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Helpful answers
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Jul 12, 2011 10:15 AM in response to Ellen Higginsby Ellen Higgins,As an update to this, I found an old post on the Discussion Boards (2007) that suggested this link:
http://www.linux-foundation.org/en/OpenPrinting/MacOSX/pslevel1#Printers
So I went to it and downloaded and installed the GPL GhostScript. So now I have the LaserWriter being recognized in my list of printers, but when I try to print something, I get a message that says Attempting to connect to host for printer. Network host " is busy; will retry in 5 seconds..." and then the time keeps getting longer--10 seconds, 30 seconds. And that quotation mark all by itself after "network host" is actually in the message. When I click on the "info" button in the printer window, this is what it looks like.
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by Grant Bennet-Alder,Jul 12, 2011 6:26 PM in response to Ellen Higgins
Grant Bennet-Alder
Jul 12, 2011 6:26 PM
in response to Ellen Higgins
Level 9 (60,904 points)
DesktopsThe personal LaserWriter NTR is a postscript level 2 printer that should be supported by the built-in Apple drivers through 10.5.8, but NOT in 10.6.
The fartallon adapter should do the conversion of AppleTalk-over-Ethernet to AppleTalk/LocalTalk to talk to the Printer, BUT -- the farallon must be the last device powered up (after the printer lights have stopped flashing) so that it can see the Printer and not lose track of it.
You must select the Printer as an AppleTalk printer -- it cannot use IP Printing or LPR successfully.
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by Grant Bennet-Alder,Jul 12, 2011 7:24 PM in response to Ellen Higgins
Grant Bennet-Alder
Jul 12, 2011 7:24 PM
in response to Ellen Higgins
Level 9 (60,904 points)
DesktopsIt thinks it is the wrong kind of printer, such as an IP Printer or LPR printer, which both have IP Addresses. You will have to delete it and add it again from scratch -- set up the way it is now, it is going nowhere.
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by Grant Bennet-Alder,Jul 13, 2011 8:38 AM in response to Ellen Higgins
Grant Bennet-Alder
Jul 13, 2011 8:38 AM
in response to Ellen Higgins
Level 9 (60,904 points)
DesktopsOnce you have the Printer and the farallon box set up correctly (farallon box powered on LAST, so that it can see the printer when it wakes up) it will appear in the AppleTalk pane in under a quarter minute. Its appearance in that box is your assurance that the printer is visible on your network via AppleTalk, and can be reliably printed to.
The medium you are using for AppleTalk must show a green light in System Preferences > Network.
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Jul 13, 2011 9:35 AM in response to Ellen Higginsby Ellen Higgins,I unplugged the Farallon adapter. With the printer turned on, I restarted my Mini. Under System Preferences>Network, there is a green light on for Ethernet and Wifi. After everything was settled, I plugged in the Farallon adapter. It still didn't see the printer. I clicked on Add a Printer in the System Preferences>Print&Fax window. It spent a few minutes checking for installed drivers (which it has done before), and came up with this window:
The drop-down menu also gives me "Canon IJ Network," (my other printer is a Canon), then the above choice, then "Epson Firewire," then "Epson TCP/IP," and lastly "HP IP Printing."
Ellen
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by Grant Bennet-Alder,Jul 13, 2011 10:12 AM in response to Ellen Higgins
Grant Bennet-Alder
Jul 13, 2011 10:12 AM
in response to Ellen Higgins
Level 9 (60,904 points)
DesktopsI am not trying to make you mad, but I have to ask, have you removed and re-inserted the AppleTalk plug on your printer lately? they have a tendency to come loose, as they just slide in and are not firmly held.
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Jul 13, 2011 1:47 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alderby Ellen Higgins,Heck, Grant, you're not making me mad. I'm grateful for your efforts to try and solve this for me. What I did just now was to check all the cables, pull 'em out, push 'em back in. Restarted the Mini, still get the same blank window when I try to add the printer. When I was doing that, I noticed a box at the printer end of the, I think it's the ethernet cable, the one going from the printer to the Farallon adapter.. It has an on/off switch and it was off. So I turned it on and restarted as before, but it didn't make any difference. It also has a couple of what look like lights on it that are not lit but are labeled "RX" and "TX." Here's a picture:

Thanks again for all your efforts. Is there any hope for me getting this printer connected?
Ellen
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by Grant Bennet-Alder,Jul 13, 2011 2:09 PM in response to Ellen Higgins
Grant Bennet-Alder
Jul 13, 2011 2:09 PM
in response to Ellen Higgins
Level 9 (60,904 points)
DesktopsThose interface boxes rely on manual Termination at the end of the line. If that switch is a Termination enable switch, you probably want ON, unless you have installed a phone-jack mounted termination resistor in the vacant phone jack. The phone cord you use (if you are using a phone cord) must have four conductors and four gold-colored contacts at each end.
Got any good lights at the Farralon box? Mine turns on #1 Power steady green, and #5 Link steady green, and #4 Ethernet traffic flashes amber once a second or so.
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Jul 13, 2011 2:59 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alderby Ellen Higgins,The cords I'm using actually have Farallon stamped on the end, so they must have come with the adapter, and yes they do have four gold-colored contacts on each end. Interestingly, the end of the cord coming from the printer to the Farallon box has four contacts all in a row. The ends of the cord that go from the Farallon box to the computer, both ends, have four gold-colored contacts, but there are three together then two blank "spaces," and then the fourth gold-colored contact.
Regarding the lights, yes #1 and #5 are steady green. When I first power up the box or unplug and re-plug one of the phone cords, #4 blinks intermittently and frequently, but then stops blinking and #2 (serial activity) blinks about once every 45 seconds or so.
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Jul 15, 2011 8:49 AM in response to Ellen Higginsby Ellen Higgins,Grant, would there be any benefit to reinstalling the print driver? I thought I had the original install disk (I keep everything!), but I couldn't find it. I did a search and came up with this: http://all-drivers.org/Apple-Computer-Laserwriter-NTR-Printer-Driver.cfm?dsmdsm= 4548
What do you think?
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by Grant Bennet-Alder,Jul 15, 2011 9:09 AM in response to Ellen Higgins
Grant Bennet-Alder
Jul 15, 2011 9:09 AM
in response to Ellen Higgins
Level 9 (60,904 points)
DesktopsIt is near-impossible to remove the LaserWriter drivers.
And that link does not appear to be a driver for Macintosh.
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Jul 15, 2011 9:12 AM in response to Ellen Higginsby Ellen Higgins,Oh, darn. Am I up a creek then without a paddle?



