DATAPRODUCTS interface to cheap printer

[Chris Rende]

Nixdorf Targon M35/50 -> Pyramid 9810

Currently we have a fussy old line printer connected to this machine.

We don't use it very much... it only prints upper case (no laughing)...
and it likes to drop offline from time to time which disturbs LPSCHED
quite a bit. The clincher is that we are paying $200/month for maintenance
on the thing.

A $400 (or less) EPSON dot matrix printer would suit our needs
just fine and eliminate the $200/month burden.

However, I'm told that the "system printer interface" on this machine is
a DATAPRODUCTS interface - not Centronics and certainly not Serial.

Questions:
- Can the interface on the computer be changed to something other than
  DATAPRODUCTS?
- Does anyone make an inexpensive (<$400) printer with a DATAPRODUCTS
  interface?
- Does anyone make a box that converts DATAPRODUCTS to Serial or Centronics?
  (Black Box makes one but they want $600 for it! And it has to be a
   certain type of DATAPRODUCTS interface).

I have discussed some of this with my vendor, Nixdorf. I haven't gotten
much feedback (probably since it means $200 less per month for them).

I have no free serial ports to hang a printer off of.

If there is interest I'll post a summary. Please reply via Email since this
machine doesn't receive comp.periphs.printers.

Thanks,

car.
-- 
Christopher A. Rende           Central Cartage (Nixdorf/Pyramid/SysVR2/BSD4.3)
uunet!edsews!rphroy!trux!car   Multics,DTSS,Unix,Shortwave,Scanners,StarTrek
 trux!car at uunet.uu.net         Minix 1.2,PC/XT,Mac+,TRS-80 Model I,1802 ELF
       "I don't ever remember forgetting anything." - Chris Rende