Seikosha SP-180VC User manual

Sa SP-18S0VC
MATRIX PRINTER
OWNER’S MANUAL
SEIKOSHA

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WARNING:
“This
equipment
has
been
certified
to
comply
with
the
limits
for
a
Class
B
computing
device,
pursuant
to
Subpart
J
of
Part
1S
of
PCC
Rules.
Only
computers
certified
to
comply
with
the
Class
B
limits
may
be
attached
to
this
printer.
Operation
with
noncertified
computers
is
likely
to
result
in
interference
to
radio
and
TV
reception.”
“This
equipment
generates
and
uses
radio
frequeney
and
if
not
installed
and
used
properly,
that
is,
in
strict
accordance
with
the
manufacturer's
instructions,
may
cause
interference
to
radio
and
television
reception.
It
has
been
tested
and
found
to
comply
with
the
limits
for
a
Class
B
comput-
ing
device
in
accordance
with
the
specifications
in
Subpart
J
of
Part
15
of
FCC
Rules,
which
are
designed
to
provide
reasonable
protection
against
guarantee
that
interference
will
not
occur
in
a
particular
installation.
If
this
equipment
does
cause
interference
to
radio
or
television
reception,
which
can
be
determined
by
turning
the
equipment
off
and
on,
the
user
is
encouraged
to
try
to
correct
the
interference
by
one
or
more
of
the
following
measures:
Reorient the receiving antenna
Relocate the computer with respect to the receivel
Move the computer away from the recciver
Plug the computer into a different outlet so that computer and receiver
are on different branch circuits.
If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/
television technician for additional suggestions. The user may find the
following
booklet
prepared
by
the
Federal
Communications
Commission
helpful:
“How
to
Identify
and
Resolve
Radio-TV
Interference
Problems”,
This
booklet
is
available
from
the
U.S.
Government
Printing
Office,
Washington,
D.C.
20402,
Stock
No.
004-000-00345-4,
“It is necessary to use shielded interconnect cables to insure compliance with
FCC Class B limits for radio frequency emissions”.
COMMODORE is a trademark of Commodore Business Machines, Ine.
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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION csscesascusssgusracmenencsnacneans onvanessanadumnraxensunesepeccasasnesusawanane 1
CAUTIONS FOR USE coxsssosscnvsasseiasenisicavennnenenencsnesssennsanceeanesesncecesenenss 1
SETTING UP THE. PRINTER, ccccscscscersenstansenscxacasaacanavensonenneasersunsunesensaes 2
Unpacking the Printer ssccsccccsasasensevswninveswnassensnaseccasnnensensasavenanswanensesnes 2
Operator Controls: sissicsssassvsesssncanscrccsenscvensunmsaniacnevcennoveessakeesenrmesaceeauen 3
Installing the: Ribbon Cassette sscsssssescscesssesevscvasesssevsvsosvanscacsvevesenaewosexees 4
Using Continnous Foss, sasissscssscaciscsseccnexcsvasnssacesovesnoneawecvenscasasanemavevens 5
Connecting the Printer to the Computer ...........cscscccsccsesecsececcccecscecescesess 7
Loading Single Sheet Paper ssississscsccsscasvssosssssnassancosvacsenvecsceseasscowsseasees 8
Installing the: Tractor Unit sisicsissanssacctiavaccsascenavennivcrsanadenssanawanenaxcensnesas 10
ADJUSTING THE HEAD ADJUSTMENT LEVER ............ccsccesesesecersceees 11
RUNNING THE SELE TEST ccssstssscavccsressnisisiccsmnwsasniessannisareamneiansesees 11
BRD ee Cee RR eriscnsis pce coche vicevenjecrdeetoeibredceempip insecie a eit mcatecheieero conan aia 12
TOURETTE. .siecvieus dvtaindaitenvna nicighe viva npnlensdasiomntauiatanetiank aniseed punapanniiiaipcanmeent iment 12
EICIREAEE WVAMLINEINGES ‘sicschsndenntsoncntadenenasientpabearspeotteiianesinesrsporvaapweneurrant 12
PRINT MODE PRIORITY AND COMBINATIONS. .........ccccccsessscesceseeeees 13
OPERATING THE, PRINTER scscvesavexcrcnninanssesatiyveinctipdisentiaiivaiexeimmiooieene 13
PRINTER-ASSOCIATED COMMANDS ..........cccccscceccccececsccscnceesscsceseseees 14
LISTING A. BASIC. PROGRAM sesscesersercessassrsasanseastneesnenemaeinerensnennnees 17
PRINTING UNDER PROGRAM CONTROL o..........ccccessscecscssssceseecscesees 18
SECONDARY ADDRESS EXPLANATIONS. ..........cccccsccccsccvcscscccsssecsseees 19
e SA= 0: Printing Graphic Character Mode ...........cccccessscssesescssecscsscsces 19
® SA= 3: Setting 2 Page Lengiht scssscusvccessssaszessiwaivsvaraannonnvuenvaccouneavene 20
® SA= 6: Setting a Limefeed Pitely: susssssccesnnssassssisnvnsvacsseaseconverassanenwnens 21
e SA= 7: Printing in Business Character Mode ...........0+4 wemauguanaiintin canine 21
® SA=—10: Resetting the Printer sssssssscsscssscvssesesccscsscscavasscsseceswasevessaseses 22
e SA=13: Designating Condensed Character Mode ...........csssececessceseesese 22
CONTROL CODE EXPLANATIONS . sccssessassassnsscscssaccsavevsnaatoceaseasescosacss 23
@ Print Command ccsescisssntecasnnsusnaccasancacnvacassevessaenstedsisnsastatseasesvsaavaees 23
© Double-Width Character/Condensed Character ...........scccscesesescecscssceces 27
@ DOU WAE: RESGE ssccscissnasssssicsansisisssidediaensiindincsesedensisinstevaneneeranesaonsene 29
S Griphic Pring Gack SPHte ...cccsceeciveicsacescastesovesssvesvaresavapeseessenrensare 30
® PVE CONGR soci ccseceninncnoreuncacemeavarmeneursnsagneamenoaremnnren ponmenionnreders 33
WW TRG WESE CECE ai Sirs sdccccicnnncrecn aenis cheatin ae ercatsehietinne 34
© ECU, BOREL POR oc essesernarssanserkarnisereeuoeaeseuambeiemereariaens 38
@ Teg CHARACIER seianecrsasnncsncennemennaseunixcnemcnonetncenninesn en easunnive bie RUNES 39

@ Underline ........cccccesccccsccsccscvccccccceccoccccccccscccesesccssccccesecccosessosscssoesces 40
@ Skip-Over Perforation .........cccccccecscsececscesscsececsccscsccscsssscsvsssensssesseees 41
@ Print Direction .........cccccccccccccccsccccsccccccccccsccsoscssescssosccseccssescacsscscceecs 42
© Double-Strike Character ..........cscccccsoscscsccccscvcscscscssecesssssscscssscsscscvsces 43
@ Character Pitch ...........ccccccccccccccccccscncccvcccceccescsccescscessccesonscseessscessece 44
© Margin Setting ...........cccccccscscsscecsscscscescscserscessseseescncessscecsccccescceseres 45
e@ Superscript and Subscript ........... {us eekaeRsevaswerereunteesDecdaeeterannrsneyeesesnoee 46
@ Near Letter Quality ..........cccccccccsccesccccescccsccscvcsccoscsceccsccccosesoscscsasoses 47
@ Limefeed Pitch .scccsccccccccscsssvccsccarscssccccscoscscscsessoscssscccssessccsesevecesesons 48
@ Emphasized Character (Bold) ........scsececsesecscseceessceesccscscescecssseseseeeeeees 49
©@ Double-Width Character .............ccccsccccsccccsccccccsccccsscccsscescssssescsscecsece 50
TROUBLESHOOTING ...........sceeeeseeeee {avnessaaveasresaepqenaveenenacenestavasaxeweaness roa |
APPENDIX A (GloSSary) .........scccscscscccscccsscccerscccccescscscecesescsesscesessesscoece 52
APPENDIX B (Specifications) ........ccccccsecesesecerecscscsceesssscesssssscsssenseeeeoeens 59
APPENDIX C (Character Category Specifications) ..........sccesesescecesecsseneeeees 60
APPENDIX D (Code Table) ...........scccccscccscscccsccccccsoccccscccescscccsssscssescosecs 61
CBM Standard Font in Graphic Character Mode (Cursor Up) ........eeseeeeeeee 61
CBM Standard Font in Business Character Mode (Cursor Down) ............++ 62
ASCII Character Mode ..........ccccccsccssscscccscvccsccccccsccccsscscscsscscssscsoscscssees 63
APPENDIX E (Programming Through Secondary Address) ...........sessssseeeees 64
APPENDIX F (Control Code Summary) ............ssccccscesseseceseceeeesecesececeees 65

— INTRODUCTION
Congratulations for selecting this dot-matrix printer!
The printer can be connected to your Commodore Computer, such as Commodore
64
Le
— ro)
— CAUTIONS FOR USE
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, With the following features provided:
A variety of character fonts are possible including Near Letter Quality (N.L.Q.)
and Graphic printing.
Self Test printing
Automatic printing
Double-Width character mode
Double-Strike character mode
. Reverse printing
. Italic Cursive character mode
. Internal RAM error detection
. Left and right margin settings
. Emphasized character mode
Do not use a power supply voltage that is other than the specified one.
Wait at least two seconds after turning power off before turning it back on again.
The initialization process may not be performed correctly if this is not done.
The
printer
should
be
used
when
the
humidity
is
low,
when
there
is
little
dust,
and
where
the
printer
is
not
in
direct
sunlight.
Do not perform printing without the ribbon cassette and paper properly installed.
Never install the tractor unit when using friction feed for cut sheet paper.
Do not touch the print head immediately after printing because it is hot.
When
using
continuous
forms,
refrain
from
turning
the
paper
feed
knob
counter-
clockwise
to
feed
paper
backwards
because
a
paper
jam
may
occur.

— SETTING UP THE PRINTER
Unpacking the Printer
Be sure to locate the following components that come with the printer in the box.
1. Printer
. Ribbon Cassette
2
3. Tractor Unit (installed on printer)
4. Paper Separator
5 . Serial Cable
6. Owner’s Manual
Printer
Tractor unit
Owner’s manual
Ribbon cassette
Fig. 1

Operator Controls
It is important to become familiar with the printer before setting it up and using it.
Paper separator
Platen
Fig. 2 Paper bail
Tractor unit
Printer cover
Fig. 3 DIP switch Serial connectors
1. Power switch
This switch turns the printer on and off.
2. Power lamp (green)
Remains on while the power is on.
3. NLQ switch (Near Letter Quality)
This switch selects the NLOQ or Draft mode.
If the NLO mode is selected, the lamp is on.
If the Draft mode is selected, the lamp is off.
4. NLQ lamp (green)
The Imap is on in the NLO mode and is off in the Draft mode.
While in the error state, the lamp blinks.
3

Installing the Ribbon Cassette
1. Unpack the ribbon cassette and turn the ribbon feed knob in the direction of the
arrow to remove the slack in the ribbon.
Ribbon
feed
knob
Ribbon
2.
Be
sure
the
power
is
switched
off,
and
manually
move
the
print
head
to
the
extreme
left.
Note:
It
is
easier
to
insert
the
ribbon
when
the
print
head
is at
the
home
position
(extreme
left).
3.
Insert
the
ribbon
between
the
ribbon
mask
and
the
print
head,
and
position
the
cassette
so
that
the
ribbon
feed
shaft
in
the
printer
is
inserted
into
the
hole
under
the
ribbon
feed
knob.
Ribbon mask
Ribbon feed shaft Print head
Fig. 5
4. Press gently on the cassette until it snaps into place. Twist the ribbon feed knob
to tighten the ribbon.

Using Continuous Forms
Tractor
Paper bail
Separator Paper
Print head
Platen
Paper feed path
Fig. 6
1. Remove the printer cover and the paper separator. Pull the paper bail toward
the front.
2. Manually feed the paper into the printer from the back until the paper appears
between the platen and the print head.
Tractor cover
7
7
7
7
7
7
ra
ae
rere ee
Paper bail
Print head
3. Open the tractor covers on the left and right.
Adjust
the
tractors
so
that
the
distance
between
them
matches
the
holes
in
the paper.
4.
When
the
holes
along
both
sides
of
the
paper
are
aligned
with
the
tractor
paper
feed
pins,
close
the
tractor
covers.

5. Push the paper bail toward the platen.
6. Hold the paper separator upright and place it on the two supports located behind
the tractor.
Paper bail
7. Lay the paper separator down flat.
8. Replace the printer cover.
Printer cover
NLO switch
9. Perform self test printing to make sure the printer is working properly.
To initiate self test printing, hold down the NLQ switch while turning the power
switch on. The NLQ switch can be released after self test printing starts.
The printer can now be connected to the computer.
6

Connecting the Printer to the Computer
Commodore
computer
Serial cable
1. Make sure that both the computer and printer are turned off.
iw) . Connect one end of the 6-pin DIN cable to the connector holes located in the back
of the printer at the lower right.
3. Connect the other end of the cable to the computer in the Serial Port Connector
located in the back of the computer.
4. Turn on the power to the computer and then to the printer.
5. Type the program below and run it to output data to the printer.
6. The printout should look like this:
TF OORSOWSHT I RATERS
This
printout
shows
that
the
hookup
you
have
performed
is
correct.

Loading Single Sheet Paper
Remove the tractor unit when using friction feed for the single sheet paper.
Print head .
Paper bail
Fig. 11
1. Move the paper bail toward the front.
2.
Insert
the
single
sheet
into
the
printer
from
the
back
by
hand
until
it
appears
between
the
print
head
and
the
platen.
3.
Turn
the
paper
feed
knob
to
feed
the
single
sheet
so
that
both
paper
ends
of
the
single
sheet
are
aligned.

Paper end
4. Rectify the single sheet so that the upper and lower ends would meet exactly if
placed together.
5. Move the paper bail toward the platen to press against the single sheet.
6. Turn the paper feed knob counterclockwise to set the single sheet to the TOF (top
of form) position.
_——
——
=
———)
—=
i
Paper bail 7
Fig. 13
7. Replace the printer cover.
Note: The paper bail rollers must press against the single sheet to feed accurately.
Printing starts at a position about 4mm away from the left edge of the platen.
9

Installing the Tractor Unit
Tractor unit
Front hole
Fig. 14
1. Move the paper bail toward the front.
2. Insert the front tabs of the tractor into the holes on both sides of the platen.
3. Push down on both ends at the rear of the tractor until it is firmly secured.
10

— ADJUSTING THE HEAD ADJUSTMENT LEVER.
The blue head adjustment lever on the right side of the print head lets you adjust the
gap between the paper and the print head.
The printer is shipped with this lever set to the third position, which is suitable for
standard one-part paper.
To
print
on
multi-part
paper,
pull
this
lever
away
from
the
platen
to
increase
the
gap
between
them.
Head adjustment lever
Fig. 15 Head adjustment lever
—RUNNING THE SELF TEST
The
self
test
is
a
built-in
program
that
prints
all
of
the
characters
alternately
in
Draft
character
mode
for
five
lines
and
NLQ
mode
for
five
lines
in
a
continuous
pattern.
To start the self test, press and hold down the NLQ switch while turning the power on.
By
changing
DIP
switch
3,
two
different
character
fonts
are
selected
as
listed
below:
DIP Switch 3 Character Font Selected
11

=DIP SWITCHES
The DIP switches are located at the back of the printer. They are covered by a small
plastic insert. For most uses, these switches can be left as they were set at the factory.
Each switch has two positions: when the switch is moved down, it is OFF; when it
is moved up, it is ON. After changing switch settings, turn the power off and back
on again to reinitialize the new switch settings.
DIP Factory
Device Number 5 4
=
CBM
mode
ASCII
mode
Mode Selection ASCII mode | CBM mode
Page Length 12 inches 11 inches
CR Code Selection CR only
Print Character Mode i Condensed
In ASCII mode, the page length automatically set at power-on is 11 inches.
_ INTERFACE
Signal
SERIAL SRQ
GND
SERIAL ATN
SERIAL CLK
SERIAL DATA
1. Connector
2. Interface
The device number (4 or 5) can be selected by DIP switch 1 located at the back of the
printer. When shipped from the factory, the device number is 4.
— ERROR WARNINGS
If the printer stops printing and the NLQ lamp blinks, it indicates that the printer has
detected an error condition.
In this case, turn the printer off and back on again. If the NLQ lamp blinks again and
still won’t print, take it to the store where you made the purchase for repair.
12

= PRINT MODE PRIORITY AND COMBINATIONS.
@ In the NLQ, Superscirpt or Subscript mode, the Double-Strike command is not
valid when it is received by the printer. It will become valid when the other modes
like Draft Pica, Draft Elite, etc. are entered.
@ In the Condensed, Superscript or Subscript mode, pressing the NLQ switch to
terminate the NLO mode does not change the print mode.
@ The Emphasized mode has higher priority over the Condensed mode.
e If the Pica, Elite and Condensed modes are designated, the last input mode
becomes valid.
Double- s4|Superscript/
Strike Emphasized Subscript Reverse
Condensed
Pica
O: Possible combiation
x: Impossible combination
— OPERATING THE PRINTER
Refer to the computer’s user’s guide for the following information.
1. Operating the computer
2. Writing elementary programs in BASIC
3. Reading and writing files to and from a peripheral
4. Opening and closing files
13

= PRINTER-ASSOCIATED COMMANDS
Don’t
forget
to
push
the
RETURN
key
after
you
type
in
each
command.
OPEN, CMD, PRINT#, and CLOSE commands
Try typing in the program below and running it:
OPEN 1, 4, 0
CMD 1
PRINT “I HAVE A PRINTER.”
? “A VERY NICE PRINTER.”
PRINT#1, “GOD BLESS YOU.”
CLOSE 1
Each line of the program is explained as follows.
10 OPEN 1, 4, 0
Opens File #1, and tells the computer that File #1 will talk to device #4 which is
the device number of the printer. This device number is also called the primary
address. When using the printer, it is usually 4 or 5. See the DIP switch 1 on your
printer by which you can select either 4 or 5.
Remember that the number selected by the DIP switch 1 and the device number in
line 10 must be the same.
0 is secondary address (sa) that is used to select a mode.
sa = 0: Graphic character mode (Cursor Up)
sa = 7: Business Character mode (Cursor Down)
If the sa is not specified in the OPEN command, sa = 0 is automatically set.
14

20 CMD 1
Commands the computer to send all PRINT statements to File #1. Line 10 has
already specified with the device number 4 that this goes to the printer. Once the
CMD command is given, the printer prints out “READY” and the line to the printer
is left open to receive more commands. The printer given this command is said to be
in the state of listening. Any LIST or PRINT command goes directly to the printer
when it is listening.
30 PRINT
“I HAVE A PRINTER.” is now sent to the printer, instead of the screen.
40 ?
You can use the abbreviation(?) for print statements, just like to the screen.
50 PRINT#1,
This is another way of sending information to File #1 for the printer. It also cancels
the CMD1 status to close the line to the printer, so that now ordinary PRINT state-
ments will go to the screen. This status for the printer is called “unlistening”. You
must always cancel the CMD status with a PRINT# before you close a file, as we do
here and line 60.
Note: You cannot shorten PRINT#1 to ? #1. It must always be typed as PRINT#
in full.
15

60 CLOSE 1
Closes the file you defined in line 10, so that you now cannot use CMD or PRINT #
until you have OPENed a new file. If you have used CMD, then always remember
to cancel the CMD status with a PRINT# statement before trying to CLOSE a file.
10 files are the maximum allowed to be left OPENed at a time so that make it a habit
to close files after finishing with them.
Pressing the SHIFT and COMMODORE keys together on your computer will
change the screen display back and forth between Cursor Up and Cursor Down.
You can do the same on the printout by selecting a secondary address. Change line
10 to read:
10 OPEN 1, 4, 7
RUN
tobias: 2 purdrcesg.,
owe robime perdrrieco.
De I
16