Star Micronics Rainbow NX-1000C User manual

USERS MANUAL

NOTICE
THIS PRODUCT IS DESIGNED
TO OPERATE AT 120V.
ANY OTHER VOLTAGE
MAY
CAUSE DAMAGE.

1

Federal Communications Commission
Radio Frequency Interference Statement
This equipmentgenerates and uses radio frequency energy 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 type tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
B computing device
in accordance with the specifications in Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules,
which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference
in a residential
installation. However, there
is no 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
or printer with respect to the receiver
• Move the computer or printer away from the receiver
• Plug the computer
or printer into a different outlet so that it and the receiver are on
different branch circuits.
If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced redio/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.
For compliance with the Federal Noise Interference Standard, this equipmentrequires a shielded
cable.
The above statement applies only to printers marketed in the U.S.A.
Trademark Acknowledgements
NX-IOOOC: Star Micronics Co., Ltd.
Commodore CI2S/C64: Commodore Business Machines, Inc.
NOTICE
• 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 be detected, STAR would greatly appreciate
being informed
of them.
• The above notwithstanding, STAR can assume no responsibility for any errors
in this
manual.
©Copyright 1987 Star Micronics Co., Ltd.
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HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
This manual is organized into four chapters and three appendixes. To
learn how to make the best use of your printer you are urged to read all
of chapters 1 through 4. The appendixes can be referred to as necessary.
Chapter 1 explains how to get the printer unpacked and set up. Read this
chapter before you do anything else.
Chapter 2 explains the control panel. After getting set up, read this chapter
and try out the procedures in it to find
out how the printer works.
Chapter 3 is an introduction to BASIC programming for the printer, with
many short demonstration programs.
Chapter 4 covers maintenance and troubleshooting. Look through this
chapter to
see what it contains, then refer to it as necessary later.
Appendix A lists the printer's technical specifications.
Appendix B details the functions of escape sequences and other printer
commands.
Appendix C presents tables of the printer's character sets.

FEATURES OF THE PRINTER
This printer is a compact, convenient, colour dot-matrix printer with
a Commodore serial interface. Fully compatible with the Commodore Cl28
and C64 computers, it supports the Commodore commands and prints the
Commodore graphics
and business character sets (both standard and DIN
versions). It also has an ASCII operatingmode inwhich it printsthe standard
ASCII character set. Some
of its main features are the following:
•
Six bright colours
Red, blue, violet, yellow, orange, and green add a colour dimension to
your printed output.
See the samples inside the back cover.
• Easy operation
Clearly understandablelamp displays and beep tones provide immediate
feedback when youpress the switches
on the controlpanel. Thefour switches
can operate in combinations to perform a surprising variety
of functions,
including
ma~gin setting and micro-alignment.
• Easy care and maintenance
The ribbon cartridge can be replaced
in seconds; the print head ina few
minutes.
• Versatile paper handling
Single sheets, fanfold forms, and multi-copy forms (up to triple-ply)
are all accepted, and you can use either tractor or friction
feed. A special
feature enables you to keep fanfold forms parked
in readiness while printing
on other paper.
• Fast draft-quality printing
At 120 characters per second, the printer can print a page faster than
you can read it. Characters are naturally shaped, with true descenders.
• High-resolution near-letter-quality printing
Whenyou select
an NLQ type style, the printerslows down andemploys
a dense matrix
of up to 18 by 23 dots to print clear, well-formed characters.
• Graphics
The printer prints both standard eight-bit graphics and Commodore L
seven-bit graphics. I
II
• Large variety of type styles and sizes
The printer has one draft style and four NLQ styles (Courier, Sanserif, I
'I'
and Orator with small capitals or lower case), plus italics for all styles, plus U
condensed print, bold print, double-sized print, quadruple-sized print-see
the samples on the next page: l!

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OPERATING MODES ARE:
COMMODORE STANDARD MODE
WITH GRAPHICS CHARACTER SET
with business character set
COMMODORE DIN MODE
WITH GRAPHICS CHARACTER SET
with business character set
ASCII mode
TYPE STYLES ARE:
DRAFT CHARACTERS,
COURIER CHARACTERS.
SANSERIF CHARACTERS,
ORATOR WITH SMALL CAPITALS
6
OR
with lower case characters
6
and ITAL IeS Tor a 11 s.t Vl es..
PRINT PITCHES ARE:
PICA PITCH. ELITE PITCH.
CONDENSED PICA PITCH. CODJSID FJ.ITE PITCH
PROPORTIONAL SPACING FOR ALL PITCHES.
VARIOUS LINE SPACINGS:
~~
SPECIAL EFFECTS INCLUDE:
QUAD-SIZE~
DOUBLE-SIZE, EXPANDED~
EMPHASIZED. DOUBLE-STRIKE. UNDERLINING.
I~~~~~~. SUPERSCRZPT. SuaSCRZPT.
COLOUR PRINTING: REFER TO BACK COVER
DOWNLOAD CHARACTERS: ~~~~~~~~~~aaaaaaaaaa
DOT GRAPHICS:
s

TABLE OF CONTENTS
[;
Chapter 1 SETTING UP THE PRINTER 1 n
Locating the printer 1
fI
Unpacking and inspection 1
Check the carton contents
Setting up 3 n
Mount the platen knob
Remove the top cover r
Install the ribbon cartridge
Replace the top cover r
Connect the printer to the computer
Connect the printer's power cord
I:
Loading single sheets 6
Mount the paper guide
('
Semiautomatic loading
Manual loading
Loading and parking fanfold forms 8
I:
Paper parking
Paper unparking
(i
Test printing 12
Short self test
(',
Long self test
Interface test
Adjusting the printing gap
13
m
DIP switch settings 14
Chapter 2 CONTROL PANEL OPERATIONS
17
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Switches and indicators
17
Power indicator t
On Line switch
Paper Feed switch
[,
Print Pitch switch
NLQ Type Style switch
L:
Power-up functions
21
Short test pattern
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Long test pattern
Stay in panel pitch
Stay in panel style
Hexadecimal dump
Switch combination functions
23
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Paper parking
Page feed

1
1 Top
offonn
Forward micro-feed
rl
Reverse micro-feed
Left margin
1 Right margin
Chapter 3 BASIC PROGRAMMING FOR
THE PRINTER 27
I BASIC statements
27
Listing a program
29
I Coding printer commands
30
Printer modes and character sets
31
I Type style and pitch
34
Special effects
36
Page fonnatting
38
I
Dot graphics
41
Download characters 44
I Colour printing
47
Chapter 4 MAINTENANCE AND TROUBLESHOOTING
49
I Cleaning the printer
49
Replacing the ribbon
49
I Replacing the print head
50
Troubleshooting
52
I Appendix A TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
55
Appendix B PRINTER CONTROL COMMANDS
59
I Operating mode commands
59
Colour printing commands
60
I
Font control commands
60
Character set commands
63
) Character size
and pitch commands
64
Vertical position commands 67
Horizontal position commands 69
I Graphics commands
71
Download character commands 73
J Macro instruction commands
75
Other printer control commands 75
J Appendix C CHARACTER
SETS 77
Commodore Standard mode 78
J Graphics character set
Business character set
J Commodore
DIN mode 82
Graphics character set
J Business character set

ASCII character set
International character sets
INDEX
REFERENCE CARD
86
88
91
Inside the cover
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Chapter 1
SETTING UP THE PRINTER
Subjects covered in Cbapter 1 include -
• Locating the printer
• Unpacking and inspection (names
of parts)
• Setting up
• Loading single sheets
• Loading and parking fanfold forms
• Test printing
• Adjusting the printing gap
• Setting the
DIP switches
LOCATING THE PRINTER
Give some thought to the best place to put the printer. Both the printer
and computer should be used in a normal indoor environment.
For best
performance,
we recommend:
• Place the printer on a flat surface.
• Keep
it out of direct sunlight and away from heat-producing appliances.
• Use
it only in temperatures where you are comfortable.
• Avoid locations with dust, grease, or high humidity.
• Supply it"clean"electricity.
Don't connectit to the samecircuitas a large,
noise-producing appliance such as a refrigerator.
• Make sure the line voltage is within 10%
of the voltage specified on the
identification plate.
• If you will be using fanfold forms, place the printer where the forms can
feed up to
it from below, with at least a full page hanging free.
UNPACKING AND INSPECTION
Check the carton contents
Open the carton and check each item in the box against Figure 1-1 to
make sure that you have everything (there should be six items).

Figure 1-1. Check to make sure you have all five Items: 1) Printer, 2) Paper guide, 3) Platen
knob,
4) Ribbon cartridge, 5) User's manual, and 6) Interface cable.
Make an external inspection of the printer. Note the locations of the
following parts:
Bail lever:
2
opens and closes the paper bail which holds the paper
against the platen.
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Connector
Figure 1-2. The printer·s external parts
Release lever:
Top cover:
Rear cover:
Entry slot:
Control panel:
Power switch:
Connector:
SETTING UP
releases the platen. This lever must be down for
printing
on single sheets, and up for fanfold forms.
protects the print head
and other parts.
protects the sprocket feed mechanism.
for inserting single sheets
of paper.
controls various printer functions.
switches power
on and off.
for connecting the computer to the printer.
Mount the platen knob
The platen knob is packed into a recess of the white foam packing
material which held yourprinterinside the packing box.
Be careful to remove
the knob before disposing
of the packing.
Mount the platen knob on its shaft on the right side of the printer. Tum
it until you can push it in all the way.
Power should always be off when you
tum the platen knob. Turning
the platen by hand while power is
on can damage the printer's gears.
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Platen knob
Figure 1-3. Mounting the platen knob
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Remove the top cover I
Liftthe front edge of theprinter'sclearplastic top cover. Thendisengage I
the tabs at the back of the cover and remove the cover completely.
Figure 1-4. Removing the top cover
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Install the ribbon cartridge
The top side of the ribbon cartridge has a handle for turning the ribbon.
Turn this handle in the direction of the arrow to tighten the ribbon.
Next place the ribbon cartridge on the print head assembly, guiding the
ribbon betweenthe printheadandthe metal platenguard. Press down lightly
on the cartridge until it locks into place.
Caution: Don't touch the brass gear on the carriage.
Figure 1-5. Installing the ribbon cartridge
Replace the top cover
Hold the cover upright and engage the tabs at the back. Then swing
the front edge down until the cover is closed.
Leave the cover closed during normal operation.
It keeps out dust and
dirt and reduces the printer's operating sounds. Open the cover only to
change the ribbon or make an adjustment.
Connect the printer to the computer
.J Plug the printer end of the interface cable into either of the two
J
connector sockets on the right side of the printer as shown in Figure 1-6.
The connector is keyed to ensure the right pin alignment. Do not try to
force it in.
5

r
Make sure the computer is turned OFF, then plug the other end of the r
cable into the serial port connector on your computer or disk drive.
The printer's second connector can
be used to chain otherperipheral r:
devices if necessary.
Connector
Figure 1-6. Connecting the interface cable
Connect the printer's power cord.
Check that the printer's power switch (located at the left front) is OFF.
Then plug the printer's power cord into
an AC wall outlet.
Never plug or unplug the power cord while the printer
is turned on.
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 (ASF), read the
ASF instruction booklet.
Mount the paper guide
The paper guide fits into the two holes on top of the rear cover. Mount
the guide and raise it to the upright position.
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Figure 1-7. Mounting the paper guide for single sheets
Semiautomatic loading
Single sheets can be loaded manually with power ofT, or semi-
automatically with power on. We
will start the easy way with semiautomatic
loading.
1. Check that the release lever is down and the bail lever back (bail closed),
then switch power on. You will hear a short beep tone and the Power
indicatoronthe control panelwill flash. These are the printer's paper-out
signals. .
2. Place a single sheet on the paper guide and insert it down into the entry
slot. You
will feel a slight resistance as the paper engages the paper
detector lever. Work the paper past this resistance and insert it down
as far as
it will go.
3. Move the bail lever forward. When the bail opens, the printer feeds the
paper automatically.
4. Move the bail lever back. The paper will feed slightly forward again,
ending in position to print with a top margin
of about one inch.
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Figure 1·8. Loading a single sheet
Manual loading
It is also possible to load paper manually while the printer's power is
off. The procedure is:
1. Check that printer power is off and the release lever at the back of the
printer is down.
2. Insert a single sheet of paper into the entry slot as far as it will go, the
same way as for semiautomatic loading.
3. Move the bail lever on top of the printer forward to open the paper
bail.
4. Turn the platen knob clockwise until the front edge of the paper comes
out from under the top cover.
5. If the paper is not straight, move the release lever to the up position,
straighten the paper by hand, then move the release lever back down.
6. Move the bail lever back to close the paper bail.
LOADING AND PARKING FANFOLD FORMS
Fanfold forms have holes along the sides and perforations between the
sheets. They are also called sprocket forms, punched forms, or just plain
"computerpaper". This printer accepts forms up to 10" wide. Fanfold forms
are loaded, parked, and unparked as explained next.
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1. Place a stack of fanfold paper behind and at least one page-length below
the printer.
2. Turn the printer's power OFF.
Figure 1-9. Opening the rear cover
Figure 1-10. Opening the sprocket covers to expose the sprocket teeth
9

3. Set the release lever to the up position. If there is paper in the printer,
remove it. (Since the platen
is released, you can just pull the paper out.)
4. Move the bail lever forward to open the bail.
5. Remove the paper guide and put it aside for the moment.
6. Remove the rear cover. Grip it by its front edge and lift upwards and
backwards as in Figure
1-9.
7. Open the sprocket covers on the right and left sprocket units, as shown
in Figure
1-10.
8. Flip the clamp levers down. This allows the two sprocket units to move
freely right and left so you can align them with the holes in the paper.
9. Insert the front edge of the paper over the paper detector lever and tuck
it in under the platen.
Figure 1·11. Closing the sprocket covers
10. Fit the holes in the paper over the sprocket pins. Check that the paper
is even.
11. Close the sprocket covers (Figure 1-11).
12. Raise one of the clamp levers to lock one sprocket unit in place.
13. Turn the platen knob to feed the paper forward until it comes out from
under the top cover.
14. Move the bail lever back to close the bail.
15. Check that the paper is feeding in flat, then raise the other clamp lever
to lock the other sprocket unit.
16. Replace the rear cover. Hold it tilted upward and insert the two tabs
at the bottom into their slots. Then rotate the cover forward, pressing
down
on the thumb pads on the left and right to snap it into place.
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