Patton electronic 378P User Manual

UUSSEERR
MMAANNUUAALL

MMOODDEELL 337788PP

Parallel Scanning
Data Switch

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Part# 07M378P-A
Doc# 020021UA
Revised 08/05/99

FEATURES LISTING

• FULLY AUTOMATIC SCANNING No operator controls, codes or
switches are required.

• "LOCK-ON" MANUAL SELECTION. Users can override auto scan­ning to manually select ports and gain exclusive printer use.

• 256K INPUT BUFFER. Unit will scan new ports while printing a doc­ument in memory from another PC.

• LED's FOR EVERY PORT. Red indicators show scanning in process
and which port is printing.

• VARIABLE TIME OUTS. The user can select how long the switch
waits between characters before it assumes the end of a document
and resumes scanning.

• MEMORY CLEAR BUTTON. Convenient push button erases the
buffer's memory.

• VERY EASY TO USE AND INSTALL. No complex set-up procedure,
just connect the PC's and the Printer and it's ready to operate.

DESCRIPTION

The Model 378 Parallel Scanning Switch is a simple way for any
number of Personal Computers (2,3,4,5,6,7 or 8) to share a single par­allel printer.

Here's how it works! The fully automatic scanner looks at each
port, waiting for one of the PC's to send data. When data is sent from
a PC to the 378, it is immediately loaded into the buffer and the printer
begins to output. The unit resumes scanning for another PC sending
data as soon as the first PC has finished entering data into the buffer.
LED's on each of the PC ports lets you see the scanning action and
observe when a PC has gained access to the printer.

The automatic scanning can be disabled to allow manual switching
using a "manual step" button on the 378. This allows a single user to
gain exclusive, uninterrupted use of the printer. Also, a convenient
"buffer clear" button will let you erase the buffer's memory at will.

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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Interface: Centronics/ IBM Parallel
Scanning Priorities:

Manual

- Step through operation by operator push button.

Rotate

- The Model 378 continues scan after time-out, with the
next in line.

Linear

- The Model 378 returns to port 1 and continues to scan
after time-out.

Controls:

Power

- On/Off

Scan Mode

- Manual, Rotate & Linear

Buffer Clear

- "Zaps" Buffer Contents

Time Out

- 2, 8 or 30 Seconds

Time Out: Amount of time from last byte received until scanning

resumes may be 2, 8 or 30 seconds.

Buffer Options: None, 64K, 128K or 256K.
Indicators:

-

8 LEDs

monitor scanning operation. Glows steady when data is
being transmitted to the 378 and from the 378 on the respective
computer and printer ports.

-

1 LED

Blinking indicates that it is the next port to be scanned.

The port LEDs flicker with data transmission.

- All 8 LEDs blink if a RAM failure is detected.

Word Length: 8 Bits
Connectors: DB-25 Female
Power: 9V DC, Wallmount transformer included.
Scanning Rate: Scans all 8 ports each second.
Size: 10"W x 5"D x 1"H

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INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS

A) CONNECTING THE CABLES!!

1) Connect the printer the the Model 378 using a standard
IBM PC Parallel Cable with DB-25 on one end and Centronics 36­Pin on the other. Order Patton Part Number 10-15/PC for our 15ft
version.

2) Connect the computers to the Model 378 using standard
DB-25 male to male cables with all 25 conductors wired straight
through. Order Patton Part Number 10-X/25/25MM where X is the
length of the cable.

B) CONFIGURING THE SWITCH.

1) Set the "SCANNING PRIORITY" for Manual, Rotate or
Linear Priority.

a) In "MANUAL" mode, the switch will not automati­cally scan. You must use the "STEP" button to manually switch
from one port to another.

b) In "ROTATE" mode, each device connected to the
printer has an equal priority, that is after the Model 378 has
received a document it automatically begins scanning again starting
with the next port.

c) In "LINEAR" mode, the port number represents a
priority level where port number one has the highest priority for out­put to the printer and port number eight has the lowest priority. In
this mode, each time the Model 378 connects to a port for printing it
returns to port one and resumes scanning from there to give priority
in decending order from port number one.

2) Set the "TIME OUT" for 2, 8 or 30 seconds. The "time out"
is the amount of time the scanner waits after receiving its last byte
before it resumes scanning.

3) Turn the "POWER" switch to the "ON" position and your
are ready to operate. Note: Be sure to plug in the 9V wallmount
transformer into a standard power outlet.

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