Parallel port programming on windows XP/2000?

[Novice Experl]

I'd like to write a simple application that interfaces with the parallel port, and changes the data on it according to keyboard input. I hope I can get it to run under windows xp and / or windows 2000.

How can I do this? What do I need to know? It doesn't look like the standard library (the one under my pillow) has that feature. In addition, I've heard that with newer versions of windows don't let you communicate with the port directly, instead requiring interfacing with some driver?

I came across this:
http://pyserial.sourceforge.net/pyparallel.html
but it seems to only be used for direct access (would it work with XP?), and hasn't been updated for a couple of years. In addition, it requires something called "Java Communications" (JavaComm) extension for Java/Jython, doesn't provide a link to it, and when I google it - google returns the page I came from!

To add to the confusion, I hope I can provide a py2exe executable of my script instead of forcing a complete installation.
--------------= Posted using GrabIt =----------------
------= Binary Usenet downloading made easy =---------
-= Get GrabIt for free from http://www.shemes.com/ =-

[jkn]

Novice Experl wrote:

I'd like to write a simple application that interfaces with the parallel port, and changes the data on it according to keyboard input. I hope I can get it to run under windows xp and / or windows 2000.

How can I do this? What do I need to know? It doesn't look like the standard library (the one under my pillow) has that feature. In addition, I've heard that with newer versions of windows don't let you communicate with the port directly, instead requiring interfacing with some driver?

I came across this:
http://pyserial.sourceforge.net/pyparallel.html
but it seems to only be used for direct access (would it work with XP?), and hasn't been updated for a couple of years. In addition, it requires something called "Java Communications" (JavaComm) extension for Java/Jython, doesn't provide a link to it, and when I google it - google returns the page I came from!

To add to the confusion, I hope I can provide a py2exe executable of my script instead of forcing a complete installation.
--------------= Posted using GrabIt =----------------
------= Binary Usenet downloading made easy =---------
-= Get GrabIt for free from http://www.shemes.com/ =-

[Neil Benn]

Novice Experl wrote:

I'd like to write a simple application that interfaces with the parallel port, and changes the data on it according to keyboard input. I hope I can get it to run under windows xp and / or windows 2000.

How can I do this? What do I need to know? It doesn't look like the standard library (the one under my pillow) has that feature. In addition, I've heard that with newer versions of windows don't let you communicate with the port directly, instead requiring interfacing with some driver?

I came across this:
http://pyserial.sourceforge.net/pyparallel.html
but it seems to only be used for direct access (would it work with XP?), and hasn't been updated for a couple of years. In addition, it requires something called "Java Communications" (JavaComm) extension for Java/Jython, doesn't provide a link to it, and when I google it - google returns the page I came from!

To add to the confusion, I hope I can provide a py2exe executable of my script instead of forcing a complete installation.
--------------= Posted using GrabIt =----------------
------= Binary Usenet downloading made easy =---------
-= Get GrabIt for free from http://www.shemes.com/ =-

Here's teh link to jaavx.comm -
http://java.sun.com/products/javacomm/index.jsp.

The interface stuff, hmm I'm not quite sure what you are on about you
access ports through the win32 API which is the 'driver' - you could
probably bypass this and start playing around with assembly code but
there's no point!!

Cheers,

Neil

--

Neil Benn
Senior Automation Engineer
Cenix BioScience
BioInnovations Zentrum
Tatzberg 47
D-01307
Dresden
Germany

Tel : [phone]
e-mail : be**@cenix-bioscience.com
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[Benji York]

Novice Experl wrote:

I'd like to write a simple application that interfaces with the parallel port

Use pyParallel. You don't have to worry about the Java stuff unless
you're using Jython. Just follow the instructions on the page
(download, unarchive, python setup.py install).

After that you have to understand how the parallel port works, but I'll
assume you already do or can use the web to figure it out.
--
Benji York

[Dennis Lee Bieber]

On Tue, 2 Aug 2005 23:44:54 -0700, "Novice Experl" <[e-mail]> declaimed
the following in comp.lang.python:

I'd like to write a simple application that interfaces with the parallel port, and changes the data on it according to keyboard input. I hope I can get it to run under windows xp and / or windows 2000.
Under W-nt (W2K/WinXP) you can only do low-level port access via
an OS driver that has to be installed as admin. There are a few such out
in the world, but you'll have to wrap the C logic to get it to Python.

W9x still allowed physical access to the port hardware
addresses.

http://www.lvr.com/parport.htm

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================================================== ============ <
Home Page: <http://www.dm.net/~wulfraed/> <
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[c d saunter]

Novice Experl ([e-mail]) wrote:
: I'd like to write a simple application that interfaces with the parallel port, and changes the data on it according to keyboard input. I hope I can get it to run under windows xp and / or windows 2000.

: How can I do this? What do I need to know? It doesn't look like the standard library (the one under my pillow) has that feature. In addition, I've heard that with newer versions of windows don't let you communicate with the port directly, instead requiring interfacing with some driver?

I always use DLPortIO, makes life almost as simple as GWBasic and a DOS
box... You can either create a custom extension around this or use
ctypes. Generally speaking a custom .dll is only needed if you are your
lpt transactions are bidirectional, highly interleaved and high bandwidth.

DLPortIO: http://www.driverlinx.com/DownLoad/DlPortIO.htm
ctypes: http://starship.python.net/crew/theller/ctypes/

Note that DLPortIO is not a Python thing, it's a generic Windows .dll with
C and VB examples, and needs installing, so it can't be packaged with
py2exe. I'd guess this is the same for other parallel port accesing
tools - I think you need admin privilidges on a Windows NT/2K/XP box to
install DLPortIO, but not to use it.

If you decide this is the best route for you and find yourself stuck, drop
me an email for some example code.

---

cds

: I came across this:
: http://pyserial.sourceforge.net/pyparallel.html
: but it seems to only be used for direct access (would it work with XP?), and hasn't been updated for a couple of years. In addition, it requires something called "Java Communications" (JavaComm) extension for Java/Jython, doesn't provide a link to it, and when I google it - google returns the page I came from!

: To add to the confusion, I hope I can provide a py2exe executable of my script instead of forcing a complete installation.
: --------------= Posted using GrabIt =----------------
: ------= Binary Usenet downloading made easy =---------
: -= Get GrabIt for free from http://www.shemes.com/ =-

[c d saunter]

Forgot to say - under OS' derived from Windows NT (i.e. NT 3.5, NT4, 2K,
XP and future) it is not possible to directly access the parallel port,
this has to be done by a kernel driver, hence the need to install
something like DLPortIO, which parly exists in the kernel to access the
hardware, and partly in userland to allow your programs to talk to the
kernel part.

I find it very annoying just how far PCs have regressed in terms of
simple IO - back in the 8 bit days it was easy to hook sensors and
actuators up to a computer without much knowledge and program something
with them in Basic. These days it's almost impossible without special kit
and lots of know how. Heck, the old BBC Mirco had raw IO capabilites as
fast as an IBM parallel port, and more flexible to boot.

Progress. A real pain for r&d types.

---

cds

c d saunter (ch*****************@durham.ac.uk) wrote:
: Novice Experl ([e-mail]) wrote:
: : I'd like to write a simple application that interfaces with the parallel port, and changes the data on it according to keyboard input. I hope I can get it to run under windows xp and / or windows 2000.

: : How can I do this? What do I need to know? It doesn't look like the standard library (the one under my pillow) has that feature. In addition, I've heard that with newer versions of windows don't let you communicate with the port directly, instead requiring interfacing with some driver?

: I always use DLPortIO, makes life almost as simple as GWBasic and a DOS
: box... You can either create a custom extension around this or use
: ctypes. Generally speaking a custom .dll is only needed if you are your
: lpt transactions are bidirectional, highly interleaved and high bandwidth.

: DLPortIO: http://www.driverlinx.com/DownLoad/DlPortIO.htm
: ctypes: http://starship.python.net/crew/theller/ctypes/

: Note that DLPortIO is not a Python thing, it's a generic Windows .dll with
: C and VB examples, and needs installing, so it can't be packaged with
: py2exe. I'd guess this is the same for other parallel port accesing
: tools - I think you need admin privilidges on a Windows NT/2K/XP box to
: install DLPortIO, but not to use it.

: If you decide this is the best route for you and find yourself stuck, drop
: me an email for some example code.

: ---

: cds