Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP)

Return to BP's home page

Improve your communications speed with Enhanced Parallel Port (EPP) Communications.
(For Users of BPDos Software Versions v3.55 and higher)

BP's 6th Generation programmers communicate over the LPT port using a protocol called EPP (Enhanced Parallel Port) Communications. This is a new high-speed link between the PC and the programmer. Our tests have shown the communication speed to be up to 16 times faster than on our 5th Generation programmers.

There are two modes that the BP-Dos Software can operate in with respect to EPP:

True EPP hardware handshaking.

This is the most desirable and gives the best communications speeds.

EPP 1.9 Emulation.

This is a compatibility mode that the BP-Dos software will fall back to in the event that True EPP mode could not establish a link. It is approximately half the speed of True EPP mode, but will allow a non-EPP capable PC to control the programmer.

The EPP port mode can be viewed by performing Programmer Diagnostics in the BP-Software. The information screen contains a field labeled "Parallel Port". "(EPP)" corresponds to True EPP hardware handshaking. "(EPP 1.9 Emulation)" corresponds to the EPP software emulator driver.

Programmers that are currently capable of EPP communications are: BP-1600, BP-2600, and BP-4600 (DOS). The automated programming systems are configured at the factory. If you have a BP-1600 or a BP-2600, you will need to verify that your PC is configured for EPP communications.

For the PC to communicate with an EPP programmer, the parallel port on the host PC must be capable of driving the signals needed by the programmer. These settings may be accessed via the BIOS setup on a PC, and the exact method is vendor specific. You should consult your specific PC documentation for instructions on how to change BIOS settings.

The most desirable mode is True EPP mode. Here are some typical BIOS values that will achieve this:

a. EPP (choose this first)

b. ECP/EPP (this also works)

c. ECP (may work on some machines)

Parallel port characteristics vary greatly among PC vendors. A given port type on one model of machine may not result in the same behavior as another model. It is possible that on a particular PC none of the settings will allow True EPP mode. This can happen if the PC's parallel port is not compliant with the IEEE 1284 ECP/EPP specification.

(It is possible to purchase a PCI parallel port add-on card that is highly recommended for these situations. These cards are fully IEEE 1284 compliant, and about twice the speed as most built-in parallel ports. Contact Customer Service for information on where to purchase.)

If your PC does not support EPP, the programmer is designed to operate under EPP 1.9 Emulation.