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- 23/02/95
- A number of people who purchased BBC systems many years ago also purchased
- Epson MX 80/100 printers. The following information will enable you to
- change the !PrinterDM application supplied with the Archimedes and BBC A3000
- to drive the MX series correctly.
-
- Make a copy of the !PrinterDM printer driver application on a new disc. You
- can do this by formatting a new disc and dragging the !PrinterDM application
- from the window for your applications disc to the window for the new disc.
- Now load the !Edit program, which you will need to alter the settings inside
- the printer driver application.
-
- Hold down the shift key and double click on the copy of the !PrinterDM,
- which will open a window showing the files that form the application. The
- file PrData is the one that needs to be altered, and this can be dragged to
- !Edit's icon. The PrData file is designed to be readable by both humans and
- the !PrinterDM program and you should be able to locate the settings for
- various types of printer. There are 13 printer types supplied as standard
- and we will add a further two by entering the attached text at the end of
- the settings and before the line "Page Size Settings". When you have done so
- save the PrData file.
-
- You can now start your new !PrinterDM by double clicking on its icon. When
- the driver is loaded click select once on its icon on the icon bar. This
- opens a small window which displays the current driver setting, and clicking
- on the printer name will cycle you through all 15 possible printer types,
- and do so until you reach the MX drivers. You may wish to choose save
- settings from the menu on the printer drivers icon, so that the driver will
- automatically start with the MX driver selected.
-
- printer_name: EPSON MX compatible (72 by 72 dpi)
- printer_number: 13
-
- pxres: 72 ; dots per inch
- pyres: 72
- pxres_halftone: 72/4
- pyres_halftone: 72/4
-
- dump_depth: 8 ; 8 pin
- line_prologue: "<27>K" ; select appropriate mode
- line_epilogue: "<27>A<0><13><27>A<8><10><27>2" ; move down 8/72 inch
- job_epilogue: ""
-
- .............................................................
-
- printer_name: EPSON MX compatible (144 by 72 dpi)
- printer_number: 14
-
- pxres: 144 ; dots per inch
- pyres: 72
- pxres_halftone: 144/8
- pyres_halftone: 72/4
-
- dump_depth: 8 ; 8 pin
- line_prologue: "<27>L" ; select appropriate mode
- line_epilogue: "<27>A<0><13><27>A<8><10><27>2" ; move down 8/72 inch
- job_epilogue: ""
-
- .............................................................
-
- We often receive requests for further information from people wishing to
- design and build interfaces and peripherals for their own use, or as part of
- a design project. There are many suitable books that can be used in
- conjunction with such projects.
-
- The two most suitable ports on the BBC B/B+ and Master 128 are the user and
- analogue ports. There is a discussion of the use of these ports and how to
- write software that reads and writes to them, in "The New Advanced User
- Guide", by Dickens and Holmes, published by Adder or the earlier "Advanced
- User Guide", by Bray, Dickens and Holmes published by the Cambridge
- Microcomputer Centre.
-
- Apart from good book shops Farnell Electronic Components and RS Components
- both list suitable book titles in their catalogues. Specific BBC based
- titles such as "Interfacing with the BBC Micro" (Farnell Order Code 171-800)
- will probably be of use.
-
- It is possible for the mouse, supplied with the Archimedes and BBC
- A3000 computer systems, to be used with the PC Emulator. This requires your
- DOS disc to contain the file:
-
- mouse.sys
-
- The PC Emulator is not supplied with this file as it is normal for any
- Microsoft package, which supports the mouse, to contain a suitable
- mouse driver. If your DOS disc does not contain this file you will have to
- copy it, from the software package on which it was supplied, onto your
- DOS disc.
-
- Once you have the file on your DOS disc you will have to ammend the
- config.sys file with the following line:
-
- device=mouse.sys
-
- If you are unsure of how to do this the instructions, on page 9 of the
- PC Emulator booklet, describe the process for amending this file.
-