Digital Equipment DECcolorwriter 1000 User manual

Service Manual
DECcolorwriter 1000
Color Printer
Warning
The following servicing instructions are for
use by qualified service personnel only. To
avoid personal injury, do not perform any
servicing other than that contained in
operating instructions unless you are qualified
to do so.
First printing February 1994
Order Number: EK-LF02E-FM.A01
Digital Equipment Corporation
Maynard, Massachusetts U.S.A.

If acquired subject to FAR or DFARS, the following shall apply:
nUnpublished — rights reserved under the copyright laws of the United States.
nRestricted Rights Legend — Use, duplication or disclosures by the government is subject to restrictions as set forth in
subparagraph (c) (1) (ii) of the Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software at DFARS 252.227-7013, or in subparagraph
(c) (2) of the Commercial Computer Software – Restricted Rights clause at FAR 52.227-19, as applicable. Tektronix, Inc.,
P.O. Box 1000, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-1000.
Adobe™ and PostScript™ are trademarks of Adobe Systems, Incorporated which may be registered in certain jurisdictions.
Times™, Helvetica™, and Palatino™ are trademarks of Linotype-Hell AG and/or its subsidiaries.
Other marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.
PANTONE®* Colors generated by the DECcolorwriter 1000 are three-color process simulations and may not match
PANTONE-identified solid color standards. Use current PANTONE Color Reference Manuals for accurate colors.
PANTONE Color simulations are only obtainable on these products when driven by qualified Pantone-licensed software
packages. Contact Pantone, Inc. for a current list of qualified licensees.
* Pantone, Inc.’s check-standard trademark for color reproduction and color reproduction materials.
© Pantone. Inc., 1988.
Novell® and NetWare® are registered trademarks of Novell, Inc.
TCP/IP is a trademark of FTP Software. Copyright (c) 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 by FTP Software, Inc. All rights reserved.
PC/TCP for DOS is based on a set of programs originally designed and developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
FTP Software has made extensive modifications and enhancements to the M.I.T. programs.

Users safety summary
Terms in manual: CAUTION Conditions that can result in damage to the product.
WARNING Conditions that can result in personal injury or loss of life.
Power source: Do not apply more than 250 volts RMS between the supply conductors or between either supply conductor
and ground. Use only the specified power cord and connector. Refer to a qualified service technician for changes to the cord or
connector.
Operation of product: Avoid electric shock by contacting a qualified service technician to replace fuses inside the product.
Do not operate without the covers and panels properly installed. Do not operate in an atmosphere of explosive gases.
Safety instructions: Read all installation instructions carefully before you plug the product into a power source.
Terms on product: CAUTION A personal injury hazard exists that may not be apparent. For example, a panel may cover
the hazardous area. Also applies to a hazard to property including the product itself.
DANGER A personal injury hazard exists in the area where you see the sign.
Care of product: Disconnect the power plug by pulling the plug, not the cord. Disconnect the power plug if the power cord
or plug is frayed or otherwise damaged, if you spill anything into the case, if product is exposed to any excess moisture, if
product is dropped or damaged, if you suspect that the product needs servicing or repair, and whenever you clean the product.
Ground the product: Plug the three-wire power cord (with grounding prong) into grounded AC outlets only. If necessary,
contact a licensed electrician to install a properly grounded outlet.
Symbols as marked on product:
DANGER high voltage:
Protective ground (earth) terminal:
Use caution. Refer to the manual(s) for information:
WARNING: If the product loses the ground connection, usage of knobs and controls (and other conductive parts) can cause an
electrical shock. Electrical product may be hazardous if misused.
!

Service safety summary
For qualified service personnel only: Refer also to the preceding Users Safety Summary.
Do not service alone: Do not perform internal service or adjustment of this product unless another person capable of
rendering first aid or resuscitation is present.
Use care when servicing with power on: Dangerous voltages may exist at several points in this product. To avoid
personal injury, do not touch exposed connections and components while power is on.
Disconnect power before removing the power supply shield, soldering, or replacing components.
Do not wear jewelry: Remove jewelry prior to servicing. Rings, necklaces, and other metallic objects could come into
contact with dangerous voltages and currents.
Power source: This product is intended to operate from a power source that will not apply more than250 volts rms between
the supply conductors or between either supply conductor and ground. A protective ground connection by way of the grounding
conductor in the power cord is essential for safe operation.

Service Manual v
Contents
1 General Information
DECcolorwriter 1000 1-2
Plain-paper printing 1-2
Print engine assemblies 1-3
Combination sensors and their meanings 1-5
Transfer roll type sensing 1-5
Media tray type sensing 1-6
Image processor boards 1-7
Rear panel 1-8
Front panel 1-10
Front panel LED service mode error codes 1-11
Specifications 1-12
Regulatory specifications 1-16
2 Installing the Printer and Drivers
Pre-install questions for customers 2-2
Unpacking 2-5
Inventory for the DECcolorwriter 1000 printer 2-5
Setting up the printer 2-7
Cabling the printer 2-8
Connecting the printer to a Macintosh 2-8
LocalTalk connection to a Macintosh 2-8
Connecting the printer to a PC 2-8
Direct connection to a PC 2-8
Connecting the printer to a workstation 2-9
Direct connection to a workstation 2-9
Turning on the printer 2-10
The startup page 2-10
The configuration page 2-11
Driver and communication setup 2-13
Loading the Macintosh driver 2-13
Installing the custom driver for Windows 3.1 2-14
Configuring the custom Windows printer driver 2-14
Updating the standard Microsoft Windows PostScript driver 2-17
Installing the printer driver for OS/2 Version 2 2-17
Configuring the printer's serial port for a PC 2-20
DECcolorwriter 1000 2-20
Using printcap to configure a Unix workstation for the printer's serial port 2-22

vi DECcolorwriter 1000
3 Verifying the Printer and Host Connections
Verifying printing to a Macintosh 3-1
Selecting the printer via the Chooser 3-1
Print the directory from Macintosh 3-2
Verifying that an application communicates to the printer 3-2
Using the Error Handler utility 3-3
Verifying printing to a PC 3-3
DOS connection verification 3-3
Windows 3.1 driver verification 3-4
OS/2 connection verification 3-5
Veryifing printing to a PC using the Error Handler utility 3-6
Verifying printing to a workstation using the Error Handler utility 3-7
4 Key Operator Training
Printer controls and indicators 4-2
Loading media 4-3
Cleaning 4-3
Clearing paper jams 4-4
Warranty information 4-4
Supplies ordering 4-5
5 Theory of Operation
Print engine 5-2
Wax transfer — the engine's printing technology 5-2
The print process 5-2
Plain-paper printing 5-4
Image data 5-5
Creating colors 5-5
Engine control board block description 5-6
CPU 5-7
Interface buffers 5-7
Data controller and line buffers 5-7
Heat controller (dot compensation) 5-7
Thermal head controller 5-8
Thermal head 5-8
Mechanical controller 5-8
Internal test pattern generator 5-8

Service Manual vii
Paper path in operation 5-9
Paper pick-up 5-9
Drum loading 5-11
Printing 5-12
Print unloading 5-14
Power supply 5-15
DECcolorwriter 1000 image processor 5-17
Image rendering technology 5-17
6 Troubleshooting
System power-up sequence 6-1
Print engine troubleshooting 6-2
Verifying image processor operation by using the Test Pattern Generator 6-2
Verifying print engine operation by using its self-test print 6-3
Verifying power supply operation 6-3
Measuring power supply voltages 6-3
Inspecting the power supply fuses 6-5
Testing for a shorted motor 6-6
+24 VDC safety interlocks 6-6
Testing motor resistances 6-8
Media jams and the paper path 6-8
Media-based problems 6-8
Paper-pick errors 6-9
Paper-clamping errors 6-10
Print-eject jams 6-11
Checking the paper-feed motor and drive train 6-11
Media skews passing through the paper path 6-12
Transfer roll jam 6-12
Printing and print quality problems 6-13
Streaks or lines in the print parallel to the long axis of printing 6-13
Streaks or lines in the print parallel to the short axis of printing 6-13
White portion of print is colored 6-14
Color is uneven 6-14
Not printing 6-15
Printing too light or too dark 6-16
Image is offset or cut off 6-16
Wrinkling 6-17

viii DECcolorwriter 1000
Print engine self-diagnostics 6-18
Starting service mode (self-diagnostics) 6-18
Displaying error codes on the front panel 6-18
Problems and solutions 6-19
Print engine error codes and their causes 6-19
Power problems 6-24
Front panel indicators 6-24
Macintosh printing problems 6-25
PC DOS printing problems 6-26
Windows printing problems 6-27
Workstation printing problems 6-28
DECcolorwriter 1000 image processors 6-29
Image processor normal operation indicators 6-29
Image processor hard and soft error indicators 6-29
Verifying the image processor's operation 6-29
Image processor self-diagnostics 6-30
Image processor rear panel switches for self-testing 6-30
The rear panel LED flashing in a regular one flash-per-second rate means no errors were detected
and that the image processor's CPU is running. 6-31
Printing the configuration page 6-31
Resetting the DECcolorwriter 1000’s NVRAM 6-32
7 Cleaning and Maintenance
Cleaning 7-1
Lubrication 7-2
Inspecting 7-3
Replacements 7-4

Service Manual ix
8 FRU Disassembly/Assembly
Required tools 8-1
Lower tray assembly 8-2
Printer cabinet panels 8-3
Paper-feed module 8-5
Accessing the pick roller, aligning roller, and the lower feed roller 8-6
Paper-pick roller, clutch, and paper-empty flag 8-9
Lower aligning roller, clutch, and paper-pass sensorþ1þflag 8-11
Removing the upper aligning roller 8-13
Removing the feedþroller 8-14
Removing the exitþrollers 8-15
Bail roller assembly 8-16
Thermal head 8-17
Drum 8-19
Motors 8-23
Paper-feed motor 8-23
Drum motor 8-24
Transfer roll take-upþmotor 8-25
Thermal head lift motor 8-27
Sensors and switches 8-29
Paper-pass sensorþ1 and paper-empty sensor 8-29
Thermal head position sensors 8-29
Transfer roll mark sensors 8-29
Paper-pass sensorþ2 and trayþsensor 8-30
Transfer roll lowþsensor 8-33
Paper clamp sensor 8-34
Card cage and power supply 8-35
Circuit boards 8-37
Power supply circuit board 8-37
Paper-feed circuitþboard 8-39
Engine control board 8-39
Card cage interconnect board 8-41
I/O board 8-42
Image processor board 8-43
RAM SIMM 8-44
Font module 8-45

xDECcolorwriter 1000
9 Checks and Adjustments
Required tools summary 9-1
Printing test patterns 9-2
Printer self-checks 9-4
Thermal head motor check 9-5
Transfer roll feed check 9-5
Paper-path check 9-6
Tray select 9-6
Reflective sensor auto-calibration 9-7
Switch and interrupt sensor checks 9-8
Calibrating the transfer roll mark sensors (reflective sensors) 9-10
Calibrating the paper clamp sensor (reflective sensor) 9-10
Drum belt tension adjustment 9-11
Top margin adjustment 9-12
Adjusting for best print quality 9-14
Thermal head temperature adjustment 9-14
Thermal head pitch (to correct speckle and wrinkle) 9-16
Paper clamp adjustment (to correct misregistration) 9-18
A Field Replaceable Units List
B Test Patterns
C Wiring Diagrams
D Test Pattern Generator
Index

Service Manual xi

Service Manual xi
Figures
Figure 1-1. The DECcolorwriter 1000 (shown with the Lower Tray Assembly) 1-1
Figure 1-2. Internal features of the DECcolorwriter 1000 print engine 1-3
Figure 1-3. Sensors and switches on the DECcolorwriter 1000 print engine 1-4
Figure 1-4. Features of the DECcolorwriter 1000 image processor board 1-7
Figure 1-5. DECcolorwriter 1000 rear panel 1-9
Figure 1-6. DECcolorwriter 1000 front panel 1-10
Figure 2-1. The DECcolorwriter 1000 packaging 2-6
Figure 5-1. The thermal-wax transfer print process 5-3
Figure 5-2. Print engine board block diagram 5-6
Figure 5-3. The paper pick process 5-10
Figure 5-4. Paper clamp opening to receive a sheet of paper 5-11
Figure 5-5. Clamping the paper 5-11
Figure 5-6. Positioning the paper for printing 5-12
Figure 5-7. Printing on the paper 5-12
Figure 5-8. Raising the thermal head between passes 5-13
Figure 5-9. Ejecting the print 5-14
Figure 5-10. Power supply block diagram 5-16
Figure 5-11. The image processor graphics pipeline 5-18
Figure 6-1. Measuring the DC voltages (test points) 6-4
Figure 6-2. Locating the fuses 6-5
Figure 6-3. 24 VDC safety interlocks (top and front covers) 6-7
Figure 6-4. Proper front idler roller-to-drum alignment (to prevent wrinkling) 6-17
Figure 7-1. Lubricating the clutches 7-3
Figure 8-1 Removing the Lower Tray Assembly 8-2
Figure 8-2 Removing the cabinet panels 8-4
Figure 8-3 Removing the paper-feed module 8-5
Figure 8-4 Removing the paper-feed circuit board 8-6
Figure 8-5 Removing the paper-feed unit screws 8-7
Figure 8-6 Separating the paper-feedþunit 8-8
Figure 8-7 Removing the pick roller andþclutch 8-9
Figure 8-8 Removing the paper-empty flag 8-10
Figure 8-9 Removing the lower aligningþroller 8-11
Figure 8-10 Removing the paper-pass sensor 1 flag 8-12
Figure 8-11 Removing the upper aligning roller 8-13
Figure 8-12 Removing the feed roller 8-14
Figure 8-13 Removing the exit rollers 8-15

xii DECcolorwriter 1000
Figure 8-14 Removing the bail roller assembly 8-16
Figure 8-15 Removing the thermal head 8-18
Figure 8-16 Removing the drum belt and pulley 8-19
Figure 8-17 Removing the front idlerþroller 8-20
Figure 8-18 Removing the drum's right end bushing 8-21
Figure 8-19 Removing the drum 8-22
Figure 8-20 Removing the paper-feedþmotor 8-23
Figure 8-21 Removing the drum motor 8-24
Figure 8-22 Removing the transfer roll take-up gear 8-25
Figure 8-23 Removing the transfer roll take-up motor 8-26
Figure 8-24 Freeing the thermal head drive belt and thermal head lift motor bracket 8-27
Figure 8-25 Removing the thermal head liftþmotor 8-28
Figure 8-26 Removing the paper-feed circuit board 8-30
Figure 8-27 Removing the paper-passþsensor 2 8-31
Figure 8-28 Removing the tray sensors circuit board 8-32
Figure 8-29 Removing the transfer roll low sensor 8-33
Figure 8-30 Removing the paper clamp sensor 8-34
Figure 8-31 Disconnecting the wiring harnesses and removing the card cage 8-35
Figure 8-32 Removing the card cage and power supply 8-36
Figure 8-33 Removing the power supply circuit board 8-38
Figure 8-34 Disconnecting the wiring harnesses 8-39
Figure 8-35 Removing the engine control board 8-40
Figure 8-36 Removing the interconnectþboard 8-41
Figure 8-37 Removing the I/O board 8-42
Figure 8-38 Removing the image processor board 8-43
Figure 8-39 Installing the RAM SIMM on the image processor board 8-44
Figure 8-40 Installing the font SIMM on the image processor board 8-45
Figure 9-1 Engine control board DIP switches 9-2
Figure 9-2 Tensioning the drum belt 9-11
Figure 9-3 Adjusting the thermal head pitch 9-17
Figure 9-4 Setting the paper clamp adjustment 9-19
Figure A-1. The printer exterior FRUs A-3
Figure A-2. Exploded view of the printer A-7
Figure B-1. Inspection/check test pattern showing samples of defective printing B-1
Figure B-2. Saturation dither pattern B-2
Figure B-3. Wrinkle 2 pattern showing wrinkle B-3

Service Manual xiii
Figure C-1. Print engine control board connector diagram C-4
Figure C-2. Print engine wiring diagram C-5
Figure D-1. Plugging the Test Pattern Generator into the printer's parallel port D-2

xiv DECcolorwriter 1000
Tables
Table 1-1. Transfer roll core sensor combinations 1-5
Table 1-2. Tray switch sensor combinations 1-6
Table 1-3. DECcolorwriter 1000 rear panel DIP Switches 1-9
Table 1-4. Service mode error code summary 1-11
Table 1-5. Physical dimensions 1-12
Table 1-6. Printer clearances 1-12
Table 1-7. Functional specifications 1-13
Table 1-8. Electrical specifications 1-14
Table 1-9. Environmental specifications 1-15
Table 2-1. Configuration page settings for DECcolorwriter 1000 printers 2-11
Table 2-2. Values for modifying the DEVPARAMS.PS file 2-21
Table 6-1. Motor and solenoid resistances 6-8
Table 6-2. Decoding the front panel display 6-18
Table 6-3. Print engine error codes and their meanings 6-19
Table 9-1 Selecting self-test print patterns 9-3
Table 9-2 Self-check mode summary 9-4
Table 9-3 Mechanical and interrupt switch check summary 9-9
Table 9-4 Top margin adjust settings 9-12
Table 9-5 Setting thermal head temperature (based on thermal head resistance) 9-15
Table C-1. Connector CN2 C-1
Table C-2. Connector CN3 C-1
Table C-3. Connector CN4 C-2
Table C-4. Connector CN5 C-2
Table C-5. Connector CN6 C-2
Table C-6. Connector CN7 C-3
Table C-7. Connector CN8 C-3
Table D-1. Test Pattern Generator DIP Switch settings for DECcolorwriter 1000 D-3

Service Manual xv

Service Manual 1-1
Chapter
1General Information
This service manual contains information useful to verify operation, troubleshoot, repair,
adjust, and maintain the DECcolorwriter 1000. The first half of this manual familiarizes
you with the printer and provides information on installing and verifying the printer and
training printer users. The latter half of the manual includes troubleshooting guides,
adjustment procedures, assembly/disassembly procedures and an FRU list.
To ensure complete understanding of the product, we recommend participation in
DECcolorwriter 1000 service training, if available.
Figure 1-1. The DECcolorwriter 1000 (shown with the Lower Tray
Assembly)
8699-01
Phaser 200i

1-2 DECcolorwriter 1000
1General Information
DECcolorwriter 1000
DECcolorwriter 1000 is an Adobe PostScript Level 2, two page-per-minute, color
thermal-wax transfer printer. Besides PostScript, it also supports the Hewlett
Packard-Graphics Language (HP-GL) printer language. DECcolorwriter 1000 prints at
an addressability of 300 dots-per-inch. The printer features a single paper tray with an
optional lower tray assembly which gives the printer a dual tray capability. (The Lower
Tray Assembly is sometimes referred to as the second feeder.) The printer prints images
on A- and A4-size paper and transparency film with 5 mm (0.2 in.) margins.
DECcolorwriter 1000’s image processor is powered by a 16-MHz RISC processor and
features 8 Mbytes of RAM . The printer provides 17 standard printer fonts which can be
expanded to 39 fonts with the installation of an optional font module. In addition, the
DECcolorwriter 1000 supports a high-resolution 300 x 600 dots-per-inch printing mode.
For host image input, the controller also features a standard parallel port, an RS-232
serial port and a LocalTalk port.
Plain-paper printing
The DECcolorwriter 1000 prints on a specially coated paper with a very smooth, even
surface, optimized for wax-transfer printing. The printers can also print on ordinary
Bond paper, using a special 4-pass plain-paper transfer roll. During printing, a special
primer coating is applied to the paper in its first pass past the thermal head. The coating
is applied only to the portions of the paper where yellow, magenta and cyan wax will be
applied in the following passes. The coating supplies a smooth, flat surface for the wax
to adhere to. Because of the extra pass required for printing on plain-paper and the fact
that the drum moves in a slower, half-step mode while placing the precoat on the paper,
plain-paper printing times are slightly longer than printing on coated paper with the
3-pass, 3-Color Transfer Roll.

Service Manual 1-3
General Information 1
Print engine assemblies
Figure 1-2. Internal features of the DECcolorwriter 1000 print engine
8699-02B
I/O board
Drum
Exit roller belt
Lower exit roller
Paper-feed module
Feed roller
Pick roller
Print-feed circuit board
Power supply
Paper-feed motor
Transfer roll take-up motor
Interconnect board
Drum motor
Drum belt
Engine control board
Image processor
board
Card cage
Thermal head lift motor
Thermal head fan
Thermal head
Upper exit roller
Torque limiter

1-4 DECcolorwriter 1000
1General Information
Figure 1-3. Sensors and switches on the DECcolorwriter 1000 print engine
8699-03B
TEST
button
Transfer roll
core sensor
(left)
Transfer-roll-
low sensor
Thermal head position
sensors (2) -- mounted on top cover
Transfer roll 
core sensor
(right)
DIP Switch 2
DIP Switch 1
Paper clamp
sensor
Transfer roll
mark sensor
Top-cover-
open sensor
Drum-home-
position sensor
Tray
sensors (3)
Paper-pass 
sensor (2)
Paper-exit sensor
Front-cover-open sensor
Paper-pick
solenoid
Paper-pass
sensor (1)
Paper-empty
sensor
Aligning roller
solenoid