RPC Development
Kit Software
1 April 1998
There are two versions of the software.
- Standar Parallel
Port (SPP with Open Collector / pull-up
control lines)
- Bidirectional
Port (PS/2 or ECP set to Byte Mode or PS/2
Mode)
For Old PCs: Standard Parallel Port (SPP
with open collector / pull-up control lines)
This is the default RPC Dev Kit configuration. It
will work properly only on old PCs which have
Standard Parallel Port (SPP) with open collector /
pull-up control lines. RPC.EXE has to be used with
this configuration.
Bidirectional PS/2 port configuration has to be
used for new PCs which have PS/2 compatible ports or
Extended Capabilities Port (ECP). DEMO.BAT
(RPC-BI.EXE) in \RPC-BI subdirectory has to used with
PS/2 mode configuration.
25 way Male D Connector on the RPC Dev Kit is
connected to the RPC with the connections shown on
the table below. The cable which comes with the Kit
is one to one Female to Male 25 way cable. It can
only be used with the default configuration.
To use the Bidirectional PS/2 mode, interface
adapter or cable has to be used to change the
connections as shown in Figure
1.
For more
detials
For New PCs: Bi-directional Port (PS/2)
Port requirement 8 bit bi-directional PS/2
(PS/2 or ECP set to PS/2 Mode / Byte Mode)
This configuration is needed for new PCs because
the Standard Parallel Port (SPP) in new PCs does not
contain open collector / pull-up control lines as in
older PCs. SPP version of the software uses Printer
Port Control lines as RPC Data lines. Data lines are
pulled low by RPC when sending bit ‘0’ to
host. SPP in new PCs are hard driven logic outputs
which cannot be pulled low by RPC.
Bidirectional version of the hardware &
software overcomes this by using PS/2 Mode. In PS/2
Mode, Status Lines are used for Control line input
from RPC (RXR, TXA) and Printer Port Control Lines
are used to output the RPC Control signals (RXA &
TXR). Default RPC Dev Kit connector is setup for SPP
mode. A PS/2 interface adapter or cable is needed to
use RPC Dev Kit in Bidirectional PS/2 mode. (Refer to
figure 1 on page 11 for wiring diagram).
In Bidirectional PS/2 mode, Printer port data
lines can be used as RPC data lines in bidirectional
mode. Open collector / pull-up control lines are not
needed for RPC data lines.
Most of the new PCs come with Extended
Capabilities Port (ECP). ECP can be set to operate in
PS/2 compatible bidirectional mode. Program supplied
with bidirectional version will automatically change
the mode from ECP to PS/2 and change it back to ECP
when the RPC Dev Kit software is closed.
For
more details
