#What's Wrong with this?
8 messages in this thread
I have a problem with my printer. My Amiga 2000, on boot up, goes into a
continuous cycle of accessing the hard disk, the printer sounding as if it
is initializing and then repeating the cycle ad infinitum. If I turn the
printer off, my Amiga works fine. Once I am booted up, I turn on the
printer which then freezes my screen. I turn off the printer and
everything is fine again. I took my printer to work and connected to a
Dell 386 and the printer worked. Can my problem be solved at home or do I
have to take my printer to a repair shop?
RJ……….on AutoPilot
Early A4k prototypes did exactly the same thing with one type of printer
cable, but worked fine with another type of printer cable. This was fixed
in the A4k so it'll work with either kind of cable, but I'm not sure that
is true of the A2k.
I forget the details, but it has something to do with some weird pins the
Amiga uses differently than PCs. I think you have to have just the right
cable and just the right printer to get the problem (Fortunately, I
managed to do just that while testing the A4k prototype so that the
problem could be fixed). If you can find a place that sell AMIGA PRINTER
CABLES (make real sure), see if you can get one and if it helps.
—
Dale L. Larson, Intangible Assets Manufacturing
I don't think that's the problem, Dale. My Epson FX-85 has been working
fine with my computer for years. It just this past week started giving me
trouble.
RJ……….on AutoPilot
Couldn't tell from your message.
Hmmm. Time to replace the CIAs (one of them might do, but I don't
remember which off the top of my head). If the one that handles some of
the printer lines is going bad, it might have a problem only with a
printer plugged in.
—
Dale L. Larson, Intangible Assets Manufacturing
You might try swapping the two CIA's (8520 chips). There are two of them, and
they are used for completely different things, so swapping them will change the
symptoms if one is bad.
-larry
I think the difference is the AMiga +5 volt output pin in the parallel
port. If you get a cable with that line not connected, every thing should
be O.K., as I recall.
wmc – via Autopilot!
An idea: You may want to look in your manual for the identification of every
line on the parallel port. There is one line that supplies a +5 voltage,
although on a PC compatible it is used for a ground. Open up the hood on the
cable and cut the wire going to the line. It's possible that the +5 volt line
is supplying power to a part of the printer that's supposed to be grounded.
Hope that helps… Keith.
Robert –
"… Can my problem be solved at home or do I have to take my printer
to a repair shop?"
Sounds like it's NOT a printer problem. It's a computer problem.
Maybe as simple as a bad 8520 chip – but I'm only guessing here. Take
your Amy to the shop, or maybe someone here can help.
OnLine since 1982
Roy Pahnke – Casper WY