home bbs files messages ]

Just a sample of the Echomail archive

Cooperative anarchy at its finest, still active today. Darkrealms is the Zone 1 Hub.

   CBM      Commodore Computer Conference      4,328 messages   

[   << oldest   |   < older   |   list   |   newer >   |   newest >>   ]

   Message 4,026 of 4,328   
   Jim Brain to Dr. What   
   Re: Commodore MPS printer   
   13 Nov 23 10:33:22   
   
   INTL 3:770/1 3:770/3   
   REPLYADDR brain@jbrain.com   
   REPLYTO 3:770/3.0 UUCP   
   MSGID:  34f48d19   
   REPLY: 821:770/1.0 29b60f06   
   PID: SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
   On 11/11/2023 1:39 PM, Dr. What wrote:   
   > -=> Mykrowyre wrote to All <=-   
   >   
   >   My> The MPS-802 is the same as the 1526.  It's a business class printer   
   >   My> with "push" tractor feed so that you don't waste a sheet of paper every   
   >   My> time you load the printer or advance to the next page.  It has tru   
   >   My> decenders (j, y, g, etc) under the line. It also has a ton of text and   
   >   My> formatting commands for printing forms and reports.  In stock form it   
   >   My> isn't supported by most graphics programs (other than GEOS), but you   
   >   My> can download a graphics rom for free, burn it to a 2764 eprom, and   
   >   My> replace the original rom.  This retains all original features and adds   
   >   My> 1525 compatibility so that programs like print shop, etc, all work   
   >   My> correctly.   
   >   
   > By chance, do you know of anyone who is selling that eprom already burnt?   
   >   
   >   
   > ... Live long and prosper... But don't let the IRS know.   
   > === MultiMail/Linux v0.52   
      
   Looks like someone else is looking for it as well:   
      
   https://www.lemon64.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=36718   
      
   I don't see the file anywhere either.  I was not aware, and it would be   
   nice to have   
      
   To clarify, while the MPS 802 and 1526 are the same printer (and they   
   share the same mechanism and case as the CBM 4023 which is IEEE-488 and   
   for the PET, I do know there are 2 variants.  The difference is in the   
   print head.  I *think* the 1526 has round dots in the print head, while   
   the other has square dots.   
      
   Having implemented graphics using this printer, I can truly say the   
   capability is beyond awful.   
      
   The 1526/MPS 802 supported a single redefinable character in the stock   
   firmware. That's not so bad, as one could define the char as 8 bytes of   
   graphics, print, redefine it, print, lather, rinse, repeat.   
      
   What made it bad was the fact that the character could only be defined   
   once per print line.  Yep, 80 columns of text and 1 slot could be a   
   graphics char.   
      
   That should have made graphics impossible, but the printer also had a   
   "carriage return without line feed" control character.   
      
   Folks can see where this is going, but to finish it out...   
      
   The solution to implement graphics on this printer was to:   
   set a tab variable to 0   
   print (tab) spaces   
   define your graphics for position (tab)   
   print the graphics char   
   issue a carriage return with no line feed.   
   increment tab by 1   
   if tab = 80, issue line feed and work on next 8 lines of graphics.   
   else, go to beginning of loop   
      
   As you can expect, the speed was horrific, and I can only imagine the   
   wear on the printer, as it printed one char at a time on a line.   
   Luckily the onboard firmware knew enough to not bring the head all the   
   way to the left after each return. But, as I recall, it did have to back   
   up a bit when printing.  Maybe it was to ensure the printhead was   
   already moving when printing, not sure.  In any case, the printhead   
   jerked back and forth across the page in little spurts.   
      
   It was a shame, as the print quality was miles better than the 1525 and   
   friends, and it offered 640 dots per line, as opposed to 480 of the   
   1526. As the previous poster noted, it also had true descenders.  Text   
   printing was fast and crisp.   
      
   Jim   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: Agency HUB, Dunedin - New Zealand | Fido<>Usenet Gateway (3:770/3)   
   SEEN-BY: 1/123 10/0 1 15/0 18/200 90/1 102/401 103/1 705 105/81 106/201   
   SEEN-BY: 123/131 129/305 153/757 7715 154/10 214/22 218/0 1 215 601   
   SEEN-BY: 218/700 840 860 870 880 930 220/70 221/1 6 226/17 30 227/114   
   SEEN-BY: 229/110 112 113 206 275 307 317 400 426 428 470 664 700 240/1120   
   SEEN-BY: 266/512 267/800 282/1038 291/111 301/1 113 305/3 317/3 320/219   
   SEEN-BY: 322/757 335/364 341/66 342/200 396/45 460/58 633/280 712/848   
   SEEN-BY: 770/1 3 100 340 772/210 220 230 5020/400 5058/104 5075/35   
   PATH: 770/3 1 218/840 221/6 301/1 218/700 229/426   
      

[   << oldest   |   < older   |   list   |   newer >   |   newest >>   ]


(c) 1994,  bbs@darkrealms.ca