Zebra KDU Plus User's Guide

Zebra® KDU Plus™

User’s Manual

ii

980548 -001 Re v. A KDU Plus™ Use r’s Manual 6/12/06

© 2006 ZIH Corp. The copyrights in this manual and the software and/or firmware in the
label printer described therein are owned by ZIH Corp. Unauthorized reproduction of this
manual or the software and/or firmware in the label printer may result in imprisonment of up
to one year and fines of up to $10,000 (17 U.S.C.506). Copyright violators may be subject to
civil liability.

®

This product may contain ZPL
Equalizer

®

Circuit; E3®; and Monotype Imaging fonts. Software © ZIH Corp. All rights

, ZPL II®, and ZebraLink™ programs; Element Energy

reserved worldwide.

iii

ZebraLink and all product names and numbers are trademarks, and Zebra, the Zebra logo,
ZPL, ZPL II, Element Energy Equalizer Circuit, and E

3

Circuit are registered trademarks of

ZIH Corp. All rights reserved worldwide.

All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders. For
additional trademark information, please see “Trademarks” on the product CD.

Proprietary Statement This manual contains proprietary information of Zebra
Technologies Corporation and its subsidiaries (“Zebra Technologies”). It is intended solely for
the information and use of parties operating and maintaining the equipment described herein.
Such proprietary information may not be used, reproduced, or disclosed to any other parties
for any other purpose without the express, written permission of Zebra Technologies.

Product Improvements Continuous improvement of products is a policy of Zebra
Technologies. All specifications and designs are subject to change without notice.

Liability Disclaimer Zebra Technologies takes steps to ensure that its published
Engineering specifications and manuals are correct; however, errors do occur. Zebra
Technologies reserves the right to correct any such errors and disclaims liability resulting
therefrom.

Limitation of Liability In no event shall Zebra Technologies or anyone else involved in the
creation, production, or delivery of the accompanying product (including hardware and
software) be liable for any damages whatsoever (including, without limitation, consequential
damages including loss of business profits, business interruption, or loss of business
information) arising out of the use of, the results of use of, or inability to use such product,
even if Zebra Technologies has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some
jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages,
so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you.

Part Number: 980548-001 Rev. A

6/12/06 KDU Plus User’s Manual 980548-001 Rev. A

iv

FCC Compliance Statement

This device complies with Part 15 rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:

1. This device may not cause harmful interference, and

2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for Class B Digital
Devices, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a residential
environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if
not installed and used in accordance with the product manuals, may cause harmful interference
to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television
reception, the user is encouraged to do one or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver
is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

The user is cautioned that any changes or modifications not expressly approved by Zebra
Technologies could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. To ensure compliance,
this printer must be used with fully shielded communication cables.

Canadian DOC Compliance Statement

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.

980548 -001 Re v. A KDU Plus User’s Manua l 6/12/06

Preface

This section provides you with contact information, document structure and organization, and
additional reference documents.

Contents

Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Document Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Environmental Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

6/12/06 KDU Plus User’s Manual 980548-001 Rev. A

Preface

vi

Contacts

Contacts

Web Site

The Americas

You can contact Zebra Technologies at the following:

http://www.zebra.com

Technical Support via the Internet is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Go to

http://www.zebra.com/support.

Regional Headquarters Technical Support Customer Service Dept.

Zebra Technologies International,
LLC
333 Corporate Woods Parkway
Vernon Hills, Illinois 60061.3109
U.S.A
T: [phone]
Toll-free [phone]
F: [phone]

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

Hardware: [e-mail]
Software: [e-mail]

For printers, parts, media, and ribbon,
please call your distributor, or
contact us.

T: [phone]
E: [e-mail]

Europe, Africa, Middle East, and India

Regional Headquarters Technical Support Internal Sales Dept.

Zebra Technologies Europe Limited
Zebra House
The Valley Centre, Gordon Road
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire HP13 6EQ, UK

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

T: [phone]
F: [phone]
Germany: [e-mail]
France: [e-mail]
Spain/Portugal: [e-mail]
All other areas: [e-mail]

Asia Pacific

Regional Headquarters Technical Support Customer Service

Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific, LLC
16 New Industrial Road
#05-03 Hudson TechnoCentre
Singapore 536204

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

T: [phone]
F: [phone]
E: [e-mail]

For printers, parts, media, and ribbon,
please call your distributor, or
contact us.

T: [phone]
F: [phone]
E: [e-mail]

For printers, parts, media, and ribbon,
please call your distributor, or
contact us.

T: [phone]
F: [phone]

980548 -001 Re v. A KDU Plus User’s Manua l 6/12/06

Document Conventions

The following conventions are used throughout this document to convey certain information:

Alternate Color (online only) Cross-references contain links to other sections in this guide.
If you are viewing this guide online, click the blue text to jump to its location.

Command Line Examples All command line examples appear in Courier New font.
For example, type the following to get to the Post-Install scripts in the

Ztools

Files and Directories All file names and directories appear in Courier New font. For
example, the

Icons Used

Caution • Warns you of a potential electric shock situation.

<version number>.tar file and the /root directory.

Preface

Document Conventions

bin directory:

vii

Caution • Advises you that failure to take or avoid a specific action could result in physical
harm to you.

Important •

Note • Indicates neutral or positive information that emphasizes or supplements important

points of the main text.

Advises you of information that is essential to complete a task.

Environmental Management

Do not dispose of this product in unsorted municipal waste. This product is recyclable, and
should be recycled according to your local standards.

For more information, please see our website at:

Web address: www.zebra.com/environment

Related Documents

The following documents might be helpful references:

®

• ZPL II

• EPL™ Programmer’s Manual

6/12/06 KDU Plus User’s Manual 980548-001 Rev. A

Programming Guide Volume I and Vol um e I I

Preface

viii

Related Documents

980548 -001 Re v. A KDU Plus User’s Manua l 6/12/06

Contents

Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Web Site. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

The Americas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Europe, Africa, Middle East, and India. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Asia Pacific. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi

Document Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Environmental Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .vii

1 • Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

What’s in the box? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

KDU Plus Features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Operational Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2 • Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Basic Hardware Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

KDU Plus Printer Interface Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Operational Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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x

Contents

3 • Setup Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Entering Setup Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Saving Setup Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Setup Mode Menu Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Operational Mode Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Keyboard Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Port Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Terminal Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Auto-Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Factory Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Exiting Setup Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

4 • EPL Forms Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Forms Mode Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

F2 - List Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Form - Form Retrieval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Printing Forms without Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Printing Forms with Variables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

5 • ZPL Forms Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Forms Mode Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

F2 - List Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Form - Form Retrieval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

ZPL Forms Mode Memory and Programming Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Printing Forms without Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Printing Forms with Variables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

6 • Terminal Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Debugging w ith Terminal Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Troubleshooting - Basic Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

7 • File Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

File Mode - OverView . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Configuring File Mode Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Transferring and Storing Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

KDU Plus - Receiving Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Sending Files to the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

File Download Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Printer File Facts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

KDU Plus - File Deletion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

File Catalog Error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

980548 -001 Re v. A KDU Plus User’s Manua l 6/12/06

Contents

8 • Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

COM/PRINTER Serial Port Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

AUX1 and AUX2 Serial Port Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

PS/2 Style Port (6-Pin DIN) Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

9 • EPL Language Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Language Support Crossreference (Language Strip) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

EPL Programming and Language Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Installing the Language Strip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

10 • External Terminal Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

11 • DOS File Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Windows Command Mode File Transfers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

xi

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xii

Contents

980548 -001 Re v. A KDU Plus User’s Manua l 6/12/06

1

Introduction

Thank you for choosing the Zebra KDU Plus, a keyboard display unit. This manual guides you
through setup and operation of the KDU Plus.

Contents

What’s in the box? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

KDU Plus Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Operational Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

6/12/06 KDU Plus User’s Manual 980548-001 Rev. A

Introduction

2

What’s in the box?

What’s in the box?

Save the carton in case you need to ship or store the KDU Plus later. After unpacking, make
sure you have all parts.

KDU Plus

Software and Documentation Extended Language Character

Overlays

980548 -001 Re v. A KDU Plus User’s Manua l 6/12/06

KDU Plus Features

The following shows the main functional features found on your KDU Plus.

Display (4 rows by 40 character wide)

Introduction

KDU Plus Features

3

QWERTY Keypad

Auxiliary
Serial Port
(AUX 2)

Auxiliary Serial Port (AUX 1)

Printer Serial Port Cable with “Phantom” DC Power

6/12/06 KDU Plus User’s Manual 980548-001 Rev. A

Auxiliary Keypad/Scan Port 6-Pin DIN (PS/2 Scan Set 2 Compatible)

Introduction

4

Operational Modes

Operational Modes

The KDU Plus is factory set to Auto-Detect the attached Zebra printer type. The KDU Plus
automatically sets the interface and modes to match the attached printer. The two
automatically detected modes that the KDU Plus defaults to are Forms and Terminal modes.

The KDU Plus has four basic modes of operation: Setup, Forms, Terminal, and File.

SETUP - After the printer has been attached to the KDU Plus, the KDU Plus can be
reconfigured to support a variety of different interface parameters including operational
modes, serial port settings, and data entry modes.

FORMS MODE - Designed to work with Zebra ZPL and EPL printer models. This mode
emulates earlier KDU models and Zebra EPL printer operations. The KDU Plus has added
support for ZPL printer operation. See the Forms Mode chapter for more details.

Note • Forms Mode is not designed to work with EPL Line Mode printer operations.

980548 -001 Re v. A KDU Plus User’s Manua l 6/12/06

Introduction

Operational Modes

TERMINAL MODE - Terminal Mode’s primary use is to act as an debugging tool for printer
command operations and communications to printers, PC’s and external input devices, such as
scanners.

The KDU Plus in Terminal Mode, immediately sends any data typed in on the KDU Plus to the
attached printer. The data shown on the KDU Plus display is only to provide feedback and
verification of data entered.

Terminal Mode will default to a display that has a single blinking square (the cursor) in the top
left hand corner.

5

FILE MODE - File Mode provides a method to remotely manage and distribute files to one or
more Zebra printers.

The KDU Plus will not by default, remain in the File Mode after turning off the power. See

Operational Mode Selection on page 16 for more details.

6/12/06 KDU Plus User’s Manual 980548-001 Rev. A

Introduction

6

Controls

Controls

The KDU Plus has a QWERTY style keyboard that includes special function and navigation
keys to configure the user and communication interfaces. The KDU Plus is designed to
automatically detect your attached Zebra printer and configure the KDU Plus to default
settings. To change and store modifications to the default settings, use the control buttons
shown below.

Esc - Escape Key

Setup Button

Enter Key

Navigation
“Arrow” Keys

Setup Key - Press the Setup key to access the ‘CHANGE KDU SETTING’ menus. The setup
options allow the user to change the configuration settings or operational modes. The Setup
key is only active when the KDU Plus is in one of the other three operational modes: Forms,
Terminal and File modes.

Esc Key - The Esc (Escape) key operation and function will vary depending upon the KDU
Plus operational mode.

In the Setup Mode, press the Esc key to exit Setup Mode level. Pressing the Esc key, when at
the top level ‘CHANGE KDU SETTING’ Setup mode, will cause the KDU Plus to exit the
Setup Mode and return to the last configured operation mode set prior to entering the Setup
Mode.

In File Mode, the KDU Plus will exit the file management operation selected or in process.

Note • The Esc key will not cause the KDU Plus exit to the File Management mode/screen.

Press the Setup key to to enter the CHANGE KDU SETTING menu and then select
‘OPERATIONAL MODE’ to change to Forms or Terminal operating modes.

980548 -001 Re v. A KDU Plus User’s Manua l 6/12/06

Introduction

Controls

The Esc key in Terminal and Forms mode functions as the Esc key only, sending the
appropriate Escape character for the attached device’s or printer interface.

Navigation Keys - The Navigation ‘Arrow’ keys (UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT) are used to
change selection in Setup and File Modes. The UP and DOWN arrow keys scroll through the
available options. The RIGHT and LEFT arrow keys change the selection group if more than
one exists in the displayed Setup Mode.

In Terminal Mode, the ‘Arrow’ keys move the cursor location without altering text.

Enter Key - The Enter key (or Return key) is pressed to select displayed menu items in the
Setup and File Modes.

7

6/12/06 KDU Plus User’s Manual 980548-001 Rev. A

Introduction

8

Controls

Notes • ___________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________

980548 -001 Re v. A KDU Plus User’s Manua l 6/12/06

2

Installation

This section provides basic installation and configuration instructions for using the KDU Plus.

Hardware interface communication and KDU Plus user preferences are configured with the
Setup operational mode. See “Setup Mode” on page 13.

Contents

Basic Hardware Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

KDU Plus Printer Interface Communication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Operational Modes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

6/12/06 KDU Plus User’s Manual 980548-001 Rev. A

Installation

10

Basic Hardware Installation

The Zebra EPL and ZPL desktop printers have been designed to support the KDU Plus (or
other external devices). The printer has a RS-232 compatible
DC power circuit available for external devices such as scanners and the KDU Plus.

The Zebra ZPL industrial tabletop (work bench) class printer requires hardware
reconfiguration to support the KDU Plus. The printer has a RS-232 compliant
default does not have the 5 Volt DC necessary for external devices such as scanners or the
KDU Plus. The ZPL tabletop printer must be ordered with this optional interface configuration
or reconfigured by an authorized Zebra service representative.

Electric Shock Caution • Printer modifications must be performed by authorized Zebra
service technician. Improper printer configuration or modification could result in damage
to the printer, KDU Plus, or an attached device or may even cause electrical shock.

Basic Hardware Installation

With the printer power OFF, attach the KDU Plus’s printer serial port cable to the printer’s
serial port.

interface that includes a 5 Volt

interface that by

Power OFF

KDU Plus Printer Interface Communication

With the KDU Plus connected to the printer, turn the printer power on.

The KDU Plus will now take up to a minute to detect the Serial port configuration (DTE or
DTC), printer programming language (EPL or ZPL), operating mode (Form or Terminal) and
establish communication between the KDU Plus and the printer.

Serial Port

Important • The printer must be loaded with media (labels), closed and ready to print. For

best results manually calibrate the printer for the media installed in your printer.
The KDU Plus will not Auto-Detect an EPL printer if the printer is not ready to print!

980548 -001 Re v. A KDU Plus User’s Manua l 6/12/06

Operational Modes

The KDU Plus is factory set to Auto-Detect the attached printer cable type. The KDU Plus
automatically sets the interface to match the attached Zebra printer. The serial port settings
may need to be set for proper operation. See “Port Settings” on page 17. The KDU Plus
defaults to auto detect EPL Forms Mode or ZPL Forms Mode.

Internal

Diagnostics

Turn attached printer ON

Installation

Operational Modes

11

Auto-Detect

Detect Serial Port

Configuration

Detect EPL / ZPL

Forms Mode Terminal Mode

No

Yes (Default)

No

Yes

Operator Selected
Operational Mode
(Auto-Detection - Off)

The KDU Plus has four basic modes of operation: Setup, Forms, Terminal, and File.

SETUP - After the printer has been attached to the KDU Plus, the KDU Plus can be

reconfigured to support a variety of different interface parameters including operational
modes, serial port settings, and data entry modes. See the Setup Mode chapter for more details.

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Installation

12

Operational Modes

FORMS MODE - This is the KDU Plus default operating mode. When the Auto-Detect is
enabled, the KDU Plus will try to establish EPL communication and then ZPL
communication. The KDU Plus will count down 60 seconds while continuing to establish
Forms mode operations before initiating Terminal Mode with the serial port set to DTE
communication. If the KDU Plus fails to establish Form Mode operation, then the KDU Plus
will default to Terminal mode.

The CONNECTION status line in the illustration of the Forms Mode screen will show the
printer’s language (EPL or ZPL) and the serial interface (DTE or DCE) or it can have a ‘No
response from printer’ status. If the KDU Plus is forced to one of the Form Modes and Auto­Detect is turned off, the KDU Plus may report on the CONNECTION status line a ‘No
response from printer’ status.

TERMINAL MODE - This is the default mode when the KDU Plus can not communicate
with the printer. Use the Setup mode to change the PRINTER/COM port to DCE
communication for EPL printer communication and other serial port communication
parameters. This mode is used primarily for debugging purposes.

FILE MODE - File Mode must be selected using the Setup Mode. The KDU Plus can startup
in File Mode by turning off Auto-Detect and setting the operational mode to File Mode. Files
can be transferred (for processing by the printer) from a PC (host computer) to the KDU Plus
and from the KDU Plus to a Zebra printer using serial port communications.

File Mode can be used to manage printers by sending files with commands for immediate
processing or files that store Forms in the printer for later retrieval in Forms Mode.

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3

Setup Mode

This section provides detail the use of the Setup Mode to configure your KDU Plus.

KDU Plus Setup mode allows the operator to reconfigure the KDU Plus operation. The
operator can change Operational Mode, Keyboard Settings, Port Settings, Terminal Settings,
Auto-Detection, and Factory Defaults.

Contents

Entering Setup Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Saving Setup Configuration Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Setup Mode Menu Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Operational Mode Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Keyboard Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Port Settings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Terminal Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Auto-Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Factory Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Exiting Setup Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

6/12/06 KDU Plus User’s Manual 980548-001 Rev. A