Printers on a Speccy +2

[losbo...@gmail.com]

What's the easiest way to get a full-size printer working on a grey case +2, without having to fork out loads of money?

I've just had a nose around on Google and it turns out that OKI still make new dot matrix printers with an RS232 interface, and Epson LQ compatibility. They're not a bad price, and as they have USB ports too, I could use it with my PC as well. If I get a suitable adaptor lead, will this printer be likely to work with 128 BASIC's built-in commands?

What other printers have people successfully used with the 128/+2's RS232 port?

Cheers

Lee

[Duncan Snowden]

On Tue, 27 Dec 2016 11:34:53 -0800 (PST)
losbo...@gmail.com wrote:

> I've just had a nose around on Google and it turns out that OKI still
> make new dot matrix printers with an RS232 interface, and Epson LQ
> compatibility. They're not a bad price, and as they have USB ports
> too, I could use it with my PC as well. If I get a suitable adaptor
> lead, will this printer be likely to work with 128 BASIC's built-in
> commands?

Crikey. Probably. I used to use an Epson compatible on the toastrack
128K's RS232 port, although that was about 30 years ago. It doesn't
seem that long.

Until I try to remember how it's all done, that is.

I've a vague idea that it Just Works™ with LPRINT, LLIST, and all that,
and you can use OPEN #... er, something, to do more interesting stuff
with raw Epson control codes. Maybe. That might have been the parallel
interface I used with the 48K.

I remember when all this was just fields, you know. Now get away from
my bins.

--
Duncan Snowden.

[Duncan Snowden]

On Tue, 27 Dec 2016 11:34:53 -0800 (PST)
losbo...@gmail.com wrote:

> I've just had a nose around on Google and it turns out that OKI still
> make new dot matrix printers with an RS232 interface, and Epson LQ
> compatibility.

By the way, I took your word for it before, but I just had a look
myself. Blimey.

http://www.oki.com/uk/printing/products/dotmatrix/9pin/index.html
http://www.oki.com/uk/printing/products/dotmatrix/24pin/index.html

It's like discovering someone still making gas lamps, or radiograms,
or black-and-white tellies.

And "Maximum copies"? Does that mean what I think it means? *Carbon*? I
repeat: gas lamps, radiograms, and blimey.

--
Duncan Snowden.

[Guesser]

On 29/12/2016 15:17, Duncan Snowden wrote:
> And "Maximum copies"? Does that mean what I think it means? *Carbon*? I
> repeat: gas lamps, radiograms, and blimey.

That is precisely *why* impact printers are still manufactured...

[Duncan Snowden]

I suppose so. But it's still a bit of a shock to see it all in... er,
pixels. It doesn't look like they've changed the case designs since the
'80s, either.

--
Duncan Snowden.

[Guesser]

On 30/12/2016 13:21, Duncan Snowden wrote:
> I suppose so. But it's still a bit of a shock to see it all in... er,
> pixels. It doesn't look like they've changed the case designs since the
> '80s, either.
>

If it works...
I don't think the places that you see OKI dot matrix impact printers are
the sort of places that care how stylish their printer looks. It's
usually covered in grimy fingerprints and a layer of dust. I assume
people just want an identical drop in replacement when the innards
eventually wear out.

[Chris]

On Thu, 29 Dec 2016 15:17:47 +0000 da kidz on comp.sys.sinclair were rappin'
to MC Duncan Snowden:

> On Tue, 27 Dec 2016 11:34:53 -0800 (PST)
> losbo...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> > I've just had a nose around on Google and it turns out that OKI still
> > make new dot matrix printers with an RS232 interface, and Epson LQ
> > compatibility.
>
> By the way, I took your word for it before, but I just had a look
> myself. Blimey.
>
> http://www.oki.com/uk/printing/products/dotmatrix/9pin/index.html
> http://www.oki.com/uk/printing/products/dotmatrix/24pin/index.html

I knew you could still get dot matrix printers (although I don't
particularly recall it being Oki making them, also they are stupid
expensive probably because hardly nobody buys them), however I'm a
little confused/surprised as to why they are still making 9-pin
models.

As for the Speccy question, I'm pretty sure LPRINT, LLIST work fine,
at least with the Centronics interface. I've never tried an RS232
printer on a Spectrum. There's some way of printing the screen too,
but I fail to remember what it is (maybe COPY?).

Chris


--
+-------------------------------------------+
| Unsatisfactory Software - "because it is" |
| http://www.unsatisfactorysoftware.co.uk |
| Your Sinclair: A Celebration |
+- http://www.yoursinclair.co.uk -----------+

DISCLAIMER: I may be making all this stuff up again.

[losbo...@gmail.com]

On Thursday, 29 December 2016 14:35:09 UTC, Duncan Snowden wrote:

> I remember when all this was just fields, you know. Now get away from
> my bins.
>
> --
> Duncan Snowden.

My house is only a year old, so I can actually say that. :)

Thanks for the pointers. I'm not sure if it's worth the hassle, but I'd like to see how I get on.

Lee

[Robert Newson]

On 29/12/16 15:17, Duncan Snowden wrote:
> On Tue, 27 Dec 2016 11:34:53 -0800 (PST)
> losbo...@gmail.com wrote:
>

...

> And "Maximum copies"? Does that mean what I think it means? *Carbon*?

Yes...and no...more likely NCR multi-part paper (NCR = No Carbon
Required - the back of the pages (except possibly the bottom, and
possibly the fronts of all pages except the top) are impregnated with
chemicals that react when squashed together under the impact to do the
copying.

> I repeat: gas lamps, radiograms, and blimey.
>

mumble mumble and still have change from 1/2 a crown mumble mumble mumble...