u/Barlocore

Super excited to finally show off a little project I've been working on that I've named "InkTalk". This little device emulates the original LocalTalk adapters / option cards for Apple's printer line, like the StyleWriter and ImageWriter series. These adapters are getting harder to find and when they are available they are pricey.

So I figured why not make our own multi-functional adapter that can replace any of them. It registers the same NBP type and sockets for the ImageWriter and StyleWriter series so as far as the original Macintosh systems sees it's just like the official Apple ones. No external host or anything needed, totally self contained with LocalTalk on one end, printer on the other and USB-C for power (but it can be plugged in to a computer for firmware updates / debug).

As can be seen a few bodges were needed on the prototype revision, but they seem to be working great and I'm getting close to pulling the trigger on doing the first production order. Will make another post when they finally go up for sale. The test page in the picture above was printed from a PowerBook G3 running Mac OS 9 - totally stock, no software changes needed on it.

If you want to follow along with development I have a thread on 68KMLA here: https://68kmla.org/bb/threads/tashtalk-usb-tailtalk-and-inktalk-all-in-one-discussion-thread.52115/ (in the later pages). I'm adding support as we go to all the different printer types, and hope to perhaps even support QuickDraw LaserWriters at one point (but we will see).

The board design and firmware will be on the TailTalk GitHub repo here: https://github.com/FeralFirmware/TailTalk

Just got the last of the trinity of printers working with AirPrint via TailTalk and TashTalk USB to my ImageWriter II. Printed out a happy Ferris from my iPhone to the IW II, with a MacBook Neo running TailTalk to expose it as an AirPrint / IPP printer. Shows up just like any other printer now. I find it rather amusing that it is actually easier to use now than my modern HP printer hah.

Will be making a new release tonight which makes AppleTalk enabled ImageWriter II (and LQ following after), StyleWriters and LaserWriter printers all exposable as modern printers 🙂 Included too is a (still experimental) printer tool so you can view the technical details of each, and change their names on the network / settings.

Managed to get AirPrint working on my Colour StyleWriter 2200 via TailTalk and an AppleTalk adapter for it (Should work with both the LocalTalk and EtherTalk adapters). It's not super fast compared to a modern printer but it's surprisingly good quality and the ink is super cheap (got an ink bottle kit to refill it ~12 times for $30). Makes me happy seeing it get used again instead of just being a display piece on. the shelf, and its honestly way less aggravating than my modern HP hah.

I've also added in support for the opposite direction so you can print from your classic Macs direct to modern printers with TashTalk USB, or you can emulate a LaserWriter and have it print to a PDF file on your host. It's still a bit experimental, but check it out in release 0.8.1: https://github.com/FeralFirmware/TailTalk/releases/tag/0.8.1

I picked up an ImageWriter II this week as well and once the LocalTalk card arrives for it I should be able to add support for those as well in conjunction with a 68KMLA member.

Just wanted to post a shameless plug for a neat little feature I got working for TailTalk using TashTalk devices. I've been wanting a way to seamlessly use my LaserWriter again for printing from modern devices but without needing a dedicated Pi or similar device to make it work via papd + CUPS.

So enter the TailTalk server which in addition to the AFP support which kicked it all off now can auto-discover LaserWriters and expose them as AirPrint (and regular IPP for Linux, Windows and other non-Apple devices) compatible printers. Nothing more than checking a checkbox and starting it - the discovery, printer capability querying and Bonjour/mDNS advertisement is all handled automagically in the background. Immediately pops up then on other devices as a ready to use printer, including being able to use things like manual print feed, 600 DPI mode on the 4/600, tray selection, and all the other good features these were made for.

I've also made TailTalk pre-rasterise the pages as I found at first I could print, but it would regularly take 5, 10 or in some crazy cases 15+ minutes to print a handful of relatively complex prints. This was due to both huge PostScript file sizes, and them just generating really complex data. This now drops it down to 1 bit monochrome and the printer can print it as fast as we can get the data to it. For the above post it was about ~40 seconds from tapping print to being ready to take. For simpler text only pages its only a couple seconds at most.

For those who have a TashTalk USB already try out release 0.7.0 with it here if you have a LaserWriter and let me know if it works for you: https://github.com/FeralFirmware/TailTalk/releases/tag/0.7.0

Have been unable to use my LaserWriter for a while as it struggled to pick up paper and the times it did it would just crinkle and jam right before the toner cartridge area. Took it apart today and oh my god they make it so time consuming just to get to the pickup roller to replace it. It was so worn and smooth it barely had any grip.

Got a new transfer roller too and found the original one on mine had a sheared gear. So no wonder it would fail to push the paper through and just crinkle.

One new gear, transfer roller and pickup roller later and it prints just like factory new again. Missed being able to use it! Can go back to being the main printer of the house again.

Follow up to my last post: https://www.reddit.com/r/VintageApple/comments/1swnezs/usb_to_localtalk/

New board revisions are here and they work great! This little device can let you transfer files directly from your modern Mac and Linux machines (and almost Windows too) to your LocalTalk equipped Macs using the built in Chooser on every Mac since System 3.3. This includes just about every Mac made from the 128K to the G3 series. Pictured is it working on my 512K on System 6 talking to my MacBook Neo.

Board design, firmware (by Tashtari!), and software are all open source as well. All that is needed is a USB-C cable, and a Mac serial cable, plus a copy of my software from here: https://github.com/FeralFirmware/TailTalk, or other TashTalk compatible software. I’ve also written APIs for Rust developers to be able to speak AppleTalk protocols with the device, including LaserWriters and StyleWriters.

Boards are up for sale for $30 on Tindie here: https://www.tindie.com/products/feralfirmware/tashtalk-usb/

Recelled a dead and corroded battery pack from my PDQ. The original cells had leaked but thankfully the BMS was totally unharmed. Battery itself was easy enough to pry open, although I did manage to pop off two of the indicator LEDs during reassembly (with some replacements on the way).

With 12 new flat top 16650 cells it’s now been running off battery power for 3.5 hours and still has not fully drained. Should have ~90Wh versus the 50 of the original, so hopefully get a bit more life out of it.

Now just need to recell the PRAM battery and the laptop will be good as new.

X-Posting from 68KMLA - I've put together a USB-ified version of TashTalk, which combined with my little userspace stack TailTalk (https://github.com/FeralFirmware/TailTalk) allows you to transfer files directly from your modern Linux/Mac (and soon Windows) machine to any LocalTalk capable Mac with a regular Mac serial cable. It also can talk to Laser Writers, and join a LocalTalk network with a dongle like PhoneNet.

It also of course works with all existing TashTalk software like Tash Router and friends.

The first 10 boards I've put together unfortunately had a few mismatched traces on the mini DIN-8 connector so it's got some bodge wires and hot glue, but otherwise works fantastic. I've got a thread going here if you were interested in the first rev prototypes: https://68kmla.org/bb/threads/tashtalk-usb.52115/, and will post back here once the fixed ones come in in a few weeks for sale.