Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Print Servers for CNC

turbulatordude wrote:

>Hi Bill,
>
>I'm not sure if I understand your question, but I assume you are
>looking at these as a method of expanding the ports.
>
>I think it could be workable as the server itself would require at
>least 2 pins to tell which output was being used.
>

2 pins on what? The parallel port?

No, it won't work. These devices are made for a specific purpose. They
accept ethernet
packets of characters to be printed, extract the "payload" from the
packet and spoon-feed
it to the appropriate printer. You seem to suggest you could send info
into one parallel
port, and get info out of the other two. these units might have the
hardware capability
to do something like that, but the firmware in the device would not do it.

> unfortunatly, it
>would also mean that only one output could be used at any time. so
>you could not have 2 ports running concurrently.
>
>the unit would need to be hacked to see what is a pass thru and what
>is internal control, then find how to switch them.
>

They have no pass through function that I can find.

> more than likely
>you could get any program to swith them IF (that should be in about
>24 point type) the selection is just a digital state on one or 2
>pins. if it is a serial interface, then the hacking is a lot more
>and then each software vendor would need to add that code.
>
>

It is NOT serial, it is Ethernet!

Jon