Solved Printer cable advice - DB25 to USB Type B

[ashleyg]

Customer has an old accounting software package that is hard coded to print via the DB25 connector on his Desktop PC to a dot matrix printer which has given up the ghost.

He does not want to replace the accounting package and so I am thinking I should be able to print from the DB25 port to his usb laser printers.

Problem is there does not seem to be DB25 to USB Type 2 (D shape plug) cables available.

There are plenty od DB25 to USB Type A cables available but not those to connect to USB Type 2 which most USB printers come with these days.

I'd appreciate some advice on this and finding a solution.

Thanks

 

[rustberger]

How about a USB Adaptor B-Male to A-Female.
USB Adaptor B-Male to A-Female + $2 SHIPPING AUST-WIDE!

 

[ashleyg]

Perfect!
Couldn't find those in enzed.
Thanks rustberger.

 

[alphanumeric]

It will be interesting to see if that actually works, I'm thinking it won't. I'm not trying to be a smart @ss or anything but you'll have everything connected back wards. The cable is meant to convert USB to parallel and may not work in reverse. Also how do you install the USB driver for the printer? It's not going to show up as USB? If you haven't bought those cables yet you may want to research it a little more. Could you post a link to the USB to parallel cable?

 

[bobafetthotmail]

I have a sneaking suspicion that that it won't work. Stuff on parallel can be run by a USB (kinda), but not the other way around.

There are boxes like thisthat should do it, but aren't cheap.

You could also look at printservers, some may allow you to print FROM a parallel port TO a USB printer, while most do the reverse.

Is that dumb program able to print over network printers?

 

[ashleyg]

alphanumeric:
Here is the type of DB25-USB A Male cable I'm looking at:
8ware USB Cable, USB A male to DB25 female : Ascent Technology 383151

Together with this adapter at the printer end:
USB Adaptor B-Male to A-Female + $2 SHIPPING AUST-WIDE!

bobafetthotmail:
That SW was written for DOS by a small vendor since defunct. Unlikely it is network aware. All compiled code so no parameters to change options at all.

I can probably pick up both the DB25 cable and the adapter for about $10-$15 all up.

Will report back on results, doesn't sound too promising though.

(I've taken this issue on as a kind of pet project as I'm keen to see if it will work. I have made it clear to the customer he has to look at replacing that SW)

Thanks all for the input.

 

[ashleyg]

Ok, further research verifies what some of you alluded to and shows my ignorance..

There's more than just getting the cables to connect. There is a Parallel (DB25 out) to Serial (USB) protocol conversion that has to happen as well. Here is one purpose built device:

http://www.epapersign.com/images/stories/downloads/lpt2usb-spec.pdf

As was previously indicated, the most common use for the cables I was chasing is to print from USB port on your PC to your legacy parallel/centronics printer.

I won't be going down this path.

Thanks everyone for your excellent knowledge and insight.

Graham.

 

[alphanumeric]

USB A male to DB25 female < meant to add a parallel port to a PC that doesn't have one. The USB end of the cable you linked to is meant to interface with a PC not a printer. Aside from not plugging into your printer it won't plug into the PC either. The connector on the PC is also a female. You'll have to buy yet another adapter/ gender changer. There is probably a reason why they don't make DB25 male to USB Type 2 (D shape plug) cables. I wouldn't think they would sell enough, if any, to justify making them in the first place. It's usually the other way around, centronics to USB, to plug and old printer into a PC that doesn't have a parallel port. Or adding a parallel interface add-in card to the PC.

EDIT: lol, it took me so long to write my post that I didn't see your last post until after I posted mine.

 

[alphanumeric]

Well what do you know they do make them. :shock:

 

[ashleyg]

Hard case isn't it... They are designed to protect the investment you have in parallel printers. Crikey, the one in question isn't worth giving away! It's the investment in print ribbons and paper to maintain the damn thing that costs a $fortune.

Anyway, I'm wiser for having raised the issue

 

[bobafetthotmail]

I found something that may work: winprint

this,

and also this

Otherwise the only hope is shopping for parallel printers.

and as far as printers are concerned, it's a well-known fact that most manufacturers sell you the device at a loss and keeps the profit margin on ink a bit higher. Modern printers aren't better. I know quire a few people that replace (i.e. sell on Ebay) the printer after the cartridges it was bought with are empty.

 

[alphanumeric]

Actually I think its to protect the investment you have in that old possibly very expensive legacy program. If the software will only print to a physical parallel port what are you going to do.
On the other side of the coin. The one thing that dot matrix printers excel at is printing to preprinted forms, like shipping orders etc. If you have a multi copy form with carbon paper, the only way to print to it and have it print on all the copies is with a dot matrix printer. Thats likely the main reason why they are still around. Its all about speed. It only adds whats needed to the form and doesn't have to print 2 or 3 or more copies.

Have you looked for printers that still have a centronics/parallel connector? I just gave away an old Brother laser Printer that my father gave me, and thats all it had. I had to us a USB to Centronics adapter as my PC didn't have a parallel port on it.

 

[ashleyg]

Thanks for those links! will definitely check them out. Great find bobafetthotmail.

And yes alphanumeric you're right about the software investment of course. In this particular case, it was a relatively small investment a long time ago. Am checking out USB laser printers with parallel interface, may be able to pick one up cheap from auction sites.

 

[bobafetthotmail]

you're more likely to find old printers like the one that died, I doubt anyone in its right mind makes laser printers with a parallel port as well.

 

[ashleyg]

I have a happy customer!

Managed to resolve this after much testing and customer is successfuly printing reports from his DOS General Ledger package to his to his USB windows laser printer.

The solution which worked was to install 'winprint' software utility which captures the output from LPT1 and directs it to the windows printer.

He can now print portrait, landscape and double sided and most importantly, ditch his dot-matrix printer! So is very happy.

Once I determined that was the solution, it took me less than 5 mins to install the SW and have it up and running.

Thanks bobafetthotmail for bringing that software to my attention and thanks all who gave input.

Btw. As far as availability of laser printers with parallel interfaces, there are several slightly older Brother printers still around that provide that connectivity.

Who knows, this may help somebody else faced with same issue.

Graham