Google/Youtube have started occasionally swapping ‘Accept all' and 'Reject all’ cookies buttons, so you can't just automagically know where to aim anymore 💩
The ThunderScan is kind of working! The scanning nozzle is definitely picking up data and sending that to the 512 :D But the printer isn’t moving on its own, so I’m guessing I need to swap some tx and rx stuff around with my janky home brew cable :D #RetroComputing#ThunderScan
@thomasfuchs Ahhh, right. The ones I've come across before always end up saying out of stock once you try going through to check shipping costs, but this one sticks with it all the way. Cancelling soon after wouldn't be surprising.
There's a #RetroComputing bit of silliness that I've been poking away at with little success for the past month-ish.
You might remember the ThunderScan, that lets you turn the ImageWriter dot matrix printer into a scanner? Well, @keelan gave me one to play with while I was in Canada! He documented it here: https://beefchicken.com/retro/thunderscan/
Anyway, it's old and uses usually-ignored-and-often-not-even-plumbed-in-anymore serial cable pins, so it's been a bit of a brouhaha to get it set up.
The scanning head itself picks up images! But the serial cable I have is the wrong type, so the ImageWriter's parts don't move. Whomp-whomp.
BUT! If I move the head and the roller around manually while the scanner software thinks it's scanning, it picks up light and dark areas! IT WORKS! (just about)
The ThunderScan predates the round mini-din 8 serial ports and so has an extra adapter box for the Mac Plus and newer. I was having *no* luck with the SE and my not-quite-complete cables.
Then last night just before midnight I realised that I could ditch the adapter box and plug straight into the 512, right?
Turns out that yes, I can! And it works! (just about) #RetroComputing