A Handheld Printer for a Handheld device?

Hi!

I just got a Hewlett-Packard 82240A Infrared Thermal Paper Printer.

(Another dinossaur for my collection, my wife is starting to complain about the junk, but for 2€ it was impossible to resist )




I think this was supposed to work with HP´s scientific calculators, but I keep wondering how terrific it would be to make it work with one of my Compaq 2010cs.

Does anybody have any idea how this can be done?

Happy New Year

Ohhhh! I need one of these, as my business is expanding on a global scale! I'm looking for partners, especially in supplying the demand!

OK! I can try and find you another one, but I suspect this was a one-hit wonder...

Anyway, I don´t think anybody as thought of trying to match one of these with a H/PC.

I´ve been trying to find drivers on the net, but the only thing I could come across was an emulator for the scientific calculator this printer was supposed to work with. They even made this emulator available for CE 2.0, 2.11, PPC2002 and so on...

So, it shouldn´t be difficult to build a driver if you know what you´re doing.

I don´t: I might know something about Philology and Health Care, but when it comes to Maths or Programming, I´m an absolute zero.

But it would be Oh So Nice to be able to use this with the H/PC...

I guess the quest will be difficult.


PS- If you want, just PM me with what you´re looking for, I can do some looking around for you.

Perhaps a more modern version ala the Zebra's http://www.zebra.com/id/zebra/na/en/index/products/printers/mobile.html might be closer to what you're looking for?

Bluetooth, wireless, IrD, etc. all to make ... 2" wide printouts?!

Or was it just the fun of finding "ancient" "miniature" computer equipment? Of course, at the time of release (1989?), it was an "advanced" accessory for those of us calculator guys and just that much fodder for the scorn of the slide-rule guys who already thought we had it easy. Seems to me that it never had a chance of success; PC-based math was getting "cheap" and anything that didn't require an HP-48 you could use an adding machine to get a receipt....

Yes, hmascience, I guess you are one of those veterans that can still do electronics along with programming right from the scratch...

You are reminding me of my father: I remember him still operating one of those strange slide-rules back in the 70's...

He then became a Texas Instruments careful user (he treated his as wine glasses) and, in the early 80's, I also remember him fiddling about with a Z80 that came in a kit, with a red digital screen, pretty much like a calculator one. Then, in 1983 he got a ZX Spectrum 48K and that was that was heaven for me (the games.... )

There is a very interesting site about these things, the http://www.hpmuseum.org/

I have also posted a question there and these were the answers:
http://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/hpmuseum/forum.cgi?read=130168#130168

By the way, did I mention 2€ (little more than 3$) ? I think I'll have to pass on the Zebra (300-850€ )

Ah, well, maybe I'm in between you and your father. In the US, I think I must have been in the last (or abit after the last) generation to use sliderules. I had one and was required to use it for abit, but those red-LED calculators had become firmly established and were trickling downwards. I *did* program on the Tandy TRS-80 Model I's (did those travel across to the UK?) in a pre-floppy disk world, though. Oddly enough, 10 years ago, I was applying for a job at a major research institute and in one of the interviews, the professor took me aside to show me a guilty secret ... he was using a TRS-80 (albeit hiding in a PC) to run programs to generate problems for his first-year chemistry students. I thought it was neat, but perhaps my enthusiasm made the interview go downhill from there...

Thanks for sharing the link to the HP folks. It's always good to see folks like that. Maybe it's caffeine-deprivation, but I'm imagining walking down a psychedelic hallway (our modern internet) and then opening a door to find a room full of folks with whitewall haircuts, horn-rimmed glasses, pocket protectors, working under bad fluorscent lighting and surrounded by light mustard yellow or mint green painted walls.

Oh well. Good luck on your project. My wife rationalizes it this way (when I get a "bargain" on e-bay): hey, it's $10 worth of fun. If it keeps him happy puttering away disassembling (almost always successfully) and reassembling (not always successfully) for an afternoon or two, it was cheaper entertainment... It's when a come home with a carload of stuff that she hits the roof...

I have to confess I got scared just looking at it.... But have we evolved (have we? ) : 16K of RAM (and in the top range )






And as for sliding it in your backpocket :








But I found a good successor:


Radio Shack Pocket Computer
Model: PC-1
Introduced: July 1980
Weight: 170g / 6.0 oz.
Price: US $230
CPU: SC43177, SC43178
RAM: 1.5K
Ports: Expansion connector
Display: 24 X 1 text LCD
Storage: * Cassette storage
Options: * Printer, Tape I/O
OS: BASIC in ROM
* Requires Expansion Interface




I wonder how handhelds will be in 28 years time

What do you think they'll be like?





This one made my day, hmascience
I laugh over and over at this nice image








I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of highlighting this last paragraph and showing it to my wife, for educational purposes only

You got a problem with that? (Sounds just like my house.)

I have a Pentax PocketJet 200
Pentax PocketJet 200
A thermal printer compatible with Windows,Windows CE,EPOC(Psion 5)
But I never use it with my MP900C nor HC7000 as lack of infra red kit
It comes with a DB25 adaper cable

I'm curious about "What will you print from your Handheld PC?"

Nice, but pricey. The SiPix A6 printer has been discussed a lot, and it appears to work with at least CE 4.2 .net devices with a couple of third-party drivers (eg, Field Software PocketClipPrint) - and I suspect there's some way to make it work with H/PC 2000 devices - but CE 2.0 and even H/PC Pro have to be big longshots.

FYI, the SiPix has been on geeks.com for like $10. I still carry one and use print pocket pc to print from my htc TyTn using ir. It is a fantastic printer for the money. I can create documents in windows, on my 720 or my TyTn. Then transfer them the the laptop or the TyTn for printing. To be honest, I've never attempted to get the SiPix or printpocket software running on the 720.

Agreed, the SiPix printer can be had for very little. (I was referring to the Pentax printer mentioned above when I said "pricey." See that site - it's over 400 USD. ) The SiPix screen capture works on my 728 - but it produces a horizontally-squashed image, since it's expecting a 240x320 display.

Eureka, hitch!

I think I'll give up on this crazy project, store away the HP, and order myself a SiPix...

Unfortunately not the entire world has been converted to H/PCing, so once in a while, paper is all you can share.... (and no, I´m not thinking of bank notes )

FYI, the SiPix printer paper is usually available on Amazon reasonably priced. Here is what I've been doing for years on mine. I use the UPS thermal shipping lable paper (Its A6 size and free in nearly every place that ships UPS) to print warehouse location tags. I've cut thermal fax rolls in half to use as regular paper. I rarely use the single sheet A6 paper for the SiPix as it requires loading each sheet. I've been reluctant to upgrade my TyTn to the Tilt just so I'd still have IR. I wish someone would create a simple bluetooth thermal printer for cheap, as it looks now I'll probably keep one of my old PPC's with IR just so I can transfer documents and still print to the SiPix. I've even got a spare SiPix for when this one dies, it is still going strong after more than 4 years. I can remember when they were $199 at Office Depot 5 years ago.

timigal, I apologize if I hijacked your post.

Do I have it right--is A6 paper really only 4.13" wide? Wow, that must make for odd document printing.

Happy New Year to all,
Jake