Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!uunet!pyrdc!gmu90x!gmuvax2!smasters
From: smasters@gmuvax2.gmu.edu (Shawn Masters)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: Note takers
Summary: No Bi-directional ports
Message-ID: <658@gmuvax2.gmu.edu>
Date: 17 Dec 89 01:54:49 GMT
References: <880@cwjcc.CWRU.Edu> <1989Nov13.233031.1485@eng.umd.edu> <12511@udenva.cair.du.edu> <16168@megaron.cs.arizona.edu> <6608@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Reply-To: smasters@gmuvax2.UUCP (Shawn Masters)
Distribution: na
Organization: George Mason Univ. Fairfax, Va.
Lines: 13

The software that comes with the Portfilio's interface does not use the
parallel port in parallel.  It says in the manual that the transfer is
done serial.  They just chose one line for reponse from the printer to
be input into the PC.  How they did the timing is unclear.
	By the way, the original IBM PC's parallel port is
bi-directional.  The PC tech manual that came with IBM's original proto
board says that it was made this was to support communications and a
variety of interfacing applications.

Shawn C. Masters
George Mason University

smasters@gmuvax2.gmu.edu