[Xastir-dev] questions about lcd screens driven by printer port

[David Flood]

Hello all,
First of all, please reply off list to either david.flood at safeharbor.com or
kd7myc at arrl.net since this isn't quite Xastir related but I figured I'd
start by asking here.

I love the little status line in the lower left corner that says what is
going on, who's been heard, etc.  However, when you have the laptop on the
seat beside you, you can't see that line that easily.  And if you're using a
laptop with no sound, you can't compensate that way.

Since most laptops still have a printer port and printing that line out to
/dev/lp0 (or whatever device) wouldn't be that hard, I have started looking
for a one or two line LCD screen for up on my dash that can be hooked to the
printer port.  Sorta a one-liner HUD so I can just tell in general what is
going on with Xastir.  I've found a few designs but most require running
some sort of init program first before they can act as one-line printer.
Anyone know of any designs that include enough smarts to just plug in power,
plug into an lpt port and go?

Thanks,

Dave
KD7MYC