client side parallel to network converter

Hello, I need help finding specific printing product.
In a school lab, we have about 20 oscilloscopes with Parallel ports for
direct graph printing.
This work well with good old HP laserjet 4 directly connected printers.

We're looking for ideas to limit printer proliferation in a share goal
(multiple ocilloscopes for 1 printer) as space in lab is very low.

- 1st idea was to use parrallel port hub. until 4 osciloscope can print
to the same printer. Work nice but not enough cause Parallel cables
cross all over the lab wich left no space to walk safely.

- 2nd idea is to use wireless jetdirect print server but the ocilloscope
side need a special device to send print jobs from parralel port to network.

Looking hard with google with no luck.
Have you got an idea if this type of device could exists ?

Thank you.

On 12/8/2011 2:31 AM, rr wrote:
Hello, I need help finding specific printing product.
In a school lab, we have about 20 oscilloscopes with Parallel ports for
direct graph printing.
This work well with good old HP laserjet 4 directly connected printers.

We're looking for ideas to limit printer proliferation in a share goal
(multiple ocilloscopes for 1 printer) as space in lab is very low.

- 1st idea was to use parrallel port hub. until 4 osciloscope can print
to the same printer. Work nice but not enough cause Parallel cables
cross all over the lab wich left no space to walk safely.

- 2nd idea is to use wireless jetdirect print server but the ocilloscope
side need a special device to send print jobs from parralel port to
network.

Looking hard with google with no luck.
Have you got an idea if this type of device could exists ?

Thank you.

"Scopes need a special device..." - what does this entail?

How about a less than perfect solution: parallel to usb converters
plugging into several usb hubs. Thinner less obtrusive wiring - perhaps
running above/on ceiling. Or same thing with parallel to ethernet adapters

On 2011-12-08, rr wrote:

- 1st idea was to use parrallel port hub. until 4 osciloscope can print
to the same printer. Work nice but not enough cause Parallel cables
cross all over the lab wich left no space to walk safely.

Looking hard with google with no luck.
Have you got an idea if this type of device could exists ?

I think you'll struggle to find a suitable device as a signle unit.
My only suggestion would be to find some bidirectional serial-parallel
converters (not to be confused with the more common unidirectional
serial-parallel converters), hook them up to the back of each
scope and wire them back to a central serial access server to get
them all on the network - I know Lantronix make some nice flexible
units that should be able to handle that last bit. Of course you
still have cabling but I don't see how you can avoid that. RS232
will be happy over RJ45 terminated network leads in any event,
although you may need a few modular adapters.

--
Andrew Smallshaw

Le 10/12/2011 23:03, Bennett Price a écrit :
On 12/8/2011 2:31 AM, rr wrote:
Hello, I need help finding specific printing product.
In a school lab, we have about 20 oscilloscopes with Parallel ports for
direct graph printing.
This work well with good old HP laserjet 4 directly connected printers.

We're looking for ideas to limit printer proliferation in a share goal
(multiple ocilloscopes for 1 printer) as space in lab is very low.


How about a less than perfect solution: parallel to usb converters
plugging into several usb hubs. Thinner less obtrusive wiring - perhaps
running above/on ceiling. Or same thing with parallel to ethernet adapters

Thank you for suggestion : this could be an idea as small printers are
cheap but only USB now. This is the oppsite device we need : multiple
parrallel to 1 USB printer. All is more complexe if device to plug to
printer isn't PC.

RR

Le 12/12/2011 15:09, Andrew Smallshaw a écrit :
On 2011-12-08, wrote:

- 1st idea was to use parrallel port hub. until 4 osciloscope can print
to the same printer. Work nice but not enough cause Parallel cables
cross all over the lab wich left no space to walk safely.

Looking hard with google with no luck.
Have you got an idea if this type of device could exists ?

I think you'll struggle to find a suitable device as a signle unit.
My only suggestion would be to find some bidirectional serial-parallel
converters (not to be confused with the more common unidirectional
serial-parallel converters), hook them up to the back of each
scope and wire them back to a central serial access server to get
them all on the network - I know Lantronix make some nice flexible
units that should be able to handle that last bit. Of course you
still have cabling but I don't see how you can avoid that. RS232
will be happy over RJ45 terminated network leads in any event,
although you may need a few modular adapters.

Thank you very much.
Serial to ethernet is "findable" didn't know. I'll have a look on
bidirectionnal parallel to serial converter.
ones for the oscilloscope and how about the printer side ?

Yeah we still need some cabling of course. Maybe next scopes will be
directly networked but they are far too expensive to change for now.

Regards.

rr wrote:

Hello, I need help finding specific printing product.
In a school lab, we have about 20 oscilloscopes with Parallel ports for
direct graph printing.
This work well with good old HP laserjet 4 directly connected printers.

We're looking for ideas to limit printer proliferation in a share goal
(multiple ocilloscopes for 1 printer) as space in lab is very low.

- 1st idea was to use parrallel port hub. until 4 osciloscope can print
to the same printer. Work nice but not enough cause Parallel cables
cross all over the lab wich left no space to walk safely.

- 2nd idea is to use wireless jetdirect print server but the ocilloscope
side need a special device to send print jobs from parralel port to network.

Looking hard with google with no luck.
Have you got an idea if this type of device could exists ?

Hi,
I did a google search for "capture parallel port data" and came across
the following page which offers a parallel-to-usb device:
http://www.pclviewer.com/resources/capture/

Next I found a circuit diagram and building instruction for a
parallel-to-usb device:
http://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha.../index.html.en

I stopped searching here, but probably there are more solutions.

HTH
--
Wilfried Hennings
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