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Ok.. I'm new to this new HwB-site, and it screams Wiki all over the place...
I'm currently quite tired, but I'm damned if I can't insert my (Actually, others...) "work" someplace. So, it might just as well be here, for now.

Anywhoo, I thought I'd publish something that's not easy to come by nowadays... Took some serious Googeling to find it in the first place.
Well, down to business:

It's a 24- port ISA I/O- card. Not exactly the hottest thing on the market. But, a damn nifty thingie.
This one card allows you to directly (<-Take this comment with a pinch of salt) access your ISA- bus and forego the annoying I/O's of the LPTx.

But, as with any advanced hardware, there's a few snags. In this case, it would be that the 24 ports are not working simultaneous, but rather switched between in set's of 3 (Or really set's of 4. -It get's more complicated later) 8- bit channels if you like. These bit's are bi-directional, which in short means that they operate at both directions. -In and out, but one at the time, depending of what mode the circuit is set to.

Another snag is that these circuits are hard to come by. According to our (Sweden) biggest importer of electronics, the circuit is obsolete, which is a damn shame, given it's potential and usefulness!!!
 If you know of any other circuit that replaces this, and has a DIL-capsul (I'm not too fond of PLCC and simmilar! It's painstaking to handle!), please send me a link at ace@mineg.net

The circuit is named 8255A and comes in a few diffrent flavors. Personally I've never been dealing with any diffrent of these chips, but it's always been the fact that I've either been too occupied with computers (It's a curse, because if you know the real basic's, you'll always end up helping others, all the time), or otherwise occupied. Of course, I've been running on fumes past 7-8 years when it comes to electronics, and a few months ago I really gave myself a swift kick in the head, and started to read up on the subject again.
 Well, let's not having this entire section about me, so, Back2Business@YourEnd!

This is what it could look like, should you choose to build a similar:
[[Image:24-Port.ISA.JPG]]



 Thanks to Intel Corporation for permission to reprint from their Component Data Catalog, Copyright 1978.

 24 LINE PARALLEL INTERFACE

The Wenzel Associates Model 20-24 Parallel Interface is a general
purpose, programmable I/O board for use with the IBM Personal
Computer. 
Its 24 I/O lines are available on a 25 pin D connector and
may be programmed as inputs, outputs, or both. These lines are TTL
compatible, and have the added feature that most lines can source I ma
at 1.5 volts to directly drive I)arlington type drivers and high-voltage
displays.

The parallel interface requires 4 bytes of addressing and may be
jumpered to recognize one of 64 address groups beginning with &H200,
ending with &H2FC.

The Model 20-24 Interface is controlled by an 8255A Programmable
Peripheral Interface I.C. that may be used in three modes of operation.

In the basic mode, MODE 0, the 24 I/O lines are divided into two eight
line groups and two four line groups.
Each group may be configured in
software as all inputs or all outputs by writing a configuration command
to the control register. MODE 1 separates the 24 lines into two eight line
groups, with the eight remaining lines providing control or
"handshaking" functions for each group. Data direction is set through
the control register.

The third mode, MODE 2, creates a true bidirectional
bus on eight of the I/O Lines. Five additional lines provide
status and control information for the bus.
In all modes, data may be transferred to and from these I/O lines with
the BASIC "OUT" and "INP" commands. Machine language
programmers may use 8088 port commands.
The Model 20-24 Parallel Interface may be used to interface almost any
peripheral equipment to the IBM personal computer through software
control, without the need for additional external logic circuitry.

 Operational Description
A programming model of the 20-24 parallel interface contains three ports
and a control register.
Lines A, and A, on the internal bus, in conjunction with input and
output commands, control selection of one of these registers.
Please note that the control word register can ONLY be written into. No
read operation of the control word is allowed.
 [[Image:8255A-TruthTable-1.jpg]]
The addressing jumpers are set at the factory such that
&H210 accesses PORT A
&H211 accesses PORT B
&H212 accesses PORT C
&H213 accesses the CONTROL register
Other address groups may be selected by replacing the addressing
jumpers. 
  [[Image:ISA-Jumpers-1.jpg]]