Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] configuring Dell to output on parallel port

Mini-pci, PCMCIA and USB parallel port adapters are available but for the
price you could get a used P3, the majority of modern laptops have poor
compatibility with serial and parallel ports.
There may be an option in the BIOS to set the parallel mode, it's usually EPP
but a lot of units differ.
For the price it would make a lot of sense to pick up a P3 to use as a
dedicated server, it would be a lot cheaper to replace should things go
wrong. It's simple enough to run with no monitor, mouse and keyboard using
VNC, telnet, SSH etc. over wireless or LAN.
On a side note I would highly recommend Panasonic Toughbooks for use in a
workshop, the two I use have had frequent falls and been used outdoors in all
kind of environments with no problems whatsoever. They are fanless so dust
and moisture are not a problem, also serial, parallel and USB are all 100%
standard on all models.
I use a P2 CF-27 model as a server for various control systems with no issues,
the thing outputs the results of just under 1 million geometric calculations
a second so speed really isn't a problem.
cheers