Star Micronics TSP200 Series Technical Manual

THERMAL PRINTER

TSP200 Series

TECHNICAL MANUAL

[SECOND EDITION]

NOTICE

• All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this manual in any form whatsoever,

without STAR’s express permission, is strictly forbidden.

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

• All efforts have been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents of this manual at the time

of printing. However, should any errors be found, STAR would greatly appreciate being
informed of them.

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

manual.

© Copyright 1997 Star Micronics Co., LTD.

INTRODUCTION

This manual describes the thermal printer TSP200 series.
It is designed for use as a reference for periodic inspections and maintenance procedures to be executed by
service personnel. It is not intended for the general user. Users of this manual should have a basic knowledge
and understanding of the English language.

• This manual is comprised of the following chapters.

Chapter 1 Specifications and Operation
Chapter 2 Theory of Operation
Chapter 3 Parts Replacement and Related Adjustments
Chapter 4 Maintenance and Lubrication
Chapter 5 Parts Lists

• First edition : Mar. 1997

Second edition : Aug. 1999

■ Model Name

TSP 2 1 2 — 120

Voltage
24 : 24VDC

120 : 120VAC
230 : 230VAC

Mechanism type
2: 48 columns
Printer type
1: Standard

4: With auto-cutter
TSP200-series thermal printer

5

1

4

3

2

CHAPTER 1

SPECIFICATIONS AND OPERATION

1. General Specifications..........................................................................................3

2. External Appearance.............................................................................................4

3. DIP-Switch Settings ..............................................................................................5

4. Using the control panel to adjust the sensors, select the head rank, and set

the memory switches............................................................................................

6

5. Running a test print ..............................................................................................8

6. HEX dump mode....................................................................................................8

1

– 2 –

SPECIFICATIONS AND OPERATION

– 3 –

SPECIFICATIONS AND OPERATION

158mm

193mm

234mm(TSP242-120/230)

239mm(TSP242-24)

158mm

193mm

234mm(TSP212-120/230)

239mm(TSP212-24)

(TSP212) (TSP242)

Fig. 1-1 External Dimensions

1. General Specifications

Printing method Line thermal direct
Resolution 8 dots/mm (H) × 8 dots/mm (V)
Printable width 72 mm
Printing speeds 50 mm/sec (max.)
Printable characters ANK, International
Bar codes JAN, EAN, UPC, Code 39, ITF, Code 128, Code 93, NW-7
Character matrix 12 × 24 dots
Interfaces RS-232C, Parallel
Dimensions TSP212-120/230 : 158(W) × 234(D) × 193(H) mm

TSP242-120/230 : 158(W) × 234(D) × 193(H) mm
TSP212-24 : 158(W) × 239(D) × 193(H) mm
TSP242-24 : 158(W) × 239(D) × 193(H) mm

Weight TSP212-120/230 : 2.8kg

TSP242-120-230 : 3.0kg
TSP212-24 : 1.8kg
TSP242-24 : 2.0kg
AC adapter : 350g

AC cable : 150g
Power AC120V, AC230V, DC24V
Power consumption Max. 43 W Avg. 19W (During continuous printing of ASCII characters)
Operating environment +5˚C ~ +40˚C

25% ~ 85% RH
Storage environment –20˚C ~ +60˚C

10% ~ 90% RH
Automatic paper cutter

Life 300, 000 cuts
Min. cut length 25.4mm (1 inch)

– 4 –

SPECIFICATIONS AND OPERATION

Features two control
switches and two
indicators to indicate
printer status.

Control panel

Plugs into an outlet of
the specified voltage.
Shape of AC power plug
will vary according to
destinations.

AC power cord

Connects the printer
with host computer.

Interface connector

Connects to peripheral units such
as cash drawers, etc.
Do not connect this to a telephone.

Peripheral unit drive circuit connector

Protects the printer from
dust and reduces noise.
Do not open the cover
while printing.

Printer cover

[ TSP200-120/230 ]

2. External Appearance

Fig. 1-2 External Appearance

For connection of the AC adapter.
Never unplug the AC adapter
while the printer is on.

AC adapter cable connector

[ TSP200-24 ]

– 5 –

SPECIFICATIONS AND OPERATION

8141

ON

OFF

DIP switch 1

DIP switch

DIP switch 2

Power off

3. DIP-Switch Settings

Be sure to turn the power to both the printer and host computer off before changing the setting of the DIP
switches.

Fig.1-3 DIP switch array

DIP switch #1
The factory settings of DIP switch 1 are all on.

Switch Contents ON OFF

1-1 Baud Rate
1-2
1-3 Data Length 8 bit 7 bit
1-4 Parity Check Disabled Enabled
1-5 Parity Selection Odd Even
1-6 Handshake DTR/DSR XON/XOFF
1-7 Operating Mode Star ESC/POS
1-8 Interface RS232C Parallel

Baud Rate 1-1 1-2
2400BPS OFF OFF
4800BPS ON OFF
9600BPS ON ON
19200BPS OFF ON

DIP Switch #2
Factory settings: 2-1 and 2-2 are on; 2-3 and 2-4 are off.

Switch Contents ON OFF

2-1 Print Density
2-2
2-3 Serial I/F No. 6 Pin Reset Signal Enabled Disabled
2-4 Serial I/F No. 9 Pin Reset Signal Enabled Disabled

Print Density 2-1 2-2
Light OFF OFF
Standard ON ON
Somewhat Heavy ON OFF
Heavy OFF ON

– 6 –

SPECIFICATIONS AND OPERATION

Buzzer beeps 1 time.

Press both

switches.

Start

Buzzer beeps twice.

Buzzer beeps 3 times.

Buzzer beeps 4 times.

Buzzer beeps 5 times.

Release within 2 seconds.

Enters "Adjust Paper-Out Sensor" mode.

Release within 2 seconds.

Enters "Adjust Paper-Near-End Sensor"
mode.

Continue to
hold down.

Both switches

Release within 2 seconds.

Enters "Set Head Rank" mode.

Continue to
hold down.

Both switches

Release within 2 seconds.

Resets, then executes test print.

Continue to
hold down.

Both switches.

Release within 2 seconds.

Enters "Set Memory Switches" mode.

Continue to
hold down.

Both switches

Continue to
hold down.

4. Using the control panel to adjust the sensors, select the head rank, and set the
memory switches.

Hold down the FEED and ONLINE switches while setting power on, then continue to hold the switches down for the time
necessary to enter the required mode, as indicated below.

– 7 –

SPECIFICATIONS AND OPERATION

(1) “Adjust Paper-Out Sensor” mode.
Adjustment is not necessary if the ONLINE lamp is ON when you enter this mode. If the lamp is OFF, the turn VR1
clockwise until it the lamp comes ON.
To exit this mode, press ONLINE. To move back to the start of the sequence, press both ONLINE and FEED at the same
time.
Please be sure that paper is inserted before entering this mode.

(2) “Adjust Paper-Near-End Sensor” mode
When you enter this mode, the POWER lamp will be lit if the near-end sensor is detecting paper. The lamp will be off
if no paper is detected.
To exit the mode, press ONLINE. To move back to the start of the sequence, press both ONLINE and FEED at the same
time.

(3) “Set Head Rank” mode
When you enter the mode, the ONLINE and POWER lamps will both be OFF. Press the FEED switch as necessary to
select the desired rank. The rank is indicated by the ONLINE and POWER lamp pattern, which changes each time you
press the switch. The change sequence is indicated below. (Note that you can move back to the start of the sequence by
pressing the ONLINE and FEED switches at the same time.)

ONLINE lamp FEED lamp Head Rank

OFF OFF A
OFF ON B

ON OFF C
ON ON C

(4) “Set Memory Switches” mode

1 When you first enter this mode, memory switch 0 is selected. You can change the selection by pressing FEED

as many times as necessary. Specifically, the selection cycle is 0 -> 1 -> 2 -> 3 -> 4 -> 0 -> 1 ->... In other words,
press 0 times to select Switch 0, 1 time to select Switch 1, and so on.

2 Press ONLINE once to confirm your selection. The buzzer beeps one time in response.
3 Set a value for each bit in turn, starting from Bit F and proceeding sequentially to Bit 0. Note that the lamps

indicate each bit’s current value: ONLINE lamp ON means that the current value is “1”, while POWER lamp
ON means that the current value is “1”.
To set to 0: Press FEED. (The buzzer will beep once.)
To set to 1: Press ONLINE. (The buzzer will beep once.)
When you complete setting of Bit 0, the buzzer will beep again.

4 When you have set all bit values and are ready to enter the new value, press the ONLINE switch. The buzzer

beeps once and the value is written to memory.
If you wish to cancel your changes, press the FEED switch instead. The buzzer will beep twice and the process
will return to the beginning of Step (3) above.

5 Press the ONLINE and FEED switches at the same time to move back to the start of the sequence.

– 8 –

SPECIFICATIONS AND OPERATION

5. Running a test print

To generate a test print, hold down the FEED switch while setting the power on.

6. HEX dump mode

To enter HEX dump mode, hold down the ONLINE switch while setting the power on, and then release the switch after
the buzzer beeps once.
When this mode is active, all data sent from the host will be printed in HEX form.

CHAPTER 2

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

This chapter describes the operating principles of the circuitry and printer mechanism.

1. Block Diagram .....................................................................................................11

2. Interface ...............................................................................................................13

2-1. Interface Types ..................................................................................................... 13

2-1-1. RS232 interface ................................................................................................ 13

2-1-2. Parallel interface............................................................................................... 14

2-2. Data Arrangement and Printing........................................................................... 15

2-2-1. Arrangement ..................................................................................................... 15

2-2-2. Thermal printhead ............................................................................................ 15

2-2-3. Head current control ........................................................................................ 16

2-2-4. Head current control ........................................................................................ 18

2-2-5. Head burnout protection ................................................................................. 18

2-3. Feed-Motor Drive Circuit...................................................................................... 19

2-4. Power-On Reset Circuit ....................................................................................... 21

2-5. +5V Line Voltage Detector Circuit ....................................................................... 22

3. Printer Mechanism .............................................................................................. 23

3-1. Thermal Printhead ................................................................................................ 23

3-2. Paper-Feed Mechanism ....................................................................................... 23

3-3. Detectors ............................................................................................................... 24

3-4. Auto-Cutter Drive circuit (on TSP242-24/120/230 only) .................................... 25

2

– 10 –

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

– 11 –

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

1. Block Diagram

The following diagram illustrates the relation between the main logic board and its peripherals.

Fig. 2-1 Block Diagram

Host computer

Host computer

Parallel I/F

Main Logic Board

RS232C I/F

Gate array

CPU

EEPROM

Head driver

Lamp

Dipswitch

Motor driver

Cutter driver

Sensor circuit

EPROM
256K × 8 bits

PSRAM
128K × 8 bits

Kanji ROM
512K × 8 bits

Peripheral unit

driver

Switch

Thermal

head

Printer mechanism

Paper-feed

motor

Auto-cutter

Sensor

Peripheral unit

5V 24V

Power supply unit

– 12 –

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

(1) Main Logic Board

The main logic board’s CPU passes data transmitted from the host computer into the local RAM. It then reads the data
from the RAM, arranges it in accordance with the ROM program, and prints the results by issuing appropriate drive signals
to the printer mechanism.

[Block Descriptions]
a. CPU: HD6413002F16

CMOS single-chip computer.
Controls overall printer operation.

b. EPROM: 256K × 8 bits

Stores the CPU control program.

c. PSRAM: 128K × 8 bits

Work area and data buffer.

d. EEPROM: 1024 bits

Stores printer settings. Settings can be changed by software. (Used in place of dip switches.)

e. Interface

Interfaces the main board with the host computer.
Two versions available: RS232C and Centronics.

f. Gate array

Handles signal input, output, and conversions.

g. Drivers

The various drivers convert signals received from the CPU and gate array into drive signals that directly control
the printer mechanism.

(2) Printer Mechanism

Comprised of thermal head, platen, paper-feed motor, auto-cutter, and sensor mechanism.

(3) Power Supply Unit

Converts primary power to DC5V, DC24V.

(4) Peripheral Unit

External device (such as cash drawer) driven by signals issued from the main logic board.

– 13 –

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

RXD

TXD
DSR
DTR

RTS

FAULT

INIT

CN6

IC10

ADM232LJR

Dipswitch 2-4

IC1 CPU

Dipswitch 2-3

RXD 0
TXD 0
P93
P91

P94

Comparator

TTL
232C

TTL
232C

Comparator

2. Interface

2-1. Interface Types

2-1-1. RS232 interface

Fig. 2-2 Serial Interface

Data flow from host to printer: IC10 receives serial data from the host through RXD, converts the voltage level from

RS232C to TTL, and passes the result to the CPU. The CPU converts the serial data to
parallel form and stores the result into buffer memory.

Data flow from printer to host: The CPU generates the data, converts it into serial form, then passes it to IC10. IC10

converts the level from TTL to RS232C and outputs the result over the TXD line.

– 14 –

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

2-1-2. Parallel interface

Fig. 2-3 Parallel interface

When the printer is ready (BUSY is LOW), the host computer transmits eight bits of parallel data (DATA1,...,DATA8)
to CN4. The data passes through the gate array and moves into the CPU.

Printer signals from the CPU (ACK, ERROR, SELECT, PAPER OUT, etc.) pass through the gate array and are output
over the appropriate connector pins.

DATA 1

DATA 2

DARA 3

DATA 4

DATA 5

DARA 6

DATA 7

DATA 8

STROBE

BUSY

ACK

ERROR

SELECT

PAPER OUT

CN4

CPU

IC1

Gate array

IC4

LS05

CD0

CD1

CD2

CD3

CD4

CD5

CD6

CD7

CSTB

BUSY

ACK

ERROR

SELECT

POUT

IC5

– 15 –

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

2-2. Data Arrangement and Printing

2-2-1. Arrangement

The CPU reads data sequentially from RAM and arranges this data in accordance with program instructions stored in
EPROM. The arranged data is then converted from parallel to serial form. The gate array then outputs the resulting serial
data to the drive controller in the thermal printhead.

2-2-2. Thermal printhead

The thermal printhead has 576 heat elements. Printing is executed by switching these elements ON and OFF as required.
The printhead contains a built-in dedicated drive controller. The controller consists of shift register, latch circuit, and
driver circuit, as illustrated below. The controller receives serial data (SI) from the gate array in sync with the CLK signal.
It latches this incoming data (by LATCH signal), then outputs the data to the elements in sync with the falling edge of
the STROBE signal. A data value of LOW corresponds to an element value of ON (generating print).

Fig. 2-4 Drive Circuitry of Thermal Printhead

B. E. O
LATCH

CLOCK

STROBE4
STROBE3
STROBE2
STROBE1

V

H

DATE IN

(SI)

SO

R576 R1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

– 16 –

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

Fig. 2-5 Block Diagram of Drive IC

2-2-3. Head current control

Although the thermal printhead has four different STROBE lines, in fact it uses only three strobe signals to control its 576
elements. Specifically, each signal drives 192 of these elements. The signal/element arrangement is shown below.

Thermal Printhead Elements Strobe Signal

STROBE1 1 – 192 STB1
STROBE2 193 – 256

STB2

STROBE3 257 – 384
STROBE4 385 – 576 STB3

DO1

GND

H

V

DD

SO

DO2

V

DD

GND

L

STB

BEO

D

Q

L

C

Q

D

D

Q

L

C

Q

D

DO3

D

Q

L

C

Q

D

VDD
CHECKER

LAT

SI

CLK

CTL

DO62 DO63

D

Q

L

C

Q

D

D

Q

L

C

Q

D

DO64

D

Q

L

C

Q

D

BUFFER

LATCH

SHIFT
REGISTER

– 17 –

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

Strobe signals are output in one of five patterns, depending on the number of dot lines that are simultaneously ON.
The following table shows each of the patterns.
Figure 2-7 shows the timing for Pattern (5).

Strobe Signal Output

Pattern

STB1 STB2 STB3

0 STB1+STB2+STB3 384

1

193 STB1+STB2+STB3 384
STB1+STB2 192

2

193 STB1+STB2+STB3 384
STB1+STB3 192

3

193 STB1+STB2+STB3 384
STB2+STB3 192

4

385 STB1+STB2+STB3 576

5

STB1: Number of ON elements in element range 1 to 192.
STB2: Number of ON elements in element range 193 to 384.
STB3: Number of ON elements in element range 385 to 576.

Fig. 2-6 Strobe Signal Output Patterns for Different Print Rates

STB1

STB2

STB3

STB1

STB2

STB3

STB1

STB2

STB3

STB1

STB2

STB3

STB1

STB2

STB3

Number of ON Elements per Dot Line

– 18 –

PRINCIPLES OF OPERATION

Fig. 2-7 Timing Chart

2-2-4. Head current control

Heat buildup in the thermal printhead can cause print quality to degrade. To maintain uniform quality, the printer varies
the energizing time (time that STROBE remains LOW) in accordance with the head temperature.
The print head’s surface temperature is calculated based on the resistance value of the attached thermistor, and energizing
time is controlled accordingly.

2-2-5. Head burnout protection

Misoperation of the CPU may cause head current to remain on too long, resulting in burn damage to the elements unless
current is shut off by other means. The printer therefore includes a burnout protection circuit that automatically forces
current off at some fixed time tw following current startup. Control is implemented through the head’s BEO terminal,
which is active on HIGH; setting the terminal LOW forces current off regardless of the STROBE state.

Fig. 2-8 Head Burnout Protection Circuit

24V

CLOCK

LATCH

COMMON

STB1

STB2

STB3

SI

HD ON

+5V

tw=(C

EXT

) (R

EXT

)

IC1

CPU

C

EXTREXT

B BEOQ

IC6

CN6