DP-520 Wired Operator’s Manual Dascom Part Number 5206790 Rev A
Table Of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................1 Notes on Printer Firmware Revisions (Including Flash) .............................................................................................1 Copyright Notice And Disclaimer...............................................................................................................................
INTRODUCTION This document is an Operator’s Manual, written for the person connecting and using the Dascom DP-520 Wired thermal printer. Please read this document carefully before making any connection. A separate Programmer’s Manual provides details of the control codes, and describes the internal operation of this product. NOTES ON PRINTER FIRMWARE REVISIONS (INCLUDING FLASH) Dascom, Inc. reserves the right to modify and improve the firmware in its printer products at any time.
MODES OF OPERATION The printer has two operating modes when not actually printing: "Idle Mode": ready to accept data, but no data are in the buffer awaiting printing, and the printer is not printing; "Spooling Mode": active, but storing data for later printing. Modes are indicated by different color combinations on the front-panel Status Indicator. No light is emitted in sleep mode. There is no power switch, the printer is permanently powered on when the power supply is attached.
PAPER Pressing the paper feed button when the printer is idle advances paper at typically two inches per second. However, the paper feed button has several additional functions: A single press and release of the button: in idle or spooling mode, advances paper; in sleep mode, wakes up the printer into idle mode; "Double-clicking" the button: (i.e.
STATUS INDICATIONS The Status Indicator at the front of the printer has a number of color combinations, which repeat in up to a 4-phase pattern to provide status information (see table below). In summary, if the indicator is constant green it indicates that the printer is operating normally. Flashing on and off indicates that Spooling mode is active and no printing can take place. Red warns of a low power supply voltage or other problem. No light indicates that the unit is off.
PRINTER OPERATION AND PROGRAMMING The DP-520 utilizes a Fujitsu FTP-628MCL103 printer mechanism, with a fixed (parallel) print head with 384 horizontally-arranged thermal elements. The paper is advanced by a stepper motor, and printing takes place in a single dot row for each step of the paper. Each printed dot is approximately 0.005” square. The printing speed and dot density are controlled according to power supply voltage and the head temperature.
INTERFACE DETAILS RS-232 SERIAL INTERFACE The DP-520 has an industry standard RS-232 interface. The default parameters are 9600 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit and no parity. Other baud rates can be programmed by control codes, or by using a setup utility. Contact Dascom Technical Support for information regarding the setup utility. Serial data is expected in standard RS-232C format with -12V meaning 'mark' or '1' and +12V a logical '0', with reference to the common ground.
ALTERNATIVE POWER SUPPLY ARRANGEMENTS The DP-520 Wired printer is designed to be operated from a 9V to 36V voltage source that is capable of supplying the primary power for the printer.
WALL MOUNTING INSTRUCTIONS A bracket suitable for attaching the printer to a wall is available The bracket snaps into the bottom of the printer. Prior to use, two small 'break-outs' must be removed from the battery cover of the printer as shown below: Remove the two 'break-outs' using a small screwdriver. When attaching to a wall, the bracket must be located on the wall using screws and wall plugs as shown. The printer may then be clipped into place and removed as required.
Getting Started You may find that you can connect the printer to your Personal Computer (PC), and everything works perfectly the first time. However, there are many variables, and the following guide may help if you find you need some assistance. These are only suggestions, and may not work with all PC’s. Connecting to a PC – A Checklist First, MAKE SURE THE PRINTER IS OPERATIONAL Make sure that the power supply is connected and powered on.
Various applications and Tool Kits which fully support the DP-520 are available for PDA’s and other Pocket PC platforms from www.fieldsoftware.com. When using these tools, select the Able Systems AP1310. Your Application Program Once communications between your computer and the printer have been established, you can try driving the printer from your application program. As referred to in the Programmer’s Manual, the printer has a control code set based on the EPSON ESCPOS protocol.
