[geeks] geeks Digest, Vol 83, Issue 13

[der Mouse]

>> It strikes me as plausible, at least, that it is a parallel-port
>> device rather than a serial-line device.
> Gotcha - I never considered that it could be parallel.  Query: Would
> a parallel device give garbage if connected serially?

"Maybe."  1 is strobe and 2, 3, and 7 are all data pins.  Connecting it
to a serial-port device could give anything or nothing, or maybe even
fry the parallel port, depending on how well it handles things like
having outputs grounded.  (All the pins in question are outputs from
the host in ancient-boring-parallel-port mode, but I believe at least
some of the less ancient modes use some of those pins bidirectionally.)

> I'm out of town currently but when I return I'm going to hook it up
> with some straight through DB25 and see what hooking it up parallel
> does.

Be careful.  I'd suggest sticking resistors - 100 ohm or so would be my
first-try choice - in series with each pin for a first attempt; that
would _probably_ prevent you from frying anything if it's not designed
for parallel-port use.  (I'm more worried about the parallel port on
the host than I am the device, at least insofar as frying things goes.)

> One of these days I'll crack it!

Er, I mean, no, there's no hope of making it work, you should just send
it to me to get rid of it. :-)

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