Printer Sharing Device question

[Richard Steinfeld]

I picked up a gadget: a Dresselhaus SmartPrint "Printer Sharing System."
I think that it's called a "printer server." It allows four computers
to share one printer. I assume that it assigns the connection
first-come-first-served.

I want to use it with a printer and a scanner, so this device would
combine two computers into a second device: a manual switchbox, which
would connect either the printer or the scanner.

The Dresselhaus works fine with printers, but not with the scanner
(which works perfectly with a second manual switchbox in place of the
Dresselhaus. So, I'm assuming that the Dresselhaus isn't very
bi-directional -- that is, it'll handle typical stuff from the printer
to the computer (like "hey, my buffer is full -- stop sending or I'll
punch you out you bastard."). But it won't do more.

But the Dresselhaus has a two-position slide switch buried behind a
hole. I have no idea what this switch does. Maybe it's my solution --
enabling 2-way communication. I've not been able to find any information
on the web about this gizmo, and Mr. Dresselhaus is no longer making
these things.

Can anyone shed some light on this device and the mysterious switch?

Thanks.

Richard

 

[Rich/rerat]

Richard Steinfeld,
If your are using a multi-function printer (MFP), you will need to check with
the manufacturer website or unit instruction manual, and see if it can be used
over a network. Even if it is connected to a print server. Some limited the
scanner functions to the PC, that the unit is connected to, because the scanner
drivers do not have networking capability. This might be true also for some
stand-alone scanners.
--
Have A Good Day,
Rich/rerat
(RRR News) <message rule>
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I picked up a gadget: a Dresselhaus SmartPrint "Printer Sharing System."
I think that it's called a "printer server." It allows four computers
to share one printer. I assume that it assigns the connection
first-come-first-served.

I want to use it with a printer and a scanner, so this device would
combine two computers into a second device: a manual switchbox, which
would connect either the printer or the scanner.

The Dresselhaus works fine with printers, but not with the scanner
(which works perfectly with a second manual switchbox in place of the
Dresselhaus. So, I'm assuming that the Dresselhaus isn't very
bi-directional -- that is, it'll handle typical stuff from the printer
to the computer (like "hey, my buffer is full -- stop sending or I'll
punch you out you bastard."). But it won't do more.

But the Dresselhaus has a two-position slide switch buried behind a
hole. I have no idea what this switch does. Maybe it's my solution --
enabling 2-way communication. I've not been able to find any information
on the web about this gizmo, and Mr. Dresselhaus is no longer making
these things.

Can anyone shed some light on this device and the mysterious switch?

Thanks.

Richard

 

[Richard Steinfeld]

Richard Steinfeld,
If your are using a multi-function printer (MFP), you will need to check with
the manufacturer website or unit instruction manual, and see if it can be used
over a network. Even if it is connected to a print server. Some limited the
scanner functions to the PC, that the unit is connected to, because the scanner
drivers do not have networking capability. This might be true also for some
stand-alone scanners.

Yes. That makes sense, Rich.
My printers are all plain printers. But the scanner is the parallel
port, pseudo-printer type. Of course, being that it's a scanner, it's
pretty big at sending lots of data back in the other direction to the
computer.

The manufacturer's attitude is that the product is extremely driver
intensive, and that if you want to use it with Windows XP, you're SOL
because they won't be bothered to write a driver seeing as how the
product is past its "end of life." It is a relief to me to know that the
manufacturer is so responsible that they will inform me that my printer
has expired and I should not bother to use it. However, the scanner
disagrees, and is still scanning away happily. It said, "Rumors of my
death have been highly exxagerated," (it aspires to be a successful
novelist).

These high-handed bastards are named "Visioneer," and they make (and
support???) printers under various names, such as Memorex and
god-knows-what-else). Mine has one of ther own alternate brand names on
it, "Colorado Primascan." I have found that, despite what Visioneer says
on their phone recording, my scanner seems to work perfectly under
Windows XP with its last-known Windows 9x driver. To keep things sane,
however, I'm not going to attempt to use the scanner as a pass-through
device with a printer connected after it. A simple two-way switch seems
to be more mentally stable, keeping as it does so well, the Hatfields
from the McCoys.

After five attempts to get through their confrontational automated phone
system, I finally got a human to answer; she put me through into the
"support" cue, whch determined that my perfectly-good scanner was past
its "end of life," and then hung up on me.

Needless to say, when my Visioneer scanner finally has reached its "end
of life" y'all know which company's scanner I will not buy.

But I'm still wondering what that buried switch does inside my
Dresselhaus SmartPrint box.

Anyone know?

Richard

 

[Richard Steinfeld]

The manufacturer's attitude is that the product is extremely driver
intensive, and that if you want to use it with Windows XP, you're SOL
because they won't be bothered to write a driver seeing as how the
product is past its "end of life." It is a relief to me to know that the
manufacturer is so responsible that they will inform me that my printer

I meant "scanner."

has expired and I should not bother to use it. However, the scanner
disagrees, and is still scanning away happily. It said, "Rumors of my
death have been highly exxagerated," (it aspires to be a successful
novelist).

These high-handed bastards are named "Visioneer," and they make (and
support???) printers

I meant "scanner."

under various names, such as Memorex and

god-knows-what-else).

But they are still high-handed printers.

Richard

 

[Warren Block]

I picked up a gadget: a Dresselhaus SmartPrint "Printer Sharing System."
I think that it's called a "printer server." It allows four computers
to share one printer. I assume that it assigns the connection
first-come-first-served.

It's probably not a print server, at least not in the common usage of
that term these days.

In the years before networks were common, the way to share a printer was
to attach it to a switchbox. Parallel cables from all the computers
would run to the switchbox, and a single cable from it to the printer.
Manual switcheboxes sucked for various reasons, which is why they died
out.

Put a little extra circuitry in the switchbox, and you could have it
automatically detect which computer was trying to print and switch to
that one. As you might expect, multiple people trying to print
sometimes had problems, and cable length was sometimes a problem, and
even with all the wiring you still didn't have a network that could
share files. Just share a printer, poorly.

I want to use it with a printer and a scanner, so this device would
combine two computers into a second device: a manual switchbox, which
would connect either the printer or the scanner.

It's unlikely it will work with a scanner. It's built to handle
printing only, and probably was designed in the days before
bidirectional parallel was conceived.

The Dresselhaus works fine with printers, but not with the scanner
(which works perfectly with a second manual switchbox in place of the
Dresselhaus.

Did you know that manual switchboxes will void the warranty on some
printers? Parallel was not meant to be hot-switched, although you can
often get away with it.

So, I'm assuming that the Dresselhaus isn't very
bi-directional -- that is, it'll handle typical stuff from the printer
to the computer (like "hey, my buffer is full -- stop sending or I'll
punch you out you bastard."). But it won't do more.

But the Dresselhaus has a two-position slide switch buried behind a
hole. I have no idea what this switch does. Maybe it's my solution --
enabling 2-way communication. I've not been able to find any information
on the web about this gizmo, and Mr. Dresselhaus is no longer making
these things.

The slide switch probably configures some type of handshake. The odds
of it working with your scanner are no better than without the switch.
You can try it; at worst, it'll damage your scanner and then you can get
one that communicates via USB to avoid the problem.

Or you could move your printer from the parallel port with a real print
server; some are inexpensive ($30). Then use the scanner alone on the
parallel port.

 

[Richard Steinfeld]

The slide switch probably configures some type of handshake. The odds
of it working with your scanner are no better than without the switch.
You can try it; at worst, it'll damage your scanner and then you can get
one that communicates via USB to avoid the problem.

Or you could move your printer from the parallel port with a real print
server; some are inexpensive ($30). Then use the scanner alone on the
parallel port.

Thanks for the thorough explanation, Warren.
You're undoubtedly right about the device. Its build quality is
beautiful, the workmanship is excellent -- the thing is really strong,
and it's made in USA. This alone, I think, says "old." I think it's pre
bi-directional, too.

As far as hot switching goes, I would not flip either switch after a
print job had been started.

The printers I want to use are both old enough to not have USB ports;
just parallel. Will this solution work in that case?

Richard

 

[Warren Block]

As far as hot switching goes, I would not flip either switch after a
print job had been started.

If you flip a switch with power on to either the switchbox or the
printer, that's hot-switching. Maybe with power on to the computer
also, depending on how the switchbox is wired.

The printers I want to use are both old enough to not have USB ports;
just parallel. Will this solution work in that case?

A network print server? Yes. A print server with a parallel port can
be treated as a parallel-to-Ethernet converter.

Wait--"both"? You have two printers? You could use two print servers,
or a multi-port print server. The old HP JetDirect EX Plus 3 had three
parallel ports; you may find one of those used. There's a multi-port
print server from DLink, probably others.

Replacing the scanner may be the most practical solution. If you take
that option, a good reference is http://www.sane-project.org.

Check which brands of scanners are supported by this open-source
project. Those that are supported are ones where the vendor isn't
hostile to open source, which also indicates they're not hostile to
users in general. Note the entries for Visioneer, and compare to Epson.