Star Micronics NX-15 User Manual

USERS MANUAL

FederalCommunicationsCommission

RadioFr uencyInterference

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, maycause in­terference to radio and television reception. It has been type tested and foundto comply
with the limits for a Class B computing device in accordance with the specifications in
Subpart J ofPart 15of FCCRules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection
against such interference in a residential installation. However, there is no guarantee
that interference willnot occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause
interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the
equipment offand on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference byone or
more of the followingmeasures:

. Reorient the receiving antenna
. Relocate the computer with respect to the receiver
. Move the computer away from the receiver

●Plug the computer into a different outlet so that computer and receiver are on dif-

ferent branch circuits.

If necessary the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/televisiontechni­cian for additional suggestions. The user may find the followingbooklet, prepared by
the Federal CommunicationsCommissionhelpful: “Howto Identify and Resolve Radio­TV Interference Problems.” This booklet is available from the U.S. Government
Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 20402, Stock No. 004-000-00345-4.

For com~liance with Federal Noise Interference Standard, this equipment requires a
shielded cable.

Thisstitement will be appliedonlyfbr tb printers mrtited in L%S.A.

Radio interferences regarding this equipment has been eliminated according to Vfg
1046/1984announced by the DBP.
DBP has been informed about the introduction of this special equipment and has been
conceded the right to examine the whole series.
It isupon the responsibilityof the user to assume that his ownassembled system is in ac­cordance with the technical regulations under Vfg 1046/1984.

To observe FTZ-regulations it is necessary, to establish all connections to the printer
with shielded cable.
The equipment may only be opened by qualified service representatives.

Thisshtement will bea#lied onlyfor the~n”ntersmarketedin West@many.

%tatement

Self Declaration

TrademarkAcknowledgement

NX-15: Star Micronics Co., Ltd.
Apple II:Apple Computer Inc.
EasyWriterII:Information Unlimited Software, Inc.

FX-85: Seiko Epson Corp.
IBM PC, IBM GraphicsPrinter:International Business

Lotus1-2-3: Lotus Development Corp.
MicrosoftBASIC:Microsoft Cornoration
WordStar:MicroPro International Corporation

NOTICE

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

soever, without STAR’Sexpress permission is forbidden.
. The contents of this manual are subject to change without notice.
QAllefforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents ofthis manual at

the time of going to press. However, should any errQrs be detected, STAR would

be greatly appreciate being informed of them.

●The above notwithstiding, STAR can assume no responsibility for any errors in

this manual.

@COPWi~ht 1986 Star

Micronics CO., Ltd.

Machines

Corp.

Table

of Contents

Chapter1

Chapter2

Setting

Locating
Check the carton contents

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

Gettingto KnowYour 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
Testing the printer
Connecting the printer

UpYour Printer

the printer

1

7

—

Chapter3

Usingthe PrinterwithCommercial 21
Software

Using commercial software
Word processing with the printer
General concepts

The escape code
The master reset code
Using Near Letter Quality (NLQ)
Getting the most from your print choices

Using the printer with EasyWriter II

Redefining pitch settings and print control
codes

A sample printout with EasyWriter II

Redefining your own print pitches

Redefining your own print control keys

Using the printer with WordStar

User-defind print commands
Using the printer with Lotus 1-2-3
Using the panel modes

Advanced panel functions

Setting print start position

Setting the top of form

Setting the left and right margins

Chapter4

PrintingwithBASIC

Some basics of BASIC

First steps
ASCII codes and the CHR$ function
Control codes

The escape codes
A note on command syntax

Selecting the right software mode

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

37

Chapter5

FormattingText

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

55

Chapter6

SpecialFeaturesof the Printer 77

Nowhear this

Resetting the printer
Taking the printer off line
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

I

Chapter7

Chapter8

AppendixA

AppendixB

AppendixC

DownloadCharactersand Dot
Graphics

Dot matrix printing
Designing your own characters

Defining proportional characters
Designing your own NLQ characters
User-designed Dot Graphics

Higher resolution graphics
More graphics programming tips

Redefining alternate graphics codes

9-pin graphics mode

Caringfor Your Printer

Cleaning the printer
Replacing the ribbon
Replacing the print head

DIP SwitchSettings

Switch functions

ASCII Codesand Conversion
Chart

FunctionCodes

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

97

115

121

125

133

AppendixD

AppendixE
AppendixF

CommandSummaryin Numeric
Order

TechnicalSpecifications 183

The ParallelInterface

Functions of the Connector Signals

179

187

—

—

AppendixG SerialInterfaceSpecifications

Configuring the serial interface
The serial protocols

Serial busy protocols
XON/XOFF protocol
ACK protocol

Index

191

196

CHAPTER 1

SETTING UP YOUR

PRINTER

Subjectscoveredin Chapter1 include–

● Choosinga suitableplacefor yourprinter

● Unpacking

. Settingup

LOCATING THE PRINTER

Give some thought to the best place to put the printer. Both
the printer and computer should be used in normal office sur­roundings. For best performance, we recommend:

●

Use the printer on a flat surface.

●

Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from heat­producing appliances.

●

Use it only in temperatures where you are comfortable.

●

Avoid locations with dust, grease, or high humidity.

●

Supply it “clean”
same circuit used by large, noise-producing appliances
(such as refrigerators).

●

Make sure the line voltage is within 10?ZOof the voltage
specified on the identification plate.

electricity. Don’t connect it to the

CHECK THE CARTON CONTENTS

Open the carton and check each item in the box against
Figure 1-1to make sure that you have everything (there should
be four items).

-–—

1

Figure 1-1.

2)paper

Checkto makesureyouhaveallfouritems:1)printer,

guide, 3) ribbon cartridge,and 4)User’s manual.

You should also have a parallel interface board to connect
your computer to the printer. Also available are a parallel inter­face board with extra buffer memory and a serial interface
board, both optional. (More on interfaces later.)

■ Removing the printer cover

The printer’s cover is important for two reasons – it keeps
dust and dirt away from the printer’s delicate mechanism, and it

absorbs nearly all of the printer’s operating sounds. Don’t take
off the cover unless you have to change the ribbon or make an
adjustment.

To remove the cover, lift up the back of the cover to
disengage the three tabs at the front, then lift it off the rest of
the way. To replace the cover, 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.

I

—

3

r

I

Figure 1-2.

■ Removing the packing tube

The printer is shipped with a protective spiral tube to keep
the print head from being damaged during shipping. This tube
must be removed before use. First, take off the printer cover.
The protective tube is split along its bottom side to allow easy
removal. Grasp one end of the spiral tube and firmly pull it up­ward and away from the carriage rail.

Remo;e the printer coverby liftingcarefully.

-1

—~

I

~igure 1-3.

Removethe protectivetube fromthe carriagerail.

4

slips down into its proper place between the print head

■ Installing the ribbon cartridge

This printer uses a neat, easy-to-change ribbon cartridge with

automatic threading. To fit or change the ribbon cartridge:

1. Turn o~~the power and remove the printer cover.

2. 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.

3. Set the release lever to either single sheet (~) or
sprocket-feed paper (h).

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

I

Figure 1-4. Press the cartridgeintoplaceuntilthe holdingsprings

.— ...—

snapintoplace.

,5. Check that the cartridge fits so that the drive pins

engage the cartridge teeth, by turning the ribbon ad­vance knob. Advance the ribbon to take up any slack.

6. Gently slide the print head carriage manually all the
way to your right or left until the ribbon automatically

~—-..-.–.

print

head

!3

]

,

guide

ibbon

1

L———....—.

Figure 1-5. To thread the ribbon, slide the print head carriage

manually to the right or left, and the ribbon will slip down by itself into
its proper position.

7. Replace the printer cover. (A switch on the printer

prevents the printer from operating when the cover is
off.)

9 Installing the interface board

A parallel interface board comes standard with your printer.
In addition, there are two optional interface (1/F)boards: a serial
interface board that lets you connect to a serial (RS-232C)com­puter port; and the other board contains extra buffer memory
for parallel output. All three boards are installed the same way.

To install or change an I/F board, turn off the power and turn
the printer around. Notice the snap-on cover at the left end.
Take it off by sliding it upwards.

Fit the I/F board into the side slots and slide it all the way
down (don’t force it). Make sure that the board connector is
seated snugly in its socket. Put the cover back on and connect
the cable from your computer – you’re ready to go.

J

6

I

terface board

~

~igure 1-6.

Slidethe I/F board into the slot.

CHAPTER 2

GETTING TO KNOW

YOUR PRINTER

Subjectscoveredin Chapter2 include–

● Partsof theprinter—whatthey’reforandhow

to use them
. Paperselectionandloading
. Adjustment

● Testingprinteroperation

CONTROLS AND PARTS OF THE PRINTER

H Parts of the printer
PRINTERCOVER – This protects the ribbon and the print

head from dust and dirt, and cuts down the sound of the printer.

‘PAPER GUIDE – This flat plastic molding guide has two

functions, depending on what kind of paper you are using. If you
are using single sheets, the guide is propped up on top of the
printer, and serves as a guide. If you are using sprocket-feed
paper, the guide is reversed and laid flat on top of the printer,
and serves as a paper separator.
POWERCORD– 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 device that does the actual print­ing. Like the strike lever in a typewriter, tiny pins in the print
head hit the paper through a ribbon.
TRACTOR FEED UNIT – The drive gear and sprockets of
the tractor feed unit move sprocket-feed paper through the
printer.
PLATEN – This is the rubber cylinder that carries paper to
the print head.

8

1

I

!
I

Power switch

_.J

Figu;e2-1.

Front and rear viewsof the printer.

INTERFACE COVER – On the back of the printer, this

cover conceals and protects the interface board. The cover is
cut away to expose the external connector to which you attach
your computer cable.

1-

——

9 Controls and indicators

Now let’s go over the controls and indicators of the printer,
starting with the control panel on the right. There are nine in­dicators and five keys on the control panel.

,,------

I

L.. . .—.–- .. .. .. .. ---- .. . .----..4

Figure 2-2. The control panel.

POWERINDICATOR– Glowsgreen when the power is on.
PE INDICATOR – Stands for “Paper Empty”, and glows red
when the printer runs out of paper and when certain printer
malfunctions occur.
MODE INDICATORS – Either DRAFT or NLQ glows
green to indicate the mode (set by the Mode key or the DIP
switch).
MODE KEY – Changes the print mode every time it is press­ed when the On Line indicator is off.
PITCH INDICATORS — Shows the character pitch current­ly set: Proportional (PROP), Pica (136 characters/line), Elite
(163 characters/line), or Pica condensed (233 characters/line).

PRINT PITCH KEY – Selects one of the four available

character pitches when the On Line indicator is off.
TOF KEY – Ejects the current sheet, feeds a new sheet, and
moves the print head to the left margin when the On Line in­dicator is off.
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
get consecutive line feeds.
ON LINE KEY and INDICATOR – Glows green when the
printer is ready to receive data from your computer (on line).
When the printer is offline, it sends a signal to the computer in­dicating that it cannot accept data. Pressing the On Line key
switches the printer between on line and off line. When you turn
the power switch on, the printer is placed on line automatically.

9

!

I

I

10

■ Extra functions

There are eleven more functions that are not directly
specified on the control panel. You can access six of them by
pressing one particular key when you turn on the power; five
others are activated by pressing two control keys at once.

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

■ Other controls

There are other controls, not connected to the control panel.

Some of the more important ones are:
POWER SWITCH – The switch that turns the printer on

and off 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, like a typewriter.
Caution:Turn the platen knob only with the Power switch oJJ.

Turning the knob with the power on could damage the
drive gears.

RELEASE LEVER – The release lever is on top of the

printer, near the left rear corner. 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 sprocket-feed paper, and the
bottom one is used when adjusting the paper.
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 – There are one set of ten switches and one
set of six switches that are used in interfacing the printer to
your particular computer. There are also switches to set page

length, line spacing, and perforation skipping. See Appendix A

for a complete list and explanation.

SELECTINGAND LOADING PAPER

. .

Your printer handles two basic types of paper – single sheets
(stationery, envelopes, multipart business forms, etc.) and con-

tinuous paper (fan-fold perforated paper).

The release lever controls the pressure of the paper against

the platen. It has four settings:

~– The top setting is used when you want to load paper in

the printer.

11

h – The second setting is for normal single sheets.
& – The third is for sprocket-feed paper.

# – The bottom 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

~

Figure 2-3. Use frictionfeed for singlesheetsand tractor feed for

—.

Release lever

\

Paper bail

‘--”’1

...2

continuouspaper.

■ Loading single sheets

Instead of feeding the paper in

manudy by turning the platen

knob, you can use the release lever for automatic feeding (the
printer must be turned on). Single sheets from 6 to 14.5 inches
wide can be used and the paper guide must be fitted:

I

I

1. Flip the clamp levers backward hnd move the
sprockets and sheet guides on the tractor feed unit all
the way to the ends.

2. 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.

1 ,>

Slidingadjuster

Figure 2-4. Raise the paper guidefor load~ngsin~lesheets.

Insert the guide stand in the notches provided for it

3.

Paper guide

Sheet guide

and prop up the paper guide.
Position the adjuster at the triangle marked on the

4.

guide for standard margins, or set it according to your
own requirements.
Set the release lever for single sheets – the second

5.

position from the top.

‘1

J

1

L

Figure 2-5.

the notches provided for it.

Prop up the paper guide by inserting the guide stand in

~----

!
~

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

6.

Turn on the power switch. (The Paper Empty in-

7.

dicator will glow because there is no paper.)
Now set the release lever to the auto-feed setting – the

8.

top position. The printer will advance the paper
automatically.
When the paper stops, set the release lever for single

9.

sheets again.

13

Figure 2-6. Youcaninserta sheetofpaperautomaticallybyusing

the releaselever.

To align paper that is not in straight–
“ Set the release lever to the adjustment setting.

● Straighten the paper and adjust it for the margins you

want.

. Move the release lever back to its original setting.

Remember, you can also use the optional automatic sheet

feeder for single sheets.

■ Loading sprocket-feed paper

This is standard 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 inches, and up to 15.5 inches wide.

14

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

sprocket-feed paper.

2. If the paper guide is installed, remove it, and put it
aside for a moment.

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.

r-

1

—

L.

Figure 2-7.

Flip the clamp levers backward. This allows the two

5.

sprocket units to move freely right and left so you can

align them with the holes in the paper.

Feed the end of the paper into the slot next to the

6.

platen cover plate.

Fit the holes in the paper over the sprocket pins so the

7.

paper is even, and clamp the sprocket units in place.

Check that the paper is still positioned correctly, and

8.

close the sprocket covers (Figure 2-8).
Set the release lever to the auto-feed setting. The

9.

printer will advance the paper automatically.
When the paper stops, set the release lever for

10.

sprocket-feed paper again.

Install the paper guide on the printer. See Figure 2-9

11.
for details. When used with sprocket-feed paper, the
guide is turned around and laid flat on top of the

printer as a paper separator. Make sure that the tabs
on the guide fit into their receivers.

Openthe sprocketcoverstoexposethesprocketteeth.

I

—

15

~–—-

L ——... —-—–

Figure 2-8.

correctly.

“--““1

Closethesprocketcoverswhenthe paperispositioned

L.—— —---

Figure 2-91 Readyto loadthesprocket-feedpaper.Notetherever~

ed positionof the paper guide.

16

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

Release lever

\

Adjustment lever

\4

F

0

&

-“ —

$

-—

Figure 2-10.

of paper.

—. .

The adjustment lever allows for different thicknesses

.

Figure 2-11.

The self-tests show you what the printer can print.

17

lever (Figure 2-10). Pulling the adjustment lever towards you

wicle~ tkie gap; pushing it away from you will narrow the

will.

,--.--,

,%a.$l.

‘~~ere are four positions; you can feel the lever clicking into

the various notches. The first step (shown) is the one most com-

mordy used for single sheets of paper.

Try different positions until you get the best printing results.

TESTING THE PRINTER

your prln~er has two built-in

programs that l?rintout 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.

.,,~’::,.-,.– ., ?-m,... , :

,

18

You can print the self-test without hooking up the printer to

your computer. Simply:

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)

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

off the power switch.

CONNECTING THE PRINTER

Now that you’veassembled and tested your printer, allthat re-

mains is to connect it to your computer as follows:

~--”” ‘---”—--”-””-

L...__..

Figure 2-12. Connectthe cablelikethis.

—1

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

2. Connect the printer end of the interface cable to the
connector socket at the right rear of the printer as

shown in Figure 2-12.

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

19

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20

MEMO

—

CHAPTER 3

USING THE PRINTER

WITH COMMERCIAL

SOFTWARE

Subjectscoveredin Chapter3 include–

● Usingcommercialsoftware

● Controllingthe printerwiththe Panelmode

USING COMMERCIAL SOFTWARE

Many of you purchased this printer to use with commercial
software. You made a good choice because this printer is com­patible with most commercial programs, from word processing
programs to spreadsheet programs to accounting programs.

Many of these programs have a routine for describing your
printer. These routines are often in “installation programs”.
They typically give you”a choice of printers or printer types to
pick from. Some typical descriptions that you might pick for
this printer are:
matrix printer”, “Centronics-type printer”, “Dot matrix
printer” or “Epson FX series”. This printer should work fine
with any of these descriptions.

Some printer lists are ,not very clear, and may not include
anything that you think describes this printer. If you can’t
decide which description best fits this printer, we recommend
that you narrow the list to two or three choices (you can quickly
eliminate all the daisy-wheel printer types) and then experi­ment. You won’t hurt anything if you guess wrong; it just won’t

work correctly. This should quickly tell you if your guess is

right. If all else fails, though, your printer dealer will be happy
to give you some advice.

Some programs don’t ask you what kind of printer you have,
but instead ask some questions about what your printer can do.
The answers to the “most asked” questions are: Yes – this
printer
ware form feed”.

can do a “backspace”, and this printer can do a “hard-

“TTY type printer with backspace”, “IBM-dot

ASCII

22

With these questions answered, you are ready to start print-

ing. Read the manual that came with your commercial software
and the next Chapter to see how to make it send information for
this printer to print. This is all you need to know to use this
printer as a regular printer. But this printer isn’t just a regular
printer. This printer has many capabilities that your commercial
software isn’t aware of. We willsee what it takes to use some of
the printer’s advanced features with commercial software in the
next section.

WORD PROCESSINGWITH THE PRINTER

Not many word processing programs directly support all of
the advanced features of printers. They usually provide a
method for using a few of the more common print features such

as boldface and underlining. But as you are probably beginning
to see from this manual, this printer can do much more than
that.

As a result, most word processing programs provide a way of
sending special codes to a printer. The actual codes used (as
well as the method of entering them) will vary different soft­ware. The theory behind these methods, however, is basically
the same.

This section discusses two word processing programs and one
spreadsheet program most used by printer owners. The pro­grams also pro~-ide a variety of ways to enter the codes
necessary to use the advanced features of this printer. These
concepts can be applied to many other programs besides those
detailed here. The programs are:

EasyWriter II
WordStar
Lotus 1-2-3

If your software program is not included in this Chapter, you
should still study the different techniques used. Then, with the
help of your program manual and the supporting chapters in this

manual, you should be able to figure out how yours works.

GENERALCONCEPTS

Each word processing program has a way to get out of the