Star Micronics NX-10 User Manual

NX-10

USER’S MANUAL

NOT INTENDED FOR SALE

PN 80820128

Federal Communications Commission

Radio Frequency Interference

Thw rquipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used
properly. that is. in strl~“l accordance Lvith the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause in­terference to radio and [etexxion reception. It has been type tested and found to comply
with the limits for a Ctavs B computing device in accordance wth the specifications in
Subpart J of Part 15 of FCC Rules, ivhich are designed to provide reasonable protection
against such inrerfcl-ence in a residential installation. Ho~vever. there is no guarantee
that interfrr-ence ~?ll not occur- in a particular installation. If this equipment does ~tuse
interference to radio or telex-ision 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 folk)\\-ing measures:

l Reorient the receiving antenna

oRelocate the computer \vith respect to the receiver

l Slovv the computer away from the receiver

l Ptug the computer into a different outlet so that computer and receiver are on dif-

fercnt branch circuits.

If necessary. the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radioitete\,isiorl techni­cian for additional suggestions. The user map find the following booklet. prepared h!
the Federal Communications Commission helpful: “Ho\r to Identify and Kesotve Radw
T\’ Interference Prohlrms.
PI-inting Office. LVashington. D.C.. 20402. Stock No. 001-000-00345-4.

For compliance with Federal Noise Interference Standard. this equipment requires a
shielded cable.

Radio interferences regarding this equipment has heen eliminated according to Vfg

lO-l6/1984 announced hy the DBP.
DBP has been informed about the introduction of this special equipment and has been
conceded the right to esamiw the whole series.
It is upon the responsibility of thv user to assume that his own asscmhted system is in ac
cordance with the technical regulations under Vfg lOltiilYX4.
To observe FTZ-regulations it is necessary. to establish all connections io the printer
\vith shielded cable.

” This hooklet is available from the I’.S. Government

Statement

Self Declaration

Trademark Acknowledgement

NX-10, grafstar: Star Micronics Co., Ltd.
r\pple, Apple II, ;2pple II - , Apple II e, Applesoft: Apple computer Inc

Commodore C-&l: Commodore Business Slachines. Inc.
Compaq: Compaq Computer Corporation
CI’IM: Digital Research
IBM Personal Computer, IHM LX: International Kusinehs Machines Corp.
Kaypro: Kaypro Corporation
Microsoft Rr\SIC: Microsoft Corporation
Osborne 1 : Osborne Compu~el- Corporation
TRS-80: Radio Shack. a division of Tandy Corporation

NOTICE

l A1l rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this manual in any form what-

soever, without STAR’s express permission is forbidden.

l The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice.

l 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
be greatly appreciate being informed of them.

l The above notwithstanding, STAR can assume no responsibility for any errors in

this manual.

Topyright 1986 Star Micronics Co., Ltd.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Setting Up Your Printer

Where shall we put it?
What have we here?

Removing the printer cover
Removing the packing tube
Installing the ribbon cartridge

Getting to Know Your Printer

Controls and parts of the printer

Parts of the printer
Controls and indicators
Extra functions

Other controls

Selecting and loading paper

Loading single sheets

Loading sprocket-feed paper
Adjusting the print head
Connecting the printer
Extra functions with the control panel

Self-tests

Hex dump

Panel mode

Italic mode
Italic and Panel mode
Setting print start position
Setting the left and right margins

7

Chapter 3 Basic Printing

Some basics of BASIC

A new language!
First steps
ASCII codes and the CHR$ function
Control codes
The escape codes
A note on command syntax

Some special kinds of text

Near Letter Quality characters
Italic printing
Underlining

Superscripts and subscripts

Changing the print pitch

Expanded print
Condensed print

Proportional printing
Making words stand out
Mixing print modes

Chapter 4 Formatting Text

Lines and line spacing

Starting a new line

Reverse line feeds

Changing the line spacing
Moving down the page without a carriage
return

Page control

Form feed
Reverse form feed

Changing the page length
Top and bottom margins
Setting left and right margins
Horizontal and vertical tabs

Horizontal tabs

One-time horizontal tabs

Vertical tabs

Vertical tab channels

Centering and aligning text

23

41

Chapter 5

Special Features of the Printer

Now hear this
Resetting the printer
Putting your printer to sleep
Printing the bottom of the sheet
Backspace, delete, and cancel text
Printing zeroes
Immediate-print
Adjusting the width of space between
characters
Uni-directional printing
The seven bit dilemma
Block graphics characters and special
symbols
International character sets
Printing characters in the control code area
Printing BIG characters
The optional sheet feeder
The macro control code
Reading a hex dump

61

Chapter 6 Creating Your Own Characters

Dot matrix printing
The print matrix
Defining your own characters

Rule 1: Draft download characters are eight
dots high
Rule 2: Dots cannot overlap
Add up each column of dots
Assigning a value to your character

Download character definition command
Printing download characters
Defining proportional characters
Defining NLQ download characters

81

Chapter 7 Dot Graphics

Comparing dot graphics with download
characters
Using the dot graphics commands

Specifying the number of columns of dots
Specifying the graphics data

Combining text and graphics
Printing a design or logo
Plotting with your printer

How the program works

High resolution graphics
Compatibility with existing software
More graphics programming tips

Redefining alternate graphics codes
g-pin graphics mode

Chapter 8 Caring for Your Printer

Cleaning the printer
Replacing the ribbon

Replacing the print head

Appendix A DIP Switch Settings

Switch functions

Appendix B

ASCII Codes and Conversion
Chart

Appendix C Character Fonts

Roman characters

Standard characters (Set #l and Set #2)
Special characters (Set #2 only)
International characters

Italic characters

Standard characters (Set #l and Set #2)
Special characters (Set #2 only)

101

123

131

135

143

Appendix D Function Codes

Commands to control print style

Font style controls
Font pitch controls
Special print modes

Controlling the vertical print position

Line feed and reverse line feed
Form feed and related commands

Top/bottom margins and vertical tabs
Controlling the horizontal print position
Download character commands
Dot graphics commands
Macro instruction commands
Other commands

165

Appendix E Command Summary in Numeric

Order
Appendix F Technical Specifications
Appendix G The Parallel Interface

Functions of the Connector Signals

Appendix H Connecting with Computer

Connecting with IBM-PC and COMPAQ

BASIC programming
Listing programs

Connecting with Apple Il computers

Applesoft BASIC
Listing programs

Connecting with TRS-80 computers

TRS-80 BASIC

Listing programs

Connecting with Kaypro, Osborne, and other

CP/M computers

Using MBASIC

Listing programs

209

213
217

221

CHAPTER 1

SETTING UP YOUR

PRINTER

Subjects we’ll cover in Chapter 1 include-

. Choosing a suitable place for your printer;

l Unpacking your new printer;
l Setting it up.

WHERE SHALL WE PUT IT?

Before you do anything else, give some thought to where
you’ll be using your printer. Obviously, it will be somewhere
near your computer. And both printer and computer will lead
longer, healthier lives if they like their surroundings. For in­stance, we recommend.. .

,

l Using the printer on a flat surface.
l Keeping it out of direct sunlight and away from heat-

producing units.

l Using it only in temperatures where you are comfortable.
l Avoiding areas with a lot of dust, grease, or humidity.
l Giving it “clean” electricity. Don’t connect it to the same

circuit used by large, noise-producing appliances (such as
refrigerators).

l The line voltage should be the same voltage that’s

specified on the identification plate - within 10% of the
recommended voltage.

2

WHAT HAVE WE HERE?

Now let’s take a look at what’s in the carton. Open it up and

check each item in the box against Figure l-l. There should be

four items.

. . -- -_ _

F

‘igure l- 1.

2) paper guide, 3) ribbon cartridge, and 4) user’s manual.

Check to make sure you have all four items: 1) printer,

Let’s move on the next step.

n Removing the printer cover

The cover is important for two reasons - it keeps dust and
dirt away from the printer’s delicate “innards,” and it quiets the
printer’s operation. Don’t take off the cover except when you
have to change the ribbon, or to make an adjustment.

Removing the printer cover is easy. Lift up the back of the
cover to disengage the two tabs at the front and then lift it off
the rest of the way. To replace it, just slide the tabs in at the
front and lower it into place. Figure 1-2 shows the proper posi­tion and movement for both removing and replacing the cover.

3

.I,

.gure 1-2. Remove the printer cover by lifting carefully.

n Removing the packing tube

The printer is shipped with a protective spiral tube to keep
the print head from being damaged in transit. We have to
remove this tube. First, remove the printer cover. See the tube
on the carriage rail (Figure l-3). Pull it off carefully.

.

Figure 1-3.

Remove the protective tube from the carriage rail.

Up to this point, we’ve been clearing the decks for action, so
to speak. Only one more thing left to do before we can start
printing - install the ribbon cartridge.

n Installing the ribbon cartridge

This printer uses a neat, easy-to-change ribbon cartridge so
you don’t have to spend a lot of time threading a ribbon. And get­ting your hands all dirty to boot.

Telling you how to put in a ribbon is like explaining how to tie
your shoelaces - it takes a lot longer to tell than to do. You can

just follow the illustrations if you wish; they’ll tell you all you
really need to know.

Or, if you feel better following written instructions, read on.

1. Turn off the power and remove the printer cover.

2. Now slide the print head gently to the center of the
printer.

Warning: The print head gets hot during operation, so

let it cool off before you touch it.

5

Figure 1-4. Press the cartridge into place until the holdmg springs

snap into place.

3. Using the guide holders as a fulcrum with the ribbon fac­ing away from you, as shown in Figure 1-4, lightly press
the cartridge down until the two holder springs snap shut
to hold the cartridge firmly in place.

4. Check that the cartridge fits so that the drive pins engage
the cartridge teeth.

5. Gently slide the print head carriage manually all the way
to your right or left until the ribbon automatically slips
down into its proper place between the print head and the
silver ribbon guide.

.

6. Put the printer cover back on and you’re finished. (A
special switch on the printer prevents the printer from

working when the cover is off.)

6

Print head

Figure 1-5.

All you have to do is to slide the print head carriage
manually to your right or left, then the ribbon slips down by itself into
its proper position.

CHAPTER 2

GETTING TO KNOW

YOUR PRINTER

Subjects we’ll cover in Chapter 2 include -

l Parts of the printer -

to use them;

l Paper selection and loading;
l Adjustment;
l Connecting your printer to the computer;

l Extra functions with the control panel.

CONTROLS AND PARTS OF THE PRINTER

H Parts of the printer

First, we’ll go over the parts of the printer. You saw most of
these when you unpacked your printer. Now we’ll give you a
brief explanation of what they do. (For details on the initial set­up of this printer, with all components in place, see Chapter 1.)

what they’re for and how

PRINTER COVER - This protects the ribbon and the print

head from dust and dirt, and cuts down the sound of the printer.
PAPER GUIDE - As you’ve guessed, this flat plastic
molding guides the paper during printing (it is raised for single
sheets and lies flat for sprocket-feed paper).
POWER CORD - This cord connects the printer to its power
source, usually a wall outlet. It’s located at the left rear of the
printer.
PRINT HEAD - This is the unit that does the actual printing.
Like the strike lever in a typewriter, tiny, stiff wires in the print
head hit the paper through a ribbon.

r

Tractor feed unit

’ I

nterf

\

Power cord

Figure 2- 1.
TRACTOR FEED UNIT - The drive gear and sprockets of

the tractor feed unit move sprocket-feed paper through the
printer.

Front and rear views of the printer

’ Power switch

PLATEN - This is the rubber cylinder that carries paper to
the print head.
INTERFACE CONNECTOR - On the back of the printer,
this connector is used to connect your computer to the printer.

n Controls and indicators

Now let’s take a tour around the controls, starting with the
control panel on the right. There are seven indicators and four
keys on the control panel.

9

I.

Figure 2-2. The control panel.

POWER INDICATOR - Glows red when the power is on or
blinks when the printer is out of paper or some other error
occurs.
BOLD KEY and INDICATOR - Pressing this key selects
boldface printing.
DRAFT INDICATORS (80,96,136) - Glows green to in­dicate the number of characters per line when the printer is in

‘the draft mode (set by the Mode key or the software control).

NLQ INDICATOR - Glows green when the printer is
printing in the Near Letter Quality (NLQ) mode (set by the
Mode key or the software control).
MODE KEY - Changes the print mode every time it is
pressed.
PAPER FEED KEY-Advances the paper one line at a time
when the On Line indicator is off. If you hold the key down,
you’ll get consecutive line feeds, one after the other. If you push
the On Line key while holding this key, you can advance the
paper to the top of the next page or a new form.

.

ON LINE KEY and INDICATOR - Glows green when the
printer can receive data from your computer (on line). When the
printer is off line, it sends a signal to the computer indicating
that it cannot accept data. Pressing the On Line key switches
the printer on line and off line.

I

10

n Extra functions

There are eleven more functions that are not directly

specified on the control panel. You can use six of them by press­ing a key (or keys) when you turnon the power; five others are
activated by pressing two control keys at once.

For details, please refer to the end of this chapter.

n Other controls

There are other controls, not connected to the control panel

board. Some of the more important ones are:

POWER SWITCH - The switch to turn the printer on is at
the back, on the left side.
PLATEN KNOB - This knob is at the middle of the right
side and lets you turn the platen by hand, just like a typewriter.
Caution: Turn this knob only with the Power switch off. Turn-

ing it with the power on could damage the platen drive
gears.

RELEASE LEVER - The release lever is on top of the
printer, near the left rear corner. You’ll be using it often - it
controls how strongly the paper is held against the platen. The
release lever has four positions: the top setting is used for inser­ting paper, the next is for single sheets, the third is for sprocket­feed paper, and the bottom one is used when adjusting the

pwfl.
PAPER BAIL - The bail is the movable bar that holds the

paper against the platen. Its position depends on the setting of
the release lever.
DIP SWITCHES - These are a set of ten switches and a set
of six switches that are used in interfacing the printer to your

computer. There are also switches to set page length, character

style, perforation skipping, and selecting the international
character sets. See Appendix A for a complete list and explana­tion.

SELECTING AND LOADING PAPER

Your printer can handle the two basic types of paper-single
sheets (stationery, envelopes, multipart business forms, etc.)
and continuous paper (fan-folded perforated paper).

This is a good place to tell you about the release lever, which

11

you’ll be using often. This lever controls the pressure of the
paper against the platen.

It has four settings:

g - The top setting is used when you want to load paper in the

printer.
c - The second setting is for normal single sheets.
fi - The third is for sprocket-feed paper.
4 - The bott om one is used when you want to release the

paper completely to adjust it.

The paper bail holds the paper against the platen according to
the setting of the release lever. The bail is opened when the
release lever is in the top position, closed when the lever is in
the second or third positions, and opened by the printer when
the lever is in the bottom position.

I -

I

I

Release lever

.

’ Paper bail

L---L

Figure 2-3.

continuous paper.

n Loading single sheets

Now, instead of feeding the paper in manually by turning the
platen knob, we’re going to use the release lever (the printer
must be turned on). Remember what we told you about this
lever? It allows you to advance the paper according to its posi­tion.

Use friction feed for single sheets and tractor feed for

19

OK? Let’s start.

1. Move the sprockets on the tractor feed unit all the way to
the ends.

2. Slide the sheet guide all the way to the right.

3. With the ribs of the paper guide toward you and the
sliding adjuster at the bottom left, insert the guide into
the slot at the back of the printer cover.

Sheet guide

/ Sprocket

‘igure 2-4.

Raise the paper guide for loading single sheets.

4. Insert the guide stand in the notches provided for it and
use it to prop up the paper guide.

5. Position the adjuster at the triangle marked on the guide
for standard margins, or set it according to your re­quirements.

6. Set the release lever for single sheets-the second posi­tion from the top.

7. Align a sheet of paper on the guide along the adjuster.

8. Turn on the power switch. (The Power indicator will
blink because there is no paper.)

L

Figure 2-5.

l’rop up the paper guide by inserting me guise stana in

the notches provided for it.

‘igure 2-6.

You can insert a sheet of paper by using the release

lever.

. . . .

. .

. . *.

1

1

14

9. Now set the release lever to the auto-feed setting-the
top position. The printer will advance the paper
automatically.

10. When the paper stops, set the release lever for single
sheets again.

To align paper that is not in straight-

. Set the release lever to the adjustment setting.

l Straighten the paper and adjust it for the margins you

want.

l Move the release lever back to its original setting.

n Loading sprocket-feed paper

This is the familiar computer paper, with the holes along the
sides and perforations between the sheets. It is also called
sprocket, punched, fan-fold, or just plain “computer paper.” It
can be as narrow as 4”) and up to 10” wide.

Figure 2-7 shows the tractor unit. Please identify the parts of
the tractor.

1. Turn on the printer and set the release lever for sprocket­feed paper.

2. If the paper guide is installed, remove it.

3. Place a stack of fan-fold paper behind the printer.

4:Open the sprocket covers, on the right and left sprocket

units, as shown in Figure 2-7.

Figure 2-7. Open the sprocket covers to expose me sproaet teem.

15

5. Flip the clamp levers backward. This allows the two
sprocket units to move freely right and left so you can
align them with the holes in the paper.

6. Feed the end of the paper into the slot next to the platen
cover plate.

7. Fit the holes in the paper over the sprocket pins so the
paper is even, and clamp the sprocket units in place.

8. Check that the paper is still positioned correctly, and
close the sprocket covers (Figure 2-8).

9. The Power indicator should be blinking. Turn the platen
knob to feed the paper until the indicator stops blinking.

10. Now turn the platen knob the other way just a bit, until
the indicator starts blinking again.

11. Set the release lever to the auto-feed setting. The printer
will advance the paper automatically.

12. When the paper stops, set the release lever for sprocket­feed paper again.

13. Finally, install the paper guide on the printer (Figure
2-8). Now you’re ready to roll!

“igure 2-8.

Ready to run with sprocket-feed paper.

ADJUSTING THE PRINT HEAD

The distance between the print head and the platen must-be
adjusted to accommodate papers of different thicknesses. To
make this adjustment, move the adjustment lever, which is
under the printer cover and immediately in front of the release
lever (Figure 2-9). Pulling the adjustment lever towards you will
widen the gap; pushing it away from you will narrow the gap.

Figure 2-9.

The adjustment lever allows for different thicknesses

of paper.

There are four positions; you can feel the lever clicking into
the various notches. The first step (illustrated) is the one most
commonly used for single sheets of paper.

You shouldn’t have any trouble finding the right gap setting
for your paper. If necessary, experiment; you’ll soon find the
best position for the paper you’re using.

CONNECTING THE PRINTER

Now that you have assembled your printer, it’s time to use it
for what you bought it for - print information from your com-

puter. But first you have to connect it to your computer. Please
follow the instructions in the order listed below.

17

1. Make sure both your computer and printer are turned
off.

2. Connect one end of the interface cable to the connector
socket at the right rear of the printer as shown in Figure
2-10.

3. Connect the other end of the cable to your computer as
described in the computer manual.

/-

Figure 2-10.

‘EXTRA FUNCTIONS WITH THE CONTROL PANEL

This is how you connect the cable.

There are many functions that are not directly specified on
the control panel. In this section, we’ll show you these extra
functions.

Italic mode

Italic and Panel mode

Figure 2-11.

_I

L Panel mode

Extra functions while turning on the printer.

18

n Self-tests

Your printer has two built-in programs that print out sample
lines of letters, numbers, and other characters-to show you
that everything’s in good working order. Self-test 1 is the long
version, and self-test 2 is the short one. You can use either one
to show the characters available in the printer, to check the in­stallation of the ribbon and paper, and to check the adjustment
of the head-to-platen gap.

Best of all, you don’t have to wait another minute-you can
print the self-test without hooking up the printer to your com­puter! It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3. . .

1. Plug in the printer (don’t turn it on yet).

2. Insert a sheet of paper (or sprocket paper, either one).

3. While holding down one of the following keys, turn on
the power switch:

Paper Feed key-Self-test 1 (long)
On Line key-Self-test 2 (short)

'igure 2-12. The self-tests show you what the printer can print.

Were you surprised? It’s fast, isn’t it? About 120 characters a

second, to be exact.

When you want to terminate the self-test function, turn off the

power switch.

n Hex dump

Can you guess what a “hex dump” is? No, it’s not where

witches throw away useless spells. A hex dump is an advanced

ability of your printer that you can use, in certain cases, to find a

problem with your system. Fortunately, such problems rarely

arise but the hex dump is available if one does. We’ll go over
hex dump in Chapter 4. Right now, we’ll just tell you how to
make a hex dump:

1. Plug in the printer (don’t turn it on yet).

2. Insert a sheet of paper, as you did for the self-tests.

3. While holding down both the Paper Feed and Mode keys,
turn on the power switch.

W Panel mode

As you’ll learn in Chapter 5, this printer has many software
controls. But if you want to print in one mode, ignoring the con­trol codes, the “Panel” mode takes effect for you. To set the

“Panel” mode, follow the procedures:

1. Plug in the printer (don’t turn it on yet).

2. While holding down the Mode key, turn on the power
switch.

< Notice that this mode stays on until you turn off the printer.

n Italic mode

Sometimes, you may want to print with italic characters with
Draft mode as the power-on default. You can set the Italic mode
with the following procedures:

1. Plug in the printer (don’t turn it on yet).

2. While holding the Bold key, turn on the power switch.

This mode stays on until you send the cancel command to
your printer. This mode re-activates when you send the reset

command to your printer.

n Italic and Panel mode

You can combine with the “Panel” mode and the “Italic”
mode at a time. To set these modes at a time follow the pro­cedures below:

1. Plug in the printer (don’t turn it on yet).

2. While holding both the Mode and Bold keys, turn on the
power switch.

Right margin set

**: Hold down

L- Left margin set

~---____

Figure 2-13.

the control panel keys while in the Off Line mode.

You can set many functions by the combinations o

n Setting print start position

When you want to align the print start position, you can set it
by the micro-feed operation with the control panel, instead of
turning the platen knob manually.

1:Set the Off Line mode by pressing the On Line key.

2. While holding down the On Line key, press one of the
following keys.

Paper Feed key - Forward micro-feed
Mode key - Reverse micro-feed

3. When you can set the print start position, release the
Paper Feed key or the Mode key first, then release the
On Line key.

n Setting the left and right margins

As you’ll learn in Chapter 4, you can set the left and right
margins with control codes. In addition, you can set them by the
following procedures.

1. Set the Off Line mode by pressing the On Line key.

2. While holding the Bold key, press one of the following
keys.

f

1

Mode key - Left margin set
Paper Feed key - Right margin set

3. While holding the two keys, the print head moves across
the page step-by-step.

4. When the print head goes to the position where you want
to set margin, release the two keys. So the printer
acknowledges the margin with the sound of beep.

22

MEMO

CHAPTER 3

BASIC PRINTING

Subjects we’ll cover in Chapter 3 include­* Listing BASIC programs on the printer;

l How a program prints things;
l Control codes, escape codes, and command syn-

tax;

l Near letter quality (NLQ) characters;
l Fixed and proportional character spacing;
l Special printing -

Printing in italics,
Underlining,
Superscripts and subscripts,
Boldface and emphasized text,
Mixing print modes.

To show you how to control your printer from a program, we

,

choose BASIC because it is easy to learn and easy to use. Also,
more personal computer users program in BASIC than in any
other language.

The rest of this manual will show you a little BASIC - just
enough for.you to use your printer. We’re not going to try to
make you an expert programmer, though, only get you started.
There are many excellent books that will teach you BASIC, so if
you discover that you like to program you should have no
trouble learning more about it.

SOME BASICS OF BASIC

H A new language!

Many people who meet BASIC for the first time are in­timidated. Some are put off by the idea of learning any new