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Conference 7.286::atarist

Title:Atari ST, TT, & Falcon
Notice:Please read note 1.0 and its replies before posting!
Moderator:FUNYET::ANDERSON
Created:Mon Apr 04 1988
Last Modified:Tue May 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1433
Total number of notes:10312

726.0. "Firstword+ to an LA100 on the serial line" by UKCSSE::RDAVIES (Live long and prosper) Fri Jan 05 1990 13:31

    I have an old LA100 lurking around at home and tried to use it with the
    ST. It has a serial line and thus I connected through the modem port. 
    
    I set up the control panel, and can print straight text file from the
    desktop. However no way can I get firstword+ to talk to it. I've tried
    installing various drivers. Toggled the serial/parallel switch on the
    'letters box' but it just sits there!. Firstword is convinced it's
    printing, but the printer doesn't flicker. 
    
    Has anybody else got firstword+ to print through the serial line, or
    any idea's on what else I could try.
    
    
    Richard
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
726.1Partial success w/ an LA50MARKB::BRAMHALLMark Bramhall, CDA architecture, E PLURIBUS UNUMMon Jan 08 1990 16:546
    I use my LA50 with 1st Word -- but only after wiring a special cable
    for it.  And, I can get it to work with either 1st Word or with the
    desktop -- but not with both.  I wired the cable for the RQS/CTS flow
    control (and set the jumper inside the LA50).  That works with 1st
    Word, but the desktop liked the XON/XOFF type of flow control much
    better.  I cannot make it work both ways...
726.2It works but ...BAHTAT::BEECHGraham Beech, SWAS Leeds UKTue Jan 09 1990 09:539
    
    1stwordplus will work with an LA100 if you get the cable right.  Since
    both interfaces are DTEs you need a cross over on 2 and 3.  It would
    seem that 1stword cannot be made to use XON/XOFF flow control so you
    must set the LA100 in restraint mode and wire the busy signal (forget
    which pin) to CTS on the atari interface.   You also need to edit the
    'Ascii' driver supplied to send the correct escape sequences, then
    load it and set it to use the serial port.
    
726.3Yahoo!!! it prints.UKCSSE::RDAVIESLive long and prosperWed Jan 10 1990 10:3736
    Many thanks to all who helped. It was a combination of everything
    previous. I had to switch the desktop to RTS/CTS from XON/XOFF, switch
    the printer for modem control.
    
    Still wouldn't work, but by now I was armed with the datacomms
    handbook. The cable was a BC22D, it had the following connectinos:
    1-1
    2-3
    3-2
    7-7
    6-20
    20-6
    
    No RTS/CTS, 
    so I linked 4-5 in both plugs. Hey presto it sprang to life. One
    question outstanding: I looped the signals round in each plug, should
    they go end to end. i.e.
    
    		IS				SHOULD IT BE?
    1---------------------1		1---------------------1
    2----------\  /-------2		2----------\  /-------2
                \/  			            \/  
    3-----------/\--------3		3-----------/\--------3
    4--+               +--4   		4----------\  /-------4
       |               |		            \/  
    5--+               +--5		5-----------/\--------5
    6----------\  /-------6		6----------\  /-------6
                \/  			            \/  
    20----------/\--------20		20----------/\--------20
    7---------------------7		7---------------------7
    
    Reason I ask is I get the printer bleeping, not sure yet if it's an
    illegal function, or if it's data overrun. 
    
    
    Richard
726.4GRAPHX::WEAVERVISUAL::WEAVER Image Systems GroupWed Jan 10 1990 20:218
What you did will work, what you propose would be the configuration for
a printer that would handle RTS/CTS flow control.

You are probably getting beeps due to lost data, is XON/XOFF flow control
enabled?  You might need to reduce the baud rate if it is, otherwise, simply
enabling XON/XOFF should do the trick.

						Enjoy, -Dave
726.5Beeps are data overrunBAHTAT::BEECHGraham Beech, SWAS Leeds UKThu Jan 11 1990 10:0816
    
    You are getting data overrun because you now have CTS set permanently.
    
    Unfortunately the LA100 doesn't toggle it's RTS signal for flow
    control, it uses a busy signal (restraint mode).  I can look up the
    pin numbert if you don't have a manual, but it's one that normally
    isn't used in an RS232 interface.
    
    So you must have the LA100 in restraint mode not XON/XOFF and you must
    have the right pin connections to get flow control.
    
    There is another option - you could turn the speed down to about 300
    bps !
    
    	-Graham.
    
726.6Maybe I should take an LA100 course :-)UKCSSE::RDAVIESLive long and prosperThu Jan 11 1990 11:2412
    This ought to be re-titled "how does RS232 work" :-)
    
    I have the manual, but it says BUSY (pin 11) is ON to signal the
    computer to STOP sending data. However, RTS says ON to RECEIVE data.
    
    However, there is pin 19 (Secondary RTS) which claims to do what 11
    does, but also claims to be an RTS equivalent. So I'm still unclear,
    but plan to try each of the signals in turn until I get it right!.
    
    Thanks for all the replies, keep any more help coming.
    
    Richard
726.7It works ok for me STKAI1::SODERLUNDFri Jan 12 1990 06:4131
    I've got a LA50 and it works O.K. if you connect it like this.....
    (I think it's the same for LA100).
    
    Cross pin 2 and 3 like a null modem cable and use pin 7 for signal
    ground, connect pin 5 from Atari side to pin 11 on the printer side
    that will do the trick.
    
    Pin 11 is the Bussy/Ready signal, and Atari use "bussy=low" set by
    dip switches inside the printer.
    
    In LA50 it's SW1-6 and SW1-7 in the closed position.
    
    You can also use an ordinary nullmodem cable and put a jumper between
    pin 5 and 11 (pin 11 is not used in Atari and pin 5 is not used
    in the printer)it works O.K. I've tried it.
                   
                                            
    	Atari		printer	   or	Atari		printer
    
         2-----------------3              2----------------3
         3-----------------2              3----------------2
         7-----------------7              7----------------7
         5-----------------11             5----------------5---]
                                                               ]  <-- Jumper
                                         11----------------11--]
                                                                            
    No other pin's are used.     
    
    That's all have fun     
    Hans.
         
726.8The final conflict! :-)UKCSSE::RDAVIESLive long and prosperMon Jan 15 1990 11:3820
    It now works perfectly!. set to 9600 with full data control. I took the
    circuit as in .7 (thanks Hans) but the LA100 needed DSR when in modem
    control. so I looped back DTR to DSR. I also looped RTS/CTS on the
    printer for good measure.
    
                                            
    	Atari		printer	   
    
         2-----------------3       
         3-----------------2       
         7-----------------7       
         5-----------------11      
                        +--4                               
                        |
                        +--5                        
                        +--6
                        |
                        +--20                               
    
    Richard