host must be capable of supporting this flow control method for it to function
properly.
X-On/X-Off FLOW CONTROL
X-On/X-Off flow control is used whenever hardware (Ready/Busy) flow control is
not available or desirable. Instead of a voltage going high/low at pin 20, control
characters representing “Printer Ready” (X-On =11 hexadecimal) or “Printer Busy”
(X-Off = 13 hexadecimal) are transmitted by the printer on pin 2 (Transmit Data) to
the host. In order for this method of flow control to function correctly, the host must
be capable of supporting it. X-On/X-Off operates in a manner similar to the function
of pin 20 (DTR) as previously explained. When the printer is first powered on it
sends an X-Off when the “Buffer Near Full” level is reached and a X-On when the
data level of the buffer drops below the “Buffer Available” mark. When the printer is
taken off-line manually, it transmits an X-Off indicating it cannot accept data. When
it is placed back on line manually, it sends an X-On, indicating it is again available
for receipt of data. If an error occurs during printing (paper out, ribbon out), the
printer sends an X-Off as soon as an error condition is detected. When the error is
cleared and the printer is placed back on-line, it transmits an X-On indicating it is
again ready to accept data.
Upon power up if no error conditions are present, the printer will continually send
X-On characters at five millisecond intervals until it receives a transmission from the
host.
Data Streams
The data streams for X-On/X-Off and Ready/Busy flow control are constructed in
the same way as they are for Ready/Busy flow control.
<ESC>A . . Job#1 . . <ESC>Z<ESC>A . . Job#n . . <ESC>Z
Example: <ESC>A . . Job#1 . . <ESC>Z
NOTE: All charactersare in ASCII.
UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS (USB) OPTIONAL INTERFACE
The Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface is a Plug-In Interface Module that can be
installed by the user. It requires a driver (shipped with each printer that has the
interface installed) that must be loaded on your PC and the PC must be configured to
support USB peripherals using Windows 98. Details for loading the USB driver are
contained in the USB Interface Manual that is shipped with each printer with a USB
Optional interface installed. Up to 127 devices may be connected to a USB port.
SATO CL Series “e” Printers PN 9001074 Rev. B Page6-7
Section 6. Interface Specifications