SPEP3, SPEP5, SPIP3              printer sharing devices
Printer-sharing Solution
 
Microbytes Daily News Service
Copyright (c) 1989, McGraw-Hill, Inc.
Advanced Connexion Technology's external spoolers are an
independent printer-sharing solution. The external SPEP3 and
SPEP5 devices let you connect one or two parallel peripherals to
three to five microcomputers simultaneously.
 
With an internal buffered memory of from 256K bytes to 2
megabytes, the SPEP3 and SPEP5 ensure that all of your data is
sent from the computer to its chosen printer, according to the
company. The acquisition of data is automatically controlled
according to memory availability in order to prevent shut downs
in data transmission.
 
Thanks to a special dongel, the devices can handle parallel
connections over 25 meters. The spoolers come with an environment
management software package. Each user can select fonts from his
or her keyboard, macros, and other configurations, including
end-of-line wrapping, page orientation, symbol set, spacing,
raster graphics resolution, automatic macro overlay, and number
of copies.
 
The external spoolers are simple to install, since they do not
require a driver or additional software. You determine the
user/printer configurations by external switches on the back of
the SPEP5 and you can change the choice of printer by sending an
escape sequence.
 
The SPEP3 has three parallel inputs and one parallel output,
while the SPEP5 has five parallel inputs and two parallel
outputs. Maximum acquisition speeds are 9300 cps for the SPEP3
and 7200 cps for the SPEP5.
 
Also available from ACT is SPIP3, an integrated parallel
spooler that lets you connect three microcomputers simultaneously
and in parallel to one laser printer. Three users can be
connected simultaneously to the same LaserJet Series II, IID,
Canon LBP 8 II, II T, or II R laser printer, by providing a
dynamically allocated 256K-byte memory. A data transmission rate
reducer starts to operate if the memory is almost full to prevent
a sudden shut-down. Thanks to its dedicated cable link, the
spooler lets you have connections over 25 meters apart.
 
Environment Management is a software package in the spooler
itself. It lets each user use their keyboard to select the fonts,
characters, macros, and other set up facilities, such as end-of-
line wrapping, page orientation, symbol set, spacing, raster
graphics resolution, automatic macro overlay, and number of
copies.
 
The SPIP3 has three parallel inputs and one parallel output and
gives you a maximum transmission rate of 11,500 cps.
 
Price: 6900 French francs for the SPEP3; 9900 FF for the SPEP5;
6500 FF for the SPIP3.
 
Contact: Advanced Connexion Technology, 67 Avenue du Marechal
Joffre, 92000 Nanterre, France, 33-1-47255750.
 
                              --- Martha Hicks
 
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