Date   : Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:32:52 +0100
From   : steven.bass@... (Steven John BASS)
Subject: Centronics to Serial

jgh@... (Jonathan Graham Harston) wrote:

> > Message-ID: <4AC7A227.9040503@...>
>  
> In fact, to be consistent, I'd recommend using the printer-user port cable
> used with John Kortink's 65Link, viz:
>  
>   Printer          <--->  BBC
>  
>   Pin 1 (nSTROBE)  <--->  Pin 2 (CB1)
>   Pin 2 (DATA 0)   <--->  Pin 6 (PB0)
>   Pin 3 (DATA 1)   <--->  Pin 8 (PB1)
>   Pin 4 (DATA 2)   <--->  Pin 10 (PB2)
>   Pin 5 (DATA 3)   <--->  Pin 12 (PB3)
>   Pin 6 (DATA 4)   <--->  Pin 14 (PB4)
>   Pin 7 (DATA 5)   <--->  Pin 16 (PB5)
>   Pin 8 (DATA 6)   <--->  Pin 18 (PB6)
>   Pin 9 (DATA 7)   <--->  Pin 20 (PB7)
>   Pin 10 (nACK)    <--->  Pin 4 (CB2)
> * Pin 18 (0V)      <--->  Pin 5 (0V) * Pin 19 (0V)      <--->  Pin 7 (0V)
> * Pin 20 (0V)      <--->  Pin 9 (0V) * Pin 21 (0V)      <--->  Pin 11 (0V)
> * Pin 22 (0V)      <--->  Pin 13 (0V) * Pin 23 (0V)      <--->  Pin 15
> (0V) * Pin 24 (0V)      <--->  Pin 17 (0V)
>   Pin 25 (0V)      <--->  Pin 19 (0V)
>  
> Then, program the User VIA to latch input data on CB1 and generate an
> interupt. On the interupt, store the received byte in a buffer somewhere.
> In the foreground copy data from the buffer to disk, etc.
>  
> Digging through old code shows we were discussing exactly this on the list
> in May 1999!
>  
Jonathan, I believe I may have found the progam you was thinking of; it's
called 'Emulate' and was on the 8bs site.

See link:

http://bbcmicro.net/old-8bs/pool/8bs45.zip

I used DFS Explorer to extract the program from the 8BS45.DSD file.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work from my old Z80 machine as it seems to
use the 'BUSY' line for the handshaking instead of the 'ACK' line.

Needless to say that it doesn't work from a Windows PC either even when the
LPT port is set to SPP.

Ah well, back to the drawing board!


Regards

-- 
Steven