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COAX/TWINAXCOMMAND INTERPRETER
Introduction
This chapter describes how to send control codes and escape sequences to the printer through the
coax/twinax port. For information on installation and configuration of this interface, please refer to the
FormsMaster 8000 Series Operator's Manual.

Command Interpreter

A user friendly command interpreter has been built into the coax/twinax interface. This feature allows
you to send any ASCII character or string of characters to the printer through the coax/twinax port, and
thus access all of the printer features as described earlier in the emulation chapters of this manual.
The logical not character (¬) used below may be shown as the carat (^) on some keyboards. Either
character is usually the accessed as a SHIFT-6 on the main keyboard.
The command interpreter is enabled by receiving “¬ONN” and disabled by receiving “¬OFF”. The
default is “¬OFF”.
If enabled, the command interpreter examines all printable data received from the host for the string
¬HEX” Once this string is found, the characters which follow are processed as pairs of hexadecimal
digits and the single ASCII character value each pair represents is then processed by the printer. The
conversion process is terminated by receiving an “@” character or by receiving any non-hexadecimal
character during the conversion process. Spaces may be included between pairs of hex digits for
readability.
Example: The following string will cause the interface command interpreter to send the ESC L n
sequence (see the “Forms and Tractors” section in the Printek emulation chapter) to the printer to load
form number two.
Turn the command interpreter on by sending
¬ONN
then send
¬HEX 1B 4C 32 @
in which the hexadecimal character 1B is an Escape character, the hexadecimal character 4C
is the ASCII character “L”, and the hexadecimal character 32 is the ASCII character “2”.
The command interpreter should now be turned off by sending