Parallel port

[Diggory Laycock]

Hi,

Is it possible to have a parallel port in Darwin?

There's an open source App I'd like to use, but it talks to hardware through the Parallel port.

Can I get hardware that will behave as a parallel port?

Can Darwin even use a parallel port?

[Camelot]

My first thought is: What hardware is it you need to talk to?

If you're talking about some output device or other then you might be able to get away with a USB<->Parallel converter.

If it's a hardware key (dongle), I think you're out of luck. But, then again, it's an open source app, so just grab the code and uncomment the hardware key locks ;)

I can't think of anything else that's likely to require a parallel port nowadays.

[Graymalkin]

You've obviously never controlled a robot using a parallel port, blinking lights showing processor usage, or hooked up a homemade RTTY. :D

Parallel and serial ports have their uses, not so many they're desperately needed as PC manufacturers seem to think but they can indeed be useful. If you are building something using a BASIC stamp you don't exactly have a USB option. A UART and a 555 chip are much cheaper and easier to use than a USB controller chip, especially in low powered devices.

[Diggory Laycock]

The hardware I want to control is this (it does have a USB connection too):

http://www.interesting-devices.com/asp/product.asp?recorprod=1&product=129&cat=45&ph=&keywords=&recor=&SearchFor=&PT_ID=

but the software to control it with the best chance of compilation is this:

http://ucon64.sourceforge.net/

and it only uses the parallel port.