pyparallel and MAKE controller board for CRYDOM AC/DC switches

[garyr at fidalgo.net]

Richard Siderits wrote:
> Greetings.  I am trying to write a small application for controlling CRYDOM
> AC and DC switches from the parallel port using pyparallel.  The project is
> described in the latest issue of MAKE magazine Vol.3 pg 86.  All of the
> examples are in C, VB, Linux, Unix but not a thing in Python.  Seems like a
> perfect application for a Python program or even a simple windowed app.
> Problem is I'm stuck.  How, for example, would I format the setData() to
> turn off data PIN 3?   If I knew that then.. Life, the Universe and
> Everything would be better.
>
> Progress so far:
>
> import parallel, time, ctypes
> p=parallel.Parallel(1)
> p.setData(0)
> p.setDataStrobe(0)
> print "Boy are you stuck!"
>
> THANKS for any help!!

Here is some code that may do what you want:

from parallel import *
class P:
    def __init__(self, port):
        self.dataReg = 0
        self.p = Parallel(port)

    def setData(self, value):
        self.dataReg = value
        self.p.setData(value)

    def setDataBit(self, bit, value):
        assert 0 <= bit <= 7
        assert 0 <= value <= 1
        mask = 1 << bit
        self.dataReg = (self.dataReg & ~mask)
        if value:
            self.dataReg += mask
        self.p.setData(self.dataReg)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    import msvcrt, time
    bit = 1
    pyp = P(LPT1)
    pyp.setData(0xff)           # set all bits high
    print 'all bits high'
    while not msvcrt.kbhit():
        time.sleep(0.1)
    ch = msvcrt.getch()
    while 1:
        pyp.setDataBit(bit, 0)      # set bit <bit> low
        print 'bit %d low' % (bit, )
        while not msvcrt.kbhit():
            time.sleep(0.1)
        ch = msvcrt.getch()
        if ord(ch) == 27:       # esc
            break
        pyp.setDataBit(bit, 1)      # now high
        print 'bit %d high' % (bit, )
        while not msvcrt.kbhit():
            time.sleep(0.1)
        ch = msvcrt.getch()
        if ord(ch) == 27:       # esc
            break