WinXP How to Tunnel LPT over USB
- by Michael Pruitt
I have a windows program that accesses a device connected to a LPT (1-3) 25 pin port. The communication is bidirectional, and I suspected the control lines are also accessed directly.
I would like to migrate the device to a machine that does not have a LPT port.
I saw the dos2usb software, but that takes the output (from a DOS program) and 'prints' it formatted for a specific printer. I need a raw LPT connection, and a cable that provides access to all the control signals.
I do have a USB to 36-pin Centronics that may have the extra signals. I use it with a vinyl cutter that doesn't like most of the USB dongles. It comes up as USB001. Would adding and sharing a generic printer, then mapping LPT1 to the share get me closer? Would that work for a parallel port scanner?
My preferred solution is a USB cable with a driver that will map it to LPT1, LPT2, or LPT3.