HP 3830 printer connection

Roger · 2019-08-29 18:58:21

My HP 950C printer is dying, and I am attempting to set up a new HP 3830 in the same way. The old printer had a parallel port connection and I used a USB adapter to connect it to a Devuan computer. It was identified by the system as /dev/usb/lp0 and handled by LPR. I reverted to LPR because CUPS repeatedly dropped the device, and in any case it seemed to me to be unnecessarily complicated for a system with a single fixed printer.

The HP 950C was set up in raw mode on a Devuan machine, and could be used with some embedded PCL commands to print text files. For fancy printing it was connected as a remote samba printer to Windows, using the local Windows device driver (one thing that Windows do handle well). My new HP 3830 works very well with Windows, and I am attempting to get it to work in raw mode on Devuan.

Devuan recognizes a new device /dev/usb/lp1 but attempts to print using "cat filename > /dev/usb/lp1" produce nothing. The file "filename" contains a PCL reset command, a short character string, and a formfeed. I must be missing something simple. If there is any sort of connection to the printer, something should appear, if only garbage. Suggestions please.

ToxicExMachina · 2019-08-30 06:36:15

What about lp and lpr commands?

Roger · 2019-08-30 18:01:22

I think all that they do is spool the output and then send it to the printer. I get the same null response using a raw printer defined in /etc/printcap. This mechanism worked perfectly well with an older HP printer, so that I could in effect write my own simple filter for text files. I suspect the HP 3830 has a much more sophisticated set of controls since it can be used as a copier and a scanner. I think I am missing some command that simply says "This is a computer output file; just print it." The printer is responding audibly, but the proper handshaking is not happening.

Dutch_Master · 2019-08-30 18:27:37

Is your normal user part of the lpr group? I.e. can you connect to the device as root? If so, add your user to the lpr group.

As a quick (?) aside: on my work I have a HP3030 happily being shared across a LAN using CUPS. It's connected via USB to a server that also happens to be a printer server. In CUPS I made the printer available for sharing and it shows up on other machines that have the HP driver package installed, as well as CUPS.

Last edited by Dutch_Master (2019-08-30 18:37:18)

Roger · 2019-08-30 19:36:15

I am running the test as root. The only user is myself, and in my usual persona I belong to the lp group.

My system consists of two devuan machines, one windows machine and a wifi access point. All the machines can access one another's file systems.
It isn't the end of the world if I have to connect the printer to windows, but I am trying to avoid the complexity of CUPS for one lousy printer, and I also like to be in control and understand what is happening. That's my main reason for using Linux where I can access good usable compilers and do some things for myself. It's my form of computer game -- it's entertainment.

Dutch_Master · 2019-08-30 20:00:26

Ok, good point for Linux Running th test as root also negates my next problem-solver: can your user access USB devices? I still think there must be some permissions issue here, but then, I can be wrong

As for my work setup: just Devuan machines with LibreOffice, the hpijs & hplip packages and CUPS installed, worked ~~pretty much~~ OOTB.

Roger · 2019-08-30 20:40:42

The printer doesn't print what is sent, but it does respond with its electronic jingle noise. I am sure the problem is some printer control command, and that that must be in the driver files that come with hplip.

As I can in fact print, the objective at this to point is just to find out what is happening when the printer is connected to Linux. One option is for me to set up CUPS on the computer that doesn't usually have the printer connected to it, but it might also be interesting to capture the print file on windows and look at what characters are in it.

As I said, it is a game!

Roger · 2019-09-01 22:49:33

This problem is not solved as such, but it has gone away. The HP 3830 is described as a bi-directional printer (as most are now) and communicates with the computer in both directions. That allows for hand-shaking, and I suspect hand-shaking is required because of the multiple functions of the printer which can also be used as a copier and a scanner.

Obviously the hand-shaking protocol requires something as sophisticated as CUPS, and the more primitive LPR can not handle it. Also the printer does not react kindly to simply having a character string dumped on it, when its response is ignored.

I have set up CUPS on one Devuan machine, and used HPLIP to set up the printer. So now I can entertain myself by learning the mysteries of CUPS, and getting the printer available on all three machines in my setup. One complication to be dealt with is that the cups-bsd package is required to provide the familiar lpr commands, and it conflicts with lpr -- one has to make a choice.

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#1 2019-08-29 18:58:21

HP 3830 printer connection

#2 2019-08-30 06:36:15

Re: HP 3830 printer connection

#3 2019-08-30 18:01:22

Re: HP 3830 printer connection

#4 2019-08-30 18:27:37

Re: HP 3830 printer connection

#5 2019-08-30 19:36:15

Re: HP 3830 printer connection

#6 2019-08-30 20:00:26

Re: HP 3830 printer connection

#7 2019-08-30 20:40:42

Re: HP 3830 printer connection

#8 2019-09-01 22:49:33

Re: HP 3830 printer connection

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