I just took over my son's old 400 G-4 Yikes model, and have it on the other side of my desk with my S-900. I am wondering how to print from the the G-4 to my two local talk, or serial port printers, a Lexmark Optra R+ and a HP 6MP Laser Jet. Neither have ethernet connections and I thought of getting that local talk to Ethernet Asante router but it has a stiff price, about eighty dollars or up. Are there any advantages to printing through the Ethernet Local talk connector on the S-900. It's almost cheaper to go the route of buying a Samsung USB laser printer at J&R but if the local talk to Ethernet will speed up the S-900 printing I might go that way.
Topic 1:
A bridge will not speed your printing from the S900. But it will allow you to connect your G4 to your LocalTalk printers. I find this to be a very convenient topology.
I was going to point you at Ebay for the AsanteTalk, but a search on completed items shows that in the last month they typically went for $50 - $70 although one did close at $16 in mid-December.
What I would suggest is that you look for some of the earlier models with which other folks may not be familiar. For example, the MicroAsantePrint is exactly the same as the AsanteTalk, except it supports more network management software and may include additional ethernet connectivity (AUI and/or BNC ports). You can ignore the software and just treat the MAP as an Asantetalk.
I once found a MAP without the power supply for $5 at Goodwill.
Dayna and Farallon also sold similar products. And there was an AsantePrint before the MicroAsantePrint. There is no functional difference. The AsantePrint is simply the size of an older style modem rather than the size of a pack of cigarettes.
The history is that all those companies offered bridges mainly for institutions who needed network solutions so their solutions were about $200 - $300 and supported network management software. Then, when Apple took the serial/Localtalk ports off of new Macs, there was suddenly a market for bridges amongst consumers. So Asante and Farallon repackaged their bridges for the consumer and dropped the price down to around $100 or less.
So those previous models are still out there, and because most folks never heard of them, the demand may be lower (so is the supply though) and you may be able to pick one up for less.
This one is at $5.50 currently, e.g.: <http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2774794878&category=44926> No telling what it will close at, of course.
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Topic 2:
In a more general vein...
There is a difference between a serial port and a LocalTalk port. While the Mac uses the same DIN8 port for both functions, they are not the same function. You can only network your printer if it is an actual LocalTalk printer and you cannot network it if it is simply a serial port printer. In other words, on printers, the DIN8 connector is either a serial port, or it is a LocalTalk port, but it is not both. It is only on the Mac that the same port can be made to serve either function. (There may have been an early HP deskwriter which had a dual function port,though.)
For example, the Epson Color Stylus 850 has a Mac serial port (DIN8). But it only functions as a serial port. It must be connected to a Mac serial port through a DIN8 to DIN8 cable. It will not work if you connect it to a mac using LocalTalk or Phonenet cabling.
The best example is the old Imagewriter II. It ships as a serial printer. If one installs the Appletalk Option board into the printer, then it becomes a LocalTalk printer and can be networked through LocalTalk or Phonenet cabling.
The other difference is that a driver for a serial printer will ask you to choose which serial port to which the printer is connected, printer or modem. The driver for a LocalTalk printer will insist that you turn AppleTalk on in order for the printer to work. It won't care about printer or modem port.
Of course, when one activates AppleTalk in the AppleTalk control Panel, it will ask one to choose the port through which it is operating. That is where one choses the printer or modem port, and naturally, one must connect the network cabling to the correct port.
BTW, LocalTalk is the name for the hardware media. Appletalk is the name of hte network protocol, sort of like the network language. That is why Appletalk can be directed at the ethernet port as well as the LocalTalk ports. It doesn't care very much which hardware media it travels over. Appletalk and Localtalk are often confused by folks.
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Topic 3:
Anyway, going back to Mark's specific case, I believe that the HP 6MP is actually a LocalTalk printer, though I'm not 100% certain. I don't know about the Lexmark printer. If they are both LocalTalk printers, then using an AsanteTalk should work well and that's the easiest way to be able to use them with your G4.
I think there was an adapter offered by someone that plugged into the modem slot and provided a serial port, but I don't think it operated as a LocalTalk port. It only provided serial capability. But the memory is hazy on that, so if you don't mind giving up your modem slot you might look into the details on that.
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Topic 4:
I use a MicroAsantePrint here. We have an ancient TI Microlaser Plus and an Imagewriter II with the Appletalk option installed. Both printers are plugged into a nearby network jack on the wall, and that runs to the MicroAsantePrint in the wiring closet where it hooks the LocalTalk segment up to the Ethernet hub.
The only catch is that if there is a power failure, the MAP seems to come up before the hub or something and it loses the ethernet connection. The solution is to simply unplug the power to the MAP for a moment and then reconnect it, so that it resets.
I also occasionally connect the MAP out to other network ports in the house when I need to network a pre-ethernet computer such as a Mac Plus or SE/30.
I have a LocalTalk star for the jacks in the house that are connected to LocalTalk devices. Then the MicroAsantePrint bridges the LocalTalk star to the Ethernet hub. And all the other computer things in the house are on the ethernet segment, but they have access to the LocalTalk segment through the bridge. This a very convenient network topology if one is mixing older and newer printers and if one likes to have all the printers in the house networked.
As I add printers, I always get a networkable printer so that it can connect to all the computers in the house.
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By the way, I got a strange HP 9.1 10K says it is a 160 SCSI /SCA2/LVD drive when I thought I was getting a Fujitso regular wide drive on E-Bay, with the SCA adaptor. It's too much trouble to return it but I am wondering whether it's worth putting this into one of the S-900's. Does anyone have any experience. Is there any way to check on whether this is a new drive (as I thought) or a refurbished one.It is in a sealed plastic container with what looks like the HP warranty stickers in place but no information except the Serial and Part Numbers. Not quite sure how I protest this--it certainly makes me wary of E-bay. Do I need an additional fan to install this. I have a Miles card in one of my two S-900's and could possibly hook it up if I can figure out the cables, power connectors, etc. No manual came with it just the SCA adaptor and some plastic things for the jumpers.
Topic 5:
You thought you were getting a 68 pin drive and they sold you a SCA drive with adapter to 80 pins? Is that what happened? I agree it is a difficult thing to handle. As you mention, one must be very wary of buying drives on Ebay, especially in the Apple specific drives and media section. There is at least one seller that advertises 50 pin and 68 pin drives which are all really SCA drives with the appropriate adapter attached. I emailed him and asked.
I recommend, first carefully reading the item description to see if there is wriggle room between a drive with a real 50 or 68 pin interface or an adapted SCA drive. Second, if you have any doubt, email the seller and ask. Third, avoid buying from vendors who don't supply a photo of the drive which shows the interface, or email and ask them. Fourth, make sure you get the model number of the drive which they are selling and if they won't supply it don't buy from them. Fifth, consider shopping in the general PC Drives and Media/SCSI section of Ebay, if you aren't already. The bulk of the drives are SCA there too, but there are fewer folks selling adapted SCA drives and passing them off as 50 or 68 pin.
There is a lot of difference between models of drive, even when they all have 9 GB capacity and the same rotational speed.
As far as your specific case, I'd email the seller, and see what comes of it. There's not much recourse if he isn't cooperative. You can probably make the drive work, but adapted SCA drives are a pain.
Jeff Walther
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