Star Micronics NX-2460C User manual

DOT MATRIX PRINTER
NX-2460C
NX-2460
LC-240C
LC-240
TECHNICAL MANUAL
[THIRD EDITION]

NOTICE
•Allrightsreserved.Reproductionofanypartofthismanualinany
form whatsoever, without STAR’s express permission is forbid-
den.
•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 in-
formed of them.
•The above notwithstanding, STAR can assume no responsibility
for any errors in this manual.
© Copyright 1996 Star Micronics Co.,Ltd.

INTRODUCTION
This manual is an introduction to 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 Type Destination
NX-2460C Colour For American, Asia market
NX-2460 Monochrome For Asia market
LC-240C Colour For European and Pacific market
LC-240 Monochrome For European market
•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
•Thisprinterdoesnothaveapowerswitch.Even if the LED isoff,unplugthepowercordtoturnthe printer off.
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•First edition : Oct. 1994
Second edition : Sep. 1995
Third edition : Apr. 1996

CHAPTER 1
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
1. External Appearance and Composition ..............................................................3
2. Control Panel.........................................................................................................5
3. Parallel Interface ...................................................................................................6
3-1. General Specifications ...........................................................................................6
3-2. Connector Signals ..................................................................................................6
4. Serial Interface (optional) .....................................................................................7
4-1. General Specifications ...........................................................................................7
4-2. Connector Signals and Functional Descriptions ................................................ 7
4-3. DIP Switch Settings ................................................................................................8
5. EE-PROM Mode .....................................................................................................9
5-1. Outline...................................................................................................................... 9
5-2. Explanation of Special Control Codes ..................................................................9
5-3. EE-PROM Map .......................................................................................................10
5-4. Rewriting the EE-PROM........................................................................................15
1

– 2 –
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS

– 3 –
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
1. External Appearance and Layout
Fig. 1-2 Front View of the Printer
Fig. 1-1 External dimensions
232mm
390mm
158mm
Control panel
Front cover
Automatic sheet feeder Guide Wire
Interface connector

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Fig. 1-3 Front Cover removed
Fig. 1-4 Diagram of Internal Layout
Paper tray cover
Platen
Print head
Ribbon Cartridge
Carriage
Motor
Cable Holder
Carriage
Print Head
Paper Feed Motor
Printer Mechanism
Main Logic Board
Control Panel Board
Power Supply Unit
Home Positon SW
(Monochrome)
Home Positon Board
(Colour)
Release Lever SW

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
2. Control Panel
(1) PAPER Switch
ASF paper end SW…once manual insert
SW…twice ASF insert
paper On-line paper eject
Off-line Short time sw push LF
Long time sw hold paper eject
Continue paper end SW paper insert
paper paper On-line paper park
Off-line Short time sw push LF
Long time sw hold FF
(2) READY SWITCH/SLEEP MODE
Pushing the switch : Set printer on/off-line
Holding down the switch : SLEEP MODE
(3) PAPER SWITCH & READY SWITCH
While in SLEEP MODE : Executesselfprint1,self print2orHEX-DUMPaccordingtothe EDSsettings.
When the power is turned on : Ignored
(4) READY LAMP
Power is on (ON-LINE) : Lamp ON
Power is on (OFF-LINE) : Slow-blinking
No paper : Slow-blinking
The printer stops after detecting an overheated printer head. : Slow-blinking
Error : Fast-blinking
Push
Hold
PAPER READY
LF
FF On-Line
Sleep
PAPER SW READY-LAMP READY SW
SLEEP MODE SW
PAPER &READY SW

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
3. Parallel Interface
3-1. General Specifications
Item Specifications
Interface Centronics-compatible
Synchronization System Via externally supplied STROBE pulse
I/F Protocol Using ACK and BUSY signals
Logic Level Compatible with TTL level
ACK
Data
STROBE
(EDS G-1 : ON)
STROBE
(EDS G-1 : OFF)
BUSY
2.6ms
t : More than 0.5ms
2.6ms
tttt
Fig. 1-5 Timing Charts for Parallel Interface
3-2. Connector Signals
Pin Name Function
1 STROBE Goes to low for 0.5µs when active.
2 DATA0 High when active.
3 DATA1 High when active.
4 DATA2 High when active.
5 DATA3 High when active.
6 DATA4 High when active.
7 DATA5 High when active.
8 DATA6 High when active.
9 DATA7 High when active.
10 ACK 10µs low acknowledges receipt of data
11 BUSY Printer sets line low when ready to receive data.
12 PAPER High when paper runs out. Can be disabled with the user setup utility.
13 SELECT High when printer is on-line.
14 AFXT Normally high.
15 Not connected.
16 SIGNAL GND Signal ground
17 CHASSIS Chassis ground (isolated from signal ground)
18 +5V +5V DC output from printer
19 ~ 30 GND Twisted pair ground return
31 RESET Printer is reset when this signal goes low.
32 ERROR Low when printing cannot continue due to an error.
33 EXT GND External ground
34,35 Not connected
36 SELECT IN Normally low.

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
4. Serial Interface (optional)
When using the serial interface, the optional Serial-Parallel Converter must be connected to the printer.
4-1. General Specifications
Item Specifications
Interface RS-232C level
Synchronization System Asynchronous
Baud rate 150 - 19,200 bits per second (BPS) [selectable]
150, 300, 600, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200 BPS
Word length
Start bit: 1 bit
Data bit: 7 or 8 bits (selectable)
Parity bit: Odd, Even or None (selectable)
Stop bit: 1 or 2 bits
Signal polarity
Mark: Logic “1” (–3V to –15V)
Space: Logic “0” (+3V to +15V)
Handshaking DTR
XON/XOFF
ETX/ACK
Data buffer 8KB (standard)
4-2. Connector Signal and Functional Descriptions
Pin No. Signal name Direction Function
1 GND —
2 TXD OUT
3 RXD IN
4 RTS OUT
5 CTS —
6NC
7 GND —
8~10 NC
11 RCH OUT
12~19 NC
20 DTR OUT
21~25 NC
Printer chassis ground.
This pin carries data from the printer.
This pin carries data to the printer.
Always space.
This signal is space when the computer is ready to send data.
The printer does not check this pin.
Unused.
Signal ground.
Unused.
The printer sets this signal to space when it is ready to receive data.
This line carries the same signal as pin 20.
Unused.
The printer sets this signal to space when it is ready to receive data.
Unused.

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Handshaking protocols – see table below
4-3. DIP Switch Settings
Switch ON OFF
1 8 data bits 7 data bits
2 No parity Parity checked
3
4
5 Odd parity Even parity
6
7 Data transfer rate – see table below
8
All switches are set to ON before the printer leaves the factory.
Protocol Switch 3 Switch 4
DTR mode ON ON
XON/XOFF mode ON OFF
ETX/ACK mode OFF ON
Baud rate Switch 6 Switch 7 Switch 8
150 OFF OFF OFF
300 OFF OFF ON
600 OFF ON OFF
1200 OFF ON ON
2400 ON OFF OFF
4800 ON OFF ON
9600 ON ON OFF
19200 ON ON ON

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
5. EE-PROM mode
5-1. Outline
Thesesettings can be changed in the EE-PROM mode by writing data directly to the EE-PROM on the main logic board:
• EDS (electric DIP switch) settings
• Misalignment correction
• Top margin in autoloading
• Correction of the tear-off function
•The EE-PROM mode for writing to the EE-PROM is designed for use by trained technicians, not for general users.
•This mode is subject to change without notice.
Setting EE-PROM mode
• Send <ESC><SUB>(09)H command.
Canceling EE-PROM mode
• Initialize the printer by sending <ESC>@
5-2. Explanation of special control codes
<ESC>@ Exits printer from EE-PROM mode and initializes the printer.
<ESC>M@ Returns all data in the EE-PROM to the factory settings. After the buffer is cleared, the buzzer sounds. If
the printer is powered off before the buzzer sounds, all data in the buffer is not cleared.
If all data is not cleared from the buffer, operation is not guaranteed. Be sure to allow the buzzer
to sound before you turn the printer off!
Code Function Address Capacity
<ESC>MW0 <data> Stores data into entire area of EE-PROM. 00H-7FH 128bytes
<ESC>MW1nm Stores data (m) into the address (n) nH 1 byte
<ESC>MW2<data> Stores auto-start software data into
EE-PROM.
<ESC>MWn • The data (m) used in the commands above are stored in the specified address in order (n).
• When the data to be stored exceeds the specified capacity, subsequent data are ignored.
• Data are stored in the EE-PROM according to the memory map. (See section 3. EDS mode setting and
6-3. EE-PROM Map.)
• After all data are stored, a beep indicates the completion of storage.
• If the printer is powered off during data storage, data stored before power off are valid, but subsequent
operation of the printer is not guaranteed.
Do not power off the printer while data is being stored!
<ESC>MR Dumps all data in the EE-PROM to a hard copy.
For an example of using these control codes, see section 6-4. For the corresponding EE-PROM addresses, see the
EE-PROM memory map in section 3. EDS mode setting and 6-3 EE-PROM Map.

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
5-3. EE-PROM map
Address Function Factory data
00H EDS setting FFH
Bit Function 1 0
b0 Emulation STANDARD/EPSON IBM
b1 AEC mode Enabled Disabled
b2 RAM usage Input buffer Download buffer
b3 *1 Graphics direction Uni-directional Bi-directional
b4 Time-out printing Enabled Disabled
b5 Auto LF with CR Disabled Enabled
b6 Ink ribbon type Colour Monochrome
*1 Fixed to uni-directional-for any other than 60DPI(F),80DPI(F).
01H EDS setting C0H
(Function=LQ font selection)
Font b0 b1 b2 b3 b4 b5 Font b0 b1 b2 b3 b4 b5
Roman 0 0 0 0 0 0 *2 0 0 0 1 1 0
Sanserif*3 100000 *2 100110
*2 010000 *2 010110
*2 110000 *2 110110
*2 001000 *2 001110
*2 101000 *2 101110
*2 011000 *2 011110
*2 111000 *2 111110
*2 000100 *2 000001
*2 100100 *2 100001
*2 010100 *2 010001
*2 110100 *2 110001
*2 001100 *2 001001
*2 101100 *2 101001
*2 011100 *2 011001
*2 111100 *2 111001
*2 000010 *2 000101
*2 100010 *2 100101
*2 010010 *2 010101
*2 110010 *2 110101
*2 001010 *2 001101
*2 101010 *2 101101
*2 011010 *2 011101
*2 111010 *2 111101
*2 Reserved
*3 NX-2460C/2460=Reserved

– 11 –
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Address Function Factory data
01H C0H
Bit Function 1 0
b6 Font Lock Disabled Enabled
b7 Print mode LQ Draft
02H EDS setting 80H
(Function=IBM code page)
Code page b0 b1 b2 b3 b4
#437 U.S.A. 0 0 0 0 0
#850 Multi-Lingual 1 0 0 0 0
#860 Portguess 0 1 0 0 0
#861 Icelandic 1 1 0 0 0
#863 Canadian-F 0 0 1 0 0
#865 Nordic 1 0 1 0 0
#866 Russian*4 01100
#3840 IBM-Russian*4 11100
#3841 Gost-Russian*4 00010
#3843 Polish*4 10010
#3844 CS2*4 01010
#3845 Hungarian*4 11010
#3846 Turkish*4 00110
#3847 Brazil-ABNT 1 0 1 1 0
#3848 Brazil-ABICOMP 0 1 1 1 0
#852 Latin-2*4 11110
*4 NX-2460C/2460=Reserved
Bit Function 1 0
b5 Italic Enabled Disabled
b6 IBM Graphics #1 Enabled Disabled
b7 IBM Graphics #2 Enabled Disabled
When the EDS setting is set to the EPSON mode, select Italic or IBM Graphics
#2. When it is set to the IBM mode, select IBM Graphics #1 or #2.

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Address Function Factory data
03H EDS setting F0H
Country b0 b1 b2 b3 Print Pitch b4 b5 b6
U.S.A 0 0 0 0 10cpi 1 1 1
France 1 0 0 0 12cpi 0 1 1
Germany 0 1 0 0 15cpi 1 0 1
England 1 1 0 0 17cpi 0 0 1
Denmark-1 0 0 1 0 20cpi 1 1 0
Sweden 1 0 1 0 Proportional 0 1 0
Itary 0 1 1 0
Spain-1 1 1 1 0 Zero character style b7
Japan 0 0 0 1 Normal 0 1
Norway 1 0 0 1 Slashed 0 0
Denmark-2 0 1 0 1
Spain-2 1 1 0 1
Latin America 0 0 1 1
Korea 1 0 1 1
Ilish 0 1 1 1
Legal 1 1 1 1
04H EDS setting FFH
Page length b0 b1 b2
11"/Letter 1 1 1
8" 011
11.7"/A4 1 0 1
12" 0 0 1
8.5"/Letter 1 1 0
14"/Legal 0 1 0
10.5"/Executive 1 0 0
7.25/Executive 0 0 0
Bit Function 1 0
b3 Tear-off Disabled Enabled
b4 Paper-out Enabled Disabled
b5 Line Spasing 1/6" 1/8"

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
Address Function Factory data
05H EDS setting D1H
Bit Function 1 0
b0 Sleep mode 15 minutes Enabled Disabled
b1 Sleep mode 30 minutes Enabled Disabled
b2 Sleep mode disable Enabled Disabled
b3 Self Print Short Enabled Disabled
b4 Self Print Long Enabled Disabled
b5 HEX-dump Enabled Disabled
06H EDS setting FEH
Bit Function 1 0
b0 Select latch timing UP DOWN
Select latch timing : Fixed to Down
07H Reserved 00H
08H Colour information 00H
09H Misalignment correction 60DPIF (not used) 0EH
0AH Misalignment correction 80DPIH (not used) 0EH
0BH Misalignment correction 80DPIF (not used) 0EH
0CH Misalignment correction 120DPIH 0EH
0DH Misalignment correction 120DPIF 0EH
0EH Misalignment correction 180DPIH 0EH
0FH Misalignment correction 180DPIF 0EH
10H Misalignment correction 240DPIH 0EH
11H Misalignment correction 360DPIH 0EH
12H, 13H Reserved 00H
14H Paper end detector setting 80H
15H, 16H Top Margin for Auto-loading Friction(A) 3CH,00H
17H, 18H Top Margin for Auto-loading Tractor(A) 3CH,00H
19H, 1AH Top Margin for Auto-loading ASF(A) 3CH,00H
1BH, 1CH Initial condition area FFH,FFH
1DH, 1EH Short tear off 00H, 80H
1FH to 4DH Auto Start area EPSON (47Bytes) 00H to 00H
4EH to 7DH Auto Start area IBM (48Bytes) 00H to 00H
7EH FF control code (Space 00H/Null 0FH) 00H
7FH EE-PROM check code 01H

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
The digit correction values can be set using the application on the host computer.
(1) Correction values
[1]1/720(inch)
(2) Correction mode
Dot adjustment print mode Correction value
CR Speed Constant Timer 1/720(inch)[1]
Double-speed 120 DPI (H) 520 (usec) 86.7 (usec)
Double-density 120 DPI (F) 1042 (usec) 170.7 (usec)
CRT graphics 2180 DPI (H) 780 (usec) 195.0 (usec)
Triple-density 180 DPI (F) 780 (usec) 195.0 (usec)
Draft Condensed 240 DPI (H) 1042 (usec) 347.3 (usec)
Hex-density 360 DPI (H) 780 (usec) 390.0 (usec)
[1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1] [1]
-14/720(inch) +14/720(inch)
+14+13+12+11+10-14 -13 -12 -11 -10 -9 -8 -7 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 +9+8+7+6+5+4+3
+2+1
±0

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS
5-4. Rewriting the EE-PROM
Follow this procedure to rewrite the EE-PROM.
(1) Turn the printer on.
(2) Load a BASIC disk in the computer.
(3) Turn the computer on.
(4) Set a sheet of paper in the printer, and press the PAPER switch.
(5) Enter the program listed below and run the program.
10 LPRINT CHR$(27);CHR$(26);CHR$(&H09)
20 LPRINT CHR$(27);”MW1";CHR$(&H01);CHR$(&H40)
30 LPRINT CHR$(27);”MR”
BASIC Program Code What It Does
10 LPRINT CHR$(27);CHR$(26);CHR$(&H09) Enters the EE-PROM mode.
20 LPRINT CHR$(27);”MW1"; Starts rewriting the EE-PROM.
CHR$(&H01); Address data from &H01 will show
EDSmodefromtheEE-PROMmemory
map.
CHR$(&H40) Data from &H40 will change the print
mode from LQ to Draft.
30 LPRINT CHR$(27);”MR” DumpsallEE-PROMdatatohexadeci-
mal.
(6) To complete the setting, turn the printer off.

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GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS