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From: hsu_wh@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (William H Hsu)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.lans,comp.sys.mac.hardware,comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: Mac to IBM PC-AT cable
Keywords: Macintosh, IBM, cable
Message-ID: <6368@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
Date: 9 Sep 90 23:24:42 GMT
Followup-To: poster
Organization: The Johns Hopkins University - HCF
Lines: 32


     I am trying to solder up a cable to connect my IBM 286 AT
clone (a CompuAdd 286-12, purchased in December of 1988) to a
Macintosh SE.  By "connect" I mean that I would like to transfer
text and other files modem-style between the computers (I have
modems on both ends, but one is a 1200 baud and one a 2400, so
I'd prefer to bypass them both) using only the telecom software
on each machine.  I surmise that this requires a male mini DIN-8
connector on the Mac end, but am not certain whether I have the
I/O hardware on the AT end to support a "null modem" connection. 
In one of the expansion slots is an I/O card which came with the
machine, containing one female DB-25 port (apparently a parallel
port - a dot matrix printer is currently connected to it) and one
male 9-pin port which the CompuAdd salespeople insist is NOT a
serial port.  I see no other place where, say, a serial mouse
could be plugged in (which I am also planning to purchase this
month), and believe that a female DB-9 connector is the correct
one for the IBM end.

     Is this correct?  I have no experience soldering cables, so
despite the tempting scenario depicted in the February '89 issue
of MacUser, I am a little leery of trying to make the connector
myself.  On the other hand, the fifty-odd-dollars that I have
seen "custom-made-cables" advertised for seemed a little steep -
I had thought this would be a pretty popular connection!  Perhaps
there's a mail-order place that I haven't heard of.  I would
appreciate all advice and especially the phone numbers of good
(cheap) cable suppliers.  Please mail responses to:

hsu_wh@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (BITNET) OR
hsu_wh@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu OR
hsu@cs.jhu.edu (ARPAnet)