From: ank@spamfence.net   
      
   On Sun, 30 Jul 2017 01:48:55 -0700 (PDT), Rami wrote:   
   >   
   > On Sunday, July 30, 2017 at 7:26:50 AM UTC+3, Pekka Takala wrote:   
   >> On 29.07.2017 11:42, Rami wrote:   
   >> > Hello fine Commodore people,   
   >> >   
   >> > I have Commodore MPS 803 printer (I think it is 803, it is in the   
   >> > storage at the moment) and have been toying with the idea of   
   >> > hooking it up to Raspberry Pi or similar... And later maybe even   
   >> > add a CUPS driver and allow remote printing.   
   >> >   
   >> > I think I did try to dig up information for this couple of years   
   >> > ago and came to understand that the printer serial protocol is   
   >> > non-standard and documentation for it is hard to find. Someone   
   >> > also mentioned some Nuts and Volts article but I was unable to get   
   >> > it from the publisher.   
   >> >   
   >> > So I would appreciate any information on C64 serial printer   
   >> > protocol / modern tools / github repos / whatever you can provide.   
   >> >   
   >> > Thanks!   
   >> >   
   >> >   
   >> The protocol is essentially the same protocol as commodore 1541 disk   
   >> drive protocol is. The printer just uses device number 4 instead of 8.   
   >>   
   >> Trust me, it is much easier to find a suitable matrix printer for your   
   >> PC than to attach the commodore printer to your pc. The cbm protocol is   
   >> very tight in timing.   
   >>   
   >> Sell the printer to someone c64/vic20/c128 enthusiast.   
   >   
   > Thanks Pekka. If the timing is as tight as you say I might just let   
   > this be for now. The idea was basically just hook up something almost   
   > useless to modern computer setting for fun and laughs.   
      
   Not really related. In the early 2000s I bought a Star NL-10 dot matrix   
   impact printer from Micronics to my Linux box, which I shot at the local   
   flea market for $5. It didn't take five minutes for the landlord, who   
   lived in the same building (which is already bad in itself ;-) to knock   
   at the door and ask WTF am I doing. *g* If it was 20 years earlier (the   
   80s) no one would had cared about the noise it produced. But it was fun.   
      
   Btw. I have forgotten how I get it running. The PC then had a parallel   
   port and it seems Linux just served the printer right.   
      
   > I do have (I think) two Commodore 64s (and 2*A500, A500+ and A1200) so   
   > I think I keep the printer, find some continuous feed paper for it and   
   > hook it up to C64. :)   
      
   I have no real hardware, only emulate the C64 and Amiga. I once tried to   
   print from The Print Shop from the C64 to the Linux host via CUPS the   
   emulator (VICE) runs on. But I set it up wrong and the result was messed   
   up 50% of the time, the other 50% the emulator crashed when printing.   
   --   
   Andreas   
   You know you are a redneck if   
   your favorite hangout is the phillips 66 near the freeway.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)