FarmTek OE-24 User manual

Printer User's Manual
© 1997 FarmTek, Inc.
OE-24 Printer
User's Manual
FarmTek, Inc.
5113 Heritage Ave.
Sachse, TX 75048 [phone] [phone]
Farm ekT

Printer User's Manual Page 1
INTRODUCTION
The printer provides an indisputable “audit log” of timer activ-
ity during an event. Information is printed as timing events
occur, thus eliminating the timekeeper from any responsibility
or blame. All information pertinent to the ride is printed. This
includes (based on the type of event): time, score, broken bar-
riers, “no time,” penalties, cattle number, jumping round, time
faults, lap number, etc. In addition, the timer flags any man-
ual intervention when the electric eyes should have started or
stopped the timer.
Fill out the warranty registration card and mail it directly to
the printer manufacturer. Note that ribbons and paper sup-
plies can also be ordered from the manufacturer.
USING THE PRINTER
If required, load a roll of paper as detailed on pages 3 - 4. To
ensure proper operation of the printer and timer, perform the
following steps in the order shown:
1) Connect the data cable from the printer into the DISPLAY
jack on the rear of the timer console.
2) Plug the printer A/C adapter into the back of the printer
and into an A/C outlet.
3) Verify the printer “Ready” light is illuminated. If not, press
the left side of the rocker switch on the printer front panel.
If the printer does not seem to print correctly or print in the
right position, remove the power plug from the printer for a
few seconds and then plug the printer power back in.
Once connected, operation of the printer is fully automatic.
For example, each time the timer stops, the printer prints the
final time. Note that it is possible to start and stop the timer
faster than the printer can print the times – though this is
unlikely during normal operation of the timer. To ensure no
information is lost, the timer “queues” up to four printed
messages and prints them when the printer is ready.
Printer User's Manual Page 2
Manual Intervention
The printer flags manual intervention by placing “(M)” for
“Manual” to the right of the printed time. A time is flagged
with “(M)” if the timer is manually started or stopped when the
electric eyes should have started or stopped the timer. For
some events, the timer is supposed to be manually stopped
(e.g., roping, team penning). For these events, time is flagged
with “(M)” only if the timer is manually started.
Timer Restart
After the timer is stopped, if timing is resumed via the
RESTART button, then the last stopped time shown on the
printer is really no longer valid. The timer flags this condition
by printing a message on the printer which indicates that the
preceding time is no longer valid due to a timer restart.
Broken Barriers (Roping)
When used for roping events, broken barrier information is
printed to the right of the rider's time. If the header breaks
out, “HDR” is printed to the right of the rider's time. If the
heeler breaks out, then “HLR” is printed. If both the header
and heeler break out, “H+H” is printed to the right of the time.
No Time
Often it is desirable to maintain a one-to-one correspondence
between the printed output and the entry log for a particular
event or class. You can force the printer to print the message
“--No Time--” to maintain this correspondence when a rider
does not participate for some reason. Forcing the message is
done differently for the ALLEGRO and POLARIS timers:
ALLEGRO:Press the NO TIME button (newer models), or start
and stop the timer within one second by quickly pressing
the START/STOP button twice. Instead of printing the time,
the printer prints the "--No Time--" message.
POLARIS:Press the NO TIME button.

Printer User's Manual Page 3
INSTALLING PAPER
1. Unroll several inches of paper.
2. Cut a straight edge on the paper roll if it is jagged. This
will facilitate the entry of the paper into the printer.
3. Slide the paper through the slot connecting the paper
compartment and the printer compartment. You can slide
the paper in about ¼ inch before it stops.
4. While holding the paper in place, press the rocker switch
to the “Paper Feed” position. Continue to hold the switch
in the Paper Feed position until about one inch of paper
has emerged from the top of the printer. (Note: the paper
feeds fairly slow.)
5. Put the paper spindle into the paper roll and press the roll
into the snaps near the back of the printer. Turn the paper
roll to take up any slack in the paper. Make sure the paper
roll can turn freely.
Printer User's Manual Page 4
INSTALLING PAPER (cont’d)
To Remove the Paper Roll
1. Advance the paper so about one inch of paper is fed out
the top of the printer.
2. Lift the paper roll away from the printer and cut the paper
feeding to the printer with scissors.
3. Pull the remaining paper through the printer. Be sure to
pull the paper through the top of the printer.
WARNING! Pulling paper out of the back of the printer will
damage the print mechanism.

Printer User's Manual Page 5
CHANGING THE PRINTER RIBBON
If the printer is used infrequently, printing may become faint
because the ribbon has dried out. Advance the ribbon to a
new “wet” section by holding down the “Paper Feed” switch for
several seconds. If the printing is still faint, replace the ribbon
with an Epson HX-20 cartridge ribbon.
1. Push down on the grooves on the printer cover – the cover
will pop up. Remove the printer cover.
2. Push down on the right side of the ribbon cartridge
marked “PUSH”. Remove the cartridge.
Printer User's Manual Page 6
3. Install the new ribbon cartridge. Be sure the ribbon is
squarely and firmly seated.
4. Turn the cartridge “knob” (marked by an arrow)
clockwise to remove slack in the ribbon.
5. Replace the cover and install paper.
You can install a new ribbon without removing the paper by
sliding the ribbon over the paper so the paper goes between the
cartridge body and the ribbon itself.
SIMULTANEOUS PRINTER AND SCOREBOARD OPERATION
If your system includes a scoreboard, it also plugs into the
DISPLAY jack along with the printer. To allow simultaneous
use of both the scoreboard and the printer, a “Y” adapter is
provided. This adapter has one male plug which inserts into
the DISPLAY jack on the timer console and two female phone
jacks to accept the scoreboard plug and the printer plug. Ei-
ther of the two female jacks on the “Y” connector can be used
for the scoreboard or printer.