Data Dump Mode

The LX-90 has a special feature that makes it easy for experienced printer users to find the causes of problems. Called the data dump mode, it gives a printout of exactly what codes reach the printer.

Enter this mode by turning on the power switch on the right side of the printer while holding down the FF and LF buttons at the same time. The printer responds by printing the words “Data Dump Mode.” Then, when you run a program, either an applications program or one you have written in any programming language, the LX-90 prints one or more lines. Each line has three parts: the line number (four digits), the hexadecimal codes (up to 16 numbers), and the guide section (16 characters at the end of each line except the last).

The hexadecimal numbers are the codes received by the printer, and the guide section helps you find a certain place in the list of codes. Each character in the guide section corresponds to one of the codes. If the code is for a printable character, that character is printed. If the code is for a non-printable character, such as the ESCape code or the code for a line feed or carriage return, a dot is printed.

Therefore, if you ran the following BASIC program while your LX-90 was in the data dump mode, you would get the printout below it. The printer will print all but the last line and then stop. Press the ON LINE button to make the printer print the last line.

10 FOR X=70 TO 7320 LPRINT CHR$(X): NEXT X30 LPRINT CHR$(27);"E"40 LPRINT "Sample text"50 LPRINT CHR$(27);"@"

Data Dump Mode

0 0 0 0 4 6 O D O A 4 7 O D O A 4 8 O D O A 4 9 O D O A 1 B 4 5 O D O A F . . G . . H . . I . . . E . . 0 0 0 1 5 3 6 1 6 D 7 0 6 0 6 5 2 0 7 4 6 5 7 8 7 4 O D O A 1 B 4 0 O D S a m p l e t e x t . . . @ . 0 0 0 2 O A

You can consult Appendix A to see the meaning of the hexadecimal codes. The explanation below of the first line will put you on the right track for using the data dump mode.

E-5