can rPi drive PC-bidirectional Par-port?

Probably the PC parallel-port has TTL specs?

So them 3.3V CMOS should drive it ?

Can the 'bidirectionality' of the Par-port be tested/confirmed without hardware tool, ie. by software?

Since eg. IOMEGA par-port assumed at least a 4bit-wide bidirectionality, perphaps all post-70's were bidirectional?

== TIA.

Reply to
Avoid9Pdf
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The PC printer ports were bidirectional at least in the sense that they had five status inputs which could be used as data inputs. Even the control outputs could be fairly easily used as inputs which meant a total 9 input pins.

Bidirectional ports have a control bit to set the data pins to inputs or outputs or to be exact, eanble or disable the output drivers.

So, probably you can talk to a PC parallel port but I'd rather use ethernet or serial (RS-232) for PC communication.

Reply to
Anssi Saari

Yes but, I want to interface to the most primitive PCs. Ethernet is a higher level of complication. And IIRC RS232 won't interface with rPi's 3.3V [MOS ?], but par-port will.

WDYS?

Reply to
Unknown

You primitive PCs will likely have a 5V par port? Maybe not so bad when it is still TTL, but when it is MOS...?

For RS232 you can put a MAX-3222 or MAX-3232 inbetween.

Reply to
Rob

He has to define "primitive". That Sun 3/50 someone gave me has ethernet, but Macs of that vintage didn't. It was't until relatively recent times that ethernet becamse common (after things like ARCnet), but I think you can go back 20 years and while ethernet wasn't standard, there were cards for the ISA bus in the "IBM PC". Of course, you'd need an operating system that would make use of the ethernet card.

Michael

Reply to
Michael Black

No. you needed some third party software.

And don't forget token ring as well..

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Ineptocracy 

(in-ep-toc?-ra-cy) ? a system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.
Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Please can we forget token ring?

Reply to
Rob Morley

but there were *no* collisions!

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It's a money /life balance.
Reply to
Stanley Daniel de Liver

Dropped tokens instead. And devices dropping off the ring. And the scabbiest network connectors I've ever seen. Give me ethernet collisions every time.

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Today is Prickle-Prickle, the 31st day of Discord in the YOLD 3179 
           "Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine"
Reply to
Huge

But when it died it killed the whole network requiring hundreds of systems to re-start.

Plus the damn cards and hubs cost a fortune.

Reply to
Julian Macassey

In the end that's what killed it, or would have been sufficient to kill it.

Ethernet was good enough and much cheaper.

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Gambling with Other People's Money is the meth of the fiscal industry.  
 me -- in the spirit of Karl and Groucho Marx
Reply to
Walter Bushell

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