Star Micronics NX-1020 User manual

NX-1020
RAINBOW
USERS MANUAL
NOT INTENDED FOR SALE

Federal Communications Commission
Radio Frequency Interference Statement
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant
to Part 15 of FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency
energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can
be determined by turning the equipment off and at, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
l Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
* Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
* Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is
connected.
l Consult the dealer or an experienced radioDV technician for help.
Unauthorized modifications of this product by the user will void his authority to operate the equipment
unless expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance. -
For compliance with the Federal Noise Interference Standard, this equipment requires a shielded cable.
The above statement applies only to printers marketed in the V.SA.
Statement of
The Canadian Department of Communications
Radio Interference Regulations
This digitalapparatus does not exceed theClass B limits for radionoiseemissions from digitalapparatus
set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department of Communications.
Le ptisent appareil numkique n’hen pas de bruits radioklectriques dCpassant les limites applicables
aux appareils numCriques de la classe B prescrites dans le Reglement sur le brouillage radio&cnique
Cdict6 par le miniske des Communications du Canada.
The above statement applies only IOprinters marketed in Canada.
Trademark Acknowledgements
NX-1020, NX-1000, LC-10, ND-lo/H: Star Micronics Co., Ltd.
IBM PC, PC-AT, PC-XT, Proprinter III, Proprinter II, PC-DOS: International Business Machines
Corp.
Microsoft BASIC, MS-DOS: Microsoft Corporation
FX-850, EX-800, LX-854 LX-810: Seiko Epson Corp.
-
NOTICE
l All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this manual in any form whatsoever without
STAR’s express permission 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
press. However, should any errors LXdetected, STAR would greatiy appreciate being informed
of them.
. The above notwithstanding, STAR can assume no responsibility for any errors in this manual.
0 Copyright 1990 Star Micronics Co., Ltd.

HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
This manual is organized into nine chapters. To learn how to make the best
use of your printer you are urged to read through chapters 1through 3. The
remaining chapters may be treated as a reference guide for programming
operations, etc. It assumes a degree of knowledge of the operation of
computers (for instance, it assumes you know about hexadecimal numbers).
The chapters are as follows:
Chapter 1 - Setting up the printer
This chapter explains how to get the printer unpacked and set up. Read this
chapter before you do anything else.
Chapter 2 - Control panel operations
There are a number of controls on the front panel which perform various
functions related to paper handling, print modes and font selection.
After getting set up, read this chapter and try out the various procedures in
it to find out how the printer works.
Chapter 3 - Default settings
This chapter explains how to use the Electronic DIP Switch (EDS) mode to
make system settings on the printer.
Chapter 4 - Printer control commands
This chapter explains the different emulations provided by your printer, and
the software commands used to drive it. This section is of use if you are
writing or modifying programs to take advantage of the printer’s features.
Chapter 5 - Download characters
This chapter explains the procedures to create your own characters.

Chapter 6 - MS-DOS and your printer
Since the PC or PC-AT family of computers running under MS-DOS is
currently the most popular configuration of microcomputer, we have in-
cluded a few hints and tips to help you use your printer with such systems.
Since virtually all PCs are sold with aMicrosoft BASIC interpreter, we have
also included some hints, and a sample program in this language to
demonstrate the capabilities of the printer.
Chapter 7 - Troubleshooting and maintenance
This section gives achecklist of points to check if your printer isnot working
in the expected way. It also includes details of some routine maintenance
operations you can carry out yourself. It is not, however, acomplete service
manual. Call aqualified service engineer if you are unsure of your ability to
carry out any maintenance or servicing operations.
-
Chapter 8 - Specifications
This section gives the specifications of your printer.
Chapter 9 - Character sets
These charts show the different character sets available.

FEATURES OF THE PRINTER
This printer has afull complement of features, making it an excellent partner
for a personal computer. It supports the IBM/Epson printer commands and
character sets, enabling it to print just about anything your computer can
generate, both text and graphics. Some of itsmain features arethe following:
l Extensive software support
Since it is compatible with the Epson and IBM printers, it works with any
software that supports those printers. That includes most word-processing
and graphics programs, spread-sheets, and integrated software packages.
l Easy operation
Clearly understandable indicator displays and beep tones provide immedi-
ate feedback when you press the buttons on the control panel. The five
buttons can operate in combinations to perform a surprising variety of
functions, including micro-alignment.
l Easy care and maintenance
The ribbon cartridge can be replaced in seconds the print head in a few
minutes.
l Versatile paper handling
Single sheets, fanfold forms, and multi-part forms (up to quadruple-ply) are
all accepted, and you can use either push/pull tractor or friction feed. A
special feature enables you to keep fanfold forms parked in readiness while
printing on other paper.
l Large variety of fonts and sizes
The printerhas one draft font, one High-Speed Draft font and four NLQ fonts
(Courier, Sanserif, Orator and Script), italics for all styles, plus condensed
print, bold print, double-sized print, and quadruple-sized print.

/ TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 SETTING UP THE PRINTER
Locating the Printer
Unpacking and Inspection
Checking the carton contents
Identifying printer parts
Setting Up
Mounting the platen knob
Install the ribbon cartridge and the roller unit
Connecting the printer to your computer
Loading Single Sheets
Automatic loading
Manual loading
Loading and Parking Fanfold Forms
Loading the paper from the rear of the printer
Loading the paper from the bottom of the printer
Paper parking
Paper unparking
Loading Multi-Part Forms
Adjusting the Printing Gap
Chapter 2 CONTROL PANEL OPERATIONS
Buttons and Indicators
ON LINE button
PAPER FEED button
SET/EJECT/PARK button
PITCH button
FONT button
Power-Up Functions
Short test mode
Long test mode
Print area test mode
Stay in panel pitch
Stay in panel font
Stay in panel pitch and font
Hexadecimal dump
Switch Combination Functions
Form feed
Top of form
1
1
2
2
3
4
4
4
8 _
9
9
11
12
12
15
16
17
18
19
21
21
22
22
23
23
24
25
25 -
26
27
27
27
27
28
30
30
30

Forward micro-feed 31
Reverse micro-feed 31
Changing the auto loading value 31
Clearing the buffer/All reset 32
Selecting the print color 32
Store macro definition 33
Chapter 3 DEFAULT SETTINGS 35
How to set the EDS mode 35
Functions of the EDS settings 36
Bidirectional test/Adjustment mode 40
Chapter 4 PRINTER CONTROL COMMANDS 41
Font Control Commands 42
Character Set Commands 47
Character Size and Pitch Commands 50
Vertical Position Commands 55
Horizontal Position Commands 62
Graphics Commands 67
Download Character Commands 70
Color Selection Commandes 74
Other Printer Control Commands 76
Chapter 5 DOWNLOAD CHARACTERS 81
Designing Your Own Draft Characters 81
Defining the attribute data 82
Assigning the character data 83
Sample program 84
Defining Your Own NLQ Characters 86
Assigning the character data with the Standard mode 86
Assigning the character data with the IBM mode 90
Chapter 6 MS-DOS AND YOUR PRINTER 95
Installing Application Software with Your Printer 95
Embedding Printer Commands 96
Programming the Printer with DOS Commands 98
Programming with BASIC 101
How the program works 104

Chapter 7 TROUBLESHOOTING AND MAINTENANCE 107
Troubleshooting 107
Power supply 108
Printing 108
Paper feeding 110
Maintenance 113
Replacing the Print Head 113
Chapter 8 SPECIFICATIONS
Chapter 9 CHARACTER SETS
Standard Character Set #l
Standard Character Set #2
International Character Sets
IBM Character Set #2
Code page #437 (U.S.A.)
Code page #850 (Multi-lingual)
Code page #860 (Portuguese)
Code page #861 (Icelandic)
Code page #863 (Canadian French)
Code page #865 (Nordic)
IBM Character Set #l
IBM Special Character Set
115 -
119
120
122
123
124
124
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
INDEX 133
COMMAND SUMMARY 136

Chapter 1
SETTING UP THE PRINTER
Subjects covered in Chapter 1 include -
l Locating the printer
l Unpacking and inspection (part names)
l Setting up and connecting
l Loading single sheets
l Loading and parking fanfold forms
l Adjusting the printing gap
LOCATING THE PRINTER
Before you start unpacking and setting up your printer, make sure that you
have a suitable place on which to locate it. By “a suitable place”, we mean:
l A firm, level surface which is fairly vibration-free
l Away from excessive heat (such as direct sunlight, heaters, etc)
l Away from excessive humidity
l Away from excessive dust
l Supply it with “clean” electricity. Do not connect it to the same circuit as
a large, noise-producing appliance such as a refrigerator.
l Make sure the line voltage is the voltage specified on the printer’s
identification plate.
l To disconnect the printer the plug has to be disconnected from the wall
socket, which has to be located close to the printer, and easy to access.
l Install the printer where there is sufficient room for the paper and any
paper being fed in or printed out.
l If you are connecting your printer with aparallel cable, make sure that the
cable is within 2m (6ft) of the printer. An RS-232 connection using the
optional SPC-8K interface can be made over longer distances.
1

UNPACKING AND INSPECTION
Checking the carton contents
Now unpack the contents of the shipping carton, and check each item in the
box against Figure l- 1to make sure that you have everything (there should
be six items).
If any of these items are missing, contact your supplier.
b.
-

The optional accessories which you may have ordered with your printer are:
l Monochrome ribbon cartridge (ZX9)
l Serial-Parallel converter (SPC-8K)
l Automatic sheet feeder (SF-IODN)
l Roll paper holder (RH-IOZ)
Identifying printer parts
Make an external inspection of the printer. Note the locations of the
following parts in Figure l-2.
FIgwe 7-Z. The printer’s external parts
Roller unit:
Release lever: holds the paper against the platen.
releases the platen. This lever must be back for
single sheets, and forward for fanfold forms.
Top cover: protects the print head and other internal parts.
Rear cover: protects the tractor feed mechanism.
Entry slot: for inserting single sheets of paper.
Control panel: controls various printer functions.
Power switch: turns power on and off.
Interface connector: for connecting the computer to the printer.
3

SETTING UP
Place the printer in the desired location, and remove all packing material
from inside the top cover. This packing material is intended to prevent
damage to the printer while in transit. You will want to keep all the packing
material, along with the printer carton, in case you have to move the printer
to a new location.
Mounting the platen knob
The platen knob is packed into a recess of the white foam packing material
which held your printer inside the carton. Be sure to remove the knob from
the packaging. -
Mount the knob on the platen shaft, which is on the right-hand side of the
printer. Rotate the knob on the shaft before pushing the knob fully into
position.
Piaten
knob
Figure T-3. Mounting the platen knob
Install the ribbon cartridge and the roller unit
Remove the top cover by lifting up the front (using the two grips on either
side), and pulling the cover towards you (see Figure l-4). Now install the
ribbon. (If you want to print with black only, install the monochrome ribbon
cartridge, ZX9.)
4

F/gum T-4.Removing the top cover
1. Turn the tension knob counterclockwise on the ribbon cartridge to
tighten the ribbon if it is slack.
2. Guide the ribbon between the print head and the silver print head shield,
making certain that the spindles on the cartridge holder fit into the
sockets on the cartridge itself.
int head shield
F/gum 1-5. Installing the ribbon cartridge

3. The ribbon should pass between the print head and the print head shield
(see Figure l-6).
rint head shield
Figum 7-6. Pass the ribbon between the print head and print head shield
4. After you have installed the ribbon cartridge, install the roller unit.
5. Open the rear cover using the two grips on either side.
6. Gripping the lock levers on both sides of the roller unit, fit the mounting
brackets onto the shaft inside of the printer mechanism. You will need
to tilt the roller unit slightly backward.
7. Secure the roller unit firmly by lowering into position, as shown in
Figure l-7.
8. Close the rear cover.
-
-
6

Figure T-7. Install the roller unit onto the printer
To replace the top cover, insert the tabs into the slots on the printer case.
Swing the front edge down to close the cover.
Leave the top cover closed during normal operation. The cover keeps out
dust and dirt and reduces the printer’s operating sounds. Open the cover only
to change the ribbon or make an adjustment.
NOTE :When you remove the color ribbon cartridge, press the ribbon
release catch toward you with your index finger. Once the ribbon is
free of the print head, the cartridge lifts out easily.

Connecting the printer to your computer
Connect the printer to your computer using a standard parallel interface
cable. On aPC or PC/AT-type computer, this means that you use the 25pin
D-type connector at the computer end, and the Amphenol-type 36-pin con-
nector at the printer end. The configuration of the printer’s connector is
given in Chapter 8 should you need a cable for connecting to another
computer.
If you need to connect to a serial port, use the optional Serial-Parallel con-
verter, SPC-8K.
\ -i
\ %
\Y
Connector
Inierface cable
Figurn 7-S. Connecting the interface cable
Plug the printer into a suitable outlet. However, DO NOT turn on the power
switch at the front of the printer yet.
NOTE: To disconnect the printer the plug has to be disconnected from the
wall socket, which has to be located close to the printer, and easy to
access.
8

LOADING SINGLE SHEETS
This section will take you through the procedures for loading single sheets
of paper.
If you are using the optional automatic sheet feeder (SF-lODN), refer to the
ASF instruction booklet.
Automatic loading
Single sheets can be loaded manually with the power off, or automatically
with the power on. We will start the easy way with automatic loading.
1. Place the paper guide in position by inserting the tabs, located on the
bottom of the assembly, into the slots on the rear cover of the printer.
Figure 1-9.Mounting the paper guide for single sheets
2. Adjust the paper guides to match the size of the paper you will be using.
Remember that printing will start some distance from the left-hand edge
of the carria.ge.
3. Turn on the power using the switch located atthe front of the printer. The
printer will beep, indicating that there isno paper in position for printing.
The orange POWER indicator will also flash to confirm this.
9

4. Make sure that the release lever is back.
If fanfold paper isalready mounted in the printer, press the ( SE~&~cT
1
button to park the paper in the off-line state, then move the release lever
backwards.
5. Place a single sheet between the guides, placing the side on which you
want to print towards the back of the printer. Gently push the paper down
in the guides until you feel it stop.
6. Now press the ( SETpE&C’
) button. The paper will be fed into the printer
and adjusted past the print head to a position ready for printing.
7. If you want to set the paper to adifferent position, set the printer off-line
by pressing the ( ON LINE ) button, then set the paper by using the
micro-feed function. (For details, refer to Chapter 2.)
-
-
lease lever
I
Figure 1-10. Loading a single sheet

Manual loading
It isalso possible to load paper manually while the printer’s power isoff. The
procedure is:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Place the paper guide in position by inserting the tabs, located on the
bottom of the assembly, into the slots on the rear cover of the printer.
Check that printer power is off and the release lever is back.
Adjust the paper guides to match the size of paper you will be using.
Remember that printing will start some distance from the left-hand edge
of the carriage.
Place a single sheet between the guides, placing the side on which you
want to print towards the back of the printer. Gently push the paper down
in the guides until you feel it stop.
Turn the platen knob clockwise until the front edge of the paper comes
out from under the top cover.
If the paper is not straight, move the release lever forward, then
straighten the paper by hand and move the release lever back.
11

I LOADING AND PARKING FANFOLD FORMS
I
/ Fanfold forms have holes along the sides and perforations between the
sheets. They are also called sprocket forms, punched forms, or just plain
“computer paper”. This printer accepts forms up to 10” wide. This section
will take you through the procedures for loading, parking and unparking
fanfold forms.
Loading the paper from the rear of the printer
You can load the fanfold paper either from the rear or from the bottom of the
printer. If you are going to load the paper from the bottom, refer to the next -
section.
1. Place astack of fanfold paper behind and atleast one page-length below
the printer.
2. Turn the printer’s power OFF.
3. Push the release lever forward. This has the effect of releasing the paper
from the platen roller, and engaging the tractor feed.
4. Remove the paper guide and put it aside for the moment.
5. Remove the rear cover using the two grips on either side, and push back-
wards as in Figure l-11.
1-77. nemovmg me rear cover