iSys V36 User Manual

v36 User Guide

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

This document is copyrighted by The Imaging Systems Group, 1998. No
part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, or stored
in a retrieval system of any kind without prior written permission of The Imaging
Systems Group.

TRADEMARKS AND REMARKS

All trademarks used in this document are the property of their respective
owners.

Centronics is a U.S. registered trademark of Centronics Data Computer
Corporation.

V ersatec is a registered trademark of V ersatec Corporation.

DISCLAIMER

The vendor makes no representations or warranties with respect to the contents
hereof and specially disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or
fitness for any purpose. Further, the vendor reserves the right to revise this
publication and to make changes from time to time in the contents hereof
without the vendor’s approval in writing.

A TTENTION: The V36 plotter generates, uses and can radiate radio fre­quency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction
manual, may cause interference to radio communications. It has been de­signed to comply with the requirements for Class A computing devices pursu­ant to Sub-part J of part 15 of FCC Rules, which are designed to provide
reasonable protection against such interference when operated in a commercial
environment. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to
cause interference in which case, the user, at his own expense, will be required
to take whatever measures may be required to correct the interference.

iii

LIMIT A TION OF LIABILITY

The Imaging Systems Group’s total liability to the purchaser , or to any third
party , for damages from any and all causes whatsoever, regardless of the form
of action, whether in contractor in tort, including negligence, and any
infringement of proprietary rights or property of any third party shall, in the
aggregate, be limited to purchase price actually paid by the purchaser for the
product relating to the damages. The limitation of liability provisions of this
agreement reflect an informed voluntary allocation of the risks (known and
unknown) that may exist in connection with the provisions of the goods and
services provided hereunder by Imaging Systems Group, and that such
voluntary risk allocation represents a fundamental part of the agreement reached
between Imaging Systems Group and the purchaser.

Imaging Systems Group shall not be liable for any special, direct or indirect,
incidental, consequential, exemplary , punitive or any similar or other damages
of any nature suffered by the purchaser whatsoever including, without limitation,
loss of use or lack of availability by the purchaser facilities, including its computer
resources and any stored data, loss of profits or revenue, or other commercial
loss, or any claim for contribution or indemnity in respect of any claims against
the purchaser, regardless of whether Imaging Systems Group has been advised
of the possibility of such damages.

The Imaging Systems Group Inc.
911 28th S treet NE
Calgary , Alberta T2A 7X1
Canada
T elephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www .isys-group.com

iv

CONTENTS

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION ..................................................1-1

1.2 MEDIA DESCRIPTION ........................................................1-1

1.3 ABOUT THIS MANUAL ......................................................1-1

2 SPECIFICATIONS

2.1 PLOTTER CHARACTERISTICS .........................................2-1

2.2 POWER REQUIREMENTS...................................................2-3

2.3 PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS ........................................2-3

2.4 ENVIRONMENT AL CHARACTERISTICS..........................2-3

3 INSTALLATION

3.1 UNPACKING........................................................................3-1

3.2 PEDEST AL ASSEMBL Y AND POSITIONING.....................3-3

Assembly instructions...............................................................3-3

Mounting plate to chassis .........................................................3-5

3.3 MEDIA CA TCHER ..............................................................3-12

3.4 INTERF ACE SETUP ...........................................................3-15

Changing the interface line setting ...........................................3-15

3.5 MEDIA INST ALLA TION ....................................................3-17

Installing roll paper/film ..........................................................3-17

4 OPERATION

4.1 POWER SUPPLY PRECAUTIONS......................................4-1

4.2 USING THE CONTROL P ANEL ..........................................4-1

4.3 CONTROL P ANEL ...............................................................4-2

4.4 MOVING THROUGH THE MENU SELECTIONS..............4-3

v

Menu select .............................................................................4-3

Arrow up (cut media) or arrow down (test plot) .......................4-3

Manual advance ......................................................................4-3

4.5 CONTROL P ANEL FUNCTIONS AND SETTINGS............4-4

User mode ..............................................................................4-4

Contrast ..................................................................................4-4

Speed .....................................................................................4-5

Plot type..................................................................................4-5

T est plot ..................................................................................4-5

Media .....................................................................................4-6

Scan width ..............................................................................4-6

dpi/bps ....................................................................................4-7

V -Emulation ............................................................................4-7

Scaling ....................................................................................4-8

FF length .................................................................................4-8

T op-of-form (TOF) adjust .......................................................4-8

End of transmission (EOT) cut .................................................4-8

Nib save..................................................................................4-9

Hysteresis adjust......................................................................4-9

Control panel settings and organization ................................... 4-11

5 THEORY OF OPERATION

5.1 I NTRODUCTION ................................................................5-1

5.2 PLOTTER FEA TURES...........................................................5-1

Platen drive roller.....................................................................5-1

Media cutter ............................................................................5-2

T op-of-form detect/media out ..................................................5-2

Interlock switches ....................................................................5-2

Roller encoder .........................................................................5-3

Data rates................................................................................5-3

Print mode...............................................................................5-3

5.3 FUNCTIONAL BLOCK DIAGRAM ....................................5-4

vi

APPENDICES

A CENTRONICS INTERF ACE ...............................................A-1

B VERSA TEC INTERF ACE ..................................................... B-1

V ersatec cable pin outs ........................................................... B-1

V ersatec signals ...................................................................... B-2

V ersatec data transfer model and timing................................... B-5

C ASCII T ABLES .................................................................... C -1

D TOP-OF-FORM MARKS ....................................................D-1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Imaging Systems Group Inc. V36 Thermal Plotter is a high-speed

plotter suitable for office or field use. Using the latest technology,
this 400 dpi plotter has been optimized to plot on thermal film or
thermal paper without the need for inks, toner or chemicals. With
the ability to accommodate 36” media widths, the V36 can handle a
wide range of plotting requirements.

Interface parameter settings and other menu functions can be
accessed from either the front panel or the remote host. It is capable
of printing at speeds ranging from 1/4” per second to 1” per second.

The V36 prints in both raster and character modes, and contains a
96 ASCII character set. It interfaces easily with V ersatec, (optionally)
Centronics and (optionally) SCSI data sources.

1

1.2 MEDIA DESCRIPTION
The V36 uses roll thermal paper, and certain thermal film media.

Media width is 36 inches. The V36 accommodates regular thermal
paper , papers with a protective top coating, and thinner field-grade
papers.

Contact The Imaging Systems Group Inc. for film recommendations.

1-7V36 Rev 1.0.98

1

INTRODUCTION

1.3 ABOUT THIS MANUAL
Please read this manual before using the plotter, in particular the

Installation and Operation Chapters.
Pay special attention to warnings, cautions and notes. The following

conventions are used in this manual:

WARNING: Indicates possible bodily injury if procedure is not
followed exactly .

CAUTION: Indicates possible equipment damage unless procedure
is followed correctly .

NOTE: Indicates a general rule for a procedure, or an exception to a
rule.

This symbol indicates an area of possible concern due
to static discharge into the circuitry. When you see
this symbol in the manual, please observe proper static
precautions to minimize damage to the circuitry .

1-8 V36 Rev 1.0.98

SPECIFICATIONS

2.1 PLOTTER CHARACTERISTICS

Plotter Width: 36 inch carriage
Effective Plot Width: Up to 35.52”
Resolution: 200/400 dpi
Bytes per Scan: Up to 1776 bytes
Command Mode: Plot mode

Print mode

Media Formats: Roll

Plot Media/
Consumables: Thermal sensitive paper and film

Paper: Roll
Film: Roll

1

Stepper Motor: Micro step technology
Front Panel: Full function alpha-numeric LCD

1-9V36 Rev 1.0.98

1

INTRODUCTION

Front Panel User
Functionality: Vertical scaling

Contrast control
Hysteresis control
Manual plot speed
Plot width (byte count)

- variable up to 36”
T est plot, T est print
Form feed length adjust
203/406 dpi select (emulate)
Online/Offline
Manual advance
Manual cut/Auto cut
Mirror image

Front Panel Detection: Media out

T op-of-form (TOF)
Auto head temperature
feedback
Media measure

Plot Speeds: Manual selectable speeds

- 0.25” per second

- 0.50” per second

- 0.75” per second

- 1.0” per second

- max speed paper

Interface: Versatec Greensheet (S tandard)
Options: Fanfold paper guide

Media catcher
Centronics Interface
SCSI Interface

1-10 V36 Rev 1.0.98