I have mentioned before of my resistance to paying more for an item than I think it’s worth.
I feel this way about the price of currently offered parallel to serial converters. Especially those offered for the Z-88. So, I was doing without until my friend, Bob Swoger, who fortunately dabbles in other computers, like COCOs (Tandy color comp.), told me of a converter for a COCO that could be had for $40. I asked the name of the firm handling this jewel;
Dayton Assoc.
9644 Quailwood Tr.
Spring Valley, Ohio 45370
(513) 885-5999
They call it the Blue Streak Ultima. The cost is $29.95 if your printer provides +5 volts DC. on pin 18 of the printer connector, if not then for $6.00 more, they’ll include a wall plug power supply. It has a baud rate range from 300 to 19200, selectable by a switch!!! It comes with DIN plug, which will have to be converted to a DB-9 to be able to hook up to the Z-88’s serial port, but it’s only three wires, so even if you don’t have the expertise to handle a soldering iron, you can find someone to do it using the following instructions for wire placement.
Separate the plastic case by carefully prying it apart at the seam with something like a small screwdriver. You’ll have to do this because the people who put these together don’t observe a color code and you’ll have to determine wire location visibly. Once you’re inside, holding the case with the printer connector end away from you, which is the serial port wire entrance end toward you, you’ll see the three wires of this serial cable soldered to the PCB in a row.
If you’ll number them from left to right away from the SCR, then they connect to the DB-9 connector as follows:
[Figure: hand-drawn sketch of the Blue Streak PCB, port connector up, showing the baud switch, SCR, power input and serial-in wires 1, 2, 3]
Wire #1 — DB-9 pin #2
Wire #2 — DB-9 pin #5
Wire #3 — DB-9 pin #7
When this is done and you put the plastic case back together without catching the wires on top of the baud rate selector, you’re in business.
The DB-9 connectors sold by Radio Shack (276-1403) have good hardware for capturing the wires. You will have to get the pin crimping tool.
Before you try to print out with ◇ PO, you should first make sure you selected the 9600 baud rate on the panel. You get there by keying [ ]s. Then, of course, you select that on your Blue Streak, also.
I found the way this unit is shaped gets in the way of my paper path so I got a cable extension to get it out of the way. Do not use an extension longer than 24 inches, it will delay the bytes and many drop out. I use a Radio Shack Cat. No. 26-2867. It’s $10.95 in the States. Other than that it works as it should, so enjoy.