simple printer test

[newTIboyRob]

Hello all, I have a c64 hooked up to Star SG 10-c printer.  All I am trying to do is get simple output of 1 line of text on this printer.  I know the serial cable connected works, because I tested it with another printer.  I know the printer itself works, because it powers up fine and self tests perfectly.  Page 27 of the Star manual gives the program to do exactly the simple test I am attempting:

 

10 OPEN 4,4

20 PRINT#4, "TESTING"

30 CLOSE 4

 

.....but I just get no sense of communication between computer and printer.  After running that program above, the computer just acts like it printed something and responds with the typical "READY" prompt.

 

Does anyone have an idea for a different simple few line program that would work to get that TESTING line outputted to the printer, or any way I get these 2 to communicate?

 

Thanks

[carlsson]

I don't know about the Star models, but Commodore's own printers were switchable between device #4 and #5. If it was a floppy drive, you could read its error channel but I think communication with the printer is one direction, i.e. you can't read anything from the printer, only send stuff to it.

 

Try to change it to 10 OPEN 4,5 and see if it makes any difference.

 

The other references to 4 is the logical channel so it doesn't matter. People had a tendency to use logical channels that match the device number or secondary channel: OPEN 1,1 for tape, OPEN 4,4 for printer, OPEN 15,8,15 for the floppy drive error channel etc but personally I think this custom introduces more confusion than it helps, as people might be mixing up what is what.

[newTIboyRob]

I tried that and it worked perfectly now.  Brilliant!

[carlsson]

See, 35+ years worth of fiddling with those old computers wasn't in vain. I would assume somewhere on the printer or if there is an external interface involved, there would be switches to change device number in case you will use it with software that assumes the printer is #4, just like a lot of software assumes the floppy drive is #8.

[newTIboyRob]

....Brilliant!