Troubleshooting—Chapter 4
35PK80Series 80-Column User’sManual
When the self-test is performed, the follow ing actions occur:
SVoltage and ambient temperature are obtained
SValidity of diagnostic block program is checked
SValidity of BootBlock program is checked
SValidityof control program is checked
SValidity of loaded fonts is checked
SSelf-test reportis printed
The self-test report is divided into sections. See page 36 for a sample.
The printermodel number is given on line 1 (first line). This identifies the printertype being used, such as PK80F.
The serial number ofthe printer is listed on line 3 under the “Serial#” heading on line 2. The serialnumber is also
ontheinsideoftheprinter.
The “AutoFeed” setting, on line 13, is a configurable item. “CR”Carriage Return means no auto linefeed. This is
the most common setting for applications. “CR+LF” means a linefeed will be added to each CR. This setting can
produce double-spacing of reports .
The “Interface Mode”setting, line 14, lists the interface protocol for the printer. A typical setting can be DTR with
no,odd, or even parity.
“Baud Rate” online 16, lists the bau drate for the printer. Most application software autobauds so you do not have
to select it. Bit rate is commonlyset to 19200 (19.2K) or 9600 bps.
“A2D History,” lines63 through 66, is th e historyfor voltage measurements and temperature measurements , as re-
cordedby the printer.
“Head Jam History” on lines 68 throug h 71, gives information on head jam s. If the printer is having freq uent head
jams,these linescan assist in determining the problem.
“Direction” tells which way the head was moving, “left” toward home and “right” away from home. Home posi-
tionis atthe extre me left,toward the green thumb whe el.
“Step” is the acceleration step at the jam. “0” means nos teps were taken, “15” means allsteps we re taken.
“1–14” means printer jammed during acceleration or deceleration.
“Speed”is the acceleration speed of the print head when thejam occurred.
“Temp”is the ambient temperature at the last head jam. The temperature is listed in Celsius.
“Position”of carriage at the jam in 1/720 inches = 12 * step position. Divide the number by 12 to get the step
position.There are 512 steps across the page. If it is jamming in the middle, it is more likely a dirty ribbonor
obstructionintheprinthead’spath.
“Head Dot Pattern,” appearing after “Total Head Jams,” is printed to verify the individual dot wires. There should
be nine dots. If some are missing, it could be a print head failure ora circ uit boardfailure .
“Error Log” information appears in th e second-to-last group of lines, Thi s information is cleared after ever ys elf-test.
This informationis very helpful in determining problems.
“HJ” # of head jams while print head is moving
“12Vu” #12-voltundervoltage
“12Vo” # 12-volt over voltage
“Home” # Home detect errors (typicallycaused by paper scraps or circuit failures)
“EEErr” #EE PROMwrite failuresto diagnostic block
All other valuesare informationalonly. Remember that these values are
cleared after the self-test.