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Early LaserWriter ROM dumps
Posted by: chi100 on 2021-08-03 18:24:50
I recently added support for running these LaserWriter ROM dumps to MAME. The ROM dumps on that page are a revision with PostScript Version 47.0 from 1986-1987. I'm interested in getting the earlier versions working in MAME as well. Does anyone have any of the original ROMs (PostScript Version 23.0) or Rev 2 (PostScript Version 38.0) (342-0081-A - 342-0104-A) that they'd be willing to dump and share? Alternatively, I'd be willing to buy the physical ROMs and dump them myself.

I'm also interested in ROM dumps from the II NTX, IIf or IIg.
Posted by: NJRoadfan on 2021-08-04 04:49:15
Its going to be tough to find. Many folks upgraded their ROMs with the LaserWriter Plus font set. On top of that, most of these printers have long since been tossed. Heck, I can't even find a disk image of the original LaserWriter 1.0 driver (called "LaserWriter Installation Disk"). It doesn't help that Apple's directions state to discard the earlier software.
Posted by: chi100 on 2021-08-04 05:38:29
I believe the LaserWriter Plus ROM set was (342-0089-A - 342-0104-A). I'm definitely interested in dumps of those if anyone still has them.
Posted by: ArtiomWin on 2021-08-04 08:44:04
I would like to have more ROMs for Apple printers too (and other manufacturers), but here's ROMs for LaserWriter IIg (downloaded from Bitsavers.org, where they were available for couple days only).
Posted by: trag on 2021-08-04 12:55:24
Clueless here. What do you use Laserwriter ROM dumps for in MAME? Is it just to see the different test pages?
Posted by: NJRoadfan on 2021-08-04 18:20:32
Emulating printers is a "thing" in MAME.
Posted by: chi100 on 2021-08-04 20:31:04
I would like to have more ROMs for Apple printers too (and other manufacturers), but here's ROMs for LaserWriter IIg (downloaded from Bitsavers.org, where they were available for couple days only).
Thanks for that ROM. It looks like the IIg software is a lot different from the II NT software so it won't be easy to get running in MAME.

Clueless here. What do you use Laserwriter ROM dumps for in MAME? Is it just to see the different test pages?

I haven't hooked up video yet, so you can't see the output from the printer. However, there's an interactive PostScript shell that you can run PostScript programs in.
Posted by: ArtiomWin on 2021-08-05 11:41:19
Thanks for that ROM. It looks like the IIg software is a lot different from the II NT software so it won't be easy to get running in MAME.
Yep, that's newer generation, and this model was flagship one. As for implementing support in MAME, at least there are photo of boards on BitSavers.
P.S. How can I see test page? I've failed to use instruction on BeefChicken since I'm using Windows. And do you need ROM for StyleWriter II?
Posted by: chi100 on 2021-08-05 11:59:33
I've attached what I'm pretty sure is the IIg test page. It will need some manual modification to get it to render in standard postscript renderers because it use some device specific stuff.
Posted by: ArtiomWin on 2021-08-05 12:18:43
It will need some manual modification to get it to render in standard postscript renderers because it use some device specific stuff.
How can I make them? I've failed to open in Ghostscript.
Posted by: ArtiomWin on 2021-08-05 13:09:40
By the way, StyleWriter II (found somethere on GitHub):
Posted by: trag on 2021-08-05 21:58:04
Emulating printers is a "thing" in MAME.

So they get MAME running on the controller board for another printer and emulate it? Still kind of clueless. I guess I should have been paying more attention to MAME.
Posted by: chi100 on 2021-08-07 18:38:20
How can I make them? I've failed to open in Ghostscript.
You'd need to read the PostScript to figure out what it's trying to do.

By the way, StyleWriter II (found somethere on GitHub):
It looks like the StyleWriter II doesn't support PostScript so it's less interesting to me.

So they get MAME running on the controller board for another printer and emulate it? Still kind of clueless. I guess I should have been paying more attention to MAME.
No, MAME is running on a regular computer. Currently the LaserWriter emulation lets you connect to the virtual serial port of the emulator and run batch or interactive PostScript jobs (with no output)

I got copy of a LaserWriter Plus ROM and now MAME has support for running it too:
github.com

lwriter.cpp: Add support for LaserWriter Plus ROM · mamedev/mame@2ce1571

To make this ROM work we need to initialize VIA CA1 to 1 so that we don't miss the first serial interrupt.
github.com github.com

So now the challenge is finding an original LaserWriter that hasn't been updated to LaserWriter Plus or someone that still has the original ROMs around.
Posted by: trag on 2021-08-07 23:35:07
No, MAME is running on a regular computer. Currently the LaserWriter emulation lets you connect to the virtual serial port of the emulator and run batch or interactive PostScript jobs (with no output)
Thank you for the explanation. I appreciate it.
Posted by: ArtiomWin on 2021-08-08 00:33:08
You'd need to read the PostScript to figure out what it's trying to do.
Sorry, I'm profane in such things.
It looks like the StyleWriter II doesn't support PostScript so it's less I got copy of a LaserWriter Plus ROM and now MAME has support for running it too:
github.com

lwriter.cpp: Add support for LaserWriter Plus ROM · mamedev/mame@2ce1571

To make this ROM work we need to initialize VIA CA1 to 1 so that we don't miss the first serial interrupt.
github.com github.com
Where did you get this one?
Posted by: ArtiomWin on 2021-08-15 00:47:09
Does anyone have any of the original ROMs (PostScript Version 23.0) or Rev 2 (PostScript Version 38.0) (342-0081-A - 342-0104-A) that they'd be willing to dump and share?
LaserWriter Rev.02 firm is on BitSavers. Go get it while it's where!
Posted by: chi100 on 2021-08-15 07:19:40
LaserWriter Rev.02 firm is on BitSavers. Go get it while it's where!

Yeah, I've been able to work with the maintainer to source a couple of ROMs. It looks finding an original Rev1 ROM is going to be pretty difficult.
Posted by: ArtiomWin on 2021-08-15 07:29:12
Yeah, I've been able to work with the maintainer to source a couple of ROMs. It looks finding an original Rev1 ROM is going to be pretty difficult.
And, once again, what about LaserWriter Plus? Where did you find ROMs?
Posted by: oldappleguy on 2021-09-06 11:23:52
Can anyone tell me which LaserWriter rom these are
Posted by: chi100 on 2021-09-07 09:19:56
Those are "LaserWriter Plus Printer 512k Rev 47" ROMs. A list of ROMs is here: http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/apple/printers/laserwriter/LaserWriter_ROMs.txt

I don't believe there are dumps of that particular set so it would be valuable if you could dump them.
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