Re: [NTLK] How does it work? (was Re: Newton Print Pack)

From: Brian (bmcewen_at_comcast.net)
Date: Fri Mar 26 2004 - 15:40:28 PST


> Subject: Re: [NTLK] How does it work? (was Re: Newton Print Pack)
> From: "Marcus Andree S. Magalhaes" <marcus.magalhaes_at_vlinfo.com.br>
>
>
> Well, from the perspective of "hardware", it still seems to be a
> somewhat standard serial/parallel converter. Don't we need to use
> the serial dongle? So it should have as RS-422 (or RS-232) on one side
> and an EPP output on ther other end.
>

true, that's the form factor.

> On the other side, it it's, simply, a serial to parallel adapter,
> someone
> else should have hacked a "custom cable" before... ;)
>
>

Actually, there's a little bit more involved. It's not just wiring, I
think that if you just wired the connections you'd have big problems
getting serial-to-parallel conversion without dataloss.

The black "Newton" labelled PowerPrint (or PrintPack or whatever), have
a embedded chip that includes drivers for the MP, when you hook up,
these drivers are available automagically.

The "GDT" ones that aren't Newton-labelled (SOME models will work with
the MP, some won't) still have chips and buffering, but not the Newton
drivers embedded; you have to install those drivers separately (and
they are available on UNNA or other places).

At one point I was emailing with people at Infowave (nee' GDT, and now
Infowave is gone and it's someone else again) and had a nice list of
all the models that could work with the Newton, and a description of
how to ID the various revisions. My copy of that was lost in a mail
crash, and the post I made about it was about 1.5? 0.5? yrs before
Victor's implementation of Newtontalk IIRC so there's no online archive
of it that I've found. And no one at (whatever the company is now)
wants to talk Newton, that was a long time and at least 2 companies ago.

If someone has archives from a ways back and wants to grep them for
"GDT" or PowerPrint and find it, it would be a nice summary to have
around. Not that the Newton branded ones are hard to find, but there
are at least 2 revisions of the thing after that that will still work.

"Infowave" branded ones, IIRC, are revised and will not work (I can't
prove a negative, but that's my recollection, someone correct me if
they have one of the whiteish Infowave ones and it is working on their
MP... ).

B

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