Question

How do I connect several manufacturing machines to a printer?

Asked by: sfrisk

I need to connect several manufacturing machines to a printer.  The printer connection on the machines is a parallel port.  The operating system on the machines is DOS or Windows 98.  Upgrading the machines is not an option.  I can get an HP 1100 to connect directly to the machine to print, but do not want a printer at each machine.  What type of print server could I use to make this happen?  Is there a limit to how long I can run a printer cable without a decrease in print performance?  Would a wireless print server work, given how old the printer and machines are?

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Asked On
2009-11-05 at 13:38:09ID24876205
Tags

Printers

,

Wireless Print Servers

Topics

Wireless Networking

,

Printers by HP

,

Networking Cables

Participating Experts
2
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Comments
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Answers

 

by: unogeekPosted on 2009-11-05 at 14:31:04ID: 25754816

sfrisk,
You could hook the printer up to one of the Windows 98 workstations and then switch on File and Printersharing so that the other workstations can print to the printer. (In the network-properties)
You will have to install the print drivers on the workstations that will be sharing the printer though. Hopefully you have the cd still.

 

by: hdhondtPosted on 2009-11-06 at 02:17:15ID: 25757911

Your best bet is to connect the printer to one PC, and share it. As the DOS apps presumably want to print to LPT1, you will need to connect the printer to a different LPT port, e.g. LPT3. Then, on each of the other PCs, map the printer to LPT1 with the command:

NET USE LPT1: \\sharing_PC_name\printer_share_name

After that, any printing to LPT1 will be redirected to the shared printer.

There are auto-share switches for parallel printers. Each PC is plugged into it, as is the printer. When a PC starts sending, it's port is connected to the printers, and the other PCs are put on hold until the first one finishes. This one takes up to 8 PCs:

http://www.directron.com/mp801b.html?gsear=1

You mentioned cable lengths, and yes, parallel cables should normally not be much longer than 3m (10 ft). There are port boosters though, but you'll need one for each long cable. This one goes to 50 ft:

http://www.pcpartscollection.com/paboto50.html

A wireless (or wired) print server will work, but not if your DOS application wants to print to a parallel port. In addition, Win98 does not natively support IP printing (to talk to the print server), so you'd need to install some software for that. I do not recommend this route.

 

by: sfriskPosted on 2009-11-06 at 13:41:12ID: 25763317

hdhondt - Are you suggesting configuring LPT3 to be set up within the software, or adding an additional printer port to the machine.  (I don't know if I'm explaining it correctly).  We have older equipment that has a CPU inside of it - it's not like an actual computer and monitor.  Would I set up each machine to a different LPT port?  

I have 8 machines, but in two different locations in the plant, so if I set up 2 PC's each with their own printer and then ran 5 manufacturing machines to one and 3 to the other, would that work?  Each manufacturing machine would have a different LPT port?

I think your solution will work, I'm just not sure if each machine would require a different LPT port and to take the machines down would mean that we lose time in manufacturing, so I want to make sure I completely understand before I start.  Thank you.

 

by: hdhondtPosted on 2009-11-07 at 02:40:11ID: 25765743

DOS can keep printing to LPT1 as that will be mapped to the shared printer. On the sharing PC Windows will have a problem with using the same port from DOS as well as mapping it. That is why I suggest using a different port (LPT3) for the driver. I think that, if the driver uses LPT3, the data will be sent to LPT1, but I'm not 100% certain, so you may have to install a second LPT port on the sharing PC. In that case the port may be LPT2 instead of LPT3.

On all the other PCs, DOS will use LPT1, after it's been mapped to the shared printer. After the NET USE command, when DOS prints to LPT1, thedata will be sent across the network to the sharing PC, which will send it to the printer on LPT3 (or LPT2).

 

by: sfriskPosted on 2009-11-09 at 05:37:28ID: 31650759

Thank you!

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