Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rice!sun-spots-request
From: tth@unc.cs.unc.edu (Terry Hudgins (NCNB -- sfw))
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: SS1 --> Apple LaserWriter?
Keywords: Hardware
Message-ID: <4755@brazos.Rice.edu>
Date: 3 Feb 90 21:44:47 GMT
Sender: root@rice.edu
Organization: Sun-Spots
Lines: 53
Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 30, message 11 of 13

Does ANYONE know how to hook up an Apple LaserWriter IINTX to a Sun
Sparcstation 1?

What I've done (besides talking to Apple & Sun):

1) Apple LaserWriter IINTX dip switches:
   1=up=9600baud, 2=dn=rs232serial, 3&4=up=PostscriptBatch, 5&6=up=xon/xoff

2) Cable (simple null-cable for xon/xoff, ttya="A" port on SS1):
       pins 1 to 1 for chassis ground (what the heck!)
            2 to 3 send/rcv,  3 to 2 send/rcv, 7 to 7 signal grnd

3) SunOS 4.0.3c stty command to set printer port:
       in .login:  
         stty 9600 -evenp cs8 -cstopb -raw ixon -ixany </dev/ttya
       since cmdshells reset to 7bit evenp when they start up, I
       issue that same stty as above inside SunView cmdshell...
       and confirm that settings stick with stty -a </dev/ttya.

4) cat lwinit >/dev/ttya where lwinit is vi-created postscript prog:
       serverdict begin 0 exitserver
       statusdict begin
       25 9600 64 setsccbatch
       end

       [note:  LaserWriter LED blinks about 15 seconds on this]

5) cat lwset >/dev/ttya where lwset is from back of lw manual:
       /Helvetica findfont 14 scalefont setfont
       30 500 moveto
       (The Options number for the 25-pin port is  )show
       statusdict begin 25 sccbatch 10 string cvs show
       pop showpage

       [note:  LaserWriter LED blinks about 20 sec, never prints]

Questions:
    A) I do want Postscript Batch, not Interactive don't I?

    B) Apple said 7-even was typo in manual, use 8-noparity. True?

    C) Sun says to buy their $1800 Transcript software.  Why do
         I need $1800 in software to eject a page from a ps printer?
         I understand that I might want pssun to convert rasters to
         to ps or nscript to pretty-print ascii files but surely I
         don't need Transcript to dump to /dev/ttya, do I?

    D) Are the postscript programs above "encapsulated" and thus in 
         need of "postscript dictionary headers"?

_______________________ Terry Hudgins UNC-CH Epidemiology
                        tth@cs.unc.edu, (919)966-4186
                        any help GREATLY appreciated!