BBC printer port (ever used for anything else?)

From: Jules Richardson <julesrichardsonuk_at_yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Sun Sep 19 16:25:02 2004

On Sun, 2004-09-19 at 19:32 +0100, Tony Duell wrote:
> > > Ah yes, that stupid quincuncial DIN plug. Fits both ways up, only 1
> > > works....
> >
> >
> > Just do what I did and solder a db9 onto the pads with flying leads. :D (and
>
> You mean a DE9, but anyway...
>
> > yes, the DIN plug is still in place and works)
>
> I'd probably do that on a normal Beeb, but this is an Acorn Cambridge
> Workstation. And while I don't normally worry about modifications, this
> machine is sufficiently rare that I don't want to do anything
> irreversable to it (I don't mind soldering bits on the circuit boards,
> doing the sideways RAM hack, etc, but I don't want to cut holes in it.

Ahh, I might have something for you then...

I've got a spare ABC shell that I really don't want to throw out but
have no idea what to do with. Would suit someone who didn't want to cut
holes in their own machine!

It's just the outer shell (including black rear panel), Cub internals,
and the black clip-on front bezel is toast. No B+ board, no drives, no
coprocessor, not even any of the metal side trays. (The lack of side
trays is curious - I can't imagine why those would go missing even if
other parts were once scavenged for some reason. Maybe this was an ABC
terminal and Acorn never fitted the side trays to those?)

Anyway, yell if you want it. I can't justify keeping it any more really
and offering it through the usual sources hasn't proved successful. Be
nice to know it was going to a good home, and it'd mean you could hack
it around as much as you wanted and yet still return your ACW to
original condition.

> I have never figured out the reason for the pinout of the Beeb serial
> port.

Without looking at schematics, quite possibly nothing more than the way
the signals are natuarally laid out on the pcb?

cheers,

Jules
Received on Sun Sep 19 2004 - 16:25:02 BST