Epson QX-10 User Manual
®
EPSON
QX-10™
MANUAL
OPERATIONS
FCC Compliance Statement for American Users
This equipment generates 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:
l Reorient the receiving antenna
l Relocate the computer with respect to the receiver
l Plug the computer into a different outlet so that the computer and receiver are
on different branch circuits.
If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/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,
DC 20402. Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Epson America, Inc. No
patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this publication, Epson
America, Inc. assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability
assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
QX-10 is a trademark of Epson America, Inc.
Valdocs, HASCI, and TPM-II are trademarks of Rising Star Industries.
Centronics is a registered trademark of Centronics Data Computer Corp.
CP/M is a registered trademark of Digital Research.
Copyright © 1984 by Epson America, Inc.
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QD-001A
CONTENTS
Getting Started
1.
Unpacking
Getting Hooked Up
Power
Booting
Caring for Your Diskettes.
Inserting Diskettes ...............................
QX-10
2.
The Microprocessor.
QX-10 Memory.
Programs
The QX-10 Keyboard.
The Video Monitor.
Other Features ..................................
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Warm and Cold Booting.
Drive A/Drive B
Make Backup Copies Often.
Don’t Touch Those Diskettes!.
Don’t Force the Merchandise.
Beware of the Magnetic Field.
Keep it Comfortable.
Components.
The Chip
Bits and Bytes.
ROM
Direct Memory Access Controllers.
Serial Port..................................
Centronics-compatible Parallel Port.
CMOS RAM Memory.
Clock Calendar.
Light Pen Interface.
Option Cards ................................
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3.
Installing External Devices and Option Cards.
Installing External Devices.
External Device Ports.
Checking the Cable.
Plugging In .................................
Powering Up.
Installing Option Cards.
Powering
Removing the Option Cards Cover.
QX-10 Interior: The Option Card Well.
Removing the Shipping Brace.
Selecting the Correct Slot.
Unpacking and Handling the Option Card.
Inserting the Option Card.
Removing an Access Slot.
Replacing the Cover.
Powering Up ................................
Removing Option Cards.
4.
Troubleshooting
Procedure?
Diskette Problems?.
Booting Problems?.
Bugs?
Crossed Wires?
DIP Switch Problems?.
Printer Problems?.
Options?. ......................................
Static?
Battery Low?
Hardware Problems? (Least Likely).
Index
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Down.
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Chapter 1
Getting Started
Getting started with your QX-10™ won’t take very long at all.
Even though there’s a good deal of material to go through, this
chapter is simple and straightforward. In fact, you’ll probably be
up and running in half an hour or less! In that short time you’ll
learn everything you need to know about unpacking your QX-10,
connecting its different units, powering it up, caring for diskettes, and inserting them correctly. Let’s get going!
Unpacking
When you opened the carton marked OPEN ME FIRST, you
found this and other manuals and some diskettes. (You should
also have three other cartons.)
Before unpacking the cartons, make sure the location you’ve
selected for your QX-10 fits the following criteria:
1.
A flat, hard surface. Soft surfaces like beds and carpeted floors
can hinder the free air circulation that the QX-10 needs. They
also attract static electricity, which can erase floppy disks and
might wreak havoc on some of the QX-10’s circuitry.
2. Free air circulation. In a typical arrangement, the QX-10
measures about 21 inches wide and 24 inches deep (it takes
up slightly more desk space than a typical typewriter). Air
should not only be allowed to circulate under the system, but
behind it as well. Clear a few inches behind the QX-10 for the
ventilation system to work best.
1
3.
Environmental conditions. It’s important to keep your computer shielded from extremes in temperature, humidity, dust,
and smoke. You’d be amazed at how smoke of any kindcigarette, cigar, pipe, or even woodstove-can affect the integrity of your diskettes. Like dust, smoke particles adhere
to the magnetic surfaces of your diskettes and can damage
the reading ability of the heads in the diskette drives.
In addition, avoid direct sunlight, heater ducts, and other hot
areas. Also, don’t use the QX-10 in damp areas- excessive
humidity can hinder operation.
4.
A double 3-prong l20-volt grounded outlet. You’ll need one
outlet for the main unit and another for an Epson printer (or
other additional equipment). Using this type of outlet helps
prevent static charges. Most importantly, be sure the socket
is grounded!
5.
Clearance from other electrical appliances. Keep your QX-10
away from anything that generates magnetic fields. This may
come as a surprise, but everything that plugs into an electrical outlet can generate a magnetic field that could cause
problems. Even your telephone can upset things if it’s kept
too close to your equipment or diskettes.
Once you’re sure you have the ideal place to set up your QX-10,
carefully open the other three cartons. Use a small, sharp tool such
as a pocketknife to cut the tape-carefully. Your QX-10 is well
packaged, but there’s no reason to risk scratching its case. You’ll
find the QX-10 monitor (also known as the video display),
keyboard, and main unit wrapped in clear plastic and snugly fitted
in its packing. With each unit you’ll also find a cable and a registration card.
Fill out the registration cards when you purchase your QX-10
and mail them to Epson. With your registration cards on file, Epson
can provide continuing hardware and software support to help
you in using your QX-10.
Be sure to keep the cartons (and the packing materials) in case
you should ever need to ship your QX-10. After you’ve removed
the QX-10 components from their cartons, inspect the components
before assembly and, if anything looks damaged or otherwise
wrong, return it to the dealer.
2
Getting Hooked Up
Now that all the boxes are unpacked, it’s time to put the parts
together into a working system. Start with the main unit. That’s
the one that looks like this:
Place it on the flat surface with the front facing you, as shown.
Remove the disk drive protector sheets from the two disk drives
(marked A and B) by
at the left side of each drive. When you push it, the button pops
out, as does the edge of the protector sheet. Carefully pull out
both sheets and save them along with the other shipping materials.
Now turn the main unit around so that the back is facing you,
like so:
pressing the button labelled PUSH located
DIP SWITCHES
SPEAKER CONTROL
PRINTER
PORT
RS-232C
PORT
POP-OUT
OPTION CARD
ACCESS SLOTS
LIGHT PEN PORT
POWER CORD
OUTLET
MONITOR PORT-,
----
To connect the components of the QX-10, you’ll use two of the
outlets on the back of the main unit. The power cord connects
to the large rectangular outlet on the left side, labelled CAUTION:
DISCONNECT POWER BEFORE SERVICING. The round monitor
outlet is where the monitor cable attaches to the main unit.
3
The power switch is on the right side of the main unit, around
the corner from the power outlet. It has two positions: ON and
OFF.
Important: Be sure the power switch is OFF before you hook up
the QX-10.
Plug the rectangular end of the power cord into the QX-10 power
receptacle on the back of the main unit and the other end into
a 3-prong, l20-volt grounded wall outlet.
RECEPTACLE
Now set the monitor on top of the main unit so that the back
of the monitor is also facing you.
The knob at the bottom left of the monitor controls screen
brightness (you may wish to adjust this later). To the right of this
control is the monitor’s socket, or port, where one end of the
monitor cable connects.
4
The monitor cable is fairly short, with a cylindrical plug on either
end. These are called DIN plugs. The monitor cable DIN plugs
differ only in the number of pins inside: the end that connects
to the back of the monitor has seven pins and the end that connects to back of the main unit has eight pins.
TO MONITOR
5
Insert the 7-pin plug into the outlet on the monitor and the other
end into the round outlet on the back of the main unit, marked
MONITOR.
CABLE
Now turn the main unit and monitor around so that they’re fac-
ing you.
The keyboard cable is coiled and looks like a phone cord. Both
ends of this cable have the same DIN connector: each has eight
pins and a small flap that’s used to unplug the cable. Push either
end of the cable into the round outlet on the back of the keyboard.
(Be sure to get it all the way in.) Then plug the other end into
the round outlet at the lower left of the front of the main unit,
under the Epson logo.
6
PLUGGING IN
KEYBOARD CABLE
Some people like to use the QX-10 with the keyboard on their
laps and others like to set it on a firm surface, but your options
don’t end there. You can also adjust the angle of the keyboard.
Changing the angle of the keyboard is simple. First, turn it over.
Embedded in the upper corners on the bottom of the keyboard
are two legs. You can adjust these so that the keyboard tilts. Reach
under the lip near the arrow marked PULL, and lift the leg upward until it locks in place. This tilts the keyboard at its highest
angle.
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Turn the keyboard right side up and try it for comfort. If the
angle seems too steep, you can try the midway position by pushing
each leg one notch further until it locks again. Experiment to find
the position that is most comfortable for you.
Now everything is connected, and it’s almost time to turn on
your QX-10!
Power
Don’t touch that power switch yet! First, take a minute to read
these rules of thumb. They’ll help you avoid damaging your
computer:
l Never unplug any cable while the power switch is ON.
l Never try to open the disk drives while the disk is turning or
while the red drive light is on.
l Never turn the QX-10 ON or OFF with diskettes in the drives.
l Never open the case with the power cable plugged in.
l
Always wait at least 5 seconds after switching OFF power before
switching power back ON.
To turn the computer ON, press the power switch on the main
unit. To turn the power OFF, press the other end of the switch.
8
Once you’ve powered up the computer, the small red light near
the top right corner of the front of the main unit comes on and
the cooling fan starts up (you can hear it). You may also notice
that a number of small red lights on your keyboard blink on and
off. This indicates that your QX-10 is performing an internal self-
diagnostic test.
The small red light to the right of drive A also comes on, and
the message INSERT DISKETTE appears on the monitor screen.
(If any other message appears, see Chapter 4, “Troubleshooting.“)
INERT DISKETTE
If the brightness on the screen isn’t the way you like it, reach
around to the back of the right side of the monitor until you feel
the control knob near the bottom. Turning the knob clockwise increases the brightness; turning it counterclockwise decreases it.
Experiment a bit to find the most comfortable brightness for you.
Before we go any further, we need to explain the concept of
booting, so let’s proceed!
9
Booting
Booting is the term used to describe the process of loading or
transferring the operating system from the diskette into memory.
Warm and Cold Booting
A cold boot occurs when you power up the machine, or when
you push the RESET button after inserting a new system diskette
in drive A. The RESET button is located just under the door to
drive B on the front of the main unit. A warm boot, which only
partially reloads the operating system, is initiated by keystrokes
(see the instruction manual for the operating system you are using).
Drive A/Drive B
Booting, both warm and cold, is always done from drive A,
which is the one on the left. (After booting, you can choose to
use either drive.)
The part of the diskette drive visible at the front of the main
unit includes the slot where you insert diskettes, the button
labelled PUSH,
You’ll be working with two kinds of diskettes: system diskettes
and
data
diskettes. System diskettes carry the information that tells
the QX-10 how to perform specific operations-for example, the
Valdocs™ system diskette contains all of the information the
and the red IN-USE light.
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