Epic 880TM Extended Printer Control
100-88002 Rev B Page 233
Miscellaneous Communication Features Power-cycle Recovery
Sometimes the host needs to know if the printer was power cycled. An example
would be after the receipt tape was changed. It is not necessary to turn off the printer
to change the receipt. However, if the operator does, any information sent to the
printer before the power cycle will be lost.
The Epic 880TM Printer has a flag that is set after a reset. The flag stays set until the
host requests a reset. The [ENQ] <11> command reads the flag. If the command
returns power-cycled status, the power has been reset or power cycled since the last
request. All unprinted information has been lost.
If the print operation is critical, it is a good idea to check the power-cycle flag before
and after all transactions. An alternate approach is to check the flag after every off-
line to on-line transition.
Note: If the printer mode was changed by the [ESC] y <2> or <3> command, a power-
cycle reset will return to the initial configuration.
Off-line Control
A configuration flag that prevents the printer from going off-line (in most cases) is
available. Off-line mode allows the application to query the printer for status rather
than assume a status from the control signals. The feature allows the host application
to query the printer at all times except when there is no power; a full input buffer; or a
hard failure. For example, when the printer’s cover is open, the printer stops printing
but still accepts data and inquiries. The inquire cover status command returns,
“Cover open.”
Hard failures result when there is no power or a printer fault occurs. If the printer is
off-line, either the input buffer is full or a hard fault has occurred. The host application
should not allow the input buffer to fill.