Where can I buy ports?

I've found a number of websites which explain parallel ports and how to program and control stuff with them. I wanted to try out making LEDs light up with it (how exciting!) but the thing that the articles and tutorials are leaving out is who actually sells the ports.

I'm looking for somewhere that sells the centronics 36 pin thinggy (like is in a printer) (preferably in the UK). I tried Google and all I found was sites that were selling cables. Even when I told google to leave out the word cable it didn't have any results that suited what I was looking for and all I was offered were printer servers.

Does anyone know where I can get something like that?

Thanks
Matt

You could of course just buy a cable and chop off one of the ends....
instant wiring.

I need the bit that the cable goes into though.

(And, going way off-topic, thanks for the help you gave on the topic about my monitor problem I got it working today - this saves me having to find that thread)

http://www.google.com/search?q=pci+%22parallel+port%22

I think what you want is PIC programming. There are sites that sell starter kits and such.

My mate does that PIC thing, and I had a go at using the parellel port with a DLL (Using Blitz), and it worked!

I've lost the dll and can I heck remember what the name was.... I'll have a search though.

Dabz

:)

Edit:
Cannot find exactly which one, but its in here somewhere, have a peek for it:-

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=parallel+port+DLL&spell=1

Your computer should have a parallel port on it, a 25 pin female D connector. If you want a centronics port just buy an old style parallel printer cable, it shouldn't cost more than a tenner sterling.

www.maplin.co.uk is one place.

...Although not all computers come with them anymore. Parallel, Serial and even PS/2 are starting to die off on more and more new motherboards...

And in another year or two Intel was intending to drop the built-in floppy controller off their motherboards as well (not sure if that's still on schedule, though)

Ok Thanks,

I got everything, made a little circuit, wroite a short prgram to work it and found that it didn't want to work...so that was a slight waste of time...and I'm now stuck with hundreds of little resistors and 30 LEDs :D

Now just have to work out what went wrong!

That b3d parallel port DLL is in the code archives, and I think I have it on my hard drive. Email me if you want it :)

Maplins is a good place to start with pic kits.

look them up on the Net

IPete2.

Another vote for Maplin - www.maplin.co.uk

I would also suggest to use some kind of experimental interface kit, instead of connecting things directly to the parallel port since your computer is completely unprotected at the parallel port and you could blow it up when you wire things the wrong way.

PIC is pretty cool, tho a bit pricey when I used to see it last time. There are many IO cards, for Parallel, serial or USB ports. Their OUTPUT may of course also control some LEDs.

I got it working. I think the problem was originally I soldered the wires on to the pins looking at them as if they were the port...where actaully they were meant to be on the opposite end (if any of that makes sense). Then I didn't solder them properly the second time around.



I might stop using it then :P. I'll have to get a PCI card with some on. Thanks for the tip!

Coincidentally, I am at the moment waiting on an EZIO board coming in the mail. That's for IO through the serial port; I'm hoping Nigel Brown's serial communication code will work.