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From: rjn@HPFCSO.HP.COM (Bob Niland)
Newsgroups: comp.laser-printers
Subject: Re: OLD HP laser printer
Message-ID: <8910201447.AA11227@crayola.cs.UMD.EDU>
Date: 14 Oct 89 23:07:24 GMT
References: <1073@polari.UUCP>
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Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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Approved: laser-lovers@brillig.umd.edu


re: > I have recently acquired an OLD HP laser printer...

> It is labled model 2683A and has a Ricoh egine in it.

The 2683A was just the print engine.  What controller is present?

If none,

  then you have a Ricoh print engine with an essentially undocumented
  video interface.

If a 26087A controller,  (4x10x14-inch companion module)

  then you have a 2687A product.  The host interface is RS-232C, and the
  command language is a primitive subset of HP's Printer Command Language.
  If we consider the original LaserJet to be PCL-3, the 2687A is "PCL-0".
  No graphics, no font download, very little page control.  Font cartridges
  were available at one time.

If a 26088A controller, (massive board set built into companion table)

  then you have a 2688A product.  The host interface is HP-IB, and the
  command protocol and language is "DCS", only ever used on the 2688A and
  2680A, and only ever fully supported on the HP3000 MPE operating system.

Having been root on a system which partially supported a 2688A, I should
caution you that the Ricoh print engine consumables (esp.  the OCR belt) are
very expensive compared to LaserJet toner cartridges.  Also, should the
laser fail, you have to buy a complete $3500 subassembly to replace it.

Regards,                                              Hewlett-Packard
Bob Niland        rjn%hpfcrjn@hplabs.HP.COM           3404 East Harmony Road
                  [hplabs|hpu...!hpfcse]!rjn          Ft Collins CO 80525-9599