This working ER20 PenWriter is the Marktplaats find of the year!

[th@social.v.st]

This working ER20 PenWriter is the Marktplaats find of the year! #PlotterArt

[th@social.v.st]

Even my #retrocomputing collection doesn't include Centronics cables anymore. Any recommendations for parallel port adapters?

[humanhorseshoes@mastodon.world]

@th What is the end goal? What do you want to connect?

[th@social.v.st]

@humanhorseshoes ideally to use it as a pen plotter via g-code or hpgl, in addition to being a quirky typewriter.

[funkylab@mastodon.social]

@th back when I picked up a HP inkjet for endless A0-width paper ("Harry Plotter", as we called him when he moved into our bedroom, as the only place with enough spare space), a 5€ "USB to Printer Cable" (literally what it says on the label on the cable, USB-A to Centronics); specifically, [this](https://preisvergleich.heise.de/sweex-cd004-usb-parallel-a639760.html) plastic-grade nonsense dealt very well with the situation. Probably something you can find on classified ads/ebay.

[kbm0@mastodon.social]

@th @humanhorseshoes Up until just a few years ago, many PC motherboards still included a bidirectional parallel port, usually as a DIL header that you can connect to a D-type backplate. If you have such a board with Linux on it, and make up a suitable "crossover" cable, the world will be your lobster. 🦞

[funkylab@mastodon.social]

@th I'd expect every <50€ adapter to work equally well, https://preisvergleich.heise.de/?cat=kabusb&hloc=de&xf=3256_USB+auf+parallel&asuch=usb+parallel&bpmin=&bpmax=&v=k&plz=&dist=&sort=r&bl1_id=30

[jonty@chaos.social]

@th I have one of those! Unfortunately finding the pens for it is a bit of a nightmare.

[hennichodernich@radiosocial.de]

@funkylab @th They all use the Prolific PL2305 anyway. (And they're NOS most likely.)

I still have one in Bondi Blue.

[werdahias@pleroma.debian.social]

@th hmm, this does look like a GPIB port

[grischard@en.osm.town]

@jonty @th can you refill them, or is that a comparable nightmare?

[th@social.v.st]

Can your typewriter make Pie Charts?

[vxo@digipres.club]

@th heeeeeey I recognize those tiny ballpoint plotter pens!

In the early 90s I had the Radio Shack TRS-80 series mini plotter that took those. That thing was adorable.

[vxo@digipres.club]

@th I still remember the sound of it rotating pens using the small pawl on the side. whirrrr clickaclickaclickaclicka

[fritzadalis@infosec.exchange]

@th
Just use a scsi cable and cut off the extra.

[paulrickards@mastodon.social]

@th Nice! This is a new one for me looks like the Silver Reed EB-50 in case design.

I use a Sabrent USB to parallel adapter with mine.

ICYMI, so many companies got into the typewriter plotter game.

https://biosrhythm.com/?p=2143

[scruss@xoxo.zone]

@th ooh, navigation charts on your typewriter

[casandro@f-ckendehoelle.de]

@th Wait, isn't Centronics still present on printers? Anyhow it should be trivial to build such a thing, perhaps based on a Raspberry Pi. After all it's just fairly slow logic. The most complex thing would likely be the level shifting.

[wmd@chaos.social]

@th I found a usb to Centronics cable last week.

[th@social.v.st]

@paulrickards it does look very similar mechanically to the EB-50 penwriter, although the Gracia ER-20 doesn't have the mode switch to make the computer and typewriter be friends. The seller didn't have the gebruiksaanwijzing for it, so I'm trying all the key-combos to see if it is maybe a soft function.