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Review: Serial/parallel converter
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Home / Publications / Rainbow / Rainbow 1981 / Rainbow 1981-11 - Review: Serial/parallel converter
O.K., you're Just not satisfied with either of the 'printers Radio Shack has out for the Color Computer -- either the Line Printer VII or the newest one. the Line Printer VIII.
Or, maybe, you just want to be able to switch printers at some time in the future and keep your present LP VII or VIII for now.
The choice is yours, but you can gain some real flexibility with the PI80C SERIAL/PARALLEL CONVERTER from THE MICRO WORKS (P.O. Box 1110. Del Mar, CA, 92014).
For $69.95. the PI80C will allow you to use the serial port of your Color Computer for your printer. but will convert the signals for use on the many parallel printers now on the market. That, by the way, includes virtually every major printer manufacturer. You can purchase conversion kits for a number of printers, but the cost is much more than is this little "black box" (which really IS a black box).
We've had the PI80C up and running with an Epson printer for two months now. It has worked perfectly. Not a single hitch.
The PI80C comes with a four pin DIN plug which fits into the Color Computer's Serial port and a power cord which plugs into a standard socket. The other end is an edge card which has the "standard" Centronics configuration. You plug one end of a printer ribbon cable into the PI80C and the other into your printer. That's all!
Since the LP VII and LP VIII both have parallel connections. you can use your PI80C with one of those printers ... as well as with any other printer Radio Shack sells. You can also plug into an Epson, Centronics. Okidata, etc., etc.
In short. this fine piece of hardware gives you complete flexibility to buy whatever printer you wish without costing an arm and a leg for spec features.
This is a good buy.
