Vector Imagery

[Jules Richardson]

Ethan Dicks wrote:
> Two reasons come to mind - one, to make this a passive device off of
> the parallel port that doesn't require an external power wart, and
> two, because I'm at the South Pole and I have to work with what I have
> on hand - there won't be another plane for nearly 4 months.

Can you make resistors out of ice? :-)

Lack of power on the parallel port's a strange one - I always found it hard to 
believe that the implementors didn't forsee the use of the port as a 
general-purpose output port and provide it with a couple of power pins. It's 
not like there aren't several grounds available so that couple could have been 
given up for +5V pins.

I used to power external gadgets from the PC keyboard port because I happened 
to have the right connectors to hand in order to tap power from there - that 
was at least portable until everywhere went to ps/2 type keyboards.

One of my other machines just had one of the internal drive power connectors 
fed out of the back of the case though for a useful point to take power from.

cheers

J.