[Coco] CoCo Serial to Ethernet Interface/Converter

[Bruce Borer]

1.) The first thing you need to decide is what the printer port needs to
support.
     If you just want to print files then the following could be done
easily.
2.) Usually I first look at what I have available otherwise I may have to
purchase something.
     Get a "computer" that can print to your ethernet printer.  For me, I
probably
     would use my ACER ASPIRE ONE notebook, but a low cost SBC could work.
3.) Based on what ports your "computer" has will determine how to talk to a
COMM port.
     If it is old enough to have a COMM port you are set otherwise you may
need a
     serial to USB device (which I also have).
4.) There are several ways to redirect serial input to a file and close the
file when it has
     received all that is to be printed. Then send the file to the printer.
5.) You may need to write a program/script to do this more automatically or
if you want to
     send characters to the printer as the CoCo outputs them from the
serial port.

If you want more help to do this please reply with what hardware you intend
to use.

Bruce P. Borer

On Mon, May 19, 2025 at 9:10 PM Alex Evans via Coco <coco at maltedmedia.com>
wrote:

> There is the CoCoUSB which looks like a serial port to the coco. It can
> even be setup to take the standard coco serial port roms.
>
>
> On Mon, May 19, 2025 at 8:51 PM gene heskett via Coco <
> coco at maltedmedia.com>
> wrote:
>
> > On 5/19/25 20:16, Richard E. Crislip via Coco wrote:
> > > Hello,
> > >
> > > As the Subject says, has anyone developed a CoCo serial to ethernet
> > > converter to run a ethernet connected printer from the CoCo? TIA
> >
> > IF note BIG IF we have a ser to usb, you are about halfway there as
> > there are many USB hubs available which include a more or less std
> > Ethernet cat5 port replacing one of the USB outputs on these.
> >
> > The problem is mainly the FCC regulations for wireless stuff, makers are
> > precluded from exposing any wireless devices that can be potentially be
> > made to do illegal frequencies or power outputs, making them essentially
> > black boxes, so if the maker does not supply a driver, they are also
> > enjoined from sharing the how to drive it info with us so we could write
> > our own.
> >
> > That, and the coco's sharing a grossly incomplete i/o decoding scheme
> > with memory access throws some very large wrenches into the works. I've
> > screamed about that for 30 years or more, but no one has ever designed a
> > new mobo that fixes that.  That is 100% our fault.
> >
> >
> > >
> > Cheers, Gene Heskett, CET.
> > --
> > "There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
> >   soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
> > -Ed Howdershelt (Author, 1940)
> > If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.
> >   - Louis D. Brandeis
> >
> >
> > --
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> >
>
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