HP Deskjet 310 - Portable Printer

[jjohnson873]

I have an old (1993 vintage) HP Deskjet 310 portable printer (P/N: CA2641A). I haven't used in in decades and recently examined it to see if it may be recoverable. There doesn't appear to be much written about this small printer. From an HP Computer Museum post:

"The DeskJet Portable was HP's first 300-dpi portable printer (a battery-powered version of the original ThinkJet was made in 1984). The DeskJet Portable had a detachable paper feeder and optional battery. In Australia, this product was a big seller in 1993 when HP dropped its price to measure price elasticity in low-end inkjet printers.
The DeskJet 310 and DeskWriter 310 (P/N C2617A) were introduced in October of 1993 at a price of $379. These printers offered optional color printing capability.
Worldwide, portable printer sales never reached the levels that HP had hoped for, despite the strong growth of laptop computers in the 1990s."

The Li-ion battery case was bulged and therefore the batteries are ruined. I've misplaced the power supply, so I need to look for that. Certainly the installed ink cartridge has dried up. I recall it was a fun printer that I used to lug around with me when I traveled. Searching Google, it doesn't appear there are any HP C3003A Li-Ion batteries made for this printer. I even had the optional paper feeder for this printer and it may be packed away somewhere. The rubber rollers may also need replacing or refurbishing. I did see an HP Deskjet 320 listed on eBay, so apparently there are a few of these still around. I hate to toss this out since it's part of HP history, but I'm not sure how much time, treasure and effort would be needed to bring this old printer back to life. ~ Jim J. ~

[Karl-Ludwig Butte]

Not only some complete printers, but also several printer cartridges and power supplies I saw cheap on the German TAS site. I think the chances are not bad to get your printer up and running again cheaply.

Which computer do you want to connect the device to, because the printer only has a Centronics interface, which is little used today.

A reference brochure on specifications, options, part numbers of spare parts, etc. is available here.

Hope this helps a bit.

Best regards

Karl

[jjohnson873]

Hi Karl....Thank you for the link. After investigation, I have seen a few more of the printer accessories on TAS sites. You raise a good question about the Centronics interface. I'd likely have to acquire a Centronics to USB interface. ~ Jim J. ~

[BruceH]

I had the Apple version - the DeskWriter 310 with the AppleTalk interface. I never had the battery pack - just used the external power supply but it worked well and I loved the way it folded in half to make itself into a stand. :-)

[EugeneNine]

I still have one, its a 320 or 340 maybe, I'll look.

[toml_12953]

(02-28-2022 01:33 PM)jjohnson873 Wrote:  Hi Karl....Thank you for the link. After investigation, I have seen a few more of the printer accessories on TAS sites. You raise a good question about the Centronics interface. I'd likely have to acquire a Centronics to USB interface. ~ Jim J. ~

If you have a device that sends out IrDA, you don't need a wire at all. The 310 can work with the device wirelessly to a distance of about 1m. There are USB to IrDA cables available but they're pricey.

[jjohnson873]

(03-01-2022 01:43 AM)toml_12953 Wrote:  If you have a device that sends out IrDA, you don't need a wire at all. The 310 can work with the device wirelessly to a distance of about 1m. There are USB to IrDA cables available but they're pricey.

Ah ha! I didn't realize there was an IrDA port on the HP Deskjet 310. I'll have to try it out, if I can find all of the remaining pieces to my Deskjet 310.

[Martin Hepperle]

... I think you need an snorkel style adapter C3277A which plugs into the Centronics interface.
This is nothing more than a IrDA transceiver LED pair wired to some normally unused pins in the Centronics connector.
The printer itself knows how to decode and translate the serial IrDa stream.

Martin

[EugeneNine]

Mine is a 340 and I have the IRDA adapter, sheet feeder and two power supplies. One power supply will charge two batteries. The battery packs were the old VHS camcorder NiCad packs.

Looks like my ink cartridge is empty.

[jjohnson873]

(03-01-2022 03:27 PM)Martin Hepperle Wrote:  ... I think you need an snorkel style adapter C3277A which plugs into the Centronics interface.
This is nothing more than a IrDA transceiver LED pair wired to some normally unused pins in the Centronics connector.
The printer itself knows how to decode and translate the serial IrDa stream.

Martin

Just bought a C3277A from TAS for $10. We'll see if I can find my power supply to check out my Deskjet 310.

[Dan C]

What is TAS? Is it like eBay? I have tried to search the net, but i just got some Tasmanian hits

[rprosperi]

(03-02-2022 06:00 PM)Dan C Wrote:  What is TAS? Is it like eBay?

"TAS" means eBay, it's a nickname that was started years ago when eBay sellers were flooding the site and annoying everyone and refrained from mentioning it by name. (TAS = That Auction Site).

[Dan C]

Quote:"TAS" means eBay, it's a nickname that was started years ago when eBay sellers were flooding the site and annoying everyone and refrained from mentioning it by name. (TAS = That Auction Site).

Ahh, thanks! i had no idea of that.