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Amiga computer related discussion => Amiga Hardware Issues and discussion => Topic started by: Dandy on August 06, 2007, 10:33:08 AM

Title: Parallell interface of A4000
Post by: Dandy on August 06, 2007, 10:33:08 AM

Strange things are happening to my printouts:

A fewe weeks ago my Canon BJC 210ET (conncted to my Miggy) started to print out an unreadable "salad" of control characters and letters.

Then it quitted printing entirely.

So I plugged the printer into my x86-PC and tried again.
No reaction as well.

Then I had a closer look at the cable and noticed, that one pins in the plug (computer end of the cable) had been pushed back so it couldn't get contact with its counterpart when plugged in.

I fixed the plug and retried to print with the PC - this time it worked flawlessly.

Now I re-connected the printer to the Miggy and re-tried there as well.

Unfortunately I keep getting the same unreadable "salad" of control characters and letters as in the beginning.

I tried with a fresh install of TurboPrint 7.01 - same result.

I disabled TurboPrint and tried to print using the WB driver - same result again.

Now I'm suspecting the parallell interface of my A4k finally gave up.

I'd like to test the parallell port, but as I have no other device to connect to it than my printer, I'd like to ask if someone here knows a kind of testing software for the Amigas parallell interface?

 :-?

Title: Re: Parallell interface of A4000
Post by: HellCoder on August 06, 2007, 01:39:44 PM

It would probably be easier to buy a sampler and see if that works. I think is uses all the data and control lines. You'll be testing your port AND buy something you can use after it too! (if the port isn't broken though) Don't think there is any software that can verify the port without connecting something to it.

Title: Re: Parallell interface of A4000
Post by: Matt_H on August 06, 2007, 06:03:33 PM

Well, the pin in the plug got damaged for some reason - maybe there's some gunk in the 4000's parallel socket that's preventing it from making contact?

Title: Re: Parallell interface of A4000
Post by: rkauer on August 06, 2007, 08:47:47 PM

Try reinstall the printer driver on DEVS:. You maybe have a bad block issue on the hd.

Title: Re: Parallell interface of A4000
Post by: Zac67 on August 06, 2007, 09:47:27 PM

If your printer has a hex dump mode you can try it to see which bits are not transmitted correctly. Then you can double check the cable, the parallel port and if everything else fails it might be one of the CIAs.