Re: HP. DJ1200C

[philip@utstat.toronto.edu (Philip McDunnough)]

In article <j604017@pro-nsdapple.cts.com> jamesp@pro-nsdapple.cts.com (James D. Pangrazzi) writes:

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> 
>You certainly have been of some help and I appreciate it. Thank you for
>all the information you gave. Since it seems you're the only one on this
>net that has a HP 1200C please allow me to probe a little more. If I am
>going to sell my DeskWriter C and buy the 1200C I would like to get some
>more information by Thursday morning so I can take the DeskWriter C to our
>user group meeting in the evening and possibly sell it there.

I guess this is a bit late, but here's what I can get from the manual.

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> 
>I am almost tempted to ask you how you have your 1200C/PS, electrically to
>your GS or your Mac. I have a feeling that won't help so please allow me
>to ask you this since I can't get a salesman to cooperate, let alone get a
>knowledgeable one: Can you look in your instruction manual and see if
>there is any instructions on how to hook it up serially. I ask this
>because the magazine said the instructions were very good, the 1200C is
>suppose to be able to run on a Mac, and can be hooked up serially simply
>by flipping the dip switches in the back. Incidentally, the 1200C has the
>Dip switches right next to the Centronics connector. The way the magazine
>article is written it IMPLIES that after you set the Dip switches all you
>have to do is have a cable made up to go from the Centronics connector to
>the Din 8 connector. I am not to sure this is the case but if it is I
>would need a pinout.

I have the DJ1200C/PS on a network with a JetDirect Localtalk card ( which
gives the Din 8 connector). It is possible to directly connect the Mac to
this connector (i.e. not use Localtalk boxes). I would imagine the same would 
hold for the GS. The manual implies that doing so forces you to set the
default to Postscript, although you can change to PCL 5/HPGL/2. I still have
been unable to print to this printer from the GS over Appletalk using the
GS's Postscript driver. So the answer to your question is that you can hook
the printer up in a serial way, but then you need to buy the JetDirect card,
which would be more expensive than getting a parallel interface or a          
conversion kit (serial-> parallel). But you cannot otherwise go from the
Centronics connector to the Mac/GS serial port.
 
My feeling is that unless you want to go the Postscript route, you might
want to avoid the DJ1200C. HP has actually taken a lot of heat for removing
the serial ports on their printers. The new Canon-600C (I think) would appear
to be worth a look.
 
The manual warns you not to hook the Centronics port to the serial port by
mistake (on a PC).

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>This I think is debatable but since I am not getting the PS. model no
>sense debating it.

The GS does not support Postscript Level 2.

>hook it up with a serial connection. The magazine says yes but that
>Centronics connector says no.

The answer appears to be no.

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-- 
Philip McDunnough
University of Toronto
philip@utstat.toronto.edu
[Where sheep may safely graze...]