23/02/95
A number of people who purchased BBC systems many years ago also purchased
Epson MX 80/100 printers. The following information will enable you to
change the !PrinterDM application supplied with the Archimedes and BBC A3000
to drive the MX series correctly.

Make a copy of the !PrinterDM printer driver application on a new disc. You
can do this by formatting a new disc and dragging the !PrinterDM application
from the window for your applications disc to the window for the new disc.
Now load the !Edit program, which you will need to alter the settings inside
the printer driver application.

Hold down the shift key and double click on the copy of the !PrinterDM,
which will open a window showing the files that form the application. The
file PrData is the one that needs to be altered, and this can be dragged to
!Edit's icon. The PrData file is designed to be readable by both humans and
the !PrinterDM program and you should be able to locate the settings for
various types of printer. There are 13 printer types supplied as standard
and we will add a further two by entering the attached text at the end of
the settings and before the line "Page Size Settings". When you have done so
save the PrData file.

You can now start your new !PrinterDM by double clicking on its icon. When
the driver is loaded click select once on its icon on the icon bar. This
opens a small window which displays the current driver setting, and clicking
on the printer name will cycle you through all 15 possible printer types,
and do so until you reach the MX drivers. You may wish to choose save
settings from the menu on the printer drivers icon, so that the driver will
automatically start with the MX driver selected.

printer_name:    EPSON MX compatible (72 by 72 dpi)
printer_number:  13

pxres:          72                               ; dots per inch
pyres:          72
pxres_halftone: 72/4
pyres_halftone: 72/4

dump_depth:     8                                ; 8 pin
line_prologue:  "<27>K"                          ; select appropriate mode
line_epilogue:  "<27>A<0><13><27>A<8><10><27>2"  ; move down 8/72 inch
job_epilogue:   ""

.............................................................

printer_name:    EPSON MX compatible (144 by 72 dpi)
printer_number:  14

pxres:          144                               ; dots per inch
pyres:          72
pxres_halftone: 144/8
pyres_halftone: 72/4

dump_depth:     8                                ; 8 pin
line_prologue:  "<27>L"                          ; select appropriate mode
line_epilogue:  "<27>A<0><13><27>A<8><10><27>2"  ; move down 8/72 inch
job_epilogue:   ""

.............................................................

We often receive requests for further information from people wishing to
design and build interfaces and peripherals for their own use, or as part of
a design project. There are many suitable books that can be used in
conjunction with such projects.

The two most suitable ports on the BBC B/B+ and Master 128 are the user and
analogue ports. There is a discussion of the use of these ports and how to
write software that reads and writes to them, in "The New Advanced User
Guide", by Dickens and Holmes, published by Adder or the earlier "Advanced
User Guide", by Bray, Dickens and Holmes published by the Cambridge
Microcomputer Centre.

Apart from good book shops Farnell Electronic Components and RS Components
both list suitable book titles in their catalogues. Specific BBC based
titles such as "Interfacing with the BBC Micro" (Farnell Order Code 171-800)
will probably be of use.

It is possible for the  mouse,  supplied  with  the  Archimedes and BBC
A3000 computer systems, to be used with the PC Emulator.  This requires your
DOS disc to contain the file:

mouse.sys

The PC Emulator is not  supplied with this file as it is normal for any
Microsoft  package, which supports the mouse,  to  contain  a  suitable
mouse driver. If your DOS disc does not contain this file you will have to
copy  it,  from  the software package on which it was supplied, onto your
DOS disc.

Once you have the file on your DOS  disc  you  will  have to ammend the
config.sys file with the following line:

device=mouse.sys

If you are unsure of how to do this the instructions, on  page  9 of the
PC Emulator booklet, describe the  process  for amending this file.