Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!pacbell!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!orion.cf.uci.edu!mrichey From: mrichey@orion.cf.uci.edu (Mike Richey) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc Subject: Re: Help needed in making a serial printer cable. Message-ID: <2430@orion.cf.uci.edu> Date: 2 Aug 89 19:43:06 GMT References: <28202@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA> <40970016@hpindda.HP.COM> Reply-To: mrichey@orion.cf.uci.edu (Mike Richey) Organization: University of California, Irvine Lines: 46 In article <40970016@hpindda.HP.COM> huilin@hpindda.HP.COM (Hui Lin Lim) writes: >/ 0rrodrig@teknowledge-vaxc.ARPA (Russ Rodriguez) / 11:35 pm Jul 31, 1989 / >writes: >>I am in need of directions on how to connect the 25-pin printer port >>on an IBM PS2 model 70 to a serial printer interface on a printer. I was >>under the impression that it worked this way: >{stuff deleted} > >The printer port on PCs and PS/2s (I think) are parallel ports. >The sure way of confirming it is the sex of the connector. >Serial ports have male connectors (pins sticking out). Parallel >ports are female (sockets). As such you can't hook the printer >port up to a serial printer. The correct cable for the printer >port would have a male 25 way D-type connector at one end and an >Amphenol connector (for the parallel Centronics interface) at the >other. incorrect, you need to state which pin on your printer provides hardware handshaking. Sometimes its DTR (pin 20) sometimes it's RTS (pin 4) sometimes pin 11 or 19. it all depends upon the model printer. Well a cable constructected. PS/2 Printer ---- ------- 2 (TXD) 3 (RXD) 3 (RXD) 2 (TXD) This may not be necessary 5 (CTS),6(DSR) 20 (DTR) or 4 or 19 or 11 (whichever pin handshaking is these are supplied jumped together. 7 (sig ground) 7 (sig ground) That cable will work. You'll need a female DB25 for your PS/2 you'll have to issue two commands from DOS MODE COM1:9600,n,8,1,p (assuming 9600 baud,No parity,8 databits,1 stop,printer MODE LPT1:=com1 (yes, i left the colon off of com1) well, good luck.