Newsgroups: comp.robotics
Path: brunix!uunet!nevada.edu!jimi!physics.unr.edu!equinox!bryson
From: bryson@equinox (Derry Bryson)
Subject: Re: PC for a controller
Message-ID: <1993Mar24.060058.11583@physics.unr.edu>
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Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1993 06:00:58 GMT
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Bryan S. Blank(FIRN) (bblank@mailer.cc.fsu.edu) wrote:

: 	Since I don't have the cash for a miniboard, could my PC be used
: to drive a few motors?  I would basically want to output certian strings
: to com1: or com2: to make the motors run.  Is this possible?  The reason I
: think so is on some PC cash registers there are two wires on the serial
: port going to the cash drawer.  When the password is entered, the door is
: unlocked.  Thanks!

: 					--Bryan

PC's work great.  I would use the parallel port rather than the serial
port, however.  While they do pop cash drawers off serial ports you have
to send several chars at 300 baud to charge a cap or something like that.
Besides, serial ports don't have many lines and they aren't TTL compatible.

I would be happy to send you info on using the parallel port (even code
if you want).

Derry Bryson
bryson@equinox.unr.edu
u



