Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!motcid!smithju
From: smithju@motcid.UUCP (Justin A. Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: INPUT PARALLEL DATA OVER THE PRINTER PORT?
Message-ID: <3260@galena2.UUCP>
Date: 29 May 90 15:49:00 GMT
References: <7459@arctic.nprdc.arpa> <2010023@hpctdls.HP.COM> <12548@netcom.UUCP>
Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Div., Arlington Heights, IL
Lines: 32

ergo@netcom.UUCP (Isaac Rabinovitch) writes:

>wei@hpctdls.HP.COM (Bill Ives) writes:
>>     My guess is that
>>   parallel input has never caught on due to it not being possible
>>   on original IBM equipment (actually burning it out -- I've done
>>   it so I know).  
>I'm glad you decided to post this message!  I knew that parallel input
>wasn't always possible, but not that it was sometimes dangerous!

I too am glad, i did not know it was dangerous.

>Nevertheless, it *has* begun to catch on.  A number of recent products
>make use of it, notably the latest version of Laplink, and a developer's
>two-node version of LANtastic.

Parallel input *IS* possible on all PC's. - BUT (here it comes) as has been
stated you cant use the 8 outputs. The parallel interface does have four
inputs used by printers to indicate BUISY, PAPEROUT, ONLINE, etc. it is
possible to use these and with some software jigery-pokery, multiplex two
nibbles. OK its not quite 8 bits parallel but 4 bits parallel can still
run faster than serial at 115Kbaud. This is (I think flame on if i'm wrong)
the mechanism used by Laplink and other software that uses input from parallel
ports.

Justin Smith.

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