Unfortunately, it’s not possible to simply bang graphical data out over the serial port, as the printer cannot keep up, and only has a limited buffer. The interface was operating well with short passages of text, but we are big fans of printing photos and high-quality graphics on these painstakingly slow devices. With the preliminary work done and initial testing successful, I paid a visit to on a cloudy Sunday. This is how parallel interfaces operate without a clock signal, using the strobe to indicate when data may be read.Īt this point, reached out – asking if I had a name for the new build. After two microseconds, it returns high, ready for the next byte to be set on the output lines. At this point, the strobe line is pulled low, indicating to the attached device that it may read the port. When a byte is received over serial, the individual bits are set on the individual digital lines connected to the printer’s parallel port.
Eight digital outputs act as the parallel interface. Serial data are received on the hardware TX/RX lines. After some testing was performed on an Arduino Uno, a bespoke device was built – in a gloriously plastic project box, no less.Īn ATMEGA328 acts as the brains of the operation, with a MAX232 attached for level conversion from TTL to RS232 voltage levels. After some research, it was determined that it would be relatively simple to have an Arduino convert incoming serial data into a parallel output to the printer. While I was gallivanting around the Eastern coast of Australia, was hard at work. Work on a device to marry these two disparate worlds began. Thankfully, these two interfaces are easy to work with and simple in function.
Its parallel interface was very appropriate in its day, however parallel ports are as scarce as SID chips. My partner in hacking recently found himself with a wonderful Commodore MPS 1230 printer. This extends beyond computers themselves, and goes so far as to include modems, photocopiers, and even the much-maligned dot matrix printer. After a youth spent playing with Amigas and getting into all sorts of trouble on the school computer network, I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for hardware from the 80s and 90s.
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