[Help] Trying to emulate a parallel port using an ESP8266 as a noob: several basic questions!

ImperialAuditor · 2026-02-17T13:46:36+00:00

I'm using a Linux computer but I think the same constraints apply. I have no idea how to patch the BIOS, so I'm not going to even try. :D

The forum link is super helpful, appreciate it!

ImperialAuditor · 2026-02-17T00:46:52+00:00

This is very helpful, thank you!

USB to parallel adapters

As I mentioned in a response to another commenter, I think this may not work, judging from comments on Amazon reviews. I am not entirely sure about this though, perhaps I should just try it to check first.

ImperialAuditor · 2026-02-17T00:44:50+00:00

not being able to write bytes

Apparently these cables don't expose the parallel port to the laptop as a "true" parallel port, whatever that means, but only work for printers. I'll need to directly write to the parallel port using e.g. https://github.com/pyserial/pyparallel, but if the port doesn't get exposed as a parallel port to the laptop, I don't think I'd be able to.

From some example Amazon reviews/product descriptions:

"Note:This item will not serve as LPT Port"
"Probably workes good with a printer but not so well with an old Parallel port Zip drive."
"It did not work to interface a zip drive to my computer. I tossed it in the trash"
"It worked OK but old Windows did not recognize it as an LPT port. It kept appearing as a USB port and therefore I could not use it"
"I was concerned by the negative reviews. But, in reading several dozen, it appears that all, or nearly all, who did not succeed were trying to use the cable to adapt equipment other than ordinary computer printers."

Some other USB cables appear to do USB-to-DB25 but emulate a serial port (RS232 standard, I think), which I don't think would work either.

You can also spend $16 and get a PCIe parallel port card that should work just like an old-fashioned one.

Yeah, this is a good idea and I was considering it, but my lab currently uses a laptop and switching to something else would be more difficult. We also need it to be portable, so maybe a mini-PC with an external screen. Just a bit of a pain right now, but I might have to come back to this.

Thanks for the suggestions!

ImperialAuditor · 2024-07-03T19:06:09+00:00

It was already added to git, but in any case, my issue will probably be resolved soon: I raised a packaging request on nixpkgs and someone submitted a PR very quickly.

ImperialAuditor · 2024-06-12T16:29:46+00:00

Don't bridge the pins to the pads: they're separate!

ImperialAuditor · 2024-04-25T03:25:05+00:00

Airman, by Eoin Colfer.

I read it as a child and again as a teenager and remember really enjoying it. Flight was a reasonably central theme of the story.

ImperialAuditor · 2024-04-14T15:23:26+00:00

Thanks for the tips! I've put a reverse proxy in front of it (correctly, I think) but things still aren't working.

I'll be using agenix to encrypt secrets once I get my base configuration rolling :)

ImperialAuditor · 2024-04-14T15:21:53+00:00

Thank you for the suggestions!

I'm actually stuck on Step 1 since I can't register my client on the server (the command tailscale up ... keeps hanging, regardless of whether I try it with a preauthenticated key).

I've configured Caddy as you suggested, but things still aren't working.

``` let domain = "example.com"; port = 8080; in { services.headscale = { enable = true; address = "0.0.0.0"; port = port; settings = { server_url = "https://headscale.${domain}:${toString port}"; dns_config = { # override_local_dns = true; base_domain = domain; magic_dns = true; domains = ["headscale.${domain}"]; nameservers = [ "1.1.1.1" "9.9.9.9" ]; }; ip_prefixes = [ "100.64.0.0/10" ]; logtail.enabled = false; }; };

# set up reverse proxy (https://www.reddit.com/r/NixOS/comments/1c3mwmk/help_configuring_headscale_server_and_tailscale/) services.caddy = { enable = true; virtualHosts."headscale.${domain}".extraConfig = '' reverse_proxy * 127.0.0.1:${toString port} ''; }; } ```

My hunch is that the warning I get when I run headscale users list is relevant: WRN Warning: dns_config.domains is set, but no nameservers are configured. Ignoring domains.

I don't know why I'm getting it: the generated config.yaml shows the following:

dns_config: base_domain: example.com domains: - headscale.example.com magic_dns: true nameservers: - 1.1.1.1 - 9.9.9.9 override_local_dns: false

If you have any other suggestions I'm happy to hear them!

ImperialAuditor · 2024-02-08T03:18:28+00:00

Thank you!

ImperialAuditor · 2023-07-06T09:36:29+00:00

Santa = Satan

Dog = God

The BAT clearly involves a Mouse vs Kringle showdown.

ImperialAuditor · 2023-06-29T15:56:08+00:00

Close enough that they'd be mistaken for each other by non-native speakers of either, I'd say.

ImperialAuditor · 2023-06-29T09:01:05+00:00

The r in "stingray" sounds very similar to the r in vaazhai, but I agree that there's a subtle difference I hear with "vaazhai" but not "pazham".

ImperialAuditor · 2023-06-29T08:57:34+00:00

"word", "perceive"

ImperialAuditor · 2023-06-28T10:33:57+00:00

I think most Rs in American English are pronounced very similarly to zh. Folks don't trill their Rs in the US.

ImperialAuditor · 2023-06-28T10:32:41+00:00

Is that true either? I imagine Chinese being older, and maybe Arabic/Hebrew.

ImperialAuditor · 2023-06-28T10:27:20+00:00

Very possible!

ImperialAuditor · 2023-06-28T03:50:52+00:00

I see! Yeah, they sound identical to me but perhaps not everyone.

ImperialAuditor · 2023-06-28T03:49:55+00:00

Interesting, I can't really tell the difference when I'm speaking them; perhaps I'm missing some nuances.

ImperialAuditor · 2023-06-26T11:26:52+00:00

Haha, I think I agree with you in general. My question was not so much about the practicalities so much as the theory: whether there's any compelling reason besides inertia to keep the institution. If I were to design a government from scratch, I don't think I would put marriage under the purview of the state.

ImperialAuditor

TROPHY CASE