SC-7700

[petergun1]

I am running Windows Vista on my computers, and have a Riso 3770 and 3750, and am interested in an SC-7700 controller that is available online. The person selling the box wrote that he only has the controller and no cables or software. He apparently does not have the means to test the unit.


My concern is that the installed software is corrupt. Is the RIP software still available to purchase? Also, is it difficult to find the interface cable and network interface card (if needed)?

[TECH BOY]

Hi,
The cables are not standard for this rip.A Riso dealer should be able to order these for you.From previous riso experience I doubt there is a driver for vista but it will probably work.If it can not be tested be careful these are extremely expensive to repair even though it looks like a standard tower computer....
Tech boy.

[BluePlanet]

Risograph RIPs

Although the RIP units look like tower computers, they have custom boards and do not have video output, keyboard input or other things expected on a computer.

The Riso cable is sold on eBay for about $200 each. The truth is these are NOT special cables. They are DB25 on one end and mini centronics or it might be called a mini scsi connector on the other end. You can buy these cables for $25 on ebay. My HP Color Laserjet 4600 uses the same kind of cable.

There are no drivers for Vista or XP. These boxes were made long before those operating systems. They probably were using WIN 98, 2000 or most likely Windows NT. I would guess they will work on XP and maybe Vista if they are not too operating specific.

I just purchased one myself and will find out what works. I have operating systems back to Windows 2000. I pitched NT as it is totally unsupported now.

The controller box is just part of the package. The other part is the interface board. This provides a connector on the back of the Riso with a wire harness that runs to a circuit board that mounts inside the Riso on a a bracket that seems to be able to hold two boards. Have no idea what the second space is used for, maybe the auto feeder or some other addon. The board has another wire harness that connectors to the main computer board of the Riso.

If the RIP you are considering does not have the interface board, it is next to worthless. In many years of looking for a good Riso, near enough to pick up and cheap, I have never seen the interface board by itself.

There is RISO manual disk sold on eBay, it has all the RIP drivers on it. It has diagrams but unfortunately no photos of anything which would have really helped.

I will check my disk and see if those models are supported with the 7700. I know my FR's don't support the 7790 and they are much newer than any GR.

I am going to try to attach a photo of the board. I have NEVER seen a photo of one anywhere. This one is mine.

[BluePlanet]

SC7700

The SC7700 was intended for WIN 95 and WIN 98. I would guess XP will work and probably Vista. The SC emulates the LaserJet III and IV. I have several LaserJet IV models and they work fine with Vista.

If you can get it cheap enough I would buy it. I would not pay more than a couple of hundred for it though.

[zx81]

[BluePlanet]

Question on cable

The cables look standard. I have not tried one though. Are you telling me that Riso went to the trouble of changing the pin to pin connections and had custom cables made? That seems like going to a lot of trouble for a relatively small return.

I just bought one of the C1 300 interfaces with the cable and board for $5. Couldn't resist at that price. Am going to check the pinouts and see if it is a standard cable or not. I think though the cable changed with later interface models.

I might have missed them but I have never seen any internal interface boards by themselves on eBay here in the U.S. There are controllers sold but they seldom mention having the internal board. It looks like the same board is used for the sorter and some other things.

[BluePlanet]

Riso Cables

The cable that goes from the RIP to the connector on the Riso which has the wire harness to the interface board is obviously a custom cable and the RIP should include that cable when offered for sale. RISO calls this the "video cable." This is basicly a modified scsi cable.

However, the RIP then connects to the computer and that is a Standard cable. I have read the specifications for all the RISO RIP units and not a one says anything about a special cable. That would make no sense when the RIP has standard connectors for printer cables, RS232, SCSI, etc. RIPS from 7000 or so have Ethernet connectors, so you can connect it directly to a network and forget about printer cables altogether. It would be totally absurd for Riso to change the pin outs and force people to buy only its cables. Everything in the technical manuals says that the RIP to computer connectors are standard configurations.

Many of the older RIPS have SCSI connectors too for connection to a scsi port or board in a computer in order to use the Riso as a computer scanner. Obviously these are standard SCSI cables.

The newer RIP units such as the 7000, 7700 and 7900 have a compact scsi connector on them, or SCSI 2. The cable is supplied with the rip units in the kit. The conventional wisdom is that these are custom cables, but nothing I have read in the RISO manuals says anything about it being custom. Some of the illustrations say all the cables are standard commercially available cables.

Of course the safe thing is to get the cable with the RIP.

Attached is a photo of the cable for a C1 300 RIP.

[zx81]

The cables look standard. I have not tried one though. Are you telling me that Riso went to the trouble of changing the pin to pin connections and had custom cables made? That seems like going to a lot of trouble for a relatively small return.

the SC7700 cable looks like a standard DB37 printer cable on one end and riso chopped the other end off and stuck a 36pin 'scsi style' plug on the other.. if anyone knows what these connectors are called or where you can get them!.. please let me know..

BluePlanet: was confused about what you were saying about cables because SC7700 connects via ethernet! so was only thinking of rip -> riso cable..

[BluePlanet]

Oh, that explains it.

Okay, that makes sense. Still learning about these things. Sorry for the confusion. The cables pictured as Riso cables on eBay look like standard cables and look to have molded connectors on both ends.

Doing those in small quantities would be very expensive, which I suppose explains the $200 price. It just makes no sense to me why a company would bother going that route when they are selling machines for tens of thousands of dollars and making plenty on consumables.

My confusion is from the docs for the RIPs which refer to the cables as standard commercial cables. Of course, someone actually using, selling or fixing these things is going to know.

[ddude]

The RISO cables are exclusive and have caused a lot of confusion, because they look like 'off the shelf' items. You should only buy a tested, complete system, unless the price is sooooo good that you can try to ebay the project together. Judging from the cost of RISO rips, I would attempt a ebay option if time was not a factor-

[emiln]

Re: SC-7700

I'm new here but I think can shed some light on these cables,
and hopefully get some ideas back as well, as I'm trying to create one from components.

I have a GR3770, PCB, SC7700, and the special ("Riso SCII") cable is missing. Total nightmare.
I'm determined to make my own however as $200 is ridiculous for some pins and plastic.

Research:
I found a product ID# on the connector coming from the PCB (Risograph) side and it reads "JAE DCUH 37S".
A quick google search brings me : here
This proves that one side of the cable is in fact a d sub.
This connector can be had for a cool $7 on eBay : here

Problem #1:
The connector end on the SC7700 presents the challenge. Unlike the other end this end has 36 pins (1 less pin), and no visible ID#. It shares the signature D shaped metal shield as the other end only much smaller. I don't think it is d-sub-micro however, because unlike the male d-sub-micro connectors which have a solid plastic bar floating in the middle (of which the pins are "embedded into"), this male connector would need to have just the pins floating alone (similar to normal d sub male cables).

Later this week I will be taking apart the SC7700 to see if I can find an ID# for this connector on the inside of the housing. If not the only other option is to do this in crude fashion - sticking pins into each of the 36 holes and wiring them accordingly to the d sub side that goes to the Risograph PCB.

Problem#2:
Does anyone here know how a 37 pin connector would wire to a 36 pin connector ??? My plan was to wire pin 1 to pin 1, pin 2 to pin 2, etc. then just leaving the odd 37th hole on the Risograph side empty. Anyone know any electronics forums that might be able to answer this?

Thanks for any help!!!! Updates to follow.

[emiln]

Re: SC-7700

Update : found some great pictures of the connectors on German eBay.

The 37 pin goes to the Riso PCB, the other to the SC. I think that the SC side is an SCSI-2 DH (High Density?) connector based on comparisons to this site, however I'm having great trouble finding any 36 pin HD SCSI-2 connectors period. Most are 50 pins which is no good.

Looks like the cable housing reads "awm style 20276 vw-1 ieee 1284 cable".

Guess I just keep digging through the internet. Clues anyone?

Side question : can anyone can verify that the SC7*** series is a reference to SCSI connections?

riso connect.jpgsc connect.jpg

[emiln]

Re: SC-7700

Update:

This is a pretty nerdy site depicting all things SCSI related :
SCSI Connectors and Cable information | Ram Electronics Here I found no trace of anything with 36 pins like the picture I posted above. In fact I can't find any trace whatsoever on the entire internet of a 36 pin high density SCSI-2 cable, or any 36 pin cable that is similar for that matter. Hugely disappointing. Maybe Riso had this connector made special just for them? Anyway it looks like I'll have to pay over $150 on ebay just for this cable ((( . Maybe I'll take it apart and figure out how to make my own to sell them to everyone for cheap. Curious if the DH50 SCSI cable can be modified to a 36 somehow...

Please if anyone can offer so much as a remote hint on these cables let the world know!

[ddude]

Re: SC-7700

These cables have always commanded a high price-I think that they are proprietary.

[jgcastillog]

Re: SC-7700

Well, not exactly on point..

But after trying a USB extender on a MZ990 and a PS7R-5000, the cables MAY be standard, But the signals and protocol is another Riso Mystery, just like the old Linux mess on the SC7700 and the SC7950. :s

O well.