The XP1541 and XP1571 parallel cables

Description

The XP1541 parallel cable and the XP1571 parallel cable are companion cables for the X1541 cable, the XE1541 extended cable, the XM1541 multitask cable and the XA1541 active cable, to get the most possible out of PS/2, EPP and ECP ports, creating an additional parallel connection between a Commodore 1541, 1570 or 1571 drive and the PC parallel port. This parallel connection speeds up both transfer directions to about triple speed (the actual value depends on the transfer software, as well). They are compatible with PS/2, EPP and ECP parallel ports and come in two flavors: the XP1541 parallel cable for 1541 drives and the XP1571 parallel cable for 1570 and 1571 drives.

Hardware requirements

You need the following hardware to make use of this cable:

Software support

The cable is supported by the following PC software:

Important notes

Construction

There are several methods to build this cable. You may share the parallel port between this cable and any of the four serial cables – X1541 cable, XE1541 extended cable, XM1541 multitask cable or XA1541 active cable – by building a Y-shaped cable and soldering the extra connections of this cable onto the parallel port plug you already have. See the XEP1541 cable combo, the XMP1541 cable combo or the XAP1541 cable combo for more details.

Method 1. Your drive has no parallel capabilities yet and you want to connect the cable directly onto the periphery chip in the drive. If possible, you shouldn't use this method because, this way, you won't be able to make use of it with a Commodore machine. You can find the details on how to build this cable at the construction page for 1541 drives and the construction page for 1570 and 1571 drives.

Method 2. Your drive has no parallel capabilities yet and you want to create a parallel port on your drive and then connect the cable to it. This is the preferred method because you can also make use of it with a Commodore machine. You can find the details on how to build this cable at the construction page.

If you have successfully finished the parallel port on your drive then you can also build the Commodore parallel cable, to use the parallel capabilities with a Commodore machine.

Method 3. Your drive already has a Commodore parallel cable and you want to make use of it. In this case, you'll have to build an adaptor, through which you can connect the cable to the PC parallel port. You can find the details on how to build this adaptor at the construction page.

Method 4. The XEP1541 adaptor, besides serving as an XE1541 extended cable, adapts a Commodore parallel cable for use with a PC. So do the XMP1541 adaptor and the XAP1541 adaptor.

Usage

If you built a cable and you created or already have a parallel port on your Commodore drive then you can connect one end of the cable into it; otherwise the cable is, probably, just hanging out of the drive. If you built an adaptor then connect the user port plug onto it, being very careful to exactly do it upside down, that is, the top side of the user port plug should be leveled with that side of the adaptor without circuitry. In any case, connect the parallel plug of your cable or adaptor into the parallel port of your PC.

Important! Do not plug or unplug cables while your equipment is switched on. Make sure that all components of your equipment are connected to the same, properly grounded power outlet. Put your equipment far away from monitors, TV sets and other devices with strong emission, otherwise cables may pick up interference and you may experience data loss or corruption. Never leave this cable connected alone, only if the serial cable is also connected, otherwise the lack of GND connection may severely damage your equipment.

Copyright and license

The XP1541 and XP1571 parallel cables are © by Joe Forster/STA, 1997. If you produce and sell cables or adaptors that are compatible with this cable then you must give credits to the copyright owner. If your adaptors are built onto printed circuit boards then you must also make the complete layout available in a format and resolution that is suitable for high quality reproduction.

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