[G4] USB-DIN adaptor cable

[Douglas McCabe]

Hello Mike,

Many thanks for taking time to respond to my request.  My machine is a G4 
(400Mhz) and I'm currently running OS 9.2.  I'm using the machne in my home 
and so have no need for routers, etc.  Since I can happily survive using my 
inkjet printer, and can't afford any heavy expense to get this printer 
hooked up, I'm hoping a simple solution involving something like a cable 
adaptor is available.  Being a computer novice, I'm somewhat surprised that 
Apple didn't make the G4 backward compatible with older Apple printers or at 
least make it easy for non-experts like myself to obtain the necessary 
accessories to allow this.

Any more thoughts you have on this matter would be very welcome.

Best regards.

Douglas


>From: "Michael L. Brown" <brownml at adelphia.net>
>Reply-To: "Power Macintosh G4 List" <G4 at lists.themacintoshguy.com>
>To: "Power Macintosh G4 List" <G4 at lists.themacintoshguy.com>
>Subject: Re: [G4] USB-DIN adaptor cable
>Date: Mon, 23 Jun 2003 18:01:51 -0400
>
>Doug is correct. The easiest way to connect the printer up is via ethernet, 
>thru a pair of  LocalTalk connectors and some telephone line to a Farallon 
>or Asante AppleTalk to ethernet adapter. Either connect the Farallon/Asante 
>adapter to your Mac via crossover cable, or via your hub or router with a 
>regular ethernet patch cable. You did not say which LaserWriter Select 
>printer, which Mac or which system. The lash up above will work with any 
>Mac with built-in ethernet, or an ethernet card, a LaserWriter Select 360 
>and the adapter on both OS 9 and OS X. Appletalk has to be active for the 
>computer to talk to the printer adapter over ethernet. Avoid the 
>LaserWriter Select 300. Apple did no port the driver over to OS X.
>
>FYI the 3pin DINs are the pre-USB printer cable that connected up to a 
>serial port. Serial port cables and LocalTalk connectors have seven pins 
>but fit into the same socket.
>
>I have a LaserWriter Select 360 that I splurged and bought for $1300 in 
>1994, and it is still going strong... over 4500 pages per cartridge, in 
>Postscript level II and 10 pages per minute. It is by far the oldest and 
>most reliable piece of computer equipment I have owned.
>
>Mac G4/400, with 1 MB RAM, PowerLogix PG4-1000 accelerator card, ATI Radeon 
>8500, an a bunch of other junk running on OS 10.2.6.
>
>Regards,
>
>Mike
>
>>At 16:07 +0000 6/23/03, Douglas McCabe wrote:
>>>I've been given a Personal LaserWriter printer that seems in good working 
>>>order except that I can't attach it to my G4 which only has USB sockets 
>>>for connecting peripherals. The LaserWriter cable has an eight-pin DIN 
>>>plug at one end going into a 2-socket housing at the other end, and these 
>>>sockets are 3-pin DINs.  Does anyone know where I can purchase a DIN-USB 
>>>adaptor cable that will allow me to hook the printer to the G4?  Would 
>>>appreciate any help.  Regards.
>>
>>The 8 pin MiniDIN is an RS422/RS232 "Localtalk" connector. It can be 
>>connected to any standard RS232 serial port with an appropriate cable. It 
>>can also connect to an AppleTalk cable if the printer has the right plug 
>>in board attached.
>>
>>What you're probably looking for is a USB to serial adapter but the 
>>software for it is another matter.
>>
>>For Ethernet you might be able to use an Asante ethernet to LocalTalk 
>>adapter.
>>
>
>--
>Almost never pointless.
>
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