Vivitar Transtar 315 User manual

Tran
Star 315
Color Graphics Printer
Operator’s
Manual

Installation Checklist
1. Carefully unpack the printer from the box, noting the ribbon, top cover,
and paper separator.
2. Lift open the top cover and remove the head lock. tube.
3. Install the ribbon according to the directions in Section 2.
4. Load paper into the printer as instructed in Section 2.
5. Plug the power cord into a110V AC outlet.
6. With the power turned OFF, depress and hold the Line-Feed switch down
and turn the power ON. The printer will automatically perform aself-test
to check its operation. When the printer stops printing, turn the power OFF.
7. Connect the Transtar 315 to your computer with the cable.
8. Transmit characters to your printer by running one of the sample programs
in Section 4.
9. Refer to the Troubleshooting Guide if you encounter any difficulties.
10. Read the Warranty Statement in Appendix F.

Transtar 315
Color Graphics Printer
Operators Manual

The following trademarks are acknowledged in the Transtar 315 Operator’s
manual:
Apple II/IIe -Apple Computer, Inc.
Centronics —Centronics
CP/M -- Digital Research
Mbasic ~- Microsoft
IBM PC -International Business Machines
Transtar —Transtar
Softcard —Microsoft
Version 2.0
Second Printing July 1983
Copyright 1983
Vivitar Computer Products
2100 116th Avenue N.E.
P.O. Box C-96975
Bellevue, Washington 98009
phone [phone]
Printed in the United States of America
Transtar and Seikosha reserve the right to change the contents as stated herein at-any time
and without notice. Although every effort has been made to insure that the contents as sta-
ted herein are complete and without error, Transtar and Seikosha cannot be responsible for
any damage that may occur should this not be the case.
ii

Table of Contents
Installation Checklist
FCC Notice
Introduction
Part
Part
Part
Part
1: Getting Acquainted with the Transtar 315
Product Description
Specifications
Parts of the Printer
2: Installation and Use
Installing and Removing the Ink Ribbon Cassette
Ink Cartridge Replacement
Loading Paper
continuous forms
single sheets
Head Position Adjustment
Self-test Printing
Automatic Printing Function
Error Conditions
Caring for your Printer
3: Configuring your Printer
Making aCable
Electrical Condition
Timing Chart
Setting the Dip Switches
4: Programming your Printer
Appendix A: Using the Optional PICS Interface
Appendix B: ASCII Code Table
Appendix C: Troubleshooting Guide
Appendix D: Color Tips
Appendix E: Using the PICS Card Under CP/M
Appendix F: Warranty Statement
Glossary
Index
User Comment Form
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___Introduction
Part 1of this manual will acquaint you with your new Transtar 315 color
printer, its physical aspects and specifications. Part 2 shows you how to
use the printer in everyday applications. Part 3provides the information
you need to do the initial set-up of the printer. Part 4provides technical
details for those persons interested in programming the Transtar 315.
Appendices, aglossary of selected terms, and an index will provide further
assistance as you learn to use the Transtar 315.

___Part 1
Getting Acquainted
with the Transtar 315
Product Description
The Transtar 315 color printer provides color text and graphics at an affordable
price. Its special programming code and design make it simple to use. Scikosha’s
unique “four-hammer”’ technology provides 7-color mixing in asingle pass of
the printhead.
The Transtar 315 uses a Centronics® -compatible parallel interface. An optional
Apple II/Tle° and Franklin® PICS interface allows for softwarc-independent
graphics printing. Thus, most business and entertainment programs can be
printed by simply depressing the printer’s COPY button. The optional Serial
Interface Board allows for interfacing with computers that do not provide a
parallel connector.

Specifications
1. Printing specifications
Printing method
’Printing direction
Printing colors
Character composition
Character types
Character size
Character spacing
Characters per line
Printing speed
Line spacing
Number of copies
Graphics
2. Paper feed specifications
Paper feed direction
Minimum line feed
Line feed speed
Paper feed method
3. Ink ribbon specifications
Cassette type
Ink colors
Individual re-inking cartridges
4. Operating environment
Power supply
Power consumption
Temperature
Humidity
External dimensions
Weight
Impact type dot matrix
(Seikosha’s unique 4-hammer method)
Unidirectional (left to right)
Black, cyan, purple, magenta, red, yellow,
green (colors can be specified down to the
individual dot level)
5x8(horiz xvert) +1dot space
7x8(horiz xvert) +1dot space
Alphanumeric English character set and symbols
.8” x.9” (horiz xvert) 10.0 cpi
-6” x.9” (horiz xvert) 13.3 cpi
10 cpi and 13.3 cpi
80 cpl and 106 cpl
38 cps and 50 cps
1/6, 1/8 and N/120 inch (software selectable)
Original +2copies (15 Ib. paper)
(color is only on the original)
Arbitrary combinations of any color of dot in
in an 8-dot column with up to 640 columns
per line. Text and graphics can be mixed on
the same line
Forward direction only, loaded from the rear
1/120 of an inch
10 lines per sec (1/6” continuous line feeds)
15 lines per sec (1/10” continuous line feeds)
Pin feed and friction feed used together.
Order #TR-70050
Black, cyan, magenta, yellow
Set of four, order #TR-70500
120, 220/240 VAC +10% 50/60 Hz
30 watts (continuous printing of text)
13 watts (standby)
41°F —104°F
20% —80% (no condensation)
17.7°W x4.47H x12.6”D
(15.5”D with paper shelf)
13.2 Ibs

Parts of the Printer
~<i— _ Upper case
A/Paper feed
Figure |
-Printer cover

Operator Switches and Indicators
1. POWER switch
The power switch is located on the left side of the printer toward the rear.
2. STOP switch
a) Pushing the STOP switch causes the printer to stop, or if stopped, it
clears the STOP condition.
b) Pushing the STOP switch the first time causes the PAPER EMPTY
light to blink on and off, and temporarily stops printing.
c) If the STOP switch is pushed while doing a screen copy, the COPY
lamp blinks and the screen copy is temporarily halted. Pushing the
STOP switch again causes the STOP condition to be cleared and
printing resumed.
*The screen copy condition does not function without the optional
PICS interface board.
3. LINE FEED switch
a) A1/6 inch line feed is executed each time it is pushed.
b) If held down, line feeds are continuously executed.
c) Line feeds are performed only in the STOP condition.
4. FORM FEED switch
a) Pressing this switch causes a form feed to the top of the next page
or next Top of Form.
b) This switch is valid only in the STOP condition.
5. COPY switch
a) Pressing this switch causes ascreen copy to occur.
b) After asingle screen copy is complete, the copying condition is automatic-
ally terminated.
c) If the STOP condition is entered during a screen copy process, pushing
this switch will reset the screen copy condition.
*Without the optional PICS card, this switch does not function.
6. POWER lamp (red)
a) This lamp is on when the power is on.
b) It blinks during an error condition.
7. PAPER EMPTY lamp (red)
a) This lamp blinks when the printer is out of paper. The Paper Empty
signal is output to the host device.
b) It also blinks when the STOP switch is pressed (except when pressed
during a screen copy).

c) When aPAPER EMPTY condition occurs, insert paper and push the
STOP switch to clear the PAPER EMPTY condition.
d) When blinking because the STOP switch was pressed, press the STOP
switch again to clear the condition.
e) When aPAPER EMPTY condition occurs, pressing the STOP switch
prints the data up to one print command. But when the paper is fed
more than or equal to 128/120 inches (for instance, 7lines in 1/6
inch line feed mode), printing won’t be executed unless paper is inser-
ted to clear the PAPER EMPTY condition.
.COPY lamp (green)
a) This lamp blinks when ascreen copy starts.
b) It stops blinking when a screen copy terminates.
c) The lamp blinks when the STOP switch is pressed during ascreen
copy. Pressing the STOP switch again causes the lamp to stay on and
the screen copy to continue.
d) If the COPY switch is pressed while the lamp is blinking, the screen
copy condition is reset and the lamp goes out.
*Without the optional screen copy board, the lamp remains off.
Figure 3
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_Part 2
Installation & Use

Installing and Removing the Ink Ribbon Cassette
1. Installation
Cassette knob
a) Unwrap the ribbon cassette.
b) Turn the cassette knob in the
direction of the arrow to draw
the ribbon taut (figure 4).
c) Move the head adjustment lever
all the way toward the front of
the printer. (This moves the
printhead away from the platen.)
Cassette
.d) To insert the ribbon cassette,
Figure 4hold the cassette at an angle
(figure 5) and put into posi-
tion from the right side. The
Aportion of the ribbon must
slide between the printhead and
the metal slit.
e) Push on the lower right side of
the cassette with the index finger
as shown in figure 5. The cas-
sette should click into place. If
you don’t hear aclick, turn the
cassette knob alittle more in the
direction of the arrow and press
again on the right side of the
cassette until it clicks. With the
cassette installed, turn the cas-
sette knob again in the direction
of the arrow to tighten the rib-
bon.
f) Return the head adjustment lever
to its original position.

g) Figure 6 illustrates afront view
of the ribbon cassette installation.
The white arrow shows the direc-
tion for putting the cassette on
the carrier, and the black arrow
shows where to press in order to
to snap the cassette into position.
h) If agiven ink color is not going to
be used, the transfer of ink from
that cartridge to the ribbon can be
turned off by pushing the respec-
tive cartridge lever (figure 7) to-
ward the outside of the cassette.
Pushing in the cartridge lever starts
the transfer of ink again.
It is important to turn off the ink
transfer from unused colors. Fail-
ure to do so will cause over inking
of the ribbon leading to streaking.
2. Removal
a) The ink cassette is easily removed
by grasping the cassette as shown
in figure 8 with the thumb on
part C and the middle finger on
part B,squeezing gently, and lift-
ing up. The cassette knob should
be turned in the direction of the
arrow to tighten the ribbon.

b) Figure 9 shows the removal of
the ribbon cassette. Press the part
indicated by the black arrow to
tighten the ribbon, and raise the
cassette in the direction of the
white arrow,
Figure 9
3. Ink cartridge replacement
a) The T315 cassette is designed so
that asingle ink cartridge can be
replaced when that particular
color is used up. Remove the car-
tridge by gently pinching inward
on the metal clip Das shown in
figure 10.
b) Then push outward on the car-
tridge lever as shown in figure 11.
Insert the new ink cartridge. (Be
sure that the color of the new
ink cartridge matches the color
indicator Jabel on the top of the
cassette.) Pinch the metal clip
gently and set it into place.
Cartridgelever”
Cartridge
Figure 11
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Loading the Paper
1. Continuous forms
a) Grasp the back of the printer
cover and remove it by lifting
upwards (figure 12).
b) Rotate the paper shelf to a
vertical position and remove
it by lifting upwards (figure
13). Move the head adjustment
lever all the way toward the
front of the printer (refer to
the section on the Head
Position Adjustment).
c) Use both hands to insert the
paper from the rear and turn
the right paper feed knob in
aclockwise direction (figure
14). This causes the paper to
feed around the printhead
and the platen.
Note that the paper feed
knob can be rotated in either
the clockwise or counter-
clockwise direction.
Figure 14
11

d) Next, lift up the friction roller
bar and open the left and right
tractor covers by lifting them
up and turning them to the out-
side (figure 15).
e) With the holes along both edges
of the paper matched up with
the paper feed pins on the left
and right tractors, close the trac-
tor covers. Lower the friction
roller bar, positioning the fric-
tion rollers on the bar so that
they rest directly on top of the
two large rubber tractor rings
(figures 15 and 16).
If the tractor spacing does not
match the paper width, slide
the tractors to the left or right
as needed. Make sure that the
paper is positioned so that the
first and last print positions
are on the paper.
f) Return the head adjustment lever
to its original position. Replace
the paper shelf and printer cover
in that order (figure 17). Adjust
the print position by turning the
paper feed knob.
Figure 17
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When using continuous forms, the paper
supply should rest on the same surface
as the printer, and the printed paper
should go to alower position, such as
_the floor or a paper catch tray.
2. Single sheets of paper
Except for those involving the tractors.
all of the operations are the same.
Note: 1. For proper friction feed, be
sure that the friction rollers
are positioned directly on
top of the rubber tractor rings
and that these two sets of rol-
lers properly grasp the paper
(figure 19).
2. The paper empty switch is
Figure 19 located about 2%” inside
the left side of the printer
case on the metal base plate.
The left edge of the single
sheet paper must cover the
switch in order to avoid
the PAPER EMPTY con-
dition.
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Head Position Adjustment
The head adjustment lever is moved by pressing it toward the outside as it is moved
back and forth. When adjusting, make sure that the foot of the lever is set in one of
the click holes. The head is adjusted by moving the lever toward 8 for thick paper
or multiple copies and toward | for single sheets of lightweight paper. The printer
is shipped with the lever foot set to position 3, the ideal position for asingle
sheet.
The lever foot should be set to 8for insertion and removal of the ribbon.
Red mark
Head adjustment lever
Lever foot
Click holes
DOO
Figure 20

Self Test Printing
1. To activate the Self Test, load paper into the printer with the printer turned off,
then hold down the LINE FEED switch as you turn the printer power on. The
printer will go through its normal initialization routines and proceed to print the
test pattern in order of the ASCII code numbers stored inside.
2. Push the STOP switch to halt the self test.
3. Attempting to perform aself test with no paper in the printer will result in move-
ment of the printhead, but no printing performed.
4. If self test does not function, check Dip Switch 2, assuring that it is turned on.
Automatic Printing Function
If text data is input by the printer that exceeds the length of one line, the text starts
printing even though aprint command was not received. The portion of the text that
exceeds the line length is printed on the next line.
If, however, graphics data (including repeated graphics printing) is input that exceeds
the line length, that portion of the data exceeding the line is ignored. The mode is not
changed in either case.
Error Conditions
When the printer enters an error condition, the POWER lamp starts blinking and an
ERROR signal is output to the computer. An error condition is cleared by either
turning power off and then back on again, or by the input of an INITIAL signal from
the computer. Apple or Franklin users may send an INITIAL signal from the computer
with aCONTROL RESET. Depressing aCTRL ALT DEL on the IBM Personal
Computer will clear the error condition. A printer error condition arises only
when abnormal sensor timing is detected.
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