Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!hao!hull From: hull@hao.UUCP (Howard Hull) Newsgroups: net.micro.amiga Subject: Re: How to build a parallel cable? Message-ID: <202@hao.UUCP> Date: Wed, 3-Sep-86 02:45:27 EDT Article-I.D.: hao.202 Posted: Wed Sep 3 02:45:27 1986 Date-Received: Wed, 3-Sep-86 05:21:52 EDT References: <6014@alice.uUCp> Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR Boulder, CO Lines: 97 Summary: Example, Cannon PJ-1080A 7-color Ink Jet Printer After some initial net correspondence about drivers, I set out to find a good color printer driver. While in Lynnwood, WA. I happened to find an Amiga dealer in a small shopping center just north of the Alderwood Mall. He had some output from a Canon PJ-1080A 7-color ink jet printer pasted to the wall. The complementary ink colors (it only really has just yellow, cyan, magenta and black inks) and the primary subtractive colors red, green, blue were bright and crisp, although in-between tones were dark, sorta like paintings by the Dutch Masters. Nonetheless, whoever wrote the driver did a really splendid job of using shading patterns in the various ink colors to create in-between tones. I was much impressed with it, and as this dealer was willing to let me copy his "CANON WORKBENCH" disk, I decided to do that. The Canon PJ-1080A, 7-Color Ink Jet Printer, like the Epson JX80 4-Color dot matrix impact printer, has evidently been discontinued, with no planned replacement. Having the driver in hand, I got a printer from a local Boulder, CO Atari dealer. It came without a cable, so I had to conjure one up. I began by assuming that there was some sort of standard associated with parallel printer cables, and put the Amiga pin listing (Page 7-13 of "Introduction to Amiga") down on the table beside the Canon PJ-1080A listing (Section 7, page 31) and started looking for signals with similar names. What I came up with, and which also worked on the first try, is listed below: CABLE Cable: 25 wire Datalene, overall mylar-foil shielded and gray plastic jacket, with shield drain wire. Any available full RS-232 standard cable will do. CONNECTORS Amiga end, DB25 female Canon PJ-1080A Amphenol 57-30360 25-pin from Radio Shack 36-pin, also from Radio Shack FIRST ROW Pin Signal Name Pin Signal Name 1. DRDY* Data Ready 1. DSTB (Low) [for loading] 2. D0 Data Bit 0 2. Data 1 (LSB) 3. D1 Data Bit 1 3. Data 2 4. D2 Data Bit 2 4. Data 3 5. D3 Data Bit 3 5. Data 4 6. D4 Data Bit 4 6. Data 5 7. D5 Data Bit 5 7. Data 6 8. D6 Data Bit 6 8. Data 7 9. D7 Data Bit 7 9. Data 8 (MSB) 10. ACK* ACKNOWLEDGE 10. ACKNLG (Low) [DSTB response] 11. BUSY BUSY 11. BUSY 12. POUT PAPER OUT 12. PE [Paper-supply End] 13. SEL SELECT 13. SLCT [Device Select] 14. NC [No Connection] 15. NC [No Connection] 16. GND (0V) Ground Tie shield drain wire at one end only-->17. CHS/GND Chassis Ground 18. NC [No Connection] SECOND ROW 14. GND SIGNAL GROUND 19. DSTB (Low) RET [Signal Return] 15. GND SIGNAL GROUND 20. DATA 1 RET [Signal Return] 16. GND SIGNAL GROUND 21. DATA 2 RET [Signal Return] 17. GND SIGNAL GROUND 22. DATA 3 RET [Signal Return] 18. GND SIGNAL GROUND 23. DATA 4 RET [Signal Return] 19. GND SIGNAL GROUND 24. DATA 5 RET [Signal Return] 20. GND SIGNAL GROUND 25. DATA 6 RET [Signal Return] 21. GND SIGNAL GROUND 26. DATA 7 RET [Signal Return] 22. GND SIGNAL GROUND 27. DATA 8 RET [Signal Return] 23. X +5V +5 VOLTS POWER !!NC!! 28. ACKNLG (Low)RET [Signal Return] 24. X !!NC!! 29. BUSY RET 25. RESET* RESET--------\ !!NC!! 30. GND (0V) Ground * == (Low) == Low True \-------> 31. INIT (LOW) Initialize !!NC!! 32. ERROR (LOW) Error Alarm Set !!NC!! 33. GND (0V) !!NC!! 34. NC [No Connection] !!NC!! 35. +5V !!NC!! 36. NC [No Connection] As you can see, the connections are almost all straight-across correspondences. The problems for the uninitiated, are, of course, 25 pins on one connector and 36 on the other, the lack of exact equivalence of Signal Names, and staggering of bit numbers. The first two problems are caused by a lack of rigid standards and the third is caused by the fact that hardware engineers never learned to count right (as "Whot yew tellin' me, start with ZERO? ZERO ain't no NUMBER!" [followed by a long, introspective silence...]). Also, the pin numbers on DB25 connectors are VERY hard to see. Make sure you locate the "1" by the first pin on the long row, mark it with a broad felt tip marker so you don't lose track of it. The short row starts with pin 14 directly under pin 1 on the Amiga, and pin 19 directly under pin 1 on the Canon PJ-1080. [Caveat: Without test, your cable may not pass FCC. It may help to tie the two uncommitted wires in the cable to pins 30 and 33 at the printer end, and stub them off at the Amiga End. If you go to that much trouble, get metallized connector shells and make sure they contact the mylar shield foil.] Howard Hull [If yet unproven concepts are outlawed in the range of discussion... ...Then only the deranged will discuss yet unproven concepts] {ucbvax!hplabs | decvax!noao | mcvax!seismo | ihnp4!seismo} !hao!hull