Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!hc!lll-winken!uunet!mcvax!cernvax!ethz!zeller
From: zeller@ethz.UUCP (Lukas Zeller)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Appletalk with only 2 nodes -- just a cable !
Message-ID: <799@ethz.UUCP>
Date: 23 Mar 89 14:06:09 GMT
Reply-To: zeller@bernina.UUCP (Lukas Zeller)
Organization: ETH Zuerich, Switzerland
Lines: 29

I just got a laser printer for my MAC-II. Because it is my only AppleTalk
device (except the MAC itself, of course), I asked my dealer for a simple
cable to connect the Mac with the printer. He told me that this was not
possible and that I had to use two "Appletalk Connectors" (one for the MAC
and one for the printer) plus an "Appletalk Cable". I was slightly surprised
about that, but he insisted even as I pointed out that the "net" would
consist of two nodes only. The suggested connection would cost me about $200,
so I dug out IM Vol 4 and tried to find out how to make such a two-node
net. It turned out to be no problem at all; a simple 3 wire cable and two
Mini-8 plugs do the job very well. I used the same wiring as for modem
cables (no differential signal transmission): pins 8 and 4 of both connectors
shorted (and connected through the cable), pin 3 of the Mini-8 on one end
connected to pin 5 of the other end and vice versa.  

I wonder if such a cable is available commercially and/or if it is common to
sell a $200 appletalk where a $15 cable would do it as well. Or is anything
wrong with my solution (except that no additional nodes can be connected
to this "net", of course !) ?

Comments and opinions are appreciated, but please don't send thousands of
mails about where I could get such a cable: I have made one already !


Lukas Zeller                     +---------------------------+
                                 |\         E-Mail:         /|
ETH Zurich, Switzerland          | \_______________________/ |
(SFIT, Swiss Federal Institute   |  /  zeller@ethz.UUCP   \  |
       of Technology)            | / ..cernvax!ethz!zeller \ |
                                 +---------------------------+