Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!dino!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!well!mccarthy
From: mccarthy@well.sf.ca.us (Patrick McCarthy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Re: serial printer
Message-ID: <18836@well.sf.ca.us>
Date: 3 Jul 90 01:33:27 GMT
References: <30891@eagle.wesleyan.edu>
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 60

In article <30891@eagle.wesleyan.edu> dkonerding@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Rafael Juarez, Society for Creative Anachronism) writes:
>
>	Ok, folks, you're my last, only, and best hope:
>
>	I have an ancient wheezing Apple Imagewriter serial (RS232) printer at
>9600baud, 7,N,1.  I also have a bright, shiny, new '286 with an RS232 serial
>port.  To connect the two, I hooked the Imagewriter serial cable to the
>Imagewriter, and to a female-female gender changer to connect it with the
>serial port on the '286.  It's not working.  Are there any obvious hints I
>should know to get this thing working; ie, to be able to type "copy readme.doc
>com2" (it's in com2 because I've got a card modem configured for com1) and have
>it print out.
> 
>Rafael Juarez, Society for Creative Anachronism

I'm running an Imagewriter II off my 386 clone.  The reason you're unable
to get it going is probably related to a) hardware handshaking, b) incorrect
baud rate/data bits/parity at the PC end, or c) both.  There are two things
you should check.  First, you should be issuing the following MODE command
(from the DOS prompt):
   mode com2:96,N,7,1
Next, you may need to wire your cable.  Here's how mine is wired (your
mileage may vary):

Imagewriter II        IBM
Pin Name/#            Pin Name/#      Pin Description
----------            ----------      ---------------
TXD- (3)              TXD (2)         Transmit Data-
RXD- (5)              RXD (3)         Recieve Data
DSR  (2)              CTS (5) *       Clear To Send
DSR  (2)              DSR (6) *       Data Set Ready
SG   (4) *            G   (7)         Signal Ground / Ground
TXD+ (6) *            G   (7)         Transmit Data+ / Ground
DTR  (1)              DTR (20)        Data Terminal Ready

Notes:
 1) The pin numbers on the ImageWriter I side will be different from the
    ImageWriter II (they use a different connecter).
 2) Note that the ImageWriter's DSR pin (which it uses to signal when it is
    ready to recieve data) is wired to the IBM's DSR AND CTS (Clear To Send)
    pins.  This is because I found that whereas most IBM programs only pay
    attention to CTS, some also use DTR.
 3) The ImageWriter II uses a funky RS422 variant; the ImageWriter I is
    straight RS232 (which is what IBM uses). Thus, you'll have TXD (not
    TXD- and TXD+) and RXD; treat them as I did TXD-/RXD-.
 4) The pin numbers on the IBM side apply to the 25 pin RS232 connecter;
    if you have a 9 pin (as many AT's do), you'll need to reassign the
    pins accordingly.
 5) I've found that my Imagewriter needs to be on and "online" when the
    mode command is issued (the mode command wiggles the port to see who's
    there, and I think if it determines there's nothing hooked up it
    ignores the port thereafter).

This may seem like a lot of work (it was a lot of work for me to figure
all this out, anyway), but once you get everything hooked up it's really
quite transparent - even the DOS PRINT commns works flawlessly.  Good
Luck!

Pat McCarthy
mccarthy@well.uucp