Star Micronics NX-1000 User manual

DOT MATRIX PRINTER
NX-1000SERIES
LC-10SERIES
TECHNICAL MANUAL
[NINTH EDITION]

NOTICE
•Allrightsreserved.Reproductionofanypartofthismanual
in any form whatsoever, without STAR’s express permis-
sion is forbidden.
•The contents of this manual are subject to change without
notice.
•All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the
contents of this manual at the time of going to press.
However, should any errors be detected, STAR would
greatly appreciate being informed of them.
•The above notwithstanding, STAR can assume no respon-
sibility for any errors in this manual.
© Copyright 1987 Star Micronics Co.,Ltd.

INTRODUCTION
This manual describes dot matrix printers as shown below.
It is intended for use as a reference for periodic inspections and maintenance procedures.
This manual is prepared for use at a technical level and not for the general user.
Model Interface Mono/Colour Destination Ver.
NX-1000MULTI-FONT PRINTER Parallel Type Monochrome
NX-1000CMULTI-FONT PRINTER Commodore Type Monochrome
NX-1000COLOUR PRINTER Parallel Type Colour
NX-1000C COLOUR PRINTER Commodore Type Colour
LC-10 MULTI-FONT PRINTER Parallel Type Monochrome
LC-10CMULTI-FONT PRINTER Commodore Type Monochrome
LC-10 COLOUR PRINTER Parallel Type Colour
LC-10C COLOUR PRINTER Commodore Type Colour
NX-1000 II MULTI-FONT PRINTER Parallel Type Monochrome
LC-10 II MULTI-FONT PRINTER Parallel Type Monochrome
•This manual is divided into the following sections:
Chapter 1 General Specifications
Chapter 2 Theory of Operation
Chapter 3 Adjustments
Chapter 4 Parts Replacement
Chapter 5 Maintenance and Lubrication
Chapter 6 Troubleshooting
Chapter 7 Parts List (Ver. 1 and Ver. 1.5)
Chapter 8 Parts List (Ver. 2)
Appendix Explanation of Principle ICs
•First edition : Nov. 1987 Only Monochrome Type
Second edition : Mar. 1988 Add Colour Type
Third edition : Dec. 1988 Add Ver. 1.5 of Parallel Type
Fourth edition : Jul. 1989 Add NX-1000 II and LC-10 II (Ver. 2 of Parallel Type)
Fifth edition : Apr. 1991
Sixth edition : Aug. 1993
Seventh edition :Sep. 1995
Eighth edition :Apr. 1996
Ninth edition :Aug. 1997
Except for
European market
For European
Market
For American
and Asian market
For European and
Pacific market
Ver. 1
and
Ver. 1.5
Ver. 2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
APP.

CHAPTER 1
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
1. General Specifications .........................................................................................3
1-1. Parallel Type ............................................................................................................ 3
1-2. Commodore Type.................................................................................................... 4
2. External Appearance and Composition ..............................................................7
2-1. Names of Parts........................................................................................................ 7
2-2. DIP switch settings ................................................................................................. 9
3. Connector Signals .............................................................................................. 11
3-1. Parallel Interface ................................................................................................... 11
3-2. Commodore Interface ........................................................................................... 12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
A

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

– 3 –
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
1. General Specifications
1-1. Parallel Type
Printing
Printing method Serial impact dot matrix
Printing speed 120 characters per second (in Draft pica for Ver. 1 and Ver. 1.5)
30 characters per second (in NLQ pica for Ver. 1 and Ver. 1.5)
150 characters per second (in Draft pice for Ver. 2)
38 characters per second (in NLQ pica for Ver. 2)
Data buffer 4K bytes (for monochrome type), 8K byte (for colour type) when not used for
download characters. 1-Line buffer when using download
Paper feed 2.7 inches/second (during page feed)
Friction and push-tractor feed
Printing direction Draft: bi-directional or unidirectional (selectable), logic seeking
NLQ and graphics: unidirectional, logic seeking
Character set
Standard character set 96 ASCII characters
IBM character set 244 characters (ASCII,international characters, symbols, block graphics)
Downloadable characters Max.192 (draft) or 78 (NLQ)
International character sets 14 sets (USA, France, Germany, England, Denmark I, Denmark II, Sweden,
Italy, Spain I, Spain II, Japan, Norway, Latin America, Denmark/Norway
Dot matrix size
Character matrix 9 ×9 dots (Draft pica)
18 ×23 dots (Courier and Orator pica)
18 ×18 dots (Sanserif pica,elite)
12 ×11 dots (IBM block graphics,pica)
18 ×19 dots (Courier and Orator elite)
18 ×12 dots (Condensed pica)
18 ×10 dots (Condensed elite)
Bit-image graphic 8 ×480 dots at 60 dpi (Single density)
9×480 dots at 60 dpi (Single density)
8×576 dots at 72 dpi (Plotter mode)
8×640 dots at 80 dpi (CRT I)
8×720 dots at 90 dpi (CRT II)
8×960 dots at 120 dpi (Double density)
9×960 dots at 120 dpi (Double density)
8×960 dots at 120 dpi (High speed)
8×1920 dots at 240 dpi (Quadruple density)
Line spacing 1/6 inch standard 1/8, n/72, or n/216 inch programmable
Column width 80, normal pica 96, normal elite
137, condensed pica 160, condensed elite
Paper
Single sheets 5.5 ~ 8.5 inches wide 0.07 ~ 0.10 mm thick
Fanfold paper 4 ~ 10 inches wide 0.07 ~ 0.10 mm thick (single-ply)
Max, 0.28mm thick (3-ply)

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Printer
Dimensions Height 108 mm (4.3 inches) Width 384 mm (15.1 inches)
Depth 287.5 mm (11.3 inches)
Weight 4.7 kg (10.3 pounds)
Power 120 VAC±10%, 60Hz. 220 VAC±10%, 50/60Hz.
240 VAC±10%, 50/60Hz.
Power consumption Typ. 30W, Max. 60W
Environment Operating temperature: 5 to 40°C (41 to 104°F)
Operating humidity: 10 to 80%, non condensation
Storage temperature: –30 to 65°C (–22 to 149°F)
Storage humidity: 10% to 95% (at 40°C) (no condensation)
Print head 9 Pins
Life: 200 million dots
Ribbon Fabric ribbon cartridge
Monochrome type ........................... Black
Colour type ..................................... Black/cyan/magenta/yellow
Life: 1 million draft characters
Option Automatic sheet feeder
Parallel interface
Interface Centronics-compatible
Synchronization By external supplied strobe pulses
Handshaking By ACK or BUSY signals
Logic level TTL
Connector 57-30360 Amphenol
1-2. Commodore Type
Printing
Printing method Serial impact dot matrix
Print speed 120 characters per second (in Draft pica)
30 characters per second (in NLQ pica)
Data buffer 1-line buffer
Paper feed 2.7 inches/second (during page feed)
Friction and push-tractor feed
Printing direction Draft: bi-directional or unidirectional (selectable), logic seeking
NLQ and graphics: unidirectional, logic seeking
Commodore character sets
Standard graphics Upper-case letters, digits, punctuation and symbols, graphic characters
Standard business Lower-andupper-caseletters,digits,punctuationandsymbols,graphiccharac-
ters
DIN graphics Upper-caseletters,internationalletters,digits,punctuationandsymbols,graphic
characters
DIN business Lower- and upper-case letters, international letters, digits, punctuation and
symbols, graphic characters
Downloadable characters Max. 192 (draft) or 80 (NLQ)
International characters sets 10 sets (England, USA, France, Germany, Denmark I, Denmark II, Sweden I,
Italy, Spain, Sweden II)

– 5 –
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Printing
Dot matrix size
Character matrix 9 ×9 dots (Draft pica)
18 ×23 dots (Courier and Orator pica)
18 ×18 dots (Sanserif pica,elite)
7×11 dots (Block graphics,pica)
18 ×19 dots (Courier and Orator elite)
18 ×12 dots (Condensed pica)
18 ×10 dots (Condensed elite)
Bit-image graphic 7 ×480 dots at 60 dpi (Single density)
8×480 dots at 60 dpi (Single density)
7×960 dots at 120 dpi (Double density)
8×960 dots at 120 dpi (Double density)
8×960 dots at 120 dpi (High speed)
8×1920 dots at 240 dpi (Quadruple density)
Line spacing 1/6 inch standard 1/8, n/72, or n/216 inch programmable
Column width 80, normal pica 96, normal elite
137, condensed pica 160, condensed elite
Paper
Single sheets 5.5 ~8.5 inches wide 0.07 ~ 0.10 mm thick
Fanfold paper 4 ~ 10 inches wide 0.07 ~ 0.10 mm thick (single-ply)
Max. 0.28mm thick (3 ply)
Printer
Dimensions Height 108 mm (4.3 inches) Width 384 mm (15.1 inches)
Depth 287.5 mm (11.3 inches)
Weight 4.7 kg (10.3 pounds)
Power 120 VAC±10%, 60Hz. 220 VAC±10%, 50/60Hz.
240 VAC±10%, 50/60Hz.
Power consumption Typ. 30W, Max. 60W
Environment Operating temperature: 5 to 40°C (41 to 104°F)
Operating humidity: 10 to 80%, no condensation
Storage temperature: –30 to 65°C (–22 to 149°F)
Storage humidity: 10% to 95% (at 40°C) (no condensation)
Print head 9 Pins
Life: 200 million dots
Ribbon Fabric ribbon cartridge
Monochrome type ........................... Black
Colour type ..................................... Black/blue/red/yellow
Life: 1 million draft characters
Option Automatic sheet feeder
Commodore interface
Interface Serial mode, for Commodore computers
Synchronization By external supplied clock (synchronous serial)
Logic level TTL
Connector 6-pin DIN

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Fig. 1-1 External Dimensions

– 7 –
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
2. External Appearance and Composition
2-1. Names of Parts
Fig. 1-2 Front and rear views of the printer

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Fig. 1-3 Diagram of Internal Composition

– 9 –
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
2-2. DIP Switch Settings
Parallel Type Commodore Type
Fig. 1-4 The DIP Switch is located under the Printer Cover
2-2-1. Parallel Type
Switch Function ON OFF Factory
1-1 Page length 11 inches 12 inches ON
1-2 Auto CR Yes No ON
1-3 Orator lower case Small caps Lower case ON
1-4 Auto sheet feeder Inactive Active ON
1-5 Paper-out detector Enabled Disabled ON
1-6 Printer mode Standard IBM ON
Character set (Std. Mode) Italics Graphics
Character set (IBM Mode) Set #2 Set #1
1-8 Auto LF No Yes ON
2-1 Usage of RAM Buffer Download ON
2-2 ON
2-3 International character set (See right) ON
2-4 ON
International character sets:
Country 2-2 2-3 2-4
U.S.A. ON ON ON
France OFF ON ON
Germany ON OFF ON
England OFF OFF ON
Denmark I * ON ON OFF
Sweden OFF ON OFF
Italy ON OFF OFF
Spain I OFF OFF OFF
* Denmark/Norway when switches 1-6
and 1-7 are both OFF.
A. Except for U.S.S.R. market
1-7 ON
Switch Function ON OFF Factory
1-1 Page length 11 inches 12 inches ON
1-2 Auto CR Yes No ON
1-3 Character set Standard IBM ON
1-4 Auto sheet feeder Inactive Active ON
1-5 Paper-out detector Enabled Disabled ON
1-6 Printer mode Standard IBM ON
1-7 Character set Set #1 Set #2 ON
1-8 Auto LF No Yes ON
2-1 Usage of RAM Buffer Download ON
2-2 Italic OFF ON ON
2-3 ESC 4/ESC 5 (*1) Italic MSB ON
2-4 Not used — — ON
*1 The switch 2-3 is valid only in the standard printer mode.
B. For U.S.S.R. market

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
2-2-2. Commodore Type
Switch Function ON OFF Factory
1-1 Auto LF Yes No ON
1-2 Paper out detector Enable Disable ON
1-3 Device number No. 4 No. 5 ON
1-4 Page length 11 inches 12 inches ON
1-5 Operating mode Commodore ASCII ON
1-6 ON
1-7 International character set (See right) ON
1-8 ON
1-9 Commodore characters Standard DIN ON
1-10 Auto sheet feeder Inactive Active ON
International character sets:
Country 1-6 1-7 1-8
Commodore * ON ON ON
U.S.A. OFF ON ON
Germany ON OFF ON
Denmark I OFF OFF ON
France ON ON OFF
Sweden I OFF ON OFF
Italy ON OFF OFF
Spain OFF OFF OFF
* England (Switch 1-5 is OFF)

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
3. Connector Signals
3-1. Parallel Interface
Pin No. Signal Name Direction Functional Description
Goes from High to Low (for at least 0.5 microseconds) when data
are valid.
Eight-bitcharacterdata.DATA8isthemostsignificantbit;DATA
1 is the least significant bit.
High is logic 1 and Low is logic 0.
Approx.9-Microsecond Low pulse acknowledges receipt of data.
Low when the printer is ready to accept data.
Goes High if the printer runs out of paper.
Can be held Low permanently by turning DIP switch 1-5 off.
High when the printer is on-line.
Unused
Signal Ground
Printer’s chassis ground, isolated from signal ground.
External supply of +5V DC.
Twisted pair return signal ground level.
Low input resets the printer to its power-up condition.
Goes Low to signal that the printer cannot print due to an error
condition.
External ground
Unused
Always High.
1 STROBE IN
2 DATA 1 IN
3 DATA 2 IN
4 DATA 3 IN
5 DATA 4 IN
6 DATA 5 IN
7 DATA 6 IN
8 DATA 7 IN
9 DATA 8 IN
10 ACK OUT
11 BUSY OUT
12 PAPER OUT OUT
13 SELECTED OUT
14, 15 (NC)
16 SIGNAL GND
17 CHASSIS GND
18 +5VDC OUT
19 ~ 30 GND
31 INPUT-PRIME IN
32 ERROR OUT
33 EXT GND
34, 35 (NC)
36 SELECT-IN IN

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
3-2. Commodore Interface
Pin No. Signal Name Direction Functional Description
1 SRQ OUT
2 GND
3 ATN IN
4 CLK IN
5 DATA IN/OUT
6 RESET IN
Not used.
Signal ground.
Serial Attention In
High.....................Signifies the data transfer mode.
Low .....................Signifies the command transfer mode.
Serial Clock In
The printer begins reading data on the rising edge of this signal.
Serial Data In/Out
IN: Conveys commands and data from the computer to the printer
OUT: High indicates printer ready Low indicates printer busy.
When this signal level goes low, the printer is initialized
and the memory buffer is cleared.

CHAPTER 2
THEORY OF OPERATION
1. Block Diagram ..................................................................................................... 15
2. Main Logic Board ................................................................................................ 16
2-1. Data Input Operation............................................................................................. 16
2-1-1. Parallel Interface ............................................................................................... 16
2-1-2. Commodore Interface....................................................................................... 17
2-2. General Flow Chart ............................................................................................... 19
2-2-1. Editing ............................................................................................................... 20
2-2-2. Print Head Driving Circuit ................................................................................ 20
2-2-3. Carriage Motor Driving Circuit......................................................................... 20
2-2-4. Carriage Motor Speed Control......................................................................... 21
2-2-5. Paper Feed Motor Driving Circuit .................................................................... 22
2-3. Reset Circuit.......................................................................................................... 23
2-4. Reset by +5V Line Voltage Detection ..................................................................24
2-5. Protection Circuit .................................................................................................. 24
3. Power Supply Unit .............................................................................................. 24
4. Mechanisms......................................................................................................... 25
4-1. Print Head Mechanism.......................................................................................... 25
4-2. Print Head Carrying Mechanism .......................................................................... 25
4-3. Ink Ribbon Feed Mechanism................................................................................ 26
4-4. Paper Feed Mechanism ........................................................................................ 27
4-5. Detectors ............................................................................................................... 28
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
A

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THEORY OF OPERATION

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THEORY OF OPERATION
1. Block Diagram
The block diagram of this printer is shown in Fig. 2-1.
Parallel Type Commodore Type
Fig. 2-1 Block Diagram
(1) Main Logic Board
This board receives data from the host computer and stores it in the RAM in the order of arrival. The CPU on this
board reads the data from the RAM and edits it according to the program stored in the ROM.
When the editing is completed, various drive signals from the CPU are sent to the printer mechanism to perform
printing.
<Explanation>
1 CPU M50734SP
•Controls this printer.
2 ROM µPD27C512 64K-byte
•Contains the program which executes control of the printer.
3 RAM 8K-byte (Monochrome type), 32K-byte (Colour type)
•Used as stack area, work area and data buffer of the CPU.
4 Parallel interface (Parallel type only)
5 Commodore interface (Commodore type only)
6 Gate array (custom IC)
•Inputs or outputs several signals.
7 Driver
•The data edited by the CPU and gate array are sent to the printer mechanism after conversion to the signal
for the print head drive, carriage motor drive, and paper feed motor drive respectively.
8 Control Panel Circuit
This panel circuit is for manual operation of the printer.
(2) Printer Mechanism
The printer mechanism consists of a print head, carriage motor, paper feed motor, and detectors.
(3) Power Supply Unit
AC power is converted to DC24V and DC5V.

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THEORY OF OPERATION
2. Main Logic Board
2-1. Data Input Operation
2-1-1. Parallel Interface (Parallel type only)
Communications between the host computer and this printer are facilitated via parallel connectors. This section explains
the handshake of this interface.
The data input circuit of this interface is shown in Fig. 2-2.
Fig. 2-2 Data Input Circuit with Parallel Interface
The following is an explanation of this handshake.
(1) When the BUSY signal is LOW (Ready), the host computer outputs 8- bit data 1 through 8 to the connector CN1.
Pin 1 carries the STROBE pulse signal from the host computer to the printer.
This signal is normally held HIGH by the host computer. When the host computer has data ready for the printer,
it sets this signal to LOW for at least 0.5 µS.
(2) The gate array of the main logic board reads data 1 through 8 at the time of STROBE signal fall, and then turns the
BUSY and P-BUSY signals to low.
(3) Whenthe BUSYsignalof the gatearrayis settoLOW,the BUSYsignalof connectorCN1willbe turnedtoHIGH,
notifying the host computer that data cannot be accepted.
(4) Ver. 1 Board
When the P-BUSY signal goes LOW, the CPU INT1 signal also goes LOW, causing a CPU interrupt.
If such an interrupt occurs in the CPU, set the RD signal to LOW, and read the gate array into the CPU.
Ver. 1.5 Board and Ver. 2 Board
The CPU is informed via the D0 data line that the P-BUSY terminal is LOW. Because of this, set the RD signal to
LOW and read the gate array into the CPU.
(5) Upon completion of the data reading, the CPU notifies the host computer of the data receivable state by setting the
BUSY signal of connector CN1 and the ACK signal to LOW for a certain period of time.
This concludes the explanation of the parallel interface handshake. The following chart describes the timing chart
of the handshake.

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THEORY OF OPERATION
Fig. 2-3 Timing Chart of Parallel Interface
2-1-2. Commodore Interface (Commodore type only)
The commodore interface is a serial interface which can be connected to COMMODORE network host computers.
The data input circuit with a Commodore interface is shown in Fig. 2-4.
Fig. 2-4 Data Input Circuit with Commodore Interface
Two types of the handshake mode are used with this Commodore interface:
Non-EOIhandshakeandEOIhandshake.ThetimingchartoftheNon-EOIhandshakemodeisshownin Fig.2-5, andthat
of the EOI handshake mode in Fig.2-6.