Commodore amiga mps 1230 User manual

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DOT MATRIX PRINTER
user's guide
ENGLISH

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C! Commodore®
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DOT MATRIX PRINTER
user's guide
ENGLISH

This equipment conforms to ECC Directive 82/499 regarding the
prevention and elimination
of radio frequency disturbances (D.M.
10 April 1984).
WARNING: This equipment has been certified to comply with the
limits for a Class B computing device, pursuant
to subpart} of Part 15
of the Federal Communications Commissions rules. It alsc> complies
with Standard CI08.8-MI983 of the Canadian Standards Association's
regulations. These rules and regulations are designed
to provide rea-
sonable protection againstradio and television interference
in a resi-
dential installation. If not installed properly, in strict'accordance with
the manufacturer's instructions, it may cause interference. If you sus-
pect interference, you cantestthis equipment by turning it offand on.
If this equipment does. cause interference, correct it by doing any of
the follqwing: ' ,
, • ReOrient the receiving antenna or AC plug.
• Change
the relative positions of the computer and the receiver.
• Plug
the computer into a different outlet so that the computer
and receiver are
on different circuits.
CAUTION: Only peripherals with shield-grounded cables (computer
Input-output devices, terminals, printers, etc.), certified to comply
with ClassBlimits, can be attachedto thisdevice. Operationwithnon-
certified equipment may result
in communications interference.
Your house
AC wan receptacle must be a three-pronged type (AC
ground). If not, contact an electrician to install the properreceptacle.
If a multi-connector box is' used to connect the computer and peri-
pherals
to AC, the groundmust be common to all units.
If necessary, contact your dealer or an experienced radio-television
technician for additional suggestions.
You mayfind thefollOwing FCC
booklet helpful: "How to Identify and Resolve Radio-TV Inteference
Problems." The booklet is available from the
U.S. Government Printing
Office, Washington,
DC 20402, stock no. 004-000-00345·4.
Copyright © 1989
by Commodore Electronics limited. AU rights reserved
This manual contains copyrighted and proprietary information. No part of this
publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form
or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other-
wise, without the prior written permission of Commodore Electronics limited.
Commodore and the Commodore logo are registered trademarks
of Commodore
Electronics
limited
Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 are registered trademarks of Commodore
Electronics limited.
Amiga is a registered trademark
of Commodore-Amiga, Inc.
PClO, PC20, PC40, PCI0-III, PC20-III, PC30-III, PC40-III, Colt and Colt 286 (i.e.,
Commodore PC) are registered trademarks
of Commodore Electronics limited.
GW
BASIC@ is a registered trademark of MicroSoft Corporation.
mM® is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.
I.B.M. Proprinter and I.B.M. Graphics Printer are trademarks of International Busi-
ness Machines Corporation.
Epson®
is a registered trademark and FX80 is a trademark of Epson America, Inc.
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Table of Contents
I
Chapterl
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
ChapterS
Chapter 9
ChapterlO
Appendix A
AppendixB
AppendixC
AppendixD
AppendixE
AppendixF
AppendixG
AppendixH
APPendixI
AppendixJ
AppendixK
AppendixL
AppendixM
AppendixN
Appendix 0
Introduction to the MPS 1230 Printer 1
Parts Description 7
Installing
the Ribbon, Paper and Paper Feed
Mechanisms 13
Connecting
the MPS 1230 to Your Computer 29
Connecting
the MPS 1230 to the Commodore
64/128
29
Connecting the MPS 1230 to the Amiga and
Commodore
PC 31
MPS 1230 Printer Operations 35
Selecting
Printer Settings for the Commodore
64/128
43
Selecting Printer Settings for the Amiga and
Commodore PC 51
MPS 1230 Control Codes and Escape
Sequences 61
Commodore Serial National CharacterTables
93
I.B.M. and Epson National Character Tables 111
Graphics POOting on the MPS 1230 Printer 121
Commodore Serial Mode 121
I.B.M. Proprinter and
Graphics Printer Emulation Modes 128
Epson
FX 80 Emulation Mode 132
Technical Specifications 138
Hardware Interfaces 140
Graphics Layout Combinations 143
Control Code and Escape Sequence Summary 145
Individual Command Code and Escape Sequence
Tables 150
PET
ASCII Uppercase/Graphics Character
Table 159
PETASCII Upper/Lowercase Character Table 161
ASCII Character Table 163
Epson Standard Character Table 165
Epson Graphics-Character Table
167
I.B.M. Graphics-Character Set 1 169
I.B.M. Graphics-Character Set 2 171
I.B.M. Graphics-All Characters 173
International Character Sets 17';
Printer SelfTest (Auto-Diagnostics)
176
iii

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Introduction to the
MPS 1230 Printer
"Output" is an important part of any system. Acomputersystem has
three basic components: input, processing and output. The
key-
boardand disk drive supply the input to the system. The computer,
or CPU does the processing. A printer outputs information. A
computer
is helpful in making you more productive in your work
and a printer provides valuable hard copy. The MPS 1230 printer
completes your computer system. and
is a valuable asset when
presenting ideas or. "output" to others. The MPS 1230 not only
providesyou with
the valuable benefit of hard copy output, it does
so withflexibility and
high performance.
The MPS 1230Printer
The Commodore® MPS 1230 is a compact, desktop, dot-matrix
printer.
The printer operates at a speed
of 120 characters per second and
has a tabulation (tab) speed of 200 characters per second.
1

Uses and Benefits
You'll most likely be using your MPS 1230 printer to print letters,
proposals and reports from your
word processor. If you're in busi-
ness, you'll
be outputting figures from your spreadsheet or data
base. If you're a student or avid computer hobbyist, the MPS 1230
comes
in handy when printing your program listings from your
computer. And,
if you're an artist, the MPS 1230 provides the
vehicle
with which to print designs and ideas from painting or
drawingprograms, or images that you have createdwithyour own
programs.
Using CommercialSoftware
Since most of you will be using the MPS 1230 with commercial
software packages,
one filct should be dear. In order for the word
processor, or any other package that processe~ t:ext, to take advan-
tage
of the MPS 1230 special printingfeatures,the designers of the
programwould have had
to program these specialfeatures into the
software
when it was written Otherwise, these features such as
bold print, may not be supported.
Certain computers have special programs, called printer drivers,
that allowyou to selectprinters and certain characteristics outside
of the application software package itself. The Amiga® for example,
allows
you to select a printer driver through Preferences, so that
regardless
of the application you are· using, the Amiga usually
knows
how to take advantage of a printer's special output features.
A
printer driver, however, is not shippedwith the MPS 1230.
Your Own Programs
You may take advantage of the MPS 1230 special features by speci-
fying
the command codes and escape sequences in the output
commands
of your own programs. See Chapter 7, MPS 1230 Con-
trol Codes and Escape Sequences, for more information
Selecting Printer Settings _
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Many printers require the user to do too much work, simply to [-.
print a document., The MPS 1230 removes much of the burden _
through
the Set Up procedure. This interactive procedure prompts
you to selectsettings andfeatures of the MPS 1230. Onceyou enter [
this mode of operation, the printer prints a selection on the page,
then scroUs the paper up so you can see it. It waits for you to
confirm
the selection by pressing the line feed (LF) key or decline
the selection by pressing the form feed (FF) key on theprinter. The [
printer continues to prompt you until all selections have been
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satisfied You may also exit the Set Upp;rocedure at any time by
pressing the Local key. Once yolJ. exit the Set Up prQ<;equre, the
selectionS you·
~ve made take effect if you cQnfiimed .the param-
.. eters, otheryvisethey"are cancelled Aliy' r~~g ~ered
prompts revert to the most recently saved values~ See Cliapter 5,
Selecting Printer Settings for the Commodore 641128 if you are
using a Commodore
64/128 or Chapter6, Selecting PrinterSettings
for" the Amiga and Commodore PC, if you have· an AmiW\"or Com-
modore
PC (or compatible).
MPS 1230 Printer Ports
The MPS 1230 printer is equipped with two types of ports: serial
andparallel. The serial
port allows the MPS 1230 to connect to the
Commodore
64 and Commodore 128. Here's what the serial port
looks like:
Printer Serial Port
The parallel port enables the MPS 1230 to connect to the Amiga
and Commodore Pc. The parallel port looks like this:
Printer Parallel Port
The Commodore PC refers to the entire series of I.B.M.-compatible
Commodore Personal Computers including
the PClo, PC20, PC40,
PClO-III, PC20-III, PC30-III, PC40-III, Colt and Colt 286.
3

Printer Features
The wide choice of printing features include Near Letter Quality
(N.LQ.)
print modes, six differentcharacter pitches, bold and un-
derline type, double width characters, superscripts and subscripts.
Here are some examples:
This is standard draft mode.
This is N.L.Q. mode.
Tn_t_? is under! ine printing.
Special Print Features
The N.LQ. print mode provides a noticeable improvement of print
quality,
in both alphanumeric and graphic modes. In N.LQ. mode,
theprintmatrixiseffectivelydoubled,from 9 x 9
to 18x 9 dotsand
the characters feature an almost continuous profile; however, the
printspeed is reduced.
The Draft
print mode provides fast printouts of documents that do
not require a particularly high quality ofprinting.
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The MPS 1230 operates in one of two modes depending on which
hardware interface is being used:
• Commodore
64/128 mode
• Amiga or Commodore PC mode
The selection of the two operating modes is performed during the
Set Up procedure. The 1230 printer is connected to the Commo-
dore 64/128 through the serial port and to the Amiga or Commo-
dore PC (or PC compatible) through the parallel port.
The available command set provides easy handling of pagination,
graphic image
production and graphic output variation.
A long life black cartridge
is available for this printer. It allows
rapid, cleanribbon replacement.
Structure of the Manual
Chapter 1 describes the parts of the MPS 1230 Printer. Chapter 2
tells
you how to install the printer ribbon cartridge, paper and the
paper support and tractor feed mechanism. Chapter 3 shows you
how to connect the MPS 1230 to your computer, whether it be the
Commodore641128, Aniiga or Commodore PC.
Chapter4 gives an overview of the MPS 1230, telling you about the
operationmodes, the printer's ports and what you need to know to
use the MPS 1230 with commercial software applications.
Chapters 5
and 6 take you through the Set Up procedure, which
shows you how to· select printer settings for the Commodore
64/128,
Amiga and Commodore PC Series computers (and com-
patibles).
Chapter 7 explains
the Control Code and Escape Sequences that
allow you to program the MPS 1230 Printer.
Chapters 8 and 9 provide
the Commodore Serial, I.B.M. and Epson
National CharacterTables.
Chapter 10illustrates
how to programgraphics with the MPS 1230
Printer.
The Appendices provide quick reference material on the technical
specifications, character tables and
printer diagnostics.
5

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Chapter!
Parts Description
..
This chapter describes the MPS 1230 printer parts and how they
are used. .
The figure below shows the parts that can be accessed from the
front of the printer.
MOUNTING SLOT FOR omoNS
OPERATOR CONSOLE
TRANSPARENT COVER
PAPER FEED KNOB
Figure 1-1 MPS 1230 Parts Description
After unpacking the printer, save the carton and packing material
for future re-use.
7

Make sure all items are present, checking them against the figure
below.
If something is missing or damaged, contact your dealer.
SPROCKET (TRACfOR FEED UNIT)
PRINTER
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USER MANUAL [
PAPER FEED SUPPORT
RIBBON CARTRIJ)GE
Figure 1-2 MPS 1230 Carton Contents
The printer is protected by a plastic bag which must be removed
before installation.
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Operating Console
On the operatingconsole there are three membrane keys and three
LED indicator lights.
Figure 1-3 Operating Console
Indicator Lights
On
Local
Failure
Keys
Local
line Feed
lit: printer power is on.
lit: The printer is off-line (printer does not
receive from the computer) or it is out of
paper.
Off: The printer is on-line (under the com-
puter's control).
lit: The printer has a hardware problem that
must
be serviced by a technician.
Flashing: The
printer has a minormechanical
problem that may require service.
Alternatively selects
or deselects the printer.
Advances
the paper one line. If held down,
the paper feed is continuous until the key is
released.
9

The line feed key is enabled only when the [
printer is off-litie.
If pressed during the Set Up procedure, the [
parameter proposed is selected. See Chap- _
ters 5 and 6 for information on the Set Up
procedure for Commodore sCriaJ. and I.B.M. ['
and Epson Emulation Modes, respectively.
If pressed and held down at printer power
up, the print test is performed. SeeAppendix [
P, Printer Self Test (Auto-Diagnostics) for
more information.
Form Feed Advances the paper to the top of the next
page.
The form feed key is eriabled only when the
printer is off-line.
If pressed during the Set Up procedure, the
parameter proposed is cancelled, and an at- ,
ternative is proposed See Chapters 5 and 6
for information on the Set Up procedure for
Commodore Serial and I.B.M. and Epson
Emulation Modes, respectively.
If pressed and held down at power-on, the
printer will operate in the DATA SCOPE
print mode. SeeAppendix P, PrinterSelfTest
(Auto-Diagnostics)for more information.
If the line feed and form feed keys are held
down together at power up, the printeriniti-
ates the Set Up procedure.
Paper Release Lever
Push the lever towards the rear of the printer to set the paper
pressure rollers against the platen. This allows printing of single
sheets of paper.
Push the lever towards the front of the printer to raise the paper
pressure rollers from the platen for printing on continuous feed
paper(fed by the tractor feed mechanism).
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Figure 1-4 Paper Release Lever
PaperFeedKnob
The paper feed knob allows you to manually feed single sheets of
paper in either the forward or reverse directions. The paper feed
knobfunctions onlyiftbe paperrelease lever is pushed towards the
rear of the printer.
Figure 1·5 Paper Feed Knob
11

Rear Printer Panel
The following figure illustrates the main parts that are accessed
from
the rear of the printer.
ON/OFF SWITCH
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PARALLEL ["
INTERFACE CONNECTOR
COMMODORE SERIAL
Figure 1-6 Rear View of Printer
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Chapter 2
Installingthe Ribbon,
Paper and Paper Feed
Mechanisms
This chapter explains how to install the ribbon cartridge, paper,
paper support and
the tractor feed mechanism for continuous f.m
fold paper.
First, place the printer
on a tlat surface so that you are facing the
front of the printer. Place the printer where it will not be exposed
to directsunlight. Read this chapter"carefully before connecting
the
printer to the main power supply. Failure to follow the instructions
in this chapter could void your printerwarranty.
Ribbon Cartridge Insertion
To insert the ribbon cartridge in the printer, raise the transparent
cover
to access the printer's internal parts.
Figure 2-1 Opening the Transparent Cover
13

POSditiOn the dsPnnth' t hhead byISliding it gently along its horizontal ['
gui es towar e p ysical eft margin.
Figure 2-2 Positioning the Print Head
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If you are replacing the ribbon cartridge, first remove the used [
cartridge by pulling
it upward. .
Figure 2-3 Removing the Used Cartridge
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