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11 - Setting Up the Diablo Printer in SINTRAN and NOTIS

How to configure SINTRAN III and NOTIS-WP/TF so a user can generate a document and print it to the (emulated) ND-232 Diablo 1650 letter-quality printer, which the RetroCore emulator captures and turns into a PDF - transparently to the guest.

This is the operator/user companion to the emulator design and build plan: - Design + printer choice: 10-EMULATED-PDF-PRINTER-DESIGN.md - Emulator build plan: RetroCore Emulated.HW\ND\CPU\NDBUS\DIABLO-1650-CONTROLLER-IMPLEMENTATION-PLAN.md - General printer setup + serial/terminal-line printing: 03-CONFIGURATION.md, 09-PRINTING-VIA-TERMINAL-AND-RETROTERM.md

Marking: [VERIFIED] = from an ND manual (cited); [MATCH] = a value that must be the same on both the emulator and SINTRAN; [VERIFY] = confirm against your SINGEN config / a trace before relying on it.

The Diablo 1650 (ND-232) is an RS-232 serial printer ("word processor quality", proportional spacing, plotting, backward printing; mirror-sintran-com/mirror/library/libpdpi/ND-232-B1-EN.pdf) [VERIFIED]. So it is set up as a printer on a serial (async) line, spooled - the arrangement the System Supervisor manual calls "connecting a printer to a terminal line."

0. The one value that must match: the device number

The emulator attaches NDBusSerialPrinter at an async serial device-number block (a spare terminal / async-modem slot). SINTRAN must be told the printer is on the same logical device number. Call it <LDN> below (octal). Pick the block in the emulator (the device ctor thumbwheel) and use the matching SINTRAN logical device number here. [MATCH] [VERIFY the free block against your SINGEN config]

Everything else follows from <LDN>.

1. SINTRAN setup (as user SYSTEM)

Two layers: bind the printer to a peripheral/spooling file and start the spooler. Commands with * are entered inside @SINTRAN-SERVICE-PROGRAM; @ commands are normal SINTRAN mode.

1.1 Tell SINTRAN the line carries a printer, not a terminal

Because the Diablo sits on an async line, disable the login/background process on that line and bind the spooler to it (System Supervisor manual, "connecting a printer to a terminal line") [VERIFIED]:

@SINTRAN-SERVICE-PROGRAM

*SET-SPOOLING-DEVICE-NUMBER 1,<LDN> Y Y Y     ; spooling index 1 -> logical device <LDN>
                                              ; (this also spares the *REMOVE-FROM-BACKGROUND-TABLE step)

*CHANGE-DATAFIELD <LDN> I Y Y Y               ; set the line parameters
   TSPEED/ ...                                ; set the line speed (see 1.2)
*EXIT
  • <LDN> is the octal logical device number from section 0.
  • The three Y answers write the change to memory / image / save-area so it survives a cold start.
  • If you do not use SET-SPOOLING-DEVICE-NUMBER, disable the line's login yourself with *REMOVE-FROM-BACKGROUND-TABLE <LDN> Y Y Y (undo later with *INSERT-IN-BACKGROUND-TABLE) [VERIFIED].

1.2 Line speed

Set TSPEED to a value the Diablo/line agree on. The ND-232 Diablo 1650 supports 110/300/1200 baud, optional to 9600 [VERIFIED]; 1200 baud is the manual's worked-example value for a serial printer on a terminal line [VERIFIED]. The emulated printer is always-ready (no real baud limit), so the value only has to be internally consistent - use 1200 (or 9600) and match it if the emulator models a baud. [MATCH if the emulator enforces baud; otherwise cosmetic]

1.3 Create the peripheral file and spooling files

Create the peripheral file bound to <LDN> and a set of spooling files so the printer is spooled (multiple users, background printing). As user SYSTEM (03-CONFIGURATION.md) [VERIFIED]:

@SET-PERIPHERAL-FILE "DIABLO",<LDN>       ; the SINTRAN peripheral file "DIABLO" -> device <LDN>
@CREATE-FILE DIABLO;10,0                  ; 1 peripheral + 9 spooling files (versions)

Remember the whole new-file spec is quoted, including any (SYSTEM) prefix, e.g. "(SYSTEM)DIABLO" [VERIFIED - project rule]. User RT must be friend of SYSTEM with access RWA to the spooling files [VERIFIED, System Supervisor].

1.4 Start spooling

@START-SPOOLING DIABLO

Now SINTRAN reserves the printer and prints everything queued to DIABLO until @STOP-SPOOLING DIABLO [VERIFIED]. Users get multiple copies because it is spooled.

Alternative (simplest, no serial setup): use the existing parallel line printer (LINE-PRINTER, device 0430) that the emulator already provides - @SET-PERIPHERAL-FILE "LINE-PRINTER",5 then @START-SPOOLING LINE-PRINTER. That is emulator Phase 0 and yields a PDF immediately, but plain (draft) text - no Diablo letter-quality codes. Use the Diablo path (above) for quality.

2. NOTIS setup (so NOTIS emits Diablo codes)

This is the crucial step for quality: NOTIS must print through its Diablo printer definition (which emits the Diablo control codes the emulator decodes into a letter-quality PDF), not the plain LINE-PRINTER definition (plain text + overprint).

2.1 Add the printer to WP-PRINTERS:TEXT

The NOTIS printer-definition file WP-PRINTERS:TEXT (edited during INSTALL-WP) maps a logical printer name to the SINTRAN file name, feed type, default start, and pitch/nationality [VERIFIED, 10079K_NOTIS-WP.md]. Add a Diablo entry whose SINTRAN file name matches the peripheral file from section 1.3 ("DIABLO"):

; Logical name | SINTRAN file | Feed | Default start | Font/Nationality
  DIABLO        | DIABLO       | S    | 12            | 8.0-0.2
  • Logical name = what the NOTIS user types at DEVICE NAME: and picks as the default printer. It must map to a real Diablo definition so NOTIS emits Diablo codes. NOTIS-WP lists Diablo 1610/1650 as ND-supported and (K release) "The Diablo 630 printer will now be handled properly" [VERIFIED] - so the Diablo definition ships with NOTIS.
  • Feed = S (single sheet) or T (tractor) to taste; the ND-232 supports both (with the ND-233 cut-sheet feeder) [VERIFIED].
  • Font/Nationality encodes pitch and national set (0 US, 2 France, 3 UK, 4 Denmark/Norway, 5 Sweden/Finland, 6 Italy) [VERIFIED]. Pick the pitch your Diablo wheel uses (10/12/15 cpi); 8.0-0.2 follows the sample daisy-wheel entries.
  • Remove sample WP-PRINTERS entries that do not apply to your system [VERIFIED].

[VERIFY] The internal per-printer control-code detail inside WP-PRINTERS (the exact Diablo escape bytes NOTIS emits) is not reproduced in the repo manuals - it lives in the shipped Diablo definition. Selecting the Diablo logical name is what makes NOTIS use it. A capture of the real NOTIS-to-Diablo stream is the final authority (and is what tunes the emulator's decoder - see the build plan Phase 5).

2.2 Make it the default printer (optional)

In NOTIS-WP, Menu no. 4 (page-layout / default printer) sets the default printer so the user can just press Enter at DEVICE NAME: [VERIFIED].

3. Generate and print a document

3.1 Ordinary document (NOTIS-WP prints it directly)

@NOTIS-WP-ENG                 ; start the editor (terminal type 53)

; type the document in the WORK AREA, e.g.
^H1=My Report;                ; a running header
^JM;C;                        ; centre the title line(s)
Quarterly Report
^JM;S;                        ; stretch-justify body (smooth right margin)
This document prints on the Diablo 1650 in letter quality.
^BT=+;bold words^BT=-;        ; bold via the Diablo shadow/double-strike
normal text again.

; store it (HOME command W)
W "MY-REPORT"

; print it (PRINT key, or HOME command O)
DEVICE NAME: DIABLO           ; or Enter for the default printer (Menu 4)
AREA:                         ; Enter = whole document
NO. OF COPIES:1               ; more than 1 works because DIABLO is spooled
PAGE LIST:                    ; Enter = all pages
FORMAT? Y                     ; Y = apply the ^ directives + menus (REQUIRED for quality)

FORMAT? Y is essential: it applies the print directives and the menus, so NOTIS emits the formatted Diablo stream (pitch, bold, underline, justification) rather than raw characters [VERIFIED].

3.2 High-quality paginated document (via NOTIS-TF)

For chapters / table of contents / index / running headers, format with NOTIS-TF first, proof it, then print [VERIFIED]:

; in NOTIS-WP, press SHIFT+PRINT (or HOME command J):
ACTIVATE NOTIS-TF-ENG-x <MY-REPORT>:TEXT     ; TF formats :TEXT -> :OUT (A4 geometry)
; TF drops you into INSPECT mode to proof the :OUT on screen
; then print the :OUT with the C command (or PRINT key):
DEVICE NAME: DIABLO
SHEET LIST:                    ; Enter = all sheets
NO. OF COPIES:1

NOTIS-TF's default page geometry is tuned for A4 at 12 cpi (width 100, borders 18/12) [VERIFIED] - which is exactly what the emulator renders to an A4 PDF.

3.3 What happens next (emulator side, transparent)

SINTRAN spools the file and drives the Diablo over the serial line; the emulated NDBusSerialPrinter accepts the bytes, the Diablo decoder reconstructs the positioned page (pitch, bold, underline, super/subscript from the Diablo codes), and on job completion writes an A4 PDF. The guest sees a normal, fast printer; the PDF appears on the host (PrinterWindow "Save as PDF", the CLI print command, or auto-per-job once build Phase 4 is in). None of this is visible to SINTRAN or NOTIS.

4. Verify it works

  1. @LIST-SPOOLING-QUEUE DIABLO - your file should appear (then clear as it prints) [VERIFIED].
  2. On the host, the PrinterWindow / CLI shows a DIABLO printer surface with the printed lines; "Save as PDF" (or the auto-saved file) opens as a clean A4 PDF.
  3. If nothing prints:
    • Wrong/blocked device: confirm <LDN> matches the emulator [MATCH]; check the line's background process is off (section 1.1).
    • Plain text instead of letter quality: NOTIS is using LINE-PRINTER, not the Diablo definition - check the DEVICE NAME: / Menu 4 default (section 2) and that FORMAT? Y was answered.
    • Error 245B "No more unused spooling files" - create more DIABLO versions (section 1.3) [VERIFIED].

5. Quick reference

Step Command
Bind spooler to the line *SET-SPOOLING-DEVICE-NUMBER 1,<LDN> Y Y Y
Set line speed *CHANGE-DATAFIELD <LDN> I Y Y Y -> TSPEED/ ... (1200/9600)
Create peripheral + spooling files @SET-PERIPHERAL-FILE "DIABLO",<LDN> ; @CREATE-FILE DIABLO;10,0
Start / stop spooling @START-SPOOLING DIABLO / @STOP-SPOOLING DIABLO
NOTIS printer definition add DIABLO line to WP-PRINTERS:TEXT (SINTRAN file = DIABLO)
Print from WP PRINT key -> DEVICE NAME: DIABLO, FORMAT? Y
Format+print via TF SHIFT+PRINT -> proof in INSPECT -> C -> DEVICE NAME: DIABLO
Check queue @LIST-SPOOLING-QUEUE DIABLO

Primary sources: System Supervisor ../../Operations/SINTRAN/ND-30.003.007 EN SINTRAN III System Supervisor.md; NOTIS-WP Editor ../../Reference-Manuals/Notis/ ND-63.002.02 NOTIS-WP Reference Manual - Editor.md; 10079K_NOTIS-WP.md; NOTIS-TF ../../Reference-Manuals/Notis/ND-63.007.01 NOTIS-TF Text Formatter Reference Manual.md; ND-232 sheet mirror-sintran-com/mirror/library/libpdpi/ ND-232-B1-EN.pdf.