Apollo 1 / Apollo 2 / Apollo 3 Quick Operator's Guide Edition 10/99 EU - Conformity Declaration We declare herewith that as a result of the manner in which the machine designated below was designed, the type of construction and the machines which, as a result have been brought on to the general market comply with the relevant fundamental regulations of the EU Rules for Safety and Health. In the event of any alteration which has not been approved by us being made to any machine as designated below, this statement shall thereby be made invalid. Description: Type: Thermal Transfer Printer Apollo 1, Apollo 2, Apollo 3 Applied EU Regulations and Norms: - EC Machinery Regulations 89/392/EEC,Appendix IIA - Machine Safety EN 292 T1 & T2:1991-11 - EC Low Voltage Regulations 73/23/EEC - Data and Office Machine Safety EN60950:1992 & A1:1993 EN 60950/A2:1993 - EC Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 89/336/EEC - Threshold values for the Interference EN 55022 :1995-05 of Data Machines - Interference Resistance in both EN 50082-1: 1992-12 Industrial and Small Plants Signed for, and on behalf, the Manufacturer : cab Produkttechnik Sömmerda Sömmerda, 09.10.96 Erwin Fascher Managing Director Important Safety Information 1. Connect the printer only to an outlet with the correct voltage ! The printer is configured for either 230V or 115V power supply, which can be switched using the input voltage selector at the back of the printer. Connect only to a power outlet with a grounded contact. 2. The printer must only be connected to devices which have extra low voltage. 3. Power must be OFF before plugging in any accessory or connecting the printer to a computer, etc. Also switch power off on all appliances before disconnecting. 4. Do not expose the printer to any moisture, or use in damp or wet areas. 5. The printer will operate with the cover open if necessary. This is not recommended, as moving or rotating parts become accessible. Keep long hair, jewelry, loose clothes away from the moving parts. 6. During the print process the printhead will become hot. Use extra caution when touching the printhead. 7. Before starting any maintenance, switch the printer OFF and disconnect it from the power supply. 8. Only qualified trained service technicians should attempt to repair your printer if damaged or in need to repair. cab - Produkttechnik GmbH ENG-1 Overview of the Printer Components 1 2 3 1 -Display 2 -Function keys with indicator LEDs 3 -Cover 4 -Ribbon shield 5 -Tear-off plate 4 6 -Peripheral port 7 -Printhead locking lever 5 8 -Ribbon take up hub 9 -Ribbon supply hub 6 10 -Media hub 11 -Media retainer 12 -Thermal printhead 13 -Label edge sensor 7 8 9 10 11 14 -Media rewind hub 15 -Memory card module slot 16 -Input voltage selector 17 -Power switch 18 -Power supply connector 19 -Serial interface port 20 -Parallel interface port 21 -Slot for fanfold paper 12 13 14 15 Apollo 1 Apollo 3 Apollo 2 15 20 16 19 17 16 18 17 18 21 20 19 21 ENG-2 cab - Produkttechnik GmbH Connecting the Printer Connection to Power Supply The Apollo is designed for use with 230V A.C/ 50Hz (standard) or 115V A.C/60Hz. F Before connecting the printer to the power supply, make sure that the voltage selected on the power supply module of the printer is the same as your main power supply ! 5 1 1 -Voltage selector 2 -Voltage selector 2 6 cover 3 3 -Power switch 1 4 -Power supply 4 connector 5 2 5 -Parallel interface port 6 -Serial interface port 3 6 4 Apollo 1/2 Apollo 3 To change the voltage setting, open the cover (2) and remove the voltage selector from the power unit. F If you have changed the operating voltage of your printer the fuses need replacing as stated below ! Apollo 1/2 : 230V -2 x T 4A 115V -2 x T 6.3A Apollo 3 : 230V -2 x T 1.6A 115V -2 x T 3.15A When delivered, the correct fuses for the pre-selected operative voltage are installed. You will find the necessary fuses for the other voltage in the accessories package. Slide the voltage selector back into the power supply module so that the correct voltage is visible in the lid window (2). Connect the printer to a grounded outlet using the power cable supplied in the accessories package. Connection to a Computer Select the required interface settings using the Setup procedure and connect the printer to the computer by a suitable interface cable. F Make sure that all connected computers and their connecting cables are correctly grounded. cab - Produkttechnik GmbH ENG-3 Print Media The Apollo can be operated in direct thermal as well as thermal transfer mode. For direct thermal mode, only use print material with a thermal-reactive coating. In thermal transfer mode, not only standard paper labels are needed but also the thermal transfer ribbon with a color surface. It is possible to pre-set in the setup either the direct thermal mode or the thermal transfer mode, but the setting can be changed for every print job via software. The Apollo is able to print on labels and continuous paper from supply rolls. The printer can also process fanfold label material. Label/Tag Media Specification G H K I E D A L C M B F Item MINIMUM MAXIMUM A Label width .5 (12) 4.6 (116) B Width of silicon liner .5 (12) 4.6 (116) C Label length .2 (5) 21.5 (546)* D Gap between labels .08 (2) 21.5 (546)* E Label thickness .0024 (.06) .01 (.25) F Thickness of silicon liner .0024 (.06) .01 (.25) G Distance of the first printing position from the edge of the silicon liner .08 (2) H Distance of the label sensor from the edge of the silicon liner .12 (3) 1.9 (48) For special materials I Width of punch hole .2 (5) - K Height of punch hole .08 (2) .2 (5) L Width of reflective mark .2 (5) - M Height of reflective mark .08 (2) .2 (5) * Apollo 3 : 37.2 (945), Apollo 3/300 :16.6 (427) Dimensions in inches (mm) ENG-4 cab - Produkttechnik GmbH Loading Labels 1 2 3 4 5 9 11 10 8 7 6 1. Open the cover. 2. Lift the printhead by rotating the lever (1) clockwise until it stops. 3. Loosen the media retainer knurled screw (5), swing the media retainer (4) backwards and place the label roll (2) onto the media hub (3). 4. Swing the media retainer (4) against to the media hub (3) and push it inwards until it rests against the side of the label roll. Tighten the knurled screw (5). 5. Slide the media guide (8) into its outermost position. 6. Unroll a length of label stock from the media roll and feed it through as shown in figure. The solid line represents the feed path of outside-rolled labels, the broken line of inside-rolled labels. The broken-dotted line shows the media path of fanfold paper (6). F It is particularly important to ensure that the media strip slides properly between the fittings of the adjustable label edge sensor (9). 7. Slide the media strip right through the space between the print roller and the printhead until it comes out of the Apollo. 8. Slide the media guide (8) back towards the edge of the media strip. 9. Turn the lever (1) counter-clockwise until it stops and, thereby, lock the printhead. 10. Close the cover. cab - Produkttechnik GmbH ENG-5 Loading Transfer Ribbon 2 3 4 5 6 7 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 1 Apollo 1 Apollo 2/3 1. Open the cover. 2. To lift the printhead, turn the printhead lever (1) clockwise until it stops. 3. Slide the roll of transfer ribbon (5) onto the ribbon supply hub (6) as far as possible. F Pay attention to the side of the ribbon material which is coated with ink ! The inked side is generally the dull side. When the ribbon is inserted, the inked side must face the opposite side of the printhead ! In figure, the solid line shows the path of inside wound ribbon, and the broken line represents the path of outside wound ribbon. 4. Hold tight the ribbon supply hub (6) and rotate the knurled knob (7) clockwise until it stops. That way the roll (5) will be attached at the ribbon supply hub (6). 5. Slide an empty cardboard core (2) onto the ribbon take up hub (3) and fix it by turning the knurled knob (4) clockwise. 6. From the side, feed the transfer ribbon along the path as shown in figure, then attach it to the core (2) using adhesive tape or a label. 7. Turn take up hub (3) in order to smooth and stretch the ribbon. For Apollo 1, first turn the lever (1) to a central position between the locked and unlocked positions. 8. Turn the lever (1) counter-clockwise until it stops and, thereby, lock the printhead. 9. Close the cover. ENG-6 cab - Produkttechnik GmbH Adjustments Concerning the Labels The printer can use a variety of media widths an thicknesses. Beside it is possible to use materials which have punch holes and reflective marks for the label recognition. For this reason it is necessary to adapt the printer to the different materials by only a few simple adjustments. Adjustment of the Printhead Support 1 1 1 4 2a 3 2b 4 2a 3 2b 4 2b 3 2a Apollo 1 Apollo 2 Apollo 3 When printing narrow labels (width less than 2.5 in or 60 mm), it is possible that the printhead will come into direct contact with the drive roller. This will lead to premature wear on the printhead. In addition, the printhead will be at a slight angle to the label, thus, the uneven pressure may result in an inconsistent image density from one edge of the label to the other. To correct this problem, the printhead support (4) may be adjusted. Adjust printhead support as follows : 1. Loosen the locking screw (2). 2. Move the locking screw (2) as required within the adjustment slot (3). This will cause the cam shaped printhead support (4) to rotate, in effect, providing a higher or lower base on which the printhead mounting (1) rests. 3. It is convenient to use the position 2a to printout large labels. The printhead support (4) is total inactiv here. 4. By using small labels it is necessary to adjust the printhead support. In this case insert a second strip of the label at the front side of the print roller. Now slide the locking screw (2) as far as possible to position 2b in the adjustment slot (3), until the printhead support (4) touches the printhead mounting (1). Take away the second label strip. 5. Tighten the locking screw (2). cab - Produkttechnik GmbH ENG-7 Adjustment of the Label Edge Sensor 2 1 To accommodate a variety of print jobs, the position of the label edge sensor (1) can be adjusted at right angles to the path of the paper feed. It is important to ensure that the sensor is positioned in a way that the gaps between the labels or the markings can be recognized by the photocell. (the position of the sensor is marked by a notch in the sensor holder). Adjust the sensor position using the knurled knob (2). By turning the knob clockwise the sensor moves outwards, and by turning the knob counter-clockwise the sensor moves inwards. Adjustment of the Transfer Ribbon 1 2 4 3 If creases, lines or black patches appear in the print image resulting in a poor print quality, this may be caused by wrinkles in the transfer ribbon (1). To remove the wrinkles, the tension of the ribbon should be made even from the left to the right by moving the ribbon shield (4) up or down. 1. Loosen the locking screw (3). 2. Shift the transfer ribbon shield (4) sideways into the direction of the wrinkle. Moving it to the left will increase the tension on the left. Use the scale (2) provided to monitor the adjustments made. If the screw is in position "1", the tension is highest on the outside, and if it is in position "5", the tension is highest on the inside. 3. After completing the adjustment, tighten the locking screw (3). ENG-8 cab - Produkttechnik GmbH Control Panel The front control panel of the Apollo is fitted with 4 function keys with indicator LEDs, and a 2x16 character digital LCD display. The control panel display constantly provides the operator with the actual information concerning the current printer mode and label processing. The indicator LEDs support the information shown in the display by indicating which keys have to be pressed. (e.g. in the event of a fault) Function of the LED's The illuminated LED's show the following printer states : LED ONL - Apollo is ready to print LED FF - Only if an applicator is installed : request to press the key to re-synchronize the paper feed after the appearance of an printer error LED CAN - Error message ; print job can be cancelled by pressing the key LED PSE - The printer is paused ; print job is temporarily interrupted by pressing the key or sending of a PAUSE-command via interface; print job can be continued by pressing the again or sending a PAUSE-OFF command - Error message ; LED is flashing, if there is a fault (e.g. "Out of paper) which is easily correctable by the operator,following which the printing process may be continued by pressing the key cab - Produkttechnik GmbH ENG-9