Weird problems with printer using USB

Hi all :)

I have a Lexmark E312 laser printer, which comes with both a parallel
port and an USB port. It interprets PostScript, so when I print I simply 'cat' the file to the printer device (together with some codes, quite simple). This method works smoothly when using the printer through the parallel port, no problem, but when I use the USB port, sometimes I get the following:

kernel: host/usb-uhci.c: interrupt, status 2, frame# 682
kernel: printer.c: usblp0: nonzero read/write bulk status received: -110
kernel: printer.c: usblp0: error -84 reading printer status
kernel: printer.c: usblp0: removed

I have shown one of each error messages I get in my system logs.
Normally I get a couple or three of the first message, a few of the last and a good bunch of the another two. Whenever I get the message about the 'bulk status', the printer dies and I must turn cycle it.

I'm using kernel 2.4.21, if this matters...

Since the parallel port works OK, I know the printer works. So
the culprit must be:

- The USB interface of the printer. Not likely, but...
- The driver for usblp0
- The driver for USB uhci
- Me (most likely)

Is that a symptom of misconfiguration? Must I do anything more
than a simple cat for printing trhu USB)? Can I tune anything for getting better timing or the like (if it is a timing problem, of course...)? I thought that the printer was broken, but when I tested printing through the parallel port and it worked...

Thanks in advance, and sorry if this is documented, I haven't
found any information about this :(

Raúl Núñez de Arenas Coronado

Linux Registered User 88736
http://www.pleyades.net & http://raul.pleyades.net/

It does. I'd recommend trying 2.4.23-pre3, as it had a usb printer driver update in it.

Or 2.6.0, that also should be better.

Good luck,

greg k-h

Hi Greg :)

* Greg KH <[email protected]> dixit:

I'll give it a try. I can use the printer thru the parallel port
anyway, so this is a minor problem. Just annoying.

Not for now, I don't want to upgrade the module utilities yet. I
have to upgrade my libc first. Long story...

Thanks a lot for your answer, Greg :)

Raúl Núñez de Arenas Coronado

Linux Registered User 88736
http://www.pleyades.net & http://raul.pleyades.net/

I submitted a patch against kernel 2.6.0 to correct a bug in the usblp write function. It is probably not related to your problem, but if using a 2.6.0 kernel doesn't solve your problem, you can try it anyway to see if it helps.

Paulo Marques -  www.grupopie.com

"In a world without walls and fences who needs windows and gates?"

Hi Paulo :)

* Paulo Marques <[email protected]> dixit:

I don't plan using 2.6.0 by now, but if I can, I'll test and tell
here the results. First I want to check with a shorter USB cable.

Thanks a lot for your help :)

Raúl Núñez de Arenas Coronado

Linux Registered User 88736
http://www.pleyades.net & http://raul.pleyades.net/

I'm getting this same error when printing anything but the smallest print job to an HP DeskJet 3550 USB. Using latest RH9 errata packages.

I also have to power cycle the printer to get it to do anything again.

mh

Martin Hicks || [email protected] || PGP/GnuPG: 0x4C7F2BEE

Hi Martin :)

* Martin Hicks <[email protected]> dixit:

    Exactly, I have this problem when printing anything large :((

Under Windows is worse, the printer doesn't work at all thru USB... At least under Linux I can print, with some problems, but I can.

Thanks for the support :)

Raúl Núñez de Arenas Coronado

Linux Registered User 88736
http://www.pleyades.net & http://raul.pleyades.net/

I had very similar messages (from memory), tried all sorts of different kernel versions, options, usb patches.... I even exchanged the usb cable. After a week I was ready to throw the **** printer out the window, when by chance I tried a shorter usb cable and it's worked perfectly ever since. I know it sounds unlikely (all the cables were within the 10ft allowed for usb1), but it worked for me. Might be worth a try.

Andrew Walrond

Hi Andrew :)

* Andrew Walrond <[email protected]> dixit:

The cable is OK, I've tested with two cables and with a USB
memory stick and all works ok. Seems like the printer doesn't like to have both the parallel cable and the USB cable plugged at the same time, but sometimes it worked, so... The final cause seems to be the size of the file I want to print. The larger, the more chances to fail. I'll try a new cable tomorrow, probably, but I'll give a newer kernel a try.

Thanks :)

Raúl Núñez de Arenas Coronado

Linux Registered User 88736
http://www.pleyades.net & http://raul.pleyades.net/

Well yes; both cables I tried worked fine with other devices, but with the printer (Laserjet 2400) the attenuation was obviously too much. With a 4ft cable, everything works fine.

Same error messages, and same symtoms, in that the bigger the file, the more likely the problem was to occur. Once the error had happened, the printer needed to be power-cycled before more prints would work.

I spent a week before xmas trying all latest kernels and Gregs latest usb patches, to no avail.

Let me know how it turns out :)

Andrew Walrond

Hi Andrew :)

* Andrew Walrond <[email protected]> dixit:

Didn't thought about attenuation :(( My cable is almost 5ft (1.5
metres more or less), and maybe is too long for the printer :??

By now I'm using the parallel interface, and I won't use USB
again until I get a new cable and test the latest stable 2.4.x If I get this to work I'll tell here.

Thanks :)

Raúl Núñez de Arenas Coronado

Linux Registered User 88736
http://www.pleyades.net & http://raul.pleyades.net/

Please never use the phrase "Using latest ... errata" again. NEVER. How am I supposed to know what kernel you are using?! Instead, write "Using 2.4.23-foo", or paste /proc/version.

And once we are at it, file a bug to RH Bugzilla. Or better yet, upgrade to FC1 and file a bug.

-- Pete