TashTalk USB

[Bolacore]

Board layout for InkTalk is pretty much done and after a few last checks I'll be sending it off (please dont judge my amateur hour PCB design too harshly hah).

Same as last time - call for testers! If you have a StyleWriter (and later an ImageWriter or LaserWriter) and have always wanted to LocalTalk-ify it, then let me know! First prototype run will be free boards where all I ask in return is that you use it and provide test feedback

I still need to make the firmware of course once they arrive so _probably_ 2-4 weeks before I'd send anything out

 

[GameMan370]

I would love to test a board out and would be more than happy to pay for shipping (I know how expansive international shipping can be! )

Available printers I have to test:
- StyleWriter II
- StyleWriter 2200
- Personal LaserWriter 300 (if your able to support GrayShare down the road)
- ImageWriter II (of course )

I am also hoping to obtain an Laserwriter II and ImageWriter LQ in about a months time if everything goes well.

 

[DW1992]

Board layout for InkTalk is pretty much done and after a few last checks I'll be sending it off (please dont judge my amateur hour PCB design too harshly hah).

Same as last time - call for testers! If you have a StyleWriter (and later an ImageWriter or LaserWriter) and have always wanted to LocalTalk-ify it, then let me know! First prototype run will be free boards where all I ask in return is that you use it and provide test feedback

I still need to make the firmware of course once they arrive so _probably_ 2-4 weeks before I'd send anything out

I'd be happy to beta test with my ImageWriter II and various 68K machines (SE/30, CC mystic, classic, lc475).
Also happy to pay for the cost of the board & shipping, I appreciate all the work that's gone into this, and the fact that you're developing for 40 year old machines in 2026

 

[Fred1212]

I have a Stylewriter 2400 color I'd be happy to test with.

 

[Bolacore]

Thank you all! Got you all noted down for one

 

[Bolacore]

And ordered! First 5 are in production

 

[gsteemso]

This is of extremely low importance, but… can I suggest a very small tweak to your “Feral Firmware” logo? That right-angle bend and the very straight lines on the first R keep making my brain read it as FETAL firmware, which I suspect is very far from the desired impression.

 

[Bolacore]

Oh god no that is very much not the intention I still need to commission someone to make a “real” logo, it’s just some silly font I bought for now

 

[MindWalker]

Just a new name for a very early version of the firmware?

This reminds me of a discussion about the icon for the NeXT emulator Previous. The emulator icon has the letters PREV in two-by-two like the original NeXT logo and it was discussed whether people would mistake it as PERV and raise questions!

(Also again cheers for the new developments!)

 

[Bolacore]

Semi-inspired by recent networking _adventures_ above, I reworked the printer tool to be more of a generic "network explorer" tool that will show you everything we can find on the local net. It also has a silly little ping tool that sends AEP echoes out and displays the average latency for it. You can also do more specific tests like you could with the usual "ping" cli tool. Been using it a good bit to try and suss out loss over really long cable lengths and it seems to work well.

Hoping it will be useful for others too Will have it in the next release.

 

[Iesca]

Looks great!

 

[iigs123]

Can't wait to try out the changes!

 

[Bolacore]

The prototypes have been made! Now just to patiently wait for them to arrive from the other side of the world

 

[Bolacore]

It's here, and it works!


Still working on the firmware side, but we have LocalTalk up on it already Once I get something basic going that verifies the printer side works I'll get the prototypes out to you all. RP2040 makes it super easy for firmware updates too, just hold down the little boot button and it pops up as a flash drive you can drop the firmware file on to.

 

[Bolacore]

Ok so it looks like _one_ bodge wire is needed - turns out HSKo if left floating seems to make my StyleWriter just see it as unasserted and refuses to send response data to us. One of those things where as soon as I sent it off for fab I realised I should have checked. Ah well, nothing a bit of patch wire cant solve!

But on the good side: I have Embedded TailTalk running! We have AEP, NBP and ADSP operational and TailTalk can discover it via a TashTalk USB which is pretty cool to see. We try and transmit to the printer but of course that's failing til I get my bodge done tomorrow.

 

[Fred1212]

Exciting progress

 

[iigs123]

nice job!

 

[DW1992]

Ok so it looks like _one_ bodge wire is needed - turns out HSKo if left floating seems to make my StyleWriter just see it as unasserted and refuses to send response data to us. One of those things where as soon as I sent it off for fab I realised I should have checked. Ah well, nothing a bit of patch wire cant solve!

But on the good side: I have Embedded TailTalk running! We have AEP, NBP and ADSP operational and TailTalk can discover it via a TashTalk USB which is pretty cool to see. We try and transmit to the printer but of course that's failing til I get my bodge done tomorrow.
View attachment 103711

Amazing!
Thank you for all your hard work on this!

And a board just isn't a proper board without a bodge or two.. just ask Commodore's Amiga line.

 

[GameMan370]

This is so exciting!
Thank you for your amazing work and dedication on this project!