Altair Q70 Operator's manual

INTRODUCTION

This documentation package describes the

Altair

Q70

printer

system.

The

Q70

system includes the

Q70

printer

and

the

88-Q?OC

Controller

board for connecting the

printer

to

an

Altair

8800

series

microcomputer.

The

documentation package

consists

of three

parts.

The

first

part,

the Operation

Manual,

describes the procedures

for

loading paper

and

ribbon

cartridges~

replacing

prin~Nheels,

cleaning the

printer

and

miscellaneous procedures.

The

second

part,

the Product/Interface

Des-

cription

Manual,

is

a

detailed

description of the

electrical

character-

istics

of the

printer,

including required

signals,

command

sequences,

etc.

The

final

part

of the package

is

~he

QiO

Printer

Controller

Manual

which

includes infonnation

en

the

Q70C

contro11er board

and

on

program-

ming

for

the

8800

series

microcomputers.

The

Operation

Manual

and

the Product/Interface Description

Manual

are both copyrighted

1976

by

Qume,

Inc.

and

are reprinted by pennission.

Q70

Jul

y , i97i

Section

OPERATION

MANUAL

1• Introduction

TABLE

OF

CONTENTS

2.

Get

to

Know

the

Printer

.....

3.

Removing

and

Replacing the

Cover

4.

Turn

the

Printer

On

. . . . . . .

o.

Loading

Paper (Standard

Feed)

6.

Changing

the

Ribbon

•....

7. Replacing the Printwheel

8.

9.

10.

11.

Removing

and

Replacing the Platen

Mounting

the

For.ns

Tractor

Loading

Paper (Tractor

Feed)

Cleaning

12.

If

You

Have

Trouble

.....

.

PRODUCT/INTERFACE

DESCRIPTION

MANUAL

1. Introduction

•....

2. Specifications

3. Functional

Operat~on

. .•

. . . . . . .

Paae

-

l

3

5

7

9

li

13

15

17

19

21

.. . • •

23

1

5

3-1.

Mechanical

Functions

3-2.

Status

and

Control . . . . . . . . . . . '

..

. . . 8

4.

Instal1ation

4-1.

Power

Connections

4-2.

Control

.......

. . .

4-3.

Initial

Performance

Check

.

4-4.

Printer

Dimensions

i;

. .·. . . .

15

• • •

17

19

Q70

Ju

ly

! 1977

Section

5. Interfacing

.....

•

.....

.

5-1

.

Data

and

Control Connections

5-2.

Timing

Considerations

...

. . .

5-3.

5-4.

5-5.

The

Printer

and

Its

Requirements

The

Processor . . . . . . . .

The

BASIC

Hardware

·Interface

5-6.

Programming

the Interfaca

5-7.

S~ergency

Conditions

Q?O

PRINTER

CONTROLLER

MANUAL

1. Introduction

....

. •

2.

Q70C

Controller

Data

Flow

3.

4.

5.

~

6.

Initialization

Procsdure

Printing Procedure

Printar

Interrupts

Electrical

Theory

7.

Connecting the

Printer

Q7G

Jul

:/ , 1977

Page

23

25

32

34

. . . . . 38

. . .

39

44

48

3

5

7

13

15

17

,.: ~

: I

G}~~G}0Cf

.

@~®

lPD'OOO~@U

®LOJ®

UffifrD

®

oo

~ffilIDlli1G:lU

The

following

manual

is

copyrighted

by

Qi.;me,

incorporated,

1976,

and

is

reprinted

with permission.

TABLE

OF

CONTENTS

lNTRODUCTJCN

..........

.......

....

.

..

1

GEi

TO

KNOW

THE PRINTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

REMOVING AND RE?LAClNG THE COVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

TURN THE PRINTEt1 ON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

LOADING PAPER (STANDARD

FE:D)

. . . . . . . . . . . .

..

.

..

. . . . . . . 9

CHANGJNG THERIBBON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

11

REPLAClNG THEPRINTWHEEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

REMOVING AND RE;:,LACING THE PLATEN . .

....

..

.......

..

. . . .

...

15

MOUNTlNG THE FORMS TRACTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

LOADING ?APER (TRACTOR FEED) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

19

CLEANING .. . . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . .

21

IF

YOU HAVE

TI10U8LE

.

..

. .

.......

.

..

...

.

...

..

·

23

MOUNTlNG THE FORMS TRACTOR

Some

printers

come

equipped

with

an

optional

forms

tractor.

Tnis

accessory

is

mounted

through

slots

in

the

top

of

a

special

cover

which

is

installed

on

tractor-

feed

printers

.

Tractor

feed

provides

a

more

positive

method

of

paper

control.

To

mount

the forms

tractor,

refer

to

Figure

7

and

instructions

below.

• The

first

step

in

installing

the

forms

tractor

is

to

remove

the top

printer

cover.

_ • Then

pull

the

paper

bail

forward,

out

of

the

way

.

• With

both

thumbs.

depress

the

two

spiing-

l

oadec

locking

levers

on

the

forms

tractor

and

clamp

the

unit

to

the

pla!en

shaft.

• The

right

stanchion

engages

a

groove

on

the

platen

's shaft.

and

the forms

·

tractor

will

appear

to

be

centered

on

the

printer

when

this

position

is

cor-

rect.

•

Release

the

locking

levers

and

check

to

make

sure

that

they

pop

all

the

way

out

.

The

right-hand

lever

may

not

click

into

place

en the

first

try,

and

it

will

then

be

necessary

to

rock

the

mechanism

a

little

to

obtain

the

proper

engagement.

When

the

forms

tractor

is

fully

locked

in

place.

the

right-hand

locking

lever

wiil

be

just

as

far

out

as the left.

•

New

adjust

the

forms

tractor

for the

width

of

the

paper

to

be

used.

First

loosen

the

two

arive

sprocket

clamping

screws

and

siide

each

of

the

two

drive

sorcckets

to

the

outside

cf

the

trac~or

support

rail.

•

Lift

the

paper

gates

on

the

drive

sprockets

and i

nsert

a

sheet

of

paper

behir.d

the

plater..

Rotate

the

platen

knob

transporting

the

paper

through

to

the

front.

• Pull

the

pacer

release

lever

all

the

way

forward,

disengaging

the

friction

feed

mechanism.

o

?os:tion

the

holes

in the

edge

of

the

paper

aver

t:ie

pins

of

the

ilght-hand

drive

sprocket.

and

lower

~he

right-hand

paper

gate.

• Ti

ghten

the

right-hand

drive

sprocket

clamping

screw

.

•

Now

slide

the

l

eft

hand

drlve

sorccket

over

to

engage

the

ho

l

es

in the

paper's

left

margin.

Make

sure

that the

upper

edge

of

the

paper

is

parallel

to

the

tractor

support

rail, and

lower

the

left-hand

paper

gate.

•

Finally,

adjust

the

position

of

the

left-hand

drive

sprocket

anc

tighten

the

left-hand

clamping

screw

to

held

it

in

p!ace.

The

paper

must

not

be

under

any

tension.

At the same time.

however

, t

he

adju~tment

should

not

be

so

l

oose

that the

paper

buckles

upward

at

t

he

csnter

of

the

platen.

Once

the

forms

tr2c

t

or

has

beeri

adjusted

t

or

the

width

of

paper

to

be

used,

no

furtner

adjustment

will

oe

necessary

unless

the

clamp

screws

ae

dis-

~L:rbed.

17

• Move

t~e

paper

bail

t

oward

the platen, l

etting

it rest against the t

rac

t

or

frames.

•

Now

carefully

insert the

printer

top

cover

under the

tractor

and snap it i

nto

position.

NOTE

Check

to

be

sure

that the

paper

releas.e

lever

is forward when the

tractor

is

in

operation.

LOADING PAPER

~

(TRACTOR FEED)

Printers

equipped

with

a forms

tractor

are

generally

set

up to

draw

fan-folded

paper

from a

supply

box

which

is

located

behind

the

printer

. As the

printed

output

emerges

from

the

printer,

it

is

deposited

in an

empty

receiving

box.

• Pull

the

paper

bail

forward,

out

of

the

way

, and

raise

the

paper

gates

on

the

tractor

's

drive

sprockets.

•

!f

your

printer

has

a TOP-OF-FORM

button

on the front

of

the

cover

.

you

should

press

it

momentarily

to ind

ex

t

he

f

eed

mechanism.

•

insert

the

edge

of

the

paper

behind

the

platen,

as on a

typewriter.

•

Manually

rota

te the

platen

kncb

transporting

the

paper

through

to

the

front.

• Pull the

paper

rel

ease

lever

all the

way

f

orward

.

disengaging

the

friction

feed mechanism.

•

Draw

t

he

paper

around

the ftont

of

!he

platen

and li

ne

it

up

so

that

the

pins

on the

drive

sprockets

match

up

with

the

holes

punched

in the

paper

margins. Then cl

ose

the

paper

gates

.

•

Check

the

adjustment

of

the

drive

sprockets.

They

must

not

be

so

far

apart

that

they

stretch

the

paper

.

lf

they

are

to

o

close

together

, on the

other

hand. the

paper

will

buckle

upwar.d

at

its

center

.

See

that

the

page

is

approximately

centered

. If

necassary,

loosen

the

clamp

screws

on

the

.

drive

sprockets

and

re-position

them

accordingly

.

•

Finally

,

rotate

the

pla

ten

to

position

the

paoer

at

the

top

of

the

page

,

u~ing

the

horizontal

lines

on the

transparent

card

guide

. If

your

printer

has a

TOP-OF-FORM

button,

you

must

de-clutch

the

platen

at the

right

knob

while

you

are

positioning

the

paper

vertically.

This

insures

that.the

tcp-of·

form

point

in t

he

paper

feed

mechanism

corresponds

to

the

actual

begin-

ning

of

the

page.

•

Move

the

pacer

bail

toward

the

~iaten,

letting

it

rest

aga

i

nst

the

tractor

frames.

/

NOTE

Cneck

to

be

sure

that the

paper

release

lever

is in the f

orward

posi-

tion when the

tractor

is

in

operation.

CLEAN!NG

GE.?\JERAL

About

once

a

week

you

should

check

t

he

pr

i

nter

and remove t

he

paper

fi

bres

that

tend

to

build

up

inside

the

printer.

At

the same time

you

should

clean

away

any ink

that has

accumulated

en the

plastic

card

guide.

And

you

should

i

nspect

the

condi-

tion

of

the

printwheel

to

see

if

it

needs

to

be

cleaned

or

replaced.

•Use

a

soft-bristle

brush to

dust

the

printwhee!

carriage

assembly

l

ightly.

•

Follow

up

with

a soft

cloth,

using this

to

wipe

the

carr

i

age

guide

rails

and

to

mop

uo

the

interior

generally.

Clean up any ink

res

i

due

with

a

cloth

moistened

ln FORMULA

409™

household

cl

eaner

.

Do

not

spray

solvents

directly

into

the

interior

of

the

printer

.

• Ink

will

accumulate

on the

plast

ic

card

guide.

obscuring

t

he

operator's

view

of

the

printing

area.

The

card

guide

may

be

cl

eaned

with

a

soft,

l

int-

free

cloth

moistened

in FORMULA

409™.

Use a

clean

cloth

to

avoid

scratching

the

transparent

surface.

PRINTWHEEL

Tr.e

printwheel

can

become

clogged

with

ink and

paper

fibres

,

particularly

in

those

printers

that

use

nylon

ri

bbons

.

Cleaning

will

be

necessar1

whenever

there is a

noticeable

deterioration

in ttle

clarity

·at the

printed

output.

• Remove the

pr

i

ntwheel.

• Dip a

type

cleaning

brush

(or

a

toothbrush

) ir. FORMULA

409

1

M,

and

brush

·

away

all

traces

of

greasy

residue

embedded

in

the

printing

dies.

Protect

your

clothing

from

ink

spatters

during

the

cfeaning

operation.

• When

you

are

finished,

wipe

the

printwhee!

dry

with

a

c!ean

,

lint-free

cl

oth

and

re-install

it

on the

printer

.

COVER

Tne

printer's

piastic

cover

can

be

cleaned

when

necessary

with

a

c!o

th

moistened

in FORMULA

409™

.

IF YOU HAVE TROUBLE

Reliable

as the

Sprint

Series/Q-Series

Printer

is,

it

will

need

to

be

fixed

sooner

or

later. All

machines

do.

But

before

you

call

your

service

representative,

there

are

a

few

points

you

should

check,

just

to

be

sure

that

you

really

need

his help.

• Is the

printer's

separate

power

supply

turned

on?

• Is the

cover

off?

The

Sprint

Series/Q-Series

printers

with

Qume

covers

will

not

function

while

their

cover

is

removed.

•

ls

there

paper

in the

machine?

Some

systems

contain

an i

nterlock

t

hat

prevents

printing

when the

machine

is

cut

of

paper.

• Is the ri

bbon

cartridge

empty?

Certain

machines

have

an

optional

detec-

tor

that

prevents

printing

when the

printer

is

out

of

ri

bbon

.

•

Try

turning the

printer

's

power

supply

off

for

a moment, then on again.

Once

is

enough.

This

resets

the

printer

internally,

and

may

dear

the

prob-

lem. If you find

that

you

have

to

do

this

often,

however,

call

your

service

representative

anyway.

•

Open

the

printer's

snap-on

cover

and

make

sure

the

carriage

guide

raiis

are

not

blocked

by

something

that has fallen

into

the

machine

.

• Press

down

firmly on the

"C"

button

of

the

carriage

locking

lever

to

be

sure that the

carriage

is

locked

in

its

operating

position.

• If the

print

quality

is

poor,

examine tr.e

printwheel

to

see

if

it

is

worn

er

dirty.

Clean

it

or

replace

it

as

necessary.

•

Look

at

the

back

of

the

printer

to

see

if

its

two

cables

are

attached

properly.

Cables

are

sometimes

disconnected

temporarily

and then

forgotten.

If the

problem

persists

after

a

careful

check

of

the

printer.

then

go

ahead and

call

your

service

representative

.

He

will

be

glad

to

advise

and

assist

you

. It

will

be

helpful if, when you

call,

you

tell

him the

model

number

and the

serial

number

of

your

machine.

The

identification

tag is

located

in

side

the

pr

i

nter

and is

visible

when

the

platen

is removed.

CAUTlON

Do not

attempt

to

fix the machine

yourself

by

lubricating

any

part

of

the

pr

i

nter

mechanism,

even

if

you

feel sure that

this

will

solve

yo

ur

problem.

This

service

MUST

be

performed

by

an

authorized

representative

who has the

proper

lubricants

in

his

tool

kit.

Tne

use

of

the

wrong

l

ubricants

can damage the

printer,

and

will

void

your

warranty.

ru~Uru0[(

.

·

®Ll®

[pU'®~oo@n

;

~uunrnm!~©®

~~rrurn~~

The

following

manuai

is

copyrighted by

Qume,

Incorporated, 1976,

and

is

reprinted

with pennission.

TABLE

OF

CONTENTS

SECT!ON

T!TLE

P.A.GE

~JO.

1

INTRODUCTION

...

2

SPECIFICATIONS

3

FUNCTIONAL

OPERATION

3.1

MECHANICAL

FUNCTIONS

5

3.2

STATUS

ANO

CONTROL

3

3.

2.1

ENABLING

FUNCTIONS

8

3.

2. 2

EXCEPTION

FUNCTIONS

9

~

3.

2

..

3

PAPER

FEED

FUNCTION

10

3.

2.4

CARRIAGE

FUNCTIONS

11

3.

2.

s

CHARACTER

PRINTING

FUNCT

IO

NS

12

3.

2.6

RIBBON

LIFT

FUNCTION

13

4

!NSTALLAT!OH

4.1

POWER

CONNECTIONS

15

4.2

CONTROL

17

4.3

INITIAL

PERFORMANCE

CHECK

19

4.4

PRINTER

DIMENSIONS

i 9

c:

INTERFACING

23

.-

/

5.1 .

DATA

AND

CONTROL

CONNECTIONS

25

5.1.

l

BASIC

SIGNAL

INPUTS

25

5.1.

2

BASIC

SIGNAL

OUT?UTS

31

5.2

TIMING

CONSIDERATIONS

32

5.3

THE

PR

INTER

AND

-

ITS

REQUIREMENTS

34

5

.4

THE

PROCESSOR

38

c:

,..

.,,

.

:)

THE

BASIC

HARDWARE

IN

TERFACE

39

5.6

PROGrtAMM

ING

THE

INTERFACE

44

5.7

EMERGENCY

COHDITIONS

48

Altair Q70 Operator's manual

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