Transfer Printer Apollo Apollo 1 / Apollo 2 / Apollo 3 Operator's Manual Edition 2/01 Gesellschaft für Tharo Systems, Inc. Computer- und Automations- 2866 Nationwide Parkway Bausteine mbH & Co KG P.O. Box 798 cab Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG Brunswick, OH 44212-0798 Postfach 1904 D-76007 Karlsruhe Web: http://www.tharo.com Wilhelm-Schickard-Str. 14 D-76131 Karlsruhe E-mail: [email protected] Telefon +49 (0) 721 / 66 26-00 Tel. : (330) 273-4408 Telefax +49 (0) 721 / 66 26-249 Fax : (330) 225-0099 Web : http://www.cabgmbh.com e-mail : [email protected] copyright by cab / 900 8085 / L39 / 1 Technische Änderungen vorbehalten In accordance with our policy of continual product improvement, we reserve the right to alter specifications without notice Données technique modifiables sans prévais 2 cab Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG / Tharo Systems, Inc. Apollo TThheerrmmaall TTrraannssffeerr PPrriinntteerr OOppeerraattoorr''ss MMaannuuaall All rights reserved, including those of the translations. No part of this manual nor any translation may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, for any purpose other than the purchaser's personal use, without the express written permission of cab - Produkttechnik GmbH Karlsruhe. Edition 2/01 Printed in Germany cab - Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG / Tharo Systems, Inc. 3 Table of Contents A General Guide to theDocumentation................................................................................8 Operator's Manual.............................................................................................................8 Further Documentation......................................................................................................8 Trademarks.............................................................................................................................9 Characteristics of the Thermal Printhead.........................................................................10 1.Product Description......................................................................................................11 General Information.........................................................................................................11 Compliances....................................................................................................................12 Technical Specifications..................................................................................................13 Optional Features............................................................................................................16 External Rewinder.....................................................................................................16 Cutter.........................................................................................................................16 Internal Rewinder M..................................................................................................16 Rewind Guide Plate ..................................................................................................16 Present Sensor .........................................................................................................16 Memory Card.............................................................................................................17 Keyboard Adapter.....................................................................................................17 Applicator..................................................................................................................17 Label Design Software EASYLABEL for Windows..................................................17 Print Media.......................................................................................................................18 Print Media for Direct Thermal Printing....................................................................19 Print Media for Thermal Transfer Printing ................................................................19 Label/ Tag Media Specifications...............................................................................20 Transfer Ribbon.........................................................................................................21 2.General Safety Instructions..........................................................................................22 3.Unpacking and Delivery Contents...............................................................................22 4.Printer Component Location........................................................................................23 5.Connecting the Printer..................................................................................................32 Connection to Power Supply...........................................................................................32 Connection to a Computer ..............................................................................................33 6.Media Loading ...............................................................................................................34 Loading Labels................................................................................................................34 Loading Transfer Ribbon.................................................................................................36 4 cab - Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG / Tharo Systems, Inc. 7.Adjustments Concerning the Labels...........................................................................37 Adjustment of the Label Edge Sensor............................................................................37 Adjustment of the Printhead Support..............................................................................38 Adjustment of the Transfer Ribbon.................................................................................39 8.Control Panel.................................................................................................................40 System Mode SYSTEM TEST........................................................................................41 System Mode ONLINE................................................................................................... 42 System Mode OFFLINE..................................................................................................43 System Mode PRINT.......................................................................................................44 System Mode PAUSE......................................................................................................45 System Mode FAULT-CORRECTABLE..........................................................................46 System Mode FAULT-IRRECOVERABLE......................................................................47 System Mode SETUP .....................................................................................................48 System Mode TEST PRINT............................................................................................49 System Mode MONITOR MODE/ ASCII Dump Mode....................................................50 System Mode LABEL FROM CARD...............................................................................51 9.Setup...............................................................................................................................52 Start of Setup Mode.........................................................................................................52 Overview of the Setup Parameters.................................................................................53 Country/ Land..................................................................................................................54 Transfer Print...................................................................................................................56 Label Sensor....................................................................................................................57 Interface...........................................................................................................................58 Cut Position.....................................................................................................................60 Peel Position....................................................................................................................61 Printhead Position ...........................................................................................................62 Heat Level........................................................................................................................64 Printer Info.......................................................................................................................65 Set Date...........................................................................................................................66 Set Time...........................................................................................................................67 Character Set...................................................................................................................68 Format Card.....................................................................................................................69 Copy Memory Card..........................................................................................................70 Backfeed..........................................................................................................................71 Debug Mode....................................................................................................................72 Tear-off Position...............................................................................................................73 Pause Reprint..................................................................................................................74 10.Self Test/ Test Print........................................................................................................75 Start of Test Print.............................................................................................................75 Explanation of the Self Test Printout...............................................................................76 11.Printer Info Display........................................................................................................80 Viewing the Printer Info Display......................................................................................80 Definition of the Printer Info Display................................................................................80 cab - Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG / Tharo Systems, Inc. 5 12.Monitor Mode/ ASCII Dump Mode...............................................................................82 Start of Monitor Mode/ ASCII Dump Mode.....................................................................82 Representation of the Control Characters......................................................................82 Example of ASCII Dump Mode.......................................................................................83 13.Options...........................................................................................................................85 External Rewinder ...........................................................................................................85 Delivery Contents......................................................................................................85 Safety Instructions ....................................................................................................86 Selecting the Method of Rewinding..........................................................................86 Connecting the Rewinder to the Power Supply........................................................87 Rewinding Directly onto the Rewind Axle.................................................................88 Rewinding on to 3 in/ 75 mm Cardboard Rolls.........................................................89 Cutter...............................................................................................................................90 Internal Rewinder M.........................................................................................................92 Safety Instructions ....................................................................................................92 Preparing the Printer.................................................................................................92 Mounting the Internal Rewinder................................................................................92 Rewind Guide Plate.........................................................................................................94 Mounting the Rewind Guide Plate............................................................................94 Inserting the Labels for Internal Rewind...................................................................95 Present Sensor................................................................................................................96 Mounting the Present Sensor...................................................................................96 Inserting the Labels for Peel-off................................................................................97 Cut-/ Peel-off-Adapter......................................................................................................98 Connectors................................................................................................................98 Pin Assignment of the 9-pin SUB-D Connector .......................................................98 Installation and Operation.........................................................................................99 Memory Cards...............................................................................................................100 Preparing the Memory Card....................................................................................100 Installation of the Memory Card..............................................................................101 Formatting the Memory Card..................................................................................102 Writing on the Memory Card...................................................................................102 Printing from a Memory Card..................................................................................103 Keyboard Adapter..........................................................................................................104 Installation of the Keyboard Adapter ......................................................................104 Key Assignment......................................................................................................105 Special Key Functions ............................................................................................105 6 cab - Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG / Tharo Systems, Inc. APPENDICES Appendix A - Character Tables.........................................................................................A-1 Setup Selectable Character Tables...............................................................................A-1 Unicode Tables............................................................................................................. A-5 Special Characters - Keyboard Adapter .......................................................................A-9 Appendix B - Pin Assignment of the Interface Connectors..........................................B-1 Pin Assignment of the Serial Interface Connectors......................................................B-1 Interface Cable for RS-232............................................................................................B-2 Interface Cable for RS-422/ RS-485.............................................................................B-3 Pin Assignment of the Parallel Interface Connector.....................................................B-4 Centronics Interface Cable............................................................................................B-5 Pin Assignment of the Peripheral Port..........................................................................B-6 Appendix C - Error Messages/ Problem Resolution......................................................C-1 Correctable Errors.........................................................................................................C-1 Irrecoverable Errors.......................................................................................................C-2 Error Messages............................................................................................................ C-2 Appendix D - Maintenance/ Cleaning/ Adjustment of the Printhead............................D-1 General Cleaning...........................................................................................................D-1 Cleaning the Media Feed Rollers..................................................................................D-1 Cleaning the Printhead..................................................................................................D-2 Adjustment of the Printhead..........................................................................................D-3 Appendix E - Firmware Updates.......................................................................................E-1 General Updates............................................................................................................E-1 Firmware Updates Apollo 3...........................................................................................E-1 Index EC-Conformity Declaration cab - Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG / Tharo Systems, Inc. 7 A General Guide to the Documentation Operator's Manual The present manual contains description and usage instructions for the printers of the Apollo line. In particular, the Apollo line includes the following models : - Apollo 1/300RS - Apollo 2/300, Apollo 2/300R - Apollo 3/200M, Apollo 3/300M The first few chapters of this manual cover general information which is necessary for unpacking and operating the printer as well as information about accessibility to different components of the printer and on optional accessories. In the next chapters, the loading of media and ribbon, the self test of the printer, and the configuration in setup will be explained. In the appendices, you will find useful additional information, such as internal character sets of the printer, and cabling specifications. Furthermore, comments on possible error messages and printer maintenance are included. Note the directions for use on recommended material and comments on maintenance in order to avoid damage and premature failure of your Apollo. Every effort has been made in the creation of this manual to provide as much information as possible in an understandable manner. We welcome your comments and suggestions regarding additions or corrections to improve future editions of this manual. Please, let us know if you have any questions. Further Documentation Further information on the programming of the Apollo with its own set of commands can be found in the "Programming Instructions - Apollo". Detailed information about service and maintenance are included in the "Service Manuals" of the Apollo 1, Apollo 2 and Apollo 3. (e.g. replacement of components, adjustment instructions, circuit diagrams, spare parts lists, etc.) 8 cab - Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG / Tharo Systems, Inc. Trademarks Centronics ® is a registered trademark of Centronics Data Computer Corpora- tion. Macintosh-Computer is a product of Apple Computer, Inc. Microsoft ® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Bitstream ® is a registered trademark of Bitstream, Inc. Speedo ™ is a registered trademark of Bitstream, Inc. TrueType ™ is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Easylabel ® is a registered trademark of Tharo Systems, Inc. cab - Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG / Tharo Systems, Inc. 9 Characteristics of the Thermal Printhead CAUTION ! The thermal printhead is the most sensitive part of your printer. Pay special attention to the following guidelines : 1) The glass cover on the printhead must not be touched with the hand. Also, do not use sharp objects (knives, screwdrivers, etc) to clean the printhead. 2) Ensure that the printhead is properly adjusted at all times. 3) Use only high quality media. Make sure that there are no high spots or debris on your media to lodge on or damage the printhead. The label surface must be smooth. Lower grade direct thermal paper is very rough and will act like sandpaper on the head, reducing the head's lifetime. Do not use low grade stock. 4) Clean the head at each change of ribbon, or with each new roll of direct thermal media, with a special cleaning pen, or a cotton swab with isopropyl alcohol. 5) Print with the lowest possible head temperature to increase the life of the printhead. Careful use will allow you to print approximately between 18 to 30 miles (30 to 50 km) of print media before the printhead needs replacing. Improper usage can cause damage to the printhead. 10 cab - Produkttechnik GmbH & Co KG / Tharo Systems, Inc.