usb Parallel converter

[vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com]

If I have a converter between a USB computer and a parallel printer, will it
also work between a usb printer and parallel computer?

(I want to replace 1995 printer which is connected to 1995 and 2007 computers.)

--
Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus
blog: panix.com/~vjp2/ruminatn.htm - = - web: panix.com/~vjp2/vasos.htm
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---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}---

[Rob]

vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com <vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com> wrote:
> If I have a converter between a USB computer and a parallel printer, will it
> also work between a usb printer and parallel computer?
>
> (I want to replace 1995 printer which is connected to 1995 and 2007 computers.)

No, that will not work!

[Tim R]

So, you have USB on a computer, and parallel on a printer, and you have a converter to connect them?

Now you want to get rid of the parallel printer and buy a USB printer? No, your converter won't work, but you won't need it anymore. You can go USB to USB.

Maybe I misunderstood what you are asking.

[Rob]

I have not asked anything, but I have read what the OP asked and understood
that he has a computer with parallel interface, and a printer with USB
interface, and is looking for a gadget to connect the two.

However, a "USB to parallel printer" converter (cable) will not do that,
it converts the other way around (USB computer to parallel printer).

[Rayner Lucas]

In article <s7lhg0$oen$1...@reader1.panix.com>,
vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com says...

>
> If I have a converter between a USB computer and a parallel printer,
> will it also work between a usb printer and parallel computer?

No, these are only designed for one-way conversion. I'm not aware of any
that are bi-directional.

> (I want to replace 1995 printer which is connected to 1995 and 2007
> computers.)

If you want to get a USB printer working on a computer with no USB
ports, I think your options are:

- Add USB ports to your computer by installing a USB expansion card that
fits in an ISA or PCI slot. However, you will need to check if suitable
printer drivers are available for the operating system on your older
computer, otherwise the new printer may still not be recognised. Also,
some older operating systems may not support USB at all.

- Buy a parallel-computer-to-USB-printer converter. These do exist, but
are rather specialist and expensive. Try https://www.lpt2usb.net/ or
https://www.retroprinter.com/ (I have not tried either of these devices,
so cannot say how well they work).

It may be easier to keep a parallel printer for use with the parallel-
only computer.

R

[Eike Lantzsch, ZP6CGE]

vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com wrote:
> If I have a converter between a USB computer and a parallel printer, will it
> also work between a usb printer and parallel computer?
>
> (I want to replace 1995 printer which is connected to 1995 and
> 2007 computers.)
>

Does your PC have a RJ45 Ethernet connector? In that case you can
connect a RaspberryPi, install Raspbian on it and CUPS and connect
your USB-printer to the RPi. By that way you can print via network.

Kind regards, Eike

[Michael Trew]

Yes, it seems that he wants to connect a new USB printer to a parallel
printer port on said 1995 computer. Even if possible, the computer
won't recognize the new printer... good luck finding drivers for that
machine, likely running Win 3.11 or 95.

[Eli the Bearded]

In sci.electronics.repair, Michael Trew <mt99...@ymail.com> wrote:
> vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com<vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com>

> wrote:
>>>>>> (I want to replace 1995 printer which is connected to 1995 and 2007
>>>>>> computers.)

[...]

> Yes, it seems that he wants to connect a new USB printer to a parallel
> printer port on said 1995 computer. Even if possible, the computer

Read again. Several computers oldest of which is 1995.

> won't recognize the new printer... good luck finding drivers for that
> machine, likely running Win 3.11 or 95.

Generic PCL or Postscript will work fine with older computers. Also
Epson compatible line printing. I have seen VJP ask about XP and Linux
issues. I venture there are modern Linux distributions that can still
run on 1995 hardware.

Using network printing, possibly with a pi as a server, and generic PCL
/ Postscript is probably easiest for OSes of that era.

Elijah
------
first used network printing in 1991

[Rob]

Of course it depends a lot on the printer. I have never bought "toy
printers" so I have no personal experience with that, I always used
printers that supported Postscript or well-recognized other standards.
However, I know that printers have existed (especially on USB) which
do not support any printer language and can only print a bitmap sent
to them in a proprietary protocol. The Windows driver that comes
with it does all the rendering on the computer then sends the prepared
pages to the printer.
No idea how common that still is.

A "red flag" is "only drivers for Windows available for the printer".

[Allodoxaphobia]

On Sat, 15 May 2021 00:39:33 +0000 (UTC), Eli the Bearded wrote:
> In sci.electronics.repair, Michael Trew <mt99...@ymail.com> wrote:
>> vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com<vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com>
>> wrote:
>>>>>>> (I want to replace 1995 printer which is connected to 1995 and 2007
>>>>>>> computers.)
> [...]
>> Yes, it seems that he wants to connect a new USB printer to a parallel
>> printer port on said 1995 computer. Even if possible, the computer
>
> Read again. Several computers oldest of which is 1995.
>
>> won't recognize the new printer... good luck finding drivers for that
>> machine, likely running Win 3.11 or 95.
>
> Generic PCL or Postscript will work fine with older computers. Also
> Epson compatible line printing. I have seen VJP ask about XP and Linux
> issues. I venture there are modern Linux distributions that can still
> run on 1995 hardware.

heh... Just for grins, and some actual, but seldom needed use, I have
WordStar 6.0 running in xdosemu on my linux workstation. It prints
Just Fine to my lan connected HP Jetpro M404n, even tho' WordStar "thinks"
it's still printing on my long gone HP LJ III.

Jonesy
--
Marvin L Jones | Marvin | W3DHJ.net | linux
38.238N 104.547W | @ jonz.net | Jonesy | FreeBSD
* Killfiling google & XXXXbanter.com: jonz.net/ng.htm

[Stephen Wolstenholme]

On Fri, 14 May 2021 09:56:16 +0000 (UTC),
vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com wrote:

>If I have a converter between a USB computer and a parallel printer, will it
>also work between a usb printer and parallel computer?
>
>(I want to replace 1995 printer which is connected to 1995 and 2007 computers.)

You probably won't need a converter as will almost certainly be USB to
USB.

Steve

--
http://www.npsnn.com

[vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com]

Basically my question is if the usb-prl converter works both ways.

Or how do I know if it does.



SIDEBARS: [The wiring goes behind furniture and through closets and is just
too daunting. It is amazing that plain DOS output works in most places. I
have been recently thrilled to mirror my old gnu-hybridised enviroment with
DOSBOX on a number of systems. I'd love to play with Raspberry Pi
someday.. even run TOPS20 on it. Do you really want a history of my sordid
computing? In 1980 I got an HP262a terminal to which I RS232 y-connected an
OKI82a in 1982 and an AMPRO 2210 80186 non-GUI MS DOS Generic PC in
1985. Really hate myself for dumping the OKI (because it used plain
typewriter ribbons) in 1995 when I got the HPOJLX, latter died two years ago.
I used to manually reload the HP26 cartridges and got loads of ink. I got a
multifunction HP printer sitting on top of the dead one almsot five years now
but never really got to figuring it out partly because I regret not getting a
feeder. In 1995 I put the Ampro in the basement (where it later output to a
Panasonic dot matrix just fine) and got a GW2K p5-75 from which I am typing
right now using DOS Kermit dialed into bash shell. I got a USB card for the
GW2K but never got it to work. The HiVal CD writer works about 20% of the
time and the ioZip drive destroyed all the disks with hiss of death
(misaligning of mag heads). But in 2007 I KVMed a 64bit AOpen on which I
triple boot (gparted grub) DOS, Quantian and XP. I got two acer aspire
laptops, one XP with cracked screen, another with very ornery but very fast
linpus. I also have three refurbed desktops in the basement. I had a
Mitsubishi brick phone in 1990 but haven't had a smellbone since 2009.]

[Rob]

vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com <vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> Basically my question is if the usb-prl converter works both ways.
>
> Or how do I know if it does.

Ok so that has been answered: It doesn't.

[Mike Coon]

In article <s7r85h$s2s$1...@reader1.panix.com>,
vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com says...
> Newsgroups: sci.electronics.repair
> Subject: Re: usb Parallel converter
> From: vjp...@at.BioStrategist.dot.dot.com

>
>
>
> Basically my question is if the usb-prl converter works both ways.
>
> Or how do I know if it does.

Well, if you "acquired" an old scanner that had a parallel interface, if
it worked it must be two-way!