Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!decwrl!decvax!tektronix!tekcrl!tekgvs!toma
From: toma@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Epson LX-800 to Tandy 1000A
Keywords: AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!
Message-ID: <4452@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM>
Date: 4 Jan 89 16:30:32 GMT
References: <3855@alvin.mcnc.org>
Reply-To: toma@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM (Tom Almy)
Distribution: na
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.
Lines: 27

In article <3855@alvin.mcnc.org> jewett@mcnc.org (Rusty Ford Jewett) writes:
>This is so frustrating!  I recieved an Epson LX-800 printer for Christmas,
>and am trying to use it with a Tandy 1000A.  The problem is that I get an
>extra line feed between every line I print.

Historic background:  Tandy (Radio Shack) operating systems used to use
a single CR as the line delimiter.  Therefore the printer had to be set
up to do CR -> CRLF translation.  So non-Tandy printers could be used,
the computers grounded pin 14 of the printer, which (according to the
Centronics interface "standard") does the translation.  I expect that 
Tandy assumed purchasers of the new "IBM compatible" machines would want
to use their existing Tandy printers, so they went and grounded pin 14
and relied on a software driver to do CRLF->CR conversion!  The problem
with this is that programs which bypass the DOS and drive the printer
directly will send out CRLF pairs which cause an extra linefeed!

The sane solution to this problem is:

	1. Toss out the software driver (if I recall, it was loaded with
	   the MODE command).
	2. Cut the wire going to pin 14 of the printer.

Then everything should work IBM fashion.

Tom Almy
toma@tekgvs.TEK.COM
Standard Disclaimers Apply