Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!bsu-cs!mithomas From: mithomas@bsu-cs.UUCP (Michael Thomas Niehaus) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Appletalk with only 2 nodes -- just a cable ! Message-ID: <6318@bsu-cs.UUCP> Date: 24 Mar 89 16:17:39 GMT References: <799@ethz.UUCP> Organization: CS Dept, Ball St U, Muncie, Indiana Lines: 42 In article <799@ethz.UUCP>, zeller@ethz.UUCP (Lukas Zeller) writes: > 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. Actually, any standard din-8 to din-8 (like a Mac to ImageWriter) cable will work. Most people aren't aware of this; I found out by accident when I was preparing a purchase order to add a Mac to one of these "two-node" nets. Then I had to explain that to add one more station, they had to buy three LocalTalk or PhoneNET connectors. They weren't happy campers (campuser's, actually). > 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 !) ? Such cables are available from Apple (of course), MacCables, mail order houses, etc. It is a pretty standard cable. > Lukas Zeller +---------------------------+ -Michael "I don't speak for anyone" Niehaus [junk] [junk] [junk] [junk] -- Michael Niehaus UUCP: !{iuvax,pur-ee}!bsu-cs!mithomas Apple Student Rep ARPA: mithomas@bsu-cs.bsu.edu Ball State University AppleLink: ST0374 (from UUCP: st0374@applelink.apple.com)