pic18f driving usb printers

[ephesus]

hi,
I am a beginner to USB,
I need some info about interfacing USB printers.
I feel better now after reading all "USB 2.0 specifications","USB device class definition for printing devices" and USB threads in forum. A few questions,

-is a pic18f able to drive USB printers as a host using pbp2.46 USB statements?
-how about page description language -PDL-?
-how to send a standard A4 text page from pic18f to printers -hp,canon,xerox etc.-?
-do all USB printers accept a standart text format or variations needed for different manufacturers?

My application is a kind of Guard Tour System including a portable recorder and ibuttons or rfid tags
for security checkpoints. it works well with the interface software on pc or directly reports to rs232 printers.
Thanks to picbasic pro.
Now planning to upgrade to USB printers.

Thank you very much...

[mister_e]

As i know, a PIC can't drive a Printer. You'll need something like those ALFAT chips.

See this link
http://www.picbasic.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2102

[ephesus]

Steve,
Yes, there are many interface chips like FTDI's and usb onchip microcontrollers and many adapter solutions. I really wonder if an ascii
text page based printer driver for any of brands -HP,Canon..- could be written by pbp for 18F family usb pics.
Thanks

Serkan

[mister_e]

PIC are not design to handle external USB device. They are design to work as an external USB device... well, that's the simplest explanation i found.

[Dwayne]

Hello ephesis,

E>> I really wonder if an ascii text page based printer driver for any of brands -HP,Canon..- could be written by pbp for 18F family usb pics. <<

Yes, very easily done...IF ( I say IF) your printer accepts standard ASCII codes...with BUILT IN FONTS. Most printers do not anymore... your Dot Matrix printers will. I know that the HP1200 will work, and it can be driven by the USB. But when you start messing with printers that do not have built in fonts... you complicate things tremendously for the PIC. Quite a few of the Centronix Printers will have built in fonts.. and sometimes the Centronix printers can be driven by the USB ports.

Dwayne (either that, I misunderstood your question).

[NavMicroSystems]

Dwayne,

I think the question was:
is it possible to drive a printer by a PIC via USB?

not:
which printer models do have built in fonts?

[Dwayne]

Hello Ralph,

I think the question was:
is it possible to drive a printer by a PIC via USB?

not:
which printer models do have built in fonts?

My answer would be yes...*only* if the printer has built in Fonts, and you use standard ASCII to print with to your USB port.
If it doesn't have built in fonts, you are shooting yourself in the foot.

Most printers that I know of (That have built in fonts) will accept ASCII data, just like your LCD. (Especially the Dot Matrix). But if they do not have the built in fonts, you will have a tremendous amount of overhead to create and use the fonts. Which IMO is out of the question for the PICs.

I was probably unclear...sorry.

Dwayne

[NavMicroSystems]

Yes, very easily done...IF ( I say IF) your printer accepts standard ASCII codes...with BUILT IN FONTS.

Ok, let's assume the target printer has built in fonts.

Do you have a working code example?

Yes, very easily done...

come on, it's easy, share the code...

;-)

[Dwayne]

Sending standard ASCII code to the PORTB, just like your LCD.

ASCII in ASCII out...like a ASCII delimited file.

PSUEDO CODE

InputData var byte
Output Var byte

Loop:

Read Inputdata (whether you use SERIN or any other input data method)
Portb=Inputdata
toggle your datapin to send your ASCII byte.

goto Loop

Made one of these programs many years ago to test printers in DOS format...

If you take a look at a OLD printer control manual, you will see that Line feeds are Decimal 10... I think top of page was Decimal 12 contolling similar to the LCD...

Either I am misunderstanding something, or we are not on the same frequency at this very minute Maybe I should go back to bed?

DWayne