| Serial cable for ImageWriter II printer [message #350333] |
Tue, 08 August 2017 23:37  |
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Originally posted by: Chris Tobar
I found an ImageWriter II printer in a thrift shop earlier, and I really want to try hooking it up to my Apple II+. I also installed a Super Serial Card recently. I mentioned this in another topic, but I'm still having a hard time finding the cable to connect the printer to the computer. I tried a local electronics shop near where I live that has a lot of vintage parts, and he didn't have the right cable. The person I bought the serial card from may not have a cable either. Does anyone by chance have a spare cable they could sell for a reasonable price?
As a last resort, I might be able to make a cable with parts from the electronic shop, but I would need to know the pinout, which connections go where.. I'm anxious to get this printer going. I haven't seen a dot matrix printer working since I was a little kid! Ha! Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer.
-Chris
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| Re: Serial cable for ImageWriter II printer [message #350347 is a reply to message #350333] |
Wed, 09 August 2017 09:46  |
David Schmidt
Messages: 994
Registered: October 2012
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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On 8/8/2017 11:37 PM, Chris Tobar wrote:
> [...]
> I'm still having a hard time finding the cable to connect the printer
> to the computer. I tried a local electronics shop near where I live
> that has a lot of vintage parts, and he didn't have the right cable.
Rare as hen's teeth: MiniDIN8 to DB-25. It'll be a special day indeed
if you find one for sale anywhere. Not rare as in valuable... just rare
in that not many people needed them, then or now.
> As a last resort, I might be able to make a cable with parts from the
> electronic shop, but I would need to know the pinout, which
> connections go where.
Ok, that we can do:
MD8 - DB25
1 - 6
1 - 8
2 - 20
3 - 3
4 - 7
5 - 2
8 - 7
Shield - Shield
So MD8-1 is jumpered to both DB25-6 and 8.
MD8-4 and 8 are both jumpered to DB25-7.
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| Re: Serial cable for ImageWriter II printer [message #350348 is a reply to message #350333] |
Wed, 09 August 2017 10:44 |
Hugh Hood
Messages: 684
Registered: November 2012
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Chris,
Follow David's pinout, but start with a cable that _already_ has the MD-8 on
at least one end.
After you determine the wire colors, cut off the other end (non-MD-8) and
attach your DB-25 to it.
I once thought that I could easily handle soldering MD-8's. Yuk!
Hugh Hood
in article 7b9e69b3-30a6-4afd-8655-4191e9b556c6@googlegroups.com, Chris
Tobar at gatewaycityca@yahoo.com wrote on 8/8/17 10:37 PM:
>
> As a last resort, I might be able to make a cable with parts from the
> electronic shop, but I would need to know the pinout, which connections go
> where. I'm anxious to get this printer going. I haven't seen a dot matrix
> printe
> r working since I was a little kid! Ha! Thanks in advance for any help anyone
> can offer.
> -Chris
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| Re: Serial cable for ImageWriter II printer [message #350354 is a reply to message #350347] |
Wed, 09 August 2017 11:59 |
Lisa2dotcom
Messages: 19
Registered: February 2013
Karma: 0
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Junior Member |
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On Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 8:46:03 AM UTC-5, schmidtd wrote:
> On 8/8/2017 11:37 PM, Chris Tobar wrote:
>> [...]
> Rare as hen's teeth: MiniDIN8 to DB-25. It'll be a special day indeed
> if you find one for sale anywhere. Not rare as in valuable... just rare
> in that not many people needed them, then or now.
It may be HTF in 2017, but this type of cable was NOT rare in the day.
In addition to this application of connecting an IW2 to a SSC, this same cable was needed to connect any macintosh with Din 8 serial ports (made from 1986 thru 1997) to a standard external modem, or to connect a IW1 (or many other serial printers) to a Mac. The same applies to the Apple 2GS.
Keep looking, they are out there.
Rick
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| Re: Serial cable for ImageWriter II printer [message #350356 is a reply to message #350354] |
Wed, 09 August 2017 12:40 |
David Schmidt
Messages: 994
Registered: October 2012
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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On 8/9/2017 11:59 AM, Lisa2dotcom wrote:
> On Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 8:46:03 AM UTC-5, schmidtd wrote:
>> On 8/8/2017 11:37 PM, Chris Tobar wrote:
>>> [...]
>> Rare as hen's teeth: MiniDIN8 to DB-25. It'll be a special day
>> indeed if you find one for sale anywhere. Not rare as in
>> valuable... just rare in that not many people needed them, then or
>> now.
>
> It may be HTF in 2017, but this type of cable was NOT rare in the
> day.
>
> In addition to this application of connecting an IW2 to a SSC, this
> same cable was needed to connect any macintosh with Din 8 serial
> ports (made from 1986 thru 1997) to a standard external modem, or to
> connect a IW1 (or many other serial printers) to a Mac. The same
> applies to the Apple 2GS.
Don't forget Lisa and Apple /// to IWII. All the most popular
combinations. ;-)
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| Re: Serial cable for ImageWriter II printer [message #350360 is a reply to message #350333] |
Wed, 09 August 2017 13:16 |
scott
Messages: 4239
Registered: February 2012
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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In article <7b9e69b3-30a6-4afd-8655-4191e9b556c6@googlegroups.com>,
Chris Tobar <gatewaycityca@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I found an ImageWriter II printer in a thrift shop earlier, and I really
> want to try hooking it up to my Apple II+. I also installed a Super
> Serial Card recently. I mentioned this in another topic, but I'm still
> having a hard time finding the cable to connect the printer to the
> computer. I tried a local electronics shop near where I live that has a
> lot of vintage parts, and he didn't have the right cable.
I don't know that it'd be any easier to find locally in the current year,
but if you can find one, perhaps a Mac-to-external-modem cable might work.
It'll at least have the right connectors on each end. You'll then need to
flip around the null-modem block on your serial card to get the signals
through to where they need to go.
OTOH, perhaps eBay is the better way to go...found this as the first result
on a search for "Imagewriter II cable":
http://www.ebay.com/itm/282601266305
_/_
/ v \ Scott Alfter (remove the obvious to send mail)
(IIGS( https://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
\_^_/ >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?
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| Re: Serial cable for ImageWriter II printer [message #350423 is a reply to message #350360] |
Thu, 10 August 2017 14:33 |
Warren Ernst
Messages: 65
Registered: May 2013
Karma: 0
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Member |
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On Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 10:20:26 AM UTC-7, Scott Alfter wrote:
> In article <7b9e69b3-30a6-4afd-8655-4191e9b556c6@googlegroups.com>,
> Chris Tobar <gatewaycityca@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> I found an ImageWriter II printer in a thrift shop earlier, and I really
>> want to try hooking it up to my Apple II+. I also installed a Super
>> Serial Card recently. I mentioned this in another topic, but I'm still
>> having a hard time finding the cable to connect the printer to the
>> computer. I tried a local electronics shop near where I live that has a
>> lot of vintage parts, and he didn't have the right cable.
>
> I don't know that it'd be any easier to find locally in the current year,
> but if you can find one, perhaps a Mac-to-external-modem cable might work..
> It'll at least have the right connectors on each end. You'll then need to
> flip around the null-modem block on your serial card to get the signals
> through to where they need to go.
>
> OTOH, perhaps eBay is the better way to go...found this as the first result
> on a search for "Imagewriter II cable":
>
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/282601266305
>
> _/_
> / v \ Scott Alfter (remove the obvious to send mail)
> (IIGS( https://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
> \_^_/ >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?
Here's another person on Ebay who seems to have sold at least 55 of these cables. He has one 5-star review of the cable directly and over close to 4000 transactions, his ebay rating is 99.6% positive.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-Mac-6-ft-Imagewriter-I-Printer -Cable-8-pin-DB25/370346410145?_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo %3DSIM.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D45726%26meid%3D5439e2b8ae9c4e15b f9c037200b8c6e4%26pid%3D100623%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D282 601266305&_trksid=p2047675.c100623.m-1
I would estimate about 1.8 billion cables of this type were made back in the day. ;-) Finding one again should NOT be difficult thanks to the modern internet.
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| Re: Serial cable for ImageWriter II printer [message #350537 is a reply to message #350423] |
Sat, 12 August 2017 03:22 |
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Originally posted by: Chris Tobar
Thanks for the help everyone! I think I might just order one from that connectworld site.
Steven, it's pretty rare to come across vintage computer stuff at the thrift shops where I live too...so when I saw that printer and I realized what it was, I grabbed it!
Matthew, I'm definitely interested in the color catridges! Is that gmail address the best way to contact you?
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