple DOS and MS-DOS using the parallel port. There are
> > other printers that will not print from Apple DOS or MS-DOS at all.
> > They require a WIndows driver. IIRC I tried printing to an old Lexmark
> > inkjet from "DOS" and got garbage.
>
> > At least the EPSON has a character mode! Perhaps a different printer
> > card would work? My Apple 2e has a clone of the old Apple Parallel
> > card. I don't have a more modern parallel card on hand, like a
> > Grappler. It could be that the handshaking is different.
>
> > The old Apple Parallel card used very primitive handshaking. One line
> > changed the addressing on the cards ROM to go from an endless loop to
> > transmiting data.
> > So some of the other signal lines could be missing,
>
> > ---- e
>
> Never overlook the obvious - printer cables. They can go bad, without
> any apparent damage. Have you a spare you've tried?

Not between the Apple 2e and the printer. It's a ribbon cable that
terminates in a male centronics. The cable plugs into a molex(?)
connector on the board. The interface card and computer run just fine
with 2 other printers. A Deskjet 500 and a Deskjet 310.

The C88+ printer runs just fine when connected to a MS-DOS machine via
a standard 25 pin D-sub to male centronics parallel printer cable. In
fact I used the Deskjet 500 and the same cable on an XP machine as the
primary printer a few years ago.

If this printer is know to work with an Apple 2e using some other
interface card, I'll try to get that interface card...

---- e