Trouble shooting the lpt port for the DRO program
Others have been trying to get dro.exe to work with their lpt port. For some it would work and for some they could not get their port to go into bi-directional. What was found is that all lpt ports are not the created equal. With some the 5th bit over in the lpts control port needs to be on and with others off.

To test your lpt port out to see if it is truly in bi-directional mode download this program (portstuf.exe). This is a program I wrote while working on dro40.exe. It is a very basic dos base program util to read and send bits to the lpt port address of you choice. 
Start portstuf.exe without anything hooked to the port....run number 1 (read DATA REGISTER). If the data pins are not all zeros then run number 4 (send bits to data register) and send the port a 0 (zero). Now run number 1 again and see if they are all zeros. If not, then it is a problem with the port. If they are all zeros try and hook five volts (tape some batteries together so they add up close to 5 or 6 volts) and hook + to pin 2 and - to one of the ground pins (pin 22 will work). Now run number 1 of portstuf.exe...it should show a decimal number 1 and in bits it would like this 00000001 if the port is in bi-directional mode. If not, unhook the 5v from the port and run #6 (send bits to control register) and send the port a number 32. Now hook the 5v back onto pin 2 and run #1 again. Hopefully it will now show 00000001 and you are in business. If so...next try hooking the adapter box for the encoders to the port and run portstuf again. Move the encoder a little then run number 1. and do it again and again. You should see the bits going on and off depending on where currently the encoder is sitting. If this seems to work run number 12. It will ask you how many changes in the port do you want it to watch before returning back. Enter in 10 or so to start with and see if that works... if it doesn't portstuff will sit and sit waiting for changes to the port and never return back to you.... so you must crash the program or if your not running win95 you must reboot. (sorry I didn't give another way out of this loop if nothing changes at the port). If you get this all to work dro40 should work as it is using the same basic method to read the port.

To test it out with your lpt port use the program portstuf.exeand send a decimal 32 to the control port (this will turn bit 5 on) and then try and turn a data pin on by attaching 5v to one of the data pins and see if it now works.

note: if you use read the control register bit 5 is counted count from right to left and the first one is bit 0.

If you port works by having to first turn send the control register a decimal 32 you will need this update. If it works without having to send it at 32 you should not use the update. 

slindsay@nyx.net