🚀 go-pugleaf

Lately there has been some discussion on whether or not it was possible to
connect the LaserWriter printer directly to a Macintosh Plus without
LocalTalk cables.  The answer is a definite YES!!!!  I did the test myself
with a LaserWriter Plus and a Macintosh SE and it works fine.  What I used
was a Macintosh Peripheral - 8 Cable, which is a male DB-9 connector on one
end and a male DIN-8 connector on the other end.  The cable is Part# M0196
and retails for $29.95 ($20 for a generic non-Apple cable).  This cable is
used to connect an 'old' Macintosh (128K, 512K, 512Ke) to Apple peripherals
like the Apple ImageWriter II and the Apple Personal Modem.

Connect the DB-9 end on the cable to the female DB-9 connector on the
LaserWriter.  Connect the DB-8 end on the cable to the printer port on the
Macintosh Plus.  Make sure that the printer mode switch on the back on the
LaserWriter is set to the AppleTalk position (it should be there normally).
DON'T switch it to the 9600 baud position or this won't work.  All the
software settings are the same as if you were using regular LocalTalk cables.

There probably is some confusion on cabling because of the way Apple used to
use the word 'AppleTalk'.  It used to refer to both the AppleTalk Protocol
(ATP), and the physical cabling ('AppleTalk' cables).  Apple has now renamed
their cabling 'LocalTalk' differentiating it from the actual AppleTalk
Protocols, since you can send AppleTalk packets across different kinds of
cables and wires.  These include standard shielded cable (LocalTalk), twisted
pair wires (PhoneNet and others), thick and thin Ethernet cables (EtherTalk,
Kinetics and others), and even fiber optic cables (DuPont).

Of course Apple could clear up this confusion by telling people they can use
their LaserWriters, connected to one Macintosh, with only a $30 cable instead
of $90 of LocalTalk cables :-( (this procedure isn't documented anywhere in
the old LaserWriter and LaserWriter Plus manuals).

Hope this help!

-Michael Wang  (Sorry for the long posting)

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| Michael Wang  |  Stanford University, Stanford, CA  94305                 |
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