In SX Microcontrollers, SX/B Compiler and SX-Key Tool, John Bond wrote:

Hi Forrest

The Test PCs are DOS based 486 machines. Lots of ports, plenty opto isolation, even on the printer ports, very robust. They've been around for 10 years. It just outputs a label to a parallel printer.

What I didn't mention because it didn't seem relevant is that I have a logger on the serial printers that captures the label information and writes it to an OBDC database on our server for tracebility reasons. Just to keep things simple, think of a Parallel port on a computer writing to a Serial port of a printer.

Buying a converter is the logical way to go. I used one in the early 80's. It was about the size of a box of chocolates and had a dozen ICs. This time round, we've looked for such devices, we've googled, I've spoken to the National Instrument rep. I've contacted RS Components (the UK equivilent of Digikey). We've even spoken to one of the local PIC developers.

I don't seem to get unstuck when it comes to serial 232 comms (thanks to Stampworks, Günther's book and this forum). Building the circuit isn't out of the question. Parallel communications is a black art for me though. 

Kind regards from the country that "forgot" to build power stations and now has a huge electricity problem!!! Africa seems to be getting darker.
John Bond

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