How to connect two Parallel printer on USB

I was going to send this to the Iyonix mailing list but then realised it
applies also to the A9

We have two customers who need to connect two parallel printers to their
Iyonixes

There are a number of ways I believe this can be done, but rather than
reinvent the wheel is anyone already doing this and if so what method?

The options I have theorised that should work are:

Option 1: Have two USB-Parallel units, I believe the units would have to
have different vendor and product IDs (we have two very different units here
that have the same ID as they are based on the same chip set)

Option 2: Connect one printer to the Iyonix/A9 via a USB-Parallel interface
and connect the other to another RISC OS computer e.g. a RiscPC and print to
that over ShareFS/Access, this is a tried and tested method but replies on a
second computer to be kept powered up.

Option 3: have one USB-Parallel interface and swop in the setting file
$.!Boot.Choices.Printers.Settings before loading printers, this option is
untested, would require swapping cables between printers and I believe
require a powerdown between selecting printers so all in all not a good
option but I believe would work.

Option 4: Like option three but hand merge the two settings files, this IIRC
does on the surface appear to work i.e. you get two relevant icons on the
icon bar but reportedly didn't work when someone tried it in practice. If
this method does work it is still not ideal as you have to move the cable.

p.s. With the last two a switch box can be used to save changing cables but
the box would have to use the 36way Amphenol type connectors, which are
fairly rare. (We do have them in stock!)


n.b. on Select and Adjust the settings file is stored:
$.!Boot.Choices.Users.Single.Printers.Settings
or
$.!Boot.Choices.Users. <username> .Printers.Settings

All thoughts and suggestions welcome

Chris Evans

--
CJE Micro's / 4D 'RISC OS Specialists'
Telephone: 01903 523222 Fax: 01903 523679
chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.cjemicros.co.uk/
78 Brighton Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 2EN
The most beautiful thing anyone can wear, is a smile!

.

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