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controlling 1999 Win XP parallel port, all pins constant high, wont go low. help — Parallax Forums

controlling 1999 Win XP parallel port, all pins constant high, wont go low. help

3Animos33Animos3 Posts: 3
edited 2012-12-09 23:45 in General Discussion
I was able to use the programming in dos on my XP after using Parallel Port 1.0 to install the driver needed. Regardless, from the first time I plugged into my parallel port all my test LED's are high and they won't go low, even though my programs are running fine in dos. How do I get them out of the permanent high state?

( I soldered wires to pins 2-9 for accessing the 8 pins, and a ground wire to pin 25. Each wire is in my brwadboard with a resistor and led to test the pin. They all run to the ground wire I have coming from pin 25. FYI i got this info from the 8-in-1 dummies guide to electronics. )

Also, I tried changing the Bios setting of ECP, EPP, Output only, and Bi-diretional.. nothing changed. (new to all this since Feb 2012)

Comments

  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2012-12-09 10:24
    It sounds to me like everything was High before you started. SO, it seems that you have not really changed anything in the Parallax Port output yet. Is that right?

    This is not really the kind of question that we ordinarily deal with here as we tend to not use the parallel port on a PC for anything.

    Besides, the parallel port can be used in 4 rather different ways if you look at Wikipedia. Reaching it in DOS is not the same as reaching it in XP or another OS, such as Linux.

    It might be easiest to control by writing and compiling a program to test it in C. C provides an i/o library that may be simpler than trying to work through the BIOS or OS.

    Or, you might borrow software from a parallel port relay board for XP and see if that works. But if you damage the port, it is your problem.

    http://www.electronickits.com/kit/complete/elec/ck1601.htm

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parallel_port
  • max72max72 Posts: 1,155
    edited 2012-12-09 13:56
    Windows NT made the parallel port access very difficult for security reasons. I guess the same thing applies to XP...
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2012-12-09 19:25
    max72 wrote: »
    Windows NT made the parallel port access very difficult for security reasons. I guess the same thing applies to XP...

    What max72 says is very true. Also, because XP allows the printer to be shared by any running programs data is spooled and output to the printer driver by the operating system. This makes using the printer port to control hardware much more difficult. There is a way to do it but I have not used XP for several years and no longer have or recall the details. Sorry I could not be more help.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2012-12-09 22:38
    I posted a link for an 8 relay board that uses the parallel port and provides code that does it. The binaries are ready to go, but there is also the code in C for DOS and XP.

    The C code should work, but just maybe the later Service Packs for XP have shut down the parallel port. One might be able to use the same computer with a LiveCD of Linux of some sort... Puppy Linux, Ubuntu, etc.
  • al1970al1970 Posts: 64
    edited 2012-12-09 23:45
    Hi:

    Try the program "robot basic" ; it's a free download. I never had time to try it out but they have commands to control the parallel port in XP as well as other ports.

    Al
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