Question: AI've just started trying to get ADT to work from a Windows98 PC to
an Apple. I'm using the Apple Super Serial Card in terminal mode with
a straight-through cable.
My (Windows) question is: can I hook the straight-through cable from
the Apple SSC to the 25-pin Parallel printer port on my PC? So far it
doesn't seem to be working, because I can't select the Parallel port in
any of my terminal programs on the PC. The only available choices are
my PC Modem or Com Ports.
I'm guessing from the ADT readme, that I actually need to connect the
Apple SSC, through the straight-through (or null modem cable) to one of
the 9-pin COM ports with a DB-25 to DB-9 cable, instead of the 25 pin
Parallel port. So I bought the wrong cable...Is this correct?
I have installed the Windows Direct Cable Connection system - does this
have anything to do with getting ADT to connect to the Apple?
Finally, what is the best Windows terminal program to use? (I'm just
using HyperTerm as mentioned in the ADT readme).
Answer:One possible alternative would be parallell port communication
though, by connecting the PC parallell port to the Apple II Parallell
Printer Card, which also has a Centronics parallell port connection.
Although these ports are made to transmit 8 bits in parallell, one
can only make it receive 4 bits in parallell through the status
inputs (except for newer PC parallell ports, which has a
"bidirectional mode" -- the Apple II Parallell Printer Card lacks
that feature though). But 4 bits in parallell is still much faster
than only one bit at a time, so such a parallell port link would indeed
be faster --- it would require modification of ADT though. Which
means today this is not an option.
