Star Micronics NX-1000 manual Mainteivance, AND TROU8LESHOOTING, Chapter, Cleaning The Printer

Chapter 5

MAINTEIVANCE

AND TROU8LESHOOTING

Subjects covered in Chapter 5 include -

•Cleaning the printer

•Replacing the ribbon

•Replacing the print head

•Troubleshooting

Dust and heat will make any mechanism wear more quickly. The best maintenance is preventive, and the first step is correct location of the printer. This is covered in greater detail in Chapter 1, but in general an environment comfortable for humans is best for both the computer and the printer.

CLEANING THE PRINTER

Cleaning the printer regularly will prolong its service life. Use a damp cloth on the exterior every week or so. For stubborn dirt, you may moisten the cloth with alcohol or water containing a mild detergent, but be careful not to spill any liquid into the interior of the printer.

Use a soft brush to remove paper dust and lint from the interior. A small vacuum cleaner can also make this task easier, but be very careful not to bend or injure any electronic parts or wiring. The printer contains delicate electronic parts, so only clean those places where you have easy access.

REPLACING THE RIBBON

The printer uses an endless-type ribbon cartridge in which the ribbon is recycled automatically. When the print becomes faint, it is time to replace the ribbon cartridge.

To remove the old cartridge, take off the top cover, grasp the ribbon cartridge by the two arms at the front and lift straight up. To tit the new cartridge, guide the ribbon between the print head and platen, then press down until the cartridge snaps into place. See Figure 5-I.

REPLACING THE PRINT HEAD

The dot matrix print head has a life of about 200 million dots, or years of normal use. When printing is too light even after replacing the ribbon,

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