Hello,
Over the past couple of days I have been thinking about hacking the little print servers which seem to be sprouting
up everywhere. The price is still a little high but its dropping. Several varieties exist. Parallel to ethernet
or USB to ethernet. You get a mini-HTTP server usually too. My original thought was to use them at work with
labview to control relays. Has anyone done any hacking on them? Also many of the cable routers also have them built
in. Even wireless. Figure it out and wirelessly control lights, model trains etc.
Some examples:
Linksys EtherFast® 10/100 PrintServer
Ethernet to Parallel (3 port version is $149, I assume the single port is less)
I have never looked at the LPD/LPR protocol much. What does it take to send a byte?
Lexmark N4000e External Print Server (list $129.00)
Ethernet to USB. Could be interesting if you make it attach things other
than printers:
Q. Since the Lexmark N4000e offers a USB host port, does it support a USB hub?
A. The USB connection is designed only for direct attachment of a printer and does not function as a USB host port for other devices.
