FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT FOR AMERICAN USERS This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause interference to radio and television reception.
Preface The User’s Manual for the FX Series printers consists of two volumes: Tutorial and Reference.
may use a version of BASIC other than Microsoft, you may need to modify some of the programs in this manual before they will run. Appendix F offers help, as do the next several paragraphs. Methods for sending BASIC print and listing commands to the screen and to the printer vary widely. We have used PRINT and LIST as the commands for the screen display, and LPRINT and LLIST as commands for the printer. You may have to change those to the form used by your system.
This format allows you to shorten a program line by combining a command and its print string. In the case of Double-Strike, for instance, the quoted letter “G” turns the mode on and "H" turns it off. To see how combining the code with a print string works, compare: 10 LPRINT CHR$(27)"G";"DOUBLE-STRIKE PRINT" with: 10 LPRINT CHR$(27)"GDOUBLE-STRIKE PRINT" The second program line may look peculiar, but it gives the same output that the first version does.
The computer ignores these remarks; they merely serve to help programmers understand at a glance the way a program is working. You may type them in or not, depending on whether you think you will want them in the future. We use the caret symbol (^) to indicate exponents. For example: x = Y^2 means let X equal Y raised to the second power. Some computer systems use an up-arrow (t), which prints as a left bracket ([) on FX printers.
FX Series Printer User’s Manual Volume 1 Contents Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conventions Used in This Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii iii List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
BASIC and the Printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BASIC Communications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Character strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BASIC print commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ASCII and BASIC basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Control codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Escape-CHR$(27)-and other CHR$ commands Change Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6 7 8 Special Printing Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Backspace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overstrikes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unidirectional Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . International Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Special Speeds . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Margins and Tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Margins.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Left margin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Margins and pitches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Right margin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Both margins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tabs.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
12 Design Your Own Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Planning Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STRATA Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Three-Dimensional Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . First version of 3D program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Other versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16 17 xii Combining User-Defined Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Large Letters: Double Wide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Large Letters: Double High . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Giant Letters: Double High and Double Wide . . . . . . Core Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Line Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
List of Figures Easy-1 Easy-2 FX ticket program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ticket to success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 10 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-5 1-6 1-7 1-8 1-9 1-10 1-11 1-12 1-13 1-14 1-15 1-16 1-17 1-18 1-19 1-20 1-21 1-22 The FX-80 and FX-100 printers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Printer parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paperpath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Paper separator . .
5-1 5-2 5-3 Master Select Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Master Select choices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dress-up combinations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 75 77 6-1 6-2 Bidirectional line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Unidirectional line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 84 7-1 7-2 7-3 Default line spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cascading STAIR STEPS . . . . . . . . . .
12-4 12-5 12-6 12-7 12-8 12-9 12-10 12-11 STRATA layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STRATA logo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . STRATA program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Corner of the FX-80 design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FX-80 figure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Program for FX-80 figure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FX-100 figure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
17-1 17-2 17-3 17-4 xvi Barchart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Program for BARCHART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Statement form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Program for STATEMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
List of Tables 1-1 DIP switch functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 2-1 2-2 2-3 Several computers’ print LIST commands . . . . . . Several computers’ printer activating commands . ASCII codes on the FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 40 42 3-1 Summary of print pitches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 4-1 Summary of modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 5-1 5-2 Master Select Quick Reference Chart . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction FX Features Epson’s MX series of printers attracted enough attention to become the most popular line of printers in the industry. Our FX printers follow in the same grand tradition. The FX printers’ power-packed assortment of features includes: l l Upward compatibility with most MX III features Several different print modes that can be combined to produce a variety of print styles.
l l Program debugging mode (hexadecimal dump of codes received from the computer) Fast print speed-160 characters per second-for rapid processing of documents l 2K print buffer for smooth operation l Adjustable tractor unit for narrow forms l Both friction- and tractor-feed capability l Replaceable print head l Easy-to-reach DIP switches to customize printer features.
You can use this manual as a reference, a tutorial study guide, or some combination of the two. l l l l l For those of you who want to use the printer for one simple application (like listing BASIC programs or using a word processing package), a description of the hardware and an overview of the software may be all that’s necessary. In this case, you need only Chapter 1, the Quick Reference Card at the back of Volume 2, and a knowledge of the program you are using.
Think of the manual as your personal guide in your exploration of the FX’s many features. For a preview of what your programs can produce, take a look at the following potpourri of print modes and graphics.
Programmer’s Easy Lesson Before you start, note that we haven’t claimed that one easy lesson will make you an FX maestro. It takes more than one lesson to learn the full value of the feature-packed FX printer. In fact, the more time you spend with this manual, the more your printer will cooperate with your every command. But some of you want to see something from a new printer right now-no matter what. The next few pages are especially for you.
feed the paper through. If you use single sheets of paper, the paperout sensor will cause a beep and stop the printing whenever the bottom edge passes the sensor. You can shut off the sensor by changing DIP switches as shown in Chapter 1. 3. Turn the printer and computer on and load a short BASIC pro- gram. Then send a listing to the printer (using LLIST, LIST “I”‘, or whatever your computer’s listing command is). You should get a single-spaced listing.
Ticket Program Description This is not a complete explanation of the program. That’s what the rest of the manual is for. But this brief, line-by-line description should help those of you who wish to analyze the program. 10 Stores values in variables for easy access. E$ holds the ESCape code, CHR$(27). 20 Uses ESCape "1" to set the line spacing to 7/2X-inch and the ESCape “D” sequence to set a horizontal tab stop at column 26. 30 Uses the ESCape ":" sequence to copy the entire ROM character set into RAM.
110 Prints the outside border, then the top of the inside border (which was defined as the “:” character). 120 Prints another line of borders. 130 Prints more borders, then uses the Master Select to turn on Emphasized Double-Strike Pica. Also turns on Italic and Underline Modes. 140 Prints TICKET TO SUCCESS, then resets the FX to its defaults, including Pica, but does not affect the redefined characters. 150 Produces two more border lines.
280 Returns the printer to its defaults. 300-330 Provides data for the FX letters as user-defined characters 0-3. 350-410 Provides data for the ticket borders.
Chapter 1 The FX Printers Once you’ve unpacked your new printer, the first thing you should do is make sure you have all of the parts. With the FX-80 or FX-100 printer, you should receive the items shown in Figure 1-1: 1. The printer itself 2. A manual-feed knob 3. A paper separator 4. Two protective lids 5. One ribbon cartridge (in a box) 6. This FX Series Printer User’s Manual The FX-80 has a tractor built into its platen for handling continuousfeed paper between 91/2 and 10 inches in width.
Figure 1-1.
Figure 1-2.
Additional Supplies and Accessories The following items may be purchased separately from your Epson dealer: Printer cable or interface kit. Each computer system has its own way of connecting to a printer. Some computers need a cable only, others require both a cable and board. The FX printers use the Centronics standard parallel interface scheme described in Appendix K.
Figure 1-3. Paper path Printer Preparation Once you’ve found a good home for FX, you’ll need to do some preparing before you can print. This section describes the first steps, which include installing a few parts, checking the setting of some internal switches, and then inserting the ribbon cartridge. Note: The printer should be turned OFF during all set-up operations.
Figure 1-4. Paper separator Covers For protection from dust and foreign objects and for quiet operation, FX printers use two types of covers. When you use the friction feed on either the FX-80 or the FX-100 or the built-in tractor on the FX-80, use the pair of flat protective lids (Figure 1-5). When you use the removable tractor unit, use the tractor cover (Figure 1-6). Install the center protective lid by inserting tabs into slots (one tab per side on the FX-80, two on the FX-100).
fitting over its post. Lower the cover. To remove the cover, move it to its full vertical position and then lift it up and a little to the left. Figure 1-5. Protective lids Figure 1-6. Tractor cover Manual-feed knob The manual-feed knob (Figure 1-7) can aid you in loading and adjusting paper.
the right side and twist until the flat sides of rod and fitting match. Push the knob straight in with a steady pressure. To remove, pull straight out. Figure 1-7. Manual-feed knob DIP switches Several tiny switches, called DIP (for Dual In-line Package) switches, are located inside the FX. They control a number of important printer functions, such as line-feed adjustment, the paper-out sensor, the beeper, and the default print modes.
Figure 1-8.
These switches are set at the factory, and most of them you will never need to touch. You may, however, want to take the time now to match up the switches with their functions, as shown in Table 1-1. For a further discussion of the DIP switches, see Appendix E. Figure 1-9. DIP switch location Figure 1-10. DIP switch factory settings Always turn the power off (with the switch on the left side of the printer) before touching any internal switch. The printer checks most switch settings only at power-up.
Table 1-1. DIP switch functions Switch 1 Some computer interfaces automatically send a line-feed code to the printer at the end of each print line. Other interfaces send only a carriage return (which returns the print head to its left-most position), and rely on the printer to perform the automatic line feed. Switch 2-4 enables the FX to match either requirement.
end of the cartridge into the corresponding slots in the printer frame (Figure 1-11). The cartridge should snap neatly into place. With the paper bail resting on the platen, you can tuck the ribbon between the metal ribbon guide and the black print head. As Figure 1-11 suggests, you can ease the ribbon into place with the deft application of a dull pencil. To remove any slack in the ribbon, turn the ribbon knob in the direction of the arrow.
Figure 1-11.
Figure 1-12. Printer readied for paper insertion l l l l Be sure the printer is turned off. Lift the front protective lid and move the print head to the middle of the platen. Remove the center protective lid. Pull the paper bail and the friction-control lever toward the front of the printer. Your printer should now look like Figure 1-12. Adjust the pin-feed levers to approximate the width of paper you are using.
Figure 1-13. Pin feeder adjustment very important to keep the paper straight so that the pins on both sides engage at the same time. If the paper does not move smoothly, remove it by reversing the manual-feed knob and start again with an unwrinkled sheet. Figure 1-14.
l As the paper comes up the front of the platen, watch to be sure that it is feeding under the black edges of the pin feeders. If your paper is wrinkling as it comes through, you may need to readjust the pin feeders. Reinstall the center protective lid underneath the paper. Push the paper bail back against the paper and close the front protective lid. You are now ready to set the top of form, as shown at the end of this section.
Now follow these steps to load your paper into the friction feeder: l l l Be sure the printer is turned off, Lift the front protective lid and move the print head to the middle of the platen (refer back to Figure 1-12). Pull the paper bail up. Engage the friction-control mechanism by pushing the frictioncontrol lever to the back. Guide the paper under the paper separator and the platen with your left hand, while turning the manual-feed knob with your right hand. If you hear a crinkling noise, stop.
sides of the tractor assembly are firmly in place. Rock the front of the unit downward, pressing firmly until it locks into place. Figure 1-16. Tractor unit installation Figure 1-17.
To load the paper into the unit, use this procedure: l l l l l Be sure the printer is turned off; then open the front protective lid to move the print head to the middle of the platen. Pull the paper bail and the friction-control lever toward the front of the printer (refer back to Figure 1-12). Insert the paper under the paper separator and the platen and push the paper through to the front. Position the pin feeders, using the pin-feed locking levers to make the adjustment.
Top-of-form position After you have loaded the paper, you should set it to the top of form, which is the position of the print head when you turn the printer on. (Since the computer term form corresponds to the word page, it may be easier for you to think of this as the top of the page.) To make this setting, advance the paper until a perforation lies slightly below the top of the ribbon.
Figure 1-19. Top of form 1-21). The other end of the cable plugs into your computer. If your cable includes grounding wires, be sure to fasten the wires to the grounding screws at each end. With the paper loaded, turn the printer on with the toggle switch at the left-rear comer of the FX. You get a little dance from the print head and three lights go on: the POWER light, the READY light, and the ON LINE light. If the ON LINE and READY lights are not on, push the button marked ON LINE.
Figure 1-20.
Figure 1-21. Cable connection Control panel When the control panel’s ON LINE light is on, the printer and computer are in direct communication and the FF (form feed) and LF (line feed) buttons have no effect. Go ahead, try pushing one. To use the FF and LF button; press the ON LINE button to turn it off. Now you can see what the other buttons do. Press the LF button briefly, then release it. That produces one line feed. Now hold the LF button down for a moment to produce several line feeds.
loaded because the printer’s test uses all 136 columns. Turn the printer completely off (with the switch on the left side of the printer), press down the LF button, and turn the printer back on again while still holding down the LF button. Figure 1-22. Sample automatic test Figure 1-22 shows the FX’s automatic test, which prints the standard characters that are stored in the printer. The test pattern continues until you turn the printer off.
Chapter 2 BASIC and the Printer While you read this manual, you’ll be testing your FX with programs in the BASIC language. You can, of course, use another language with your printer; see Appendixes A through D for the ASCII and ESCape codes that your software manual will explain how to use. Here we use BASIC because it is the most popular language for personal computers. One of the simplest things you can do with any FX printer is print listings of your BASIC programs.
Table 2-1. Several computers’ print LIST commands If your listing is more than a page long (or if you didn’t start the listing at the top of a page), your printer may have printed right over the perforation. Set DIP switch 2-3 to the on position, and the printer will automatically skip over the perforation. We discuss this further in Chapter 8. Meanwhile, printing a program LISTing is a fundamental function of the printer.
Character strings The character-string (or CHR$) function converts any decimal number from zero through 255 to a character or action. Its format is CHR$ followed by a number in parentheses, for example, CHR$(84). The character-string command follows a PRINT or LPRINT command and causes your computer system to send an ASCII code to the computer’s screen or to the printer. What gets printed or performed is determined by the particular modified ASCII table that is used by your system.
Table 2-2. Several computers’ printer activating commands Check your computer’s reference manual and type in the commands appropriate to your computer. Then type RUN. With any luck, you will get an Italic capital A on the printer: If nothing prints, it’s time to double-check your computer manual and cable connections. Make sure the printer is ON LINE and the READY light is lit.
instead of an Italic A, pay close attention to the next three paragraphs. The original ASCII code was designed to use the decimal numbers zero through 127. Computer systems designers soon decided to extend this range (to 0 through 255) in order to make room for more features. Unfortunately, some designers did not anticipate that printers would make use of this extended range.
Now RUN it. You should hear a short beep. (If you don’t hear it, check DIP switch 2-2, using the procedure we gave in Chapter 1.) That’s the printer’s beeper, which most often sounds to inform you that you’ve run out of paper (Appendix F lists other causes of beeping). When you produce the beep, you’ve proved that on your computer certain codes do indeed perform printer functions. Table 2-3 shows the ranges that the FX uses when it interprets ASCII codes for characters and functions. Table 2-3.
Here are two examples of ESCape code sequences: LPRINT CHR$(27)CHR$(71) LPRINT CHR$(27)CHR$(38)CHR$(@)CHR$(l)CHR$(3) To see how such sequences work, start a new program now by entering: 10 LPRINT CHR$(27)CHR$(52) 20 LPRINT "ITALIC CHARACTER SET" and RUNning it. When you can RUN a program, we show you the results that you should expect: ITALIC CHARACTER SET Note: If you haven’t yet read the Preface, which includes “Conventions Used in This Manual,” this is the time to do it.
Change Commands After you have sent commands to the printer, you will often want to change them, either to turn off one or more modes, or to erase text. To understand what happens when you use one of the several FX methods of making changes, you need to know about two special aspects of the printer, defaults and the printer buffer. We often talk in these pages about resetting the printer to its defaults. By defaults, we mean the settings that are in effect whenever you turn the printer on.
Reset Code You could turn off the Italic Mode by turning the printer off, then back on. Although turning the printer off resets the printer to its defaults, which include Roman Mode, cycling the printer off and on may disrupt computer/printer communications. FX printers have a Reset Code to avoid that: ESCape CHR$(64). To see the Reset Code work, add these lines to your budding program: 30 LPRINT CHR$(27)CHR$(64) 40 LPRINT "BACK TO ROMAN WITH THE RESET CODE" and RUN it.
ITALIC CHARACTER SET BACK 'TO ROMAN WITH ITALIC OFF Notice that CHR$(53) turned Italic off and the semicolon at the end of line 30 eliminated the blank line between the two lines of text. DELete and CANcel But suppose you don’t want that much power. Suppose you only want to erase text in the print buffer without affecting any print modes. Two codes do this: DELete and CANcel. DELete, which is CHR$(127), removes the latest text character from the buffer without affecting control codes.
of line 10 is the number 4, and the symbol for the 53 of line 30 is the number 5, so enter the following: 10 LPRINT CHR$(27) “4” 30 LPRINT CHR$(27)"5"; Now use RUN to make sure that both ESCape sequences work as before. You can also shorten your programs by storing the ESCape code in a character string. If you enter A$=CHR$(27) in an early line of a program, you can simply enter A$ each time you want the ESCape code.
See the Preface for a list of the conventions used in this manual, Appendix A for a table of the ASCII codes, and Appendixes B and C for tables of the control codes. Appendix F offers programming solutions to interfacing problems, while Appendix E lists the defaults and shows the DIP switch settings. See also the Quick Reference Card.
Chapter 3 Print Pitches One of the big advantages an FX printer has over a daisy-wheel printer or a typewriter is the ability it gives you to choose from a variety of widths, or pitches, for your characters. To use this feature well, it’s important to understand just how an FX prints. The technique used by an FX printer is called dot-matrix printing. Dot-Matrix Printing A dot matrix is a grid or graph that someone who designs a character set for a dot matrix printer uses.
Figure 3-1 shows one each of lower- and uppercase letters. The p gives an example of the way a few lowercase letters use the bottom two rows of the matrix. All numbers, uppercase letters, and most symbols are formed within the top seven rows of the matrix. Main columns The construction of the print head restricts the maximum height of any character to nine dots. As shown in Figure 3-2, the print head uses a vertical column of mine pins (actually, wires).
Intermediate positions FX characters are designed to be five or fewer columns wide. Leaving the sixth column blank allows for space between letters. Figure 3-3 shows the 6 main columns, numbered 1, 3, 5, etc. Figure 3-3. Main columns Because the use of 5 dots does not give quite enough detail for the highest quality characters, an FX prints some dots half way between the main columns in the 6-dot-wide matrix.
If you look through Appendix A, you’ll notice that none of the FX’s characters use dots in consecutive main and intermediate columns in the same row. There is a reason for this: the printer’s speed. The FX recalls a character’s dot-matrix pattern from ROM and prints it in 1/160th of a second. At that speed, the print head is simply moving too fast to pull the pins back and forth in time to print an overlapping dot. This fact is critical when you design characters, as you will see in Chapter 15.
J Figure 3-5. Pica and Elite letters 30 LPRINT CHR$(27)"P"; 40 LPRINT PICA PITCH THE NORMAL PRINT WIDTH" When you RUN it, you should get: Figure 3-6. Pitch comparison The 10 blank spaces in line 20 above print as 10 Elite spaces; the 10 corresponding spaces in line 40 print as Pica spaces. This means, as you can see in Figure 3-6, that the different width modes affect spaces as well as characters. The modes also affect tabs, which we will discuss in Chapter 9.
NEW 20 LPRINT CHR$(15)"COMPRESSED MODE IS SET WITH CHR$(15)" 30 LPRINT "IT WILL STAY ON UNTIL YOU CANCEL IT" 40 LPRINT CHR$(l8)"PICA AGAIN" COMPRESSED MODE IS SET WITH CHR$(15) IT WILL STAY ON UNTIL YOU CANCEL IT PICA AGAIN Notice that we had you use only CHR$(l5) to turn Compressed Mode on-that is, we didn’t have you type in an ESCape code first. If you prefer consistency to brevity, you may add one and use ESCape CHR$(15) to get the same effect.
DIP switch 1-1 on. This adjustment will make the printer reset to Compressed Mode, after which you can switch to other modes as needed. You could get Pica Mode with control codes, for instance, by using the Compressed shut-off code: CHR$(18). Then you could return to Compressed with either of the usual commands-CHR$(15) or ESCape" @ “-or by turning the printer off and back on. Mode priorities These first three pitches-Pica (10 cpi), Elite (12 cpi), and Compressed (17.16 cpi)-are mutually exclusive.
Don’t take this lesson lightly-it is a good example of how print modes interact on FX printers. Pitch Mode Combinations The previous three modes can’t be mixed, but the next mode can be used in combination with any one of them. And you can add it to a printout for either of two durations, for one print line or for a longer passage. ExpandedMode Expanded Mode doubles the width of the current pitch mode.
40 LPRINT "CONTINUOUSLY WITH ESCAPE W" 50 LPRINT CHR$(27)"W"CHR$(0) The printer extends the dot matrix by spreading the dots horizontally to twice their normal distances apart, and then it adds a duplicate of each dot to the next main dot column (see Figure 3-7). Figure 3-7.
CHR$(l) can use an alternative form for this pair. For continuous Expanded, and for the other modes which use CHR$(l) and CHR$(0) as a toggle switch, you can use an abbreviation. Here, for example, you can use: LPRINT CHR$(27)"W"CHR$(l) or you can use: LPRINT CHR$(27)"Wl" for the same result. Expanded Mode works equally well with any of the three basic pitches.
YOU CAN MIX: PICA E X P A N D E D , COMPRESSED EXPANDED, AND ELITE EXPANDED CHARACTERS ON THE SAME LINE. By deleting the semicolon at the end of line 10 and adding a semicolon to the end of line 30, you can mix all six print pitches on a single print line. In program lines 30 to 70, CHR$(14) and CHR$(20) move the printer in and out of Expanded Mode. This program turns Compressed Mode on in line 40, and Compressed stays on until the Reset Code turns it off in line 80.
Table 3-1.
Chapter 4 Print Quality In the last chapter you learned how to change the width of the printed characters to achieve six different print pitches. The FX printer also offers several modes that improve print quality without affecting pitch. The three new modes that we discuss in this chapter are Double-Strike, Emphasized, and Proportional. After we cover these modes separately, we discuss combining them with pitch modes.
The way Double-Strike gets this result is rather clever: the FX prints each character in the regular fashion until it reaches either the end of the line or the point at which you have Double-Strike turn off. Then the FX shifts the paper up slightly and prints the Double-Strike passage again. This means that every dot in each row of the character gets a shadow (see Figure 4-1). Double-Strike Mode fills in some of the more visible gaps between the dots of a character. The end result is better looking print.
DOUBLE-STRIKE PRINT IS DARKER THAN EMPHASIZED ADDS A TOUCH OF CLASS SINGLE-STRIKE That’s right, Emphasized is very similar to Expanded print, except that Expanded Mode prints a duplicate set of dots a full (rather than a half) column to the right of the initial set. Figure 4-2 shows Expanded and Emphasized characters. Figure 4-2. Expanded and Emphasized letters Although the print head slows to half normal speed (i.e., 80 cps) in Emphasized Mode, the increase in print quality is well worth it.
Emphasized Mode (line 30) stays on until you shut it off. DoubleStrike comes on (line 40) before Emphasized is turned off. You see the result above. Proportional Mode Have you ever wondered why most computer printouts don’t look as good as typeset books, even when you use bold characters? It’s because most dot-matrix printers use a uniform width for each character (monospacing) whereas typesetting machines set the width for each character proportional to its size.
Since all Proportional characters are Emphasized, it makes sense that Proportional characters, like Emphasized, can only be printed in Pica pitch, not Elite nor Compressed. In addition, Proportional Mode cannot be mixed with Double-Strike. The cost of all this high-powered printing is the slower speed of printing and the wear and tear on the ribbon. Understandably, these dense modes shorten the life of a ribbon compared to Single-Strike printing.
the printer will prove that Double-Strike has been turned on all the time. Add lines 30 and 50, and make some changes to line 70: 30 LPRINT CHR$(27)"G"; 50 LPRINT "WHEN PROPORTIONAL GOES" 70 LPRINT "!!!!!!!!!!!!OFF, DOUBLE-STRIKE CAN COME ON" Even though Proportional Mode will not permit Double-Strike to affect lines 40 and 50 (since Proprotional Mode has priority), DoubleStrike does take hold as soon as Proportional is shut off. Figure 4-3 shows the priorities for the modes we‘ve covered so far.
sized, strips excess space from between characters. Double-Strike can be combined with all other modes except Proportional, whereas Emphasized, and thus Proportional, cannot be combined with either Elite or Compressed. Mode combinations are governed by the FX’s priority list. This list determines which mode gets printed when two or more conflicting modes are active at the same time. Table 4-1 shows the modes we have covered so far. Table 4-1.
Chapter 5 Dress-Up Modes and Master Select In the first three subsections of this chapter, we cover four more print modes: Underline; two Script Modes-Superscript and Subscript; and Italic. Each of these modes allows you to add a particular finishing touch to your printouts. After we show how you can quickly select 16 combinations of pitch and weight by using the Master Select feature, we demonstrate combining the combinations.
You can turn Underline Mode off with: CHR$(27)"-"CHR$(0) or CHR$(27)"-0" Enter and RUN this program to see what FX underlining looks like: NEW 20 LPRINT CHR$(27)"-1UNDERLINING IS SIMPLE"; 40 LPRINT CHR$(27)"-0 TO TURN ON/OFF" You can underline virtually anything you want-even a series of blank spaces.
The FX-80, on the other hand, can perform a reverse line feed, and it uses this capability to place the underline one row lower than any text dot. To do this, the FX-80 prints the text to be underlined, moves the print head down the paper one row’s worth to print the underline, then moves the print head back up to the original text line.
Notice that ESCape “T” turns either kind of Script Mode off and also that both versions of Script Mode are automatically printed in Double-Strike. Since Double-Strike prints at half speed, so do the Script Modes. And since Double-Strike can’t mix with Proportional, neither can either type of Script. If you are using the FX-100 and you switch in and out of DoubleStrike Mode several times in the same line, you will see that the print line slopes slightly to the right.
Whether your computer system is one of these or not, with ESCape “4” you can print Italic characters. Prove it by adding these lines to your program: 10 LPRINT CHR$(27) “4” 70 LPRINT CHR$(27)"@" When you want to turn off only the Italic Mode, you use ESCape "5" (instead of line 70’s Reset Code) in your program. More Mode Combinations With all the handsome print types we’ve covered up to this point, you’re probably wondering how many different print combinations are waiting in your FX.
Figure 5-1.
Double-Strike, use LPRINT CHR!$(27)“!T”. N/A indicates that the two modes cannot be combined. Table 5-1.
Figure 5-3. Dress-up combinations Master Select base and then add the sequence(s) that you want to embellish it. Here is a program that does just that, several times.
Here are the commands that we introduced in this chapter. CHR$(27)“-1” Turns Underline Mode ON CHR$(27)“-0” Turns Underline OFF CHR$(27)“Sl” Turns Subscript Mode ON.
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Chapter 6 Special Printing Features In this chapter you’ll discover several new features that will enhance your control over the printer. Backspacing, for example, allows you to combine characters. You can use a set of software commands to switch in and out of international character sets, and you can control the speed of printing. Backspace The backspace function is handy for making overstrikes. Because it moves the print head backward one character, you can print two characters in one print position.
use the same technique to produce the plus-or-minus symbol: 10 LPRINT CHR$(27)"S0+"CHR$(8); 20 LPRINT CHR$(27)"S1-" 30 LPRINT CHR$(27)"@" f Plus/minus # How about that, and it only took three lines. Next try this approximately equally short program: f 10 LPRINT CHR$(126)CHR$(8); Approximately equal 20 LPRINT CHR$(27)"J"CHR$(ll)CHR$(126) 30 LPRINT CHR$(27)"@" This program prints CHR$(126), a diacritical mark used in Spanish that is called a tilde.
The 17 backspaces (line 40) are printed in Compressed Mode. The difference in character widths makes the second printing of the word BACKSPACES be offset from the first. In the next program, the offset is a little more dramatic. Change the following lines: 30 LPRINT "BACKSPACE"CHR$(l5); 40 FOR X=1 TO 15: LPRINT CHR$(8);: NEXT X 50 LPRINT CHR$(18)"BACKSPACE" After the FX prints each BACKSPACE, it moves the print head 15 Compressed positions backward. Instead of bold characters, you get a shadow effect.
Figure 6-1. Bidirectional line Look carefully at your printout or at the version we show as Figure 6-1. See how the line seems to quiver? Now turn on Unidirectional printing to see how much difference it makes. Add line 10 and RUN the program again: 10 LPRINT CHR$(27)"Ul" Figure 6-2. Unidirectional line CHR$(27) “Ul’ turns on the Unidirectional printing whose results we show as Figure 6-2, and CHR$(27) “U0” turns it off.
line feed, which means that the subsequent movement of the print head will be from the left margin to the right. To see this in action, delete line 10 and change line 40 to read: 40 FOR X=1 TO 10: LPRINT CHR$(27)"<"CHR$(124): NEXT X When you RUN it, you can watch the print head move to its leftmost position after it prints each line. Unidirectional print motion straightens out the slight misalignment of characters that results from printing bidirectionally in the Elite or Compressed Mode.
that are used in different countries. These international characters can be accessed with: LPRINT CHR$(27)"R"CHR$(n); where n is a number from zero to eight. The ESCape “R” sequence selects one of these nine countries: 0 1 2 USA 3 France 4 Germany 5 United Kingdom 6 Denmark 7 Sweden 8 Italy Spain Japan Once you have selected a country, you can use its special characters. Choosing a new international character set, however, does not give you a completely new set of 256 characters.
Table 6-2. International characters in Roman typeface This program provides an easy reference to the international characters; you’ll probably want to keep the printout handy. You can also print international characters in Italic Mode. Change these two lines: 80 READ C$: LPRINT C$CHR$(l37)CHR$(l4)CHR$(27)"4"; 100 NEXT X: LPRINT CHR$(27)"5": NEXT Y to get the result shown in Table 6-3: Table 6-3.
When could you use this program? Well, you can print . . . and if you want to use one of the foreign sets all the time, you can change your printer’s default. The factory setting of a default international character set-for the USA-is shown in line 1 of Table 6-4. You can change this by resetting some of the FX’s DIP switches. Three switches: Switch 1-6 Switch 1-7 Switch 1-8 generate eight combinations. Table 6-4 shows the switch settings. Table 6-4.
either of these capabilites on and off, as a mode, with an ESCape sequence. Half-Speed Mode The FX can print at the fine rate of 160 characters per second (cps). But it will also print more slowly if you want it to: the Half-Speed Mode prints at 80 cps. The command sequence uses lowercase s plus zero and one as a toggle: LPRINT CHR$(27)"sl" turns Half Speed Mode on, and, as usual, the zero version of the command turns the mode off.
and print the contents of the buffer, press RETURN alone. Now add this line: 10 LPRINT CHR$(27)"i1" And RUN the program. Your FX-80 responds to your typing-immediately. When you are finished, press RETURN alone, then use the zero version of the command to return to full speed. Summary You can use the Backspace Mode to overstrike one or more characters. In this manner, you can combine two or more characters to form completely new ones.
CHR$(27)“sl” Turns Half-Speed ON; If your system can’t send lowercase letters, use CHR$(115) CHR$(1) CHR$(27) “s0” Turns Half-Speed OFF CHR$(27)"i1" For the FX-80 only, turns Immediate-Print Mode ON. If your system can’t send lowercase letters, use CHR$(105)CHR$(l).
Chapter 7 Line Spacing and Line Feeds Up to this point in the manual, we have not discussed the way the printer moves a page so that it doesn’t print lines of text right on top of each other. Now we do. In this chapter you will learn how to change the distance that the paper moves; the movement is called a line feed, and the distance is called a line space. The ability to change line spacing is vital to printing graphics, as you will see in later chapters.
Figure 7-1.
Your first STEPS print in 12-dot spacing. Now tighten up the line spacing by adding lines 10 and 50: 10 LPRINT CHR$(27)"@" 50 LPRINT CHR$(27)"2" The CHR$(27)“0” of line 10 changes the usual 12-dot (l/6-inch) line spacing to a handy variation: 9-dot (l/B-inch) spacing. Nine-dot spacing is especially useful in the 9-pin Graphics Mode that we introduce in Chapter 11. Another convenient line spacing is 7-dot (7/72inch).
To show what varying n can mean, the following program increases the line spacing by one dot’s worth on each line feed: 20 FOR X=8 TO 24 30 LPRINT TAB(X)"STAIR"CHR$(27)"A"CHR$(X+128) STEPS" 40 NEXT X 50 LPRINT CHR$(27)"2" Figure 7-2. Cascading STAIR STEPS Figure 7-2 shows that the loop in line 20 and the ESCape “A” command in line 30 gradually increase the line spacing.
The ESCape”A”CHR$(n) command sets the line spacing to n/72inch if the n is any number from 0 through 85. If n is between 85 and 128, the line spacing is 85/72-inch. At 128 the sequence starts again, with 128 giving the same result as 0, 129 the same as 1, and so on. Therefore, the X+128 in line 30 produces a change in line spacing from 0 to 24/72-inch.
Microscopic line spacing There is also a way to space at smaller intervals than 72nds. Using a CHR$(27)“3” will set the spacing to increments of 216th of an inch; l/216-inch is one-third the distance between the pins of the print head (center to center). That means the printer can position a specific line one-third of a dot lower than the previous line. In fact, that’s exactly how the Double-Strike Mode operates. One word of caution.
One-time, immediate line feed The FX has a special line feed that executes a new size of line feed once, then reverts back to the size of the previous line feed. And that’s not all-it is executed immediately rather than at the end of the print line as all the other line spacing commands are. The format is: LPRINT CHR$(27)"J"CHR$(n) where n represents a distance of from zero to 255/216-inch.
Figure 7-3.
print the two lines of text and then move the print head up the page to print the line of hyphens above the first line. l0 LPRINT "REVERSE FEED" 20 LPRINT 30 LPRINT "ARE YOU WATCHING?" 40 LPRINT CHR$(27)"j"CHR$(140); 50j LPRINT “________________1’ If your system cannot send lowercase letters to the FX, use the numeric equivalent of ” j ”--CHR$(106). Don’t use reverse feed with mailing labels in the printer-they can either move on their gummed paper or peel off and get stuck inside the FX.
Table 7-1.
Chapter 8 Forms Control The FX has several features that make it easy for you to print on any size of page and to determine where on the page the printing will appear. Because they are needed most often for creating forms or for printing on pre-printed forms, these features are called forms control. With the FX you can easily change the length of a page, the margin settings, and the horizontal and vertical tabs. In this chapter and the next two, you will learn about these forms-control features.
first tell the printer where the top of form is. In most cases you’ll want the printer to use the first line below the paper perforation as the topof-form line. To get this result, turn the printer off and feed the paper through (using the manual-feed knob) until a perforation lines up with the top of the ribbon (see Figure 8-1 or consult Chapter 1). Figure 8-1. Setting the top of form Turn on the printer. The FX will now remember this position on the paper as the top of form.
CHR$(12) sends the paper to the top of the next form. It gives the same result as the FF button so long as you end the line with a semicolon to prevent BASIC from adding a line feed to the LPRINT line. Not-so-standard forms The printer’s default length for a form feed is 11 inches. But what if you decide to use a different form length, say 2 or 14 inches? The printer has no way of measuring the length of your paper. You must tell the FX about your shorter (or longer) form.
Figure 8-2. Two-inch form feed Check it by changing your program lines as shown below and RUNning the program again; see if your printout matches Figure 8-3. 10 LPRINT CHR$(27)"C"CHR$(2); 30 LPRINT "TWO-LINE FORM"CHR$(12); Figure 8-3.
Why does the printer give you two options? In some cases, setting the form length by inches is more convenient. If you know how many inches long the form should be, the printer will calculate the correct setting for you, regardless of the current line spacing. On the other hand, setting the form length by number of lines is the only way you can set extremely long form lengths.
For standard 11-inch forms, just position the paper correctly before turning on the printer; for other form lengths, use the CHR$(27)“C” command. It’s time to try this out. Make sure the perforation is even with the top of the ribbon (as in Figure 8-1), reset the printer, then type: NEW 10 LPRINT CHR$(27)"N"CHR$(6); 20 FOR X=1 TO 70 30 LPRINT "SIX-LINE SKIP . . . LINE";X 40 NEXT X Figure 8-4 shows the skip. Figure 8-4.
When you use the skip-over-perforation command, you may want to change your top of form. No matter what number you use as a skip-over-perforation setting, the printer skips that many blank lines from the last text line to the new top of form. In other words, when you set your top of form the usual way, you will have all of your blank space at the bottom of each page. To get equal amounts of blank space on the top and bottom of each page, you can set the top-of-form position below the perforation.
If you use single-sheet paper on your FX printer and run to the end of the form, the paper-out sensor prevents the printer from accidentally printing on the platen. The sensor automatically sounds the beeper and shuts down the printing until you load another sheet and continue. While the sensor saves wear of print head, ribbon, and platen, it also prevents you from printing on the last quarter of a page.
off, either by changing DIP switches or by sending the printer ASCII codes as summarized below. Switch 2-2 When on; activates the beeper; when off, deactivates it Switch 1-3 When off, makes the paper-out sensor active; when on, deactivates it Switch 2-3 When off, turns the skip-over-perforation feature OFF; when on, produces an automatic 1-inch skip over every perforation Check to see if you want to reset any switches before going on to Chapter 9.
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Chapter 9 Margins and Tabs At power-up, your FX contains specific default settings for margins and for horizontal and vertical tabs. You can make changes to any of these. Since it is best to change margins before tabs, we discuss margins first, then three aspects each of horizontal and vertical tabs. Margins Most word processing programs have commands that let you set the left and right margins.
Try out the left margin command with: NEW 10 LPRINT "LEFT MARGIN" 20 LPRINT CHR$(27)"1"CHR$(10) 30 LPRINT "LEFT MARGIN SET AT 10" 40 LPRINT Figure 9-1. Left margin setting As Figure 9-1 shows, line 10 prints at the default (zero) left margin, and line 30 makes the new left margin start 10 spaces to the right of the default. You may have noticed that we did not have you reset the left margin to zero at the end of the program. To see if the new margin is still in effect, type your computer’s LLIST command.
Figure 9-2. Listing at new margin and then switch to Compressed, the left margin stays the same distance from the edge of the paper. To see an example, type: LPRINT CHR$ ( 15) and then your computer’s print listing command. Figure 9-3 shows the page with this addition. Figure 9-3.
The text prints in Compressed Mode, but the left margin is still set at 10 Pica spaces. Right margin The general format for the right margin is: CHR$(27)"Q"CHR$(n) For the FX-80, n can range from 2 to 80 in Pica, 3 to 96 in Elite, and 4 to 137 in Compressed Mode. For the FX-100, n can range from 2 to 136 in Pica, 3 to 163 in Elite, and 4 to 233 in Compressed. The lower limits may seem strange when compared with the OS allowed for left margin limits.
Figure 9-4 shows the new listing, which did not print out at the position you specified. What happened? Well, the CHR$(18) turned off Compressed Mode, but there was no change in the margin because the new right margin setting would have occurred on the wrong side of the current left margin (which is still set at 10). Remember, the FX simply ignores impossible settings. Use a workable number to reset the right margin: LPRINT CHR$(27)"Q"CHR$(22) Then RUN the program. Figure 9-5.
Both margins Notice that the left and right margin commands use different numbering systems. In Pica Mode the left margin command counts from 0 to 79 while the right margin command counts from 1 to 80. Keep this difference in mind when you use the two commands together. Another difference between the two margin commands is that the minimum left margin setting is 0, regardless of pitch, but the minimum right margin is the value of the left margin setting plus 2 in Pica, 3 in Elite, or 4 in Compressed.
Horizontal tab usage The FX has the ability to tab horizontally, and it has default tabs set in the current pitch at columns 8, 16, 24, 32, . . . every eight Pica spaces on out to the current width of the page. We will show you how to change the tabs to suit your needs more closely, but first let’s see how the printer’s tabs work. You can move the print head from any position on the print line to the next tab stop with the ASCII horizontal tab code, CHR$(9).
Note that many BASICS handle numbers differently from strings. This difference is most evident when you are printing columns that contain mixtures of numbers and strings: many BASICS automatically add spaces both before and after each number. You may have to make adjustments if you want to have a column of numbers line up. Test this out on your machine with the following changes: 70 FOR J=l TO 9 80 LPRINT H$;J; 90 NEXT J: LPRINT Figure 9-7 shows the text heading (TOP) centered above each column of numbers.
Variable horizontal tabs You can change the default horizontal tab settings by specifying new tab stops. To do this, use the format: CHR$(27)"D"CHR$(n,) . . . CHR$(nk,)CHR$(O) where n, and nk stand for the first and last of a series of new tab stops, and the CHR$(O) informs the printer that you are through setting tabs. The FX can store up to 32 tab stops; you may specify one or all of these. You may also add stops to one or more of the default tabs, as in the next version of your current program.
For the FX-100 this is: 135 in Pica, 162 in Elite, and 232 in Compressed. Don’t forget that resetting the margins automatically returns the tabs to their default settings. Set margins before tabs. Tabs are set in the currently active pitch, and subsequent changes in pitch do not affect the tab positions. Here’s proof. Add these lines to your current program: 60 LPRINT CHR$(15); 70 LPRINT H$;H$;"TWO MORE";H$;"THE END" and RUN it. Figure 9-9.
the default vertical tabs, which are set for every other line, or you can set tabs in one of two ways, in a single set or, for forms, in up to 8 sets, called channels. Ordinary vertical tabs Most often you probably will only need one series of vertical tabs. You set them with ESCape “B” in this format: CHR$(27)“B”CHR$(n1) . . . CHR$(nk)CHR$(0) where n1 to nk represent up to 16 numbers that specify the lines that get tab stops. The process is terminated by CHR$(0).
Figure 9-10. Ordinary vertical tabs Once you have tabbed to a stop, you can print more than one line of text at that position. See this by changing line 50 and adding the three lines shown below to your current program. If you enter the number of spaces that we have indicated with MS, the entries will line up neatly. 50 LPRINT V$;"LOCATION" 60 LPRINT ADDRESS:" 70 LPRINT CITY 80 LPRINT STATE:" Your printout should look like Figure 9-11.
Figure 9-11. Text at tab stop Just as for horizontal tabs, vertical tab settings are absolute: they do not change when you change the size of a space. For example, suppose you want to add to this form a graphics logo that uses special line spacing. If you forget to return to 12-dot spacing before the FX prints the next text after the logo, the line spacing will go awry-but each tab stop will remain the same distance from the top of form.
uses the Reset Code to return the FX to 12-dot spacing. RUNning this program produces a printout to match Figure 9-12. Figure 9-12. Absolute vertical tabs Be sure to delete line 25 after you’ve seen its effect. Vertical tab channels Vertical tab channels are especially helpful in two situations. The first occurs when you are writing a program to accompany a preprinted form that can accommodate various types of responses.
You can store up to eight channels of tab stops, numbered from 0 to 7. You use a format that is similar to the one for a single set: CHR$(27)"b"CHR$(N)CHRR$(n 1) . . . CHR$(nk)CHR$(0) where N stands for a reference number between zero and seven under which this channel will be stored. If you have already stored a set using ESCape “B”, the FX has labelled it as channel 0. If your system won’t send lowercase letters, substitute CHR$(98) for the “b”.
Figure 9-13. Printout of multipage channels Summary The FX gives you the ability to set margins and to use default, regulated and variable tabs; you can set tabs in either the horizontal or vertical direction. The default horizontal tabs occur in Pica, regardless of the current pitch. You set horizontal tabs in the current pitch. The default vertical tabs occur at every other line in 12-dot line spacing.
CHR$(27)“1”CHR$(n) Sets the left margin to n. (If you can’t use lowercase letters, use CHR$(l08) in place of “1” .) Limits are 0 - 78 in Pica, 0 - 93 in Elite, and 0 133 in Compressed CHR$(27)“Q”CHR$(n) Sets the right margin to n. Limits are 2 - 80 in Pica, 3 - 96 in Elite, and 4 - 137 in Compressed CHR$(9) or CHR$(137)Moves the print head to the next horizontal tab. CHR$(11) Moves the print head to the next vertical tab CHR$(27)“B”CHR$(n 1)CHRS(n 2) . . .
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Chapter 10 Introduction to Dot Graphics Welcome to the world of Epson graphics. To get you off to a solid start, we use this chapter to discuss all the fundamentals of dot graphics, from the number of dots per page to the way to position one dot, before we show you several patterns that you can print by using one dot at a time. Dots and Matrixes Imagine the blank printout page as a huge canvas that is made up of a series of dot matrixes.
A final multiplication: X 480 main columns 792 rows gives you a grand total of 380,160 dot positions per FX-80 page. And that doesn’t even take into account intermediate columns, the FX-100’s ability to print 136 Pica matrixes, or both models’ ability to use graphics density settings to increase the number of dots across the page and microscopic line spacing to increase the number of dots down the page. Since there is a huge number of such dot positions on each page, this sounds like a giant task.
Figure 10-1. Pins numbered sequentially Each time the print head makes a horizontal pass, it prints a pattern of dots. To print figures taller than 7 or 8 dots, the print head must make more than one sweep. If you use the 12-dot (default) line spacing, the print head will leave gaps between the graphics lines, just as it does between text lines. To avoid such gaps in your pattern, adjust the line spacing to 7-or8- dot and print consecutive lines until the figure is complete.
Each pass of the print head contains one piece of the total pattern, which can be as tall or short as you desire. You don’t have to use the whole page or even an entire line for your graphics figures. In fact, you can reserve as little or as much space as you like for a figure-and position it anywhere on the page. Graphics Mode Multi-line figures are printed in lines that are either seven or eight rows tall.
Often a figure needs more than half a line. To reserve more than 255 columns for graphics, the second number (n,) must be greater than 0. But n2 does not represent a number of single dots; it represents a number of groups, each of which contains 256 dots. Using a 1 in the second slot means “reserve one group of 256 dots plus whatever is in the first slot.” A 2 in that spot means “reserve two groups of 256 dots (512) plus . . .
Since computers use the binary numbering system (OS and 1s only), it is most efficient for each pin to correspond to the decimal equivalent of one bit in an &bit binary number: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc. (see Figure 10-3). Figure 70-3. Pins labelled uniquely The hardware makes this the most practical labelling system. Each pin corresponds to one of the eight data lines from the computer, and each data line corresponds to one bit in a binary number.
Figure 10-4. Pin combinations Now that you know the labels for the pins, how would you fire the top pin? Why, by sending LPRINT CHR$(128), of course. And how about the bottom graphics pin? That’s right, LPRINT CHR$(l). If you wanted to fire only the top and bottom pins, you’d simply add 128 and one, then send LPRINT CHR$(129). By adding the appropriate label numbers together, you can fire any combination of pins you want.
In the programs that follow (except the first), we shorten the process of specifying pins by using the fact that their labels represent powers of two. (Refer back to Figure 10-3 to refresh your memory about the relationship of ordinal numbers to powers of two and the exponential labels for the pins.) We use the caret (^) to represent exponentiation; for example, 2^6 means raise two to the sixth power.
Line 40 completes the loop. Line 50 doesn’t print anything-it just forces a carriage return at the end of the print line, overriding the semicolon of line 30. Forcing the carriage return is not really necessary since the line is the last one of this program. It’s just a good habit to develop. Notice that the printer doesn’t print each time it receives a CHR$(l). The FX stores data in its print buffer until it receives as many numbers as it expects-in this case, 100.
110 LPRINT CHR$(2^N); 120 NEXT X: RETURN On the first pass of the loop (line SO), N equals X and the exponents increase in order from 0 to 6. The second time the routine is called, N equals 6 minus X, which reverses the order (from 6 down to 0). The flag F of line 50 activates the change of direction, and line 90 reflects the value for the exponent. This two-directional slash routine can be repeated indefinitely.
See what a big difference the line spacing makes? All of the multiple-line graphics programs in this manual use this line spacing. Diamond pattern In this next and final version of the program, you exercise even more control over the slashes. This program varies not only their direction, but also their sizes (length and height) on the print line. Although the program still uses only one subroutine, it prints 24 different patterns, 12 on each of the 2 print lines.
Summary You enter Graphics Mode with the C H R $ ( 2 7 ) “ K ” CHR$(n 1) CHR$(n2) command. You determine the number of graphics columns by filling the two reservation slots, n1 and n2. You fire your pin patterns by adding up the pin labels, which consist of powers of two. Here is the command we introduced in this chapter: CHR$(27)“K”CHR$(n 1)CHR$(n2); Enters Single-Density Graphics Mode and specifies width setting.
Chapter 11 Varieties of Graphics Density We introduced you to FX graphics by having you use SingleDensity Graphics Mode and a single pin per column. In this chapter we cover six more graphics densities and provide examples of designs that use pin combinations. We also offer you several tips for programming graphics. Graphics Programming Tips Let’s start with a program that fires the four low graphics pins in each column.
Graphics and the Reset Code You may have wondered about the semicolon we had you place after the B$ in line 40. If this line were text rather than graphics data, this semicolon would cause the text and the Reset Code (CHR$(27)“@“) in line 80 to be placed in the same text buffer and consequently the Reset Code would wipe the text out. This doesn’t happen with the graphics command and its data because the CHR$(27)“K” command itself dumps everything from the buffer to the printer.
for form feed-CHR$(12)-to the printer, the computer system intercepts it and sends instead a series of line feeds-CHR$(10). It does this whether the CHR$ commands represent true commands, parameters for commands, or data. It screens out all instances of its reserved numbers. You can see how this could upset the printing of graphics. In this example, you would get pins 2 and 4 (whose sum is 10) when you wanted pins 3 and 4 (whose sum is 12).
SINGLE-DENSITY GRAPHICS The printer fires pins 1, 3, 5, and 7 (with the respective exponential values of 1, 4, 16, and 64) in the first column and pins 2, 4, and 6 (exponential values 2, 8, and 32) in the second. And it alternates that sequence for 50 columns-50 columns in Single-Density. This program also mixes graphics and text on one line. It does that by using semicolons to keep both kinds of output on the same print line.
(Overlapping dots) Pattern In double-density mode at High Speed Prints as Figure 11-1. High-Speed Double-Density dots To check this out, change the pin patterns in line 30 from 85 to 127, the sum of the labels for pins 1 through 7: 30 B$=CHR$(127)+CHR$(42) As Figure 11-2 shows, the repeated dots, the ones called for by the CHR$(42)-pins 2, 4, and 6-are not printed at all. The print head is moving too fast to retract the pins and then instantly fire them again, so the FX’s program suppresses them.
Low-Speed Double-Density Graphics Mode Ah, but the FX has a special print mode to take care of this very problem. It’s called the Low-Speed Double-Density Graphics Mode. Change the 2 of line 20 to a 1 and change the text in line 50 once more: 20 A$=CHR$(27)+"*"+CHR$(l)+CHR$(50)+CHR$(0) 50 LPRINT "PLOW-SPEED DOUBLE-DENSITY GRAPHICS "; Take note of the print speed when you RUN your program this time. It’s the same density as the previous mode, but printed at half the speed.
Quadruple-Density Graphics Mode The FX also gives you the ability to print dots four times as densely as in Single-Density. Change the 1 line 20 to a 3 and lines 30 and 50 to read: 20 A$=CHR$(27)+"*"+CHR$(3)+CHR$(50)+CHR$(0) 30 B$=CHR$(85)+CHR$(42) 50 LPRINT " QUADRUPLE-DENSITY GRAPHICS "; QUADRUPLE-DENSITY GRAPHICS In Quadruple-Density Graphics Mode, any FX can print 480 times 4 (or 1920) columns of dots on a single 8-inch line and the FX-100 can print 816 times 4 (or 3264) columns on a 13.6-inch line.
MODE # 0 MODE # 1 MODE # 2 MODE # 3 MODE # 4 MODE # 5 MODE # 6 Figure 11-4. Seven density modes Figure 11-4 displays all seven of the FX modes that affect graphics density. Table 11-1 describes them. More Graphics Programming Tips The next two sections discuss two modes that the FX offers to help you solve potential graphics problems. A reassigning code allows you to change the density for graphics programs that use one of the four alternate codes.
Table 11-1. Graphics Modes Mode Density 0 Single 1 2 Low-Speed Double High-Speed Double Quadruple 3 Epson Alternate code CHR$(27)“K” 60 dots per inch; 480 dots per 8” line 816 dots per 13.6” line CHR$(27)“L” 120 dots per inch; 960 dots per 8” line 1632 dots per 13.6”line CHR$(27)“Y” Same density as Mode 1, but faster. The printer does not print consecutive dots in any one row. CHR$(27)“Z” 240 dots per inch; 1920 dots per 8” line; 3264 dots per 13.
You should get another printout of Figure 11-4. A second time you can make good use of the reassigning code occurs when you want to change a program in which you have not concatenated the graphics codes. Using the "?" sequence allows you to change every instance of your graphics command by entering only one line. A third type of use occurs when you want to use a program developed for a different model of Epson printer.
First byte Second byte Figure 11-5. Nine-pin usage (Use CHR$(94) if you can’t generate the caret symbol (^) from your system.) The d determines the density of the graphics: d set to 0 produces Single-Density; d set to 1 produces Double-Density. In this format, n1 and n2 represent the usual width settings, but each print pattern requires two bytes (instead of one). This means that when you want to print 60 columns of graphics, you must send 120 data bytes.
Firing 9 pins with 8 data lines is just a shade more difficult than firing 7 or 8 pins. It takes 2 bytes to define each 9-dot pin pattern: the first byte determines the pattern of the top 8 pins in the usual way and only the top bit of the second byte is used. Thus any second byte of 128 or greater fires the bottom pin of the print head; anything less does not.
50 READ N 90 DATA 3,7,31,63,126,124,112,96,92,66,33,25,5,3 Line 50 reads the first data number into the variable N. To read the rest of the numbers, line 50 must be executed in a loop. Add these lines to the program: 20 A$=CHR$(27)+"K"+CHR$(14)+CHR$(0) 30 LPRINT A$; 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 3 126 31 7 63 92 112 124 96 33 66 5 25 3 Figure 11-7. Curling design 40 FOR X=1 TO 14 60 LPRINT CHR$(N); 70 NEXT X 80 LPRINT CHR$(27)"@": END Perfect! Just like the design.
like this one, you can just get the program to reread one set of data by using a RESTORE statement. To see this, change two lines and then RUN the program: 30 FOR Y=l TO 10: RESTORE: LPRINT A$; 70 NEXT X: NEXT Y Although the new loop in line 30 repeats the pattern 10 times, you don’t need 10 repetitions of the DATA statements. The RESTORE statement in line 30 tells the program to read the same data again.
80 LPRINT CHR$(27)"@": END 90 DATA 8,28,62,93,-6,28,93,62,28,8 100 READ R: FOR J=l TO -N 110 LPRINT CHR$(R);: NEXT J 120 X=X-N-1: GOT0 70 RUN it again. Same arrow pattern, right? And with less data. The number of repetitions (6) is entered into the DATA line as a negative number that is followed by the pattern (28) to be repeated. Yet even with this short cut, graphics designs do require that you plan and enter lots of data.
CHR$(27)“L”CHR$(n 1)CHR$(n2) Enters Low-Speed Double-Density Graphics Mode and specifies the width setting. Width = n1 + (256*n2), where n1 is 0 - 255 and n2 is 0-7 CHR$(27)“Z”CHR!$(n 1)CHR$(n 2) Enters Quadruple-Speed Graphics Mode and specifies the width setting.
Chapter 12 Design Your Own Graphics In this chapter we take you through the development of two graphics programs, from design to implementation. The two programs use entirely different techniques. The first program uses a method of storing and recalling data similar to that of the curling program in the last chapter. You store pin patterns and their repetition factors in DATA statements to produce a pattern that is suitable as a logo.
2. Translate the dots into their appropriate pin numbers, seven or eight rows (depending on your computer system’s capability) at a time. 3. Figure out the easiest way to send those numbers to the printer. Once you get the hang of it, the whole process is easy. It does require some patience, but sometimes, when regular patterns form your designs, you can use the computer to do most of the tedious work. It can calculate the pin patterns.
Figure 12-1. STRATA layout In most cases the program reads a number greater than or equal to zero and sends it to the printer (line 620). Control then returns to line 610, which reads the next number. If N is negative, the program bypasses the LPRINT in line 620 and goes on to line 630. Negative numbers in the DATA lines represent repeat factors as they did in the last chapter, but the repeat routine is slightly different.
There’s only one thing left to do before you can print the first lineenter a Graphics Mode: 600 LPRINT CHR$(27)"L"CHR$(60)CHR$(0); Now RUN the program. That’s a good start.
l00 LPRINT CHR$(27)"1" 590 FOR K=l TO 6 600 LPRINT CHR$(27)"L"CHR$(60)CHR$(0); 610 READ N: IF N=128 THEN 650 620 IF N>=0 THEN LPRINT CHR$(N);: GOT0 610 630 READ P,R: FOR J=l TO -N: LPRINT CHR$(P)CHR$(R);: NEXT J 640 GOT0 610 650 LPRINT: NEXT K: LPRINT CHR$(27)"@": END 799 ' <<< LOGO DATA >>> 800 DATA 0,1,2,4,11,18,36,72,-16,16, 64,8,64,8,32,16,0,-7,0,0,128 810 DATA 0,126,1,0,126,1,-5,0,0,1,2,4,11, 18,36,-16,8,32,4,32,4,16,8,0,128 820 DATA 0,0,0,64,32,16,72,36,-3,16,4,34, 65,0,0,65,34,-8,16,4,18,11,4,2,1,0
Figure 12-4.
A very few pin patterns are needed for this program. In fact, each “pattern” consists of only one pin, making the numbers easy to calculate: 1 for the low pin 64 for the high pin 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 for the diagonal rise 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1 for the diagonal fall As you will see in the next few pages, these pin patterns are coded right into the program. You’ll only need to store as data the number of repetitions for the low and high sections.
170 FOR Y=l TO 819: LPRINT CHR$(l);: NEXT Y 180 LPRINT: NEXT X: RETURN Now RUN the first trial: Line 20 stores the graphics entry string in G$. This produces LowSpeed Double-Density dots for 819 columns [ 51+ (3x256) = 819]. Line 170 fires the bottom graphics pin 819 times. The X loop (lines 160 and 180) repeats the routine to print the line three times. .
If L is read as zero, line 70 causes the program to ignore line 80. This enables the printer to print the center portion of the X, where the diagonal fall meets the diagonal rise at a point and no low section is required. Line 90 serves two purposes. It forces a line feed each time a negative number is read, and it skips the last three steps of the four-step cycle so that each print line can end on a low.
290 300 310 320 330 340 350 DATA DATA DATA DATA DATA DATA DATA 3,3,25,3,0,3,25,3,12,3,2,3,12,3,3,-1 3,3,24,3,2,3,24,3,12,3,2,3,12,3,3,-1 3,3,23,3,4,3,23,3,12,3,2,3,1&3,3,-1 3,3,22,3,6,3,22,3,12,3,2,3,12,3,3,-1 3,3,21,3,8,3,21,5,8,5,2,5,8,5,3,-1 3,3,20,3,10,3,21,18,4,18,4,-1 3,3,19,3,12,3,22,14,8,14,6,-1 Yes, indeed, high-resolution graphics does require a large amount of data. Okay, now RUN the program: Figure 12-S.
100 LPRINT CHR$(l)CHR$(2)CHR$(4)CHR$(8)CHR$(l6) CHR$(32)CHR$(64); 110 FOR X=1 TO H: LPRINT CHR$(64);: NEXT X 120 LPRINT CHR$(64)CHR$(32)CHR$(16)CRR$(8)CHR$(4) CHR$(2)CHR$(l); 130 GOT0 50 140 NEXT D: GOSUB 160 150 LPRINT CHR$(27)"@": END 160 FOR X=1 TO 3: LPRINT G$; 170 FOR Y=l TO 819: LPRINT CHR$(l);: NEXT Y 180 LPRINT: NEXT X: RETURN 190 DATA 3,20,2,3,12,3,22,14,8,14,6,-1 200 DATA 3,20,3,3,10,3,21,18,4,18,4,-1 210 DATA 3,20,4,3,8,3,21,5 , 8 , 5 9 2 , 5 9 8 9 5 ) 3 2 -1 220 DATA 3,3,22,3,6,3,22,3,12,3,2,3,1
7 WIDTH LPRINT 255 10 LPRINT CHR$(27)"1" 20 G$=CHR$(27)+"L"+CHR$(l2l)+CHR$(3): GOSUB 160 30 FOR D=l TO 17.
These changes fill in the diagonals as illustrated in Figure 12-9: 100 LPRINT CHR$(l)CHR$(3)CHR$(7)CHR$(l5) CHR$(31)CHR$(63)CHR$(127); 120 LPRINT CHR$(127)CHR$(63)CHR$(31)CHR$(l5) CHR$(7)CHR$(3)CHR$(l); Figure 12-9. More distinct version And one additional change fills in the entire text (Figure 12-10): 110 FOR X=1 TO H: LPRINT CHR$(127);: NEXT X Can you vary the program to produce a complete black/white reverse like the one in Figure 12-11? Summary We did not introduce any commands in this chapter.
Figure 12-10. Most distinct version Figure 12-11.
Chapter 13 Plotter Graphics As you work with dot graphics, you may run into printer limitations because dot-matrix printers are designed primarily for fast printing of text. The FX, however, can also print high-resolution graphics, as you saw in the STRATA program. But the side-to-side motion of a dot-matrix printer makes it virtually impossible to place the print head in the middle of a page and trace out a lazy spiral or even a circle.
Figure 13-1. Computer memory as sketch pad holes or cells arranged in rows and columns, as Post Office boxes are. Each cell of the array corresponds to a dot position on the paper (Figure 13-2). Figure 13-2. Array in memory and on paper Although the cells in a numeric array can hold nearly any numeric value, you use only the binary numbers (0 and 1) for this graphics program. Figure 13-3 demonstrates using a 1 to represent a dot and a 0 to represent no dot.
Figure 13-3. Ones and zeros become dots and blanks Why all this fuss and stew about arrays? We want to show you that the FX can simulate a plotter. And once the correspondence between array cells and dot positions is firmly established, you can easily plot in any direction. Let’s look at the way each cell is named. The cells are arranged in rows and columns, so each cell can be easily pinpointed by its row and column position. COLUMN (2,3) ROW Figure 13-4.
DIMension and arrays Most BASICS allow you to use up to 10 rows and 10 columns in an array without any special preparation of the computer’s memory. Since arrays use up lots of memory, you must inform the system if you intend to use a larger array. In BASIC, this is done with the DIMension statement, which is contained in the first line of the next program.
Figure 13-5. Plotting a circle Circle Plotting You can have your program examine the cells of an array in any order; the following program scans them row by row, using two loops: 20 FOR R=l TO N: FOR C=l TO N At each cell, line 30 calculates the cell’s distance from a center point by using the distance formula: 30 D=SQR((R-11)^2+(C-11>^2) Next the program compares this distance with a number (10) that specifies the radius of a circle.
The final step to plotting a circle in an array is to close the loops and display the contents of the array. Add these three lines to your program: 50 LPRINT A(R,C);: NEXT C: LPRINT 60 PRINT "ROW";R: NEXT R 170 LPRINT CHR$(27)"@": END and RUN it.
The next line loads the beginning (B), ending (E), and step (S) values for the loop that will read and print the array. 100 B=l: E=N-6: S=l We have you use variables here so that you can change them later. That way you can make your program read the array in a number of directions. Using 7 pins of the print head on each pass, the program will take 3 passes to print a 21-row array. If you change the array size, remember to use a multiple of 7.
encounters a one, it adds the appropriate power of two to F (line 190). The exponent is the difference between the current row (R) and the last row in this pass of the print head (P+6*S). Line 220 sends F to the printer as a graphics pin pattern. 10 DEFINT A: N=21: DIM A(N,N) 20 FOR R=l TO N: FOR C=l TO N 30 D=SQR((R-11)^2 + (C-11)^2) 40 IF INT(D+.
below picks off any potential problem codes and changes them to less dangerous numbers. 210 IF F>8 AND F<14 THEN F=F-5 This line takes any number between 8 and 14 and subtracts 5 from it, putting it out of the trouble range. Adjust this test to fit your system. You may see another problem with the figure. The standard 7-dot line spacing may be off just enough to add a slight gap every seven rows. An easy fix for this is to adjust the line spacing as needed with the CHR$(27)“3’ command.
drastic measures. One such measure would be to let each bit of the numbers stored in the array cells represent one graphics dot. This would increase the storage ability but tremendously complicate the programming. For symmetric designs such as the circle, you can use a different measure. Take advantage of the symmetry to increase your output four-fold without increasing the size of the array one iota.
Reflections Once the desired image is stored in the array you can rotate and reflect it in several different directions. It’s all done with mirrors; at least, it looks like mirror reflections when you are done. You create the mirror effect by reading the array in different directions. Currently your program reads the array from left to right, seven rows at a time, but it is just as easy to read it in the reverse order.
100 110 120 130 140 150 160 170 180 190 200 220 IF Z=2 THEN B=l: E=N-6: S=l FOR P=B TO E STEP 7*S PRINT "LOADING ROWS";P;"TO"; P+6*S LPRINT CHR$(27) "*"CHR$(5)CHR$(2*N)CHR$(0); FOR C=N TO 1 STEP -1: GOSUB 180: NEXT C FOR C=l TO N: GOSUB 180: NEXT C LPRINT: NEXT P: NEXT Z LPRINT CHR$(27)"@": END F=0: FOR R=P TO P+6*S STEP S IF A(R,C)=l THEN F=F+2^ABS(P+6*S-R) NEXT R LPRINT CHR$(F);: RETURN Go ahead and RUN it to see how it works.
This adjustment makes it easier to compare the distance value with the value of the RND function (line 40, below). Once the computer knows the distance of each cell from the upperleft corner, it can use the following test to determine which cells receive 1s and which cells continue to contain 0s. 40 IF D>RND(9) THEN A(R,C)=l Line 40 compares the modified distance (D) of each cell to a random number between 0 and 1. If D is greater than the random number, a 1 goes in that cell.
70 LPRINT CHR$(27)"3"CHR$(20);CHR$(7); 80 B=N: E=7: S=-1 90 FOR Z=l TO 2 100 IF Z=2 THEN B=l: E=N-6: S=l 110 FOR P=B TO E STEP 7*S 120 PRINT "LOADING ROWS";P;"TO"; P+6*S 130 LPRINT CHR$(27)"*"CHR$(0)CHR$(2*N)CHR$(0); 140 FOR C=N TO 1 STEP -1: GOSUB 180: NEXT C 150 FOR C=l TO N: GOSUB 180: NEXT C 160 LPRINT: NEXT P: NEXT Z 170 LPRINT CHR$(27)"@": END 180 F=0: FOR R=P TO P+6*S STEP S 190 IF A(R,C)=l THEN F=F+2^ABS(P+6*S-R) 200 NEXT R 210 IF F>8 AND F<14 THEN F=F-5 220 LPRINT CHR$(F);: RETURN O.K.
is nearly all of the available memory on many personal computers. You are, therefore, not able to print significantly larger figures of this type with such computers. If you like the effect that is produced by this use of random numbers but would like a bigger printout without using more memory, there is a solution. The alternate method used in the program listed below does not use symmetry and uses very little of the computer’s memory because it does not store data in an array.
By changing the value of N to different multiples of seven, you can generate this pattern in different sizes. Just be prepared to let your computer cook for several hours. Summary We used this chapter to demonstrate the way you can use your FX as though it were a plotter. You can also use your computer system to design a symmetric pattern, applying mathematical principles to minimize the amount of data needed, and then store the data in an array.
Chapter 14 Symmetrical Graphics Patterns In this chapter we continue to explore the generation of graphics patterns in memory. As in the last chapter, you will use ones and zeros in an array to generate pin patterns, but this time you will save memory by using a one-dimensional array to print a two-dimensional figure. You will construct one long program in which an array containing less than 300 elements will produce a pattern made up of many thousands of dots.
Table 14-1. Variables for SYMMETRY 90 IF N>MIN THEN 70 100 NEXT J: PRINT The J loop will Repeat four times (RE = 4). It has two subloops, each of which depends on the value of N. Each time through the first loop (lines 40 to 60), N increases by one-to the value of MAX. Each time through the second loop (lines 70 to 90), N decreases by one-to the value of MIN. For each value of N, the program calls subroutine 300, and each time it is called, this subroutine adds more ones and zeros into the array.
Line 320 in the L loop stores the ones and zeros in the array. The end of line 330 makes X alternate between zero and one. To print out the contents of the array at this point, type: 5 LPRINT CHR$(27)"Q"CHR$(44) 110 FOR K=l TO C: LPRINT A(K);: NEXT K: LPRINT.. LPRINT "C="C and RUN your growing program.
Pin Pattern Calculation You will use the one-line array that you just created to generate a two-dimensional pattern. This technique results in a significant saving of memory compared to the method of generating an array that we used in the last chapter. Two patterns are used in each pass of the print head. P is the pattern formed by the seven vertical dots at the start of each print line, and PO is its black/white reverse image. The program prints the pattern P in each column that is headed by a black dot.
Graphics Width Settings The required graphics width is C, the size of the array. If, however, C is greater than 255, the value n2 in the graphics entry string must change from zero to one. With this in mind, add these three lines: 200 N1=C: N2=0 210 IF C>255 THEN Nl=C-256: N2=1 220 LPRINT CHR$(27)"*"CHR$(5)CHR$(Nl)CHR$(N2); Introduced in Chapter 11, CHR$(27)” * “CHR$(5) is the one-to-one graphics density setting. It ensures a printout image that is square.
10 DIM A(480): X=1: C=0 20 MAX=5: MIN=l: RE=4: N=0 30 FOR J=l TO RE 40 N=N+l 50 GOSUB 300 IF NMIN THEN 70 90 100 NEXT J: PRINT 110 FOR K=l TO C: PRINT A(K);: NEXT K: PRINT: PRINT "C =" C 120 LPRINT CHR$(27)"1"; 130 LAST=INT(C/7): R=C-7*LAST 140 FOR PASS=0 TO LAST: P=0: PRINT "PASS"; PASS; "0F";LAST 150 H=6: IF PASS=LAST THEN H=R-1 160 FOR DOT=0 TO H IF A(7*PASS+DOT+l)=l THEN P=P+2^(6-DOT) 170 180 NEXT DOT 190 P0=127-P: IF PASS=LAST THEN P0=P0+1-2^(7-R) 200 Nl=C: N2
Figure 14-4. Symmetric pattern 1 That’s enough to knock your eyes right out of their sockets! And all that from a single one-dimensional array. Variations The computer completely controls your symmetric pattern, dot for dot. Small changes in the program can affect the pattern in a big way. For example, try this simple change in line 300: 300 FOR K=0 TO 0 And RUN the program again: Notice in your printout (or in Figure 14-5) that each string of ones and zeros in the array prints only once.
Figure 14-5. Symmetric pattern 2 Here’s another interesting variation: 20 MAX=64: MIN=l: RE=l: N=1/2 40 N=N*2 70 N=N/2 Figure 74-6. Symmetric pattern 3 Quite a difference! Instead of adding and subtracting one from N, lines 40 and 70 now double and halve it. This geometric progression creates a very different pattern.
Also notice that, because the variable RE is set to one, this pattern repeats only once. Now’s the time to experiment with some of your own changes to the variables and loops. Summary In this chapter you used a single string of ones and zeros to create a two-dimensional figure. You can use this technique to create large patterns with little drain on computer memory, but only with highly structured patterns.
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Chapter 15 User-Defined Characters If you’ve studied the program examples in this manual, you are quite adept at printing both graphics and text with the FX. In this chapter we’re going to share the secrets of the ultimate in printer control-defining your own characters. With the FX, you can create any number of new characters, graphics patterns to serve as building blocks for larger designs, or even whole type fonts.
Preparation DIP switch 1-4 controls the use of the FX’s 2K RAM buffer. You can use this RAM memory as a large text buffer to smooth printer/computer communications, or you can store in it a set of user-defined characters. Unfortunately, it can’t serve both purposes simultaneously. In this and succeeding chapters, we’ll use this RAM area for user-defined characters. So set switch 1-4 off before proceeding. Character Definition Characters are defined with the ESCape “&" command sequence.
The semicolon is very important. The CHR$(27) n&” sequence expects more data to follow (just as Graphics Mode does). The semicolon at the end of the line prevents an unwanted carriage-return code from disrupting the data. For each character to be defined (determined by c1 and c2), the printer expects 12 data numbers to follow. The first of these numbers is called the attribute byte. It determines some special attributes or characteristics of the character being defined.
To be consistent with the ROM characters, we use only 7 rows. The character would normally go in the top 8 rows, but we shift all the dots down one row so that 7-bit systems can stay with the program. Also note that two adjacent dots cannot be printed in the same row. Even in Half-Speed Mode, the printer simply refuses to print two overlapping dots. Figure 15-3 illustrates an E that is incorrectly designed because it uses overlapping dots: Will not print 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 Will not print Figure 75-3.
Attribute byte The attribute byte is the first of the 12 data numbers required to define any character. At print time it controls two aspects of the way the character is printed. First, it determines which 8 pins of the print head are used to print the character. For most characters, the top 8 pins are used, but for lowercase characters with descenders (like g and p), the bottom 8 pins can be used.
mined by the data numbers as columns 0 to 10, then in Proportional Mode the minimum and maximum starting and stopping columns will be 0 and 11. Why 11 instead of l0? Column 11 is the maximum value because Proportional characters are always Emphasized; this makes each character wider by one intermediate column. So when defining your own characters for proportional printing, always reserve one extra column. Suppose you want a character to start in column 1 and end in column 10.
Note that the proportional print information is used only when the character is printed in Proportional Mode. Otherwise-the full range of columns 0 to 11 is used. Also note that if 7-bit system users set the high-order bit with CHR$(27)”>” before they use the CHR$(27)"&" sequence, it stays on for the attribute and character data bytes. One final note. Even if you choose not to print the columns from 0 through 11, you must send the printer 11 data numbers plus the attribute byte.
but before you print the user-defined E, make it more visible by adding: 170 LPRINT CHR$(27)"!8"; 190 LPRINT CHR$(27)"!@" Line 170 uses the Master Select code to print Double-Strike, Expanded, Emphasized Pica characters. Line 190 uses the Master Select to return to Pica Mode.
RAM area is like a big blank chalk board waiting for you to fill it up. At this point, because you have only defined an E, that’s all you get from RAM. Downloading Command Wouldn’t it be nice if you could magically transport some of the ROM characters over to the RAM area so you wouldn’t have to switch back and forth or define an entire character set each time you use the RAM area? In plenty of applications you only need to define a few special characters to be used with the standard alphabet and numbers.
and make these changes: 130 140 160 180 LPRINT CHR$(27)"&"CHR$(0)"rt"; FOR Y=l TO 3: LPRINT CHR$(139); NEXT Y LPRINT "rst" A R G Line 130 controls the reading of the data. It expects data for three characters: r, s, and t. This example uses lowercase characters. If necessary, you can use CHR$(114) and CHR$(l16) in place of the “rt”. The attribute byte for each character is sent in line 140 and the other 11 bytes are read from DATA lines. This method is nice for quick and easy character definition.
Let’s use this command to see how the ROM control codes can print. Add: 2 LPRINT CHR$(27)"6" X=128 TO 159: LPRINT CHR$(X);: NEXT X 6 LPRINT CHR$(27)"7" 8 STOP 4 FOR That’s where the international characters (Italic version) have been stored. So the CHR$(27)“6” command without the CHR$(27)“R” gives you access to the international characters. The CHR$(27)“7” turns these characters back into control codes.
And add: 1100 DATA 0,121,0,73,0,73,0,73,0,79,0: ’ My S 1110 DATA 0,127,0,65,0,65,0,65,0,127,0: ’ MY Oh S O W The program now contains six DATA lines, but it uses only the first three. The three characters are stored in ASCII codes 1, 2, and 3 in RAM; they are printed by line 180. Not all of the low-order (O-31) control codes can be changed to print as normal characters-nor would you want them to. Imagine, if you changed code 27 to print as a normal character . . . no more ESCape codes.
Find 8 in the table; it is in the CHR$(93) row under the Spain heading. To print the character stored in 8, use CHR$(27)“R”CHR$(7) to activate the Spanish character set, and print CHR$(93). Ole! This same technique can be used to access any of the normally unprintable control codes. Using an international character set while defining characters can be a two-edged sword.
12345678SOFTWARE If you find yourself defining characters in small groups, the same technique can be used to store part of the CHR$(27) "&" command: Z$=CHR$(27)+"&"+CHR$(0) Z$ can be used to define each new string of characters with a simple command such as either of these: LPRINT Z$"AZ"; LPRINT Z$CHR$(l28)CHR$(159); STRATA Your current program uses eight user-defined characters, which will be used again in a later chapter.
CHR$(27)“:“CHR$(n 1)CHR$(n 2)CHR$(n 3) Downloads ROM characters into RAM. All three numbers are 0 CHR$(27)“6” Enables printing of codes 128 to 159 and 255 CHR$(27)”7” Disables printing of codes 128 to 159 and 255 CHR$(27)“I1” Enables printing of the codes 0 to 31 except those used as control codes.
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Chapter 16 Combining User-Defined Characters In this chapter we’ll explore the technique of combining userdefined characters to make large letters and symbols. Large Letters: Double Wide We’ll start by placing two characters next to each other to form a double-width letter. Enter this new program, being careful to enter the line numbers as written.
Very nice. Using two characters side by side provides a larger matrix and therefore gives more flexibility in character design. But there is one problem. When two user-defined characters are placed side by side, there is one intermediate column that, unless the first character is printed in Emphasized Mode, cannot contain any dots. As you can see in Figure 16-1, that is the shared intermediate column. Unused columns Figure 16-1.
Large Letters: Double High Let’s stack two characters, one on top of the other, with these changes: 10 LPRINT CHR$(27)"l"CHR$(27)"Ul"; 100 LPRINT "A" 110 LPRINT "B" 200 DATA 16,32,95,0,64,0,127,0,63,0,0 210 DATA 14,0,123,0,3,0,123,01127,0,15 Line 10 changes the lines spacing to 7-dot and turns on Unidirectional Mode for precise alignment of the two lines. If there are slight gaps between rows, change the line spacing to 6-2/3-dot with CHR§(27)“3”CHR$(20).
71 =G 128 64 32 16 8 4 2 1 128 64 32 16 6 4 2 1 199=G 231 =g Figure 16-2. Double high and wide character In order to define letters in groups of four, you’ll have to modify the definition process. Fortunately, the ASCII numbers that represent the four versions of each character have a consistent pattern. That pattern in shown in Table 16-1.
Table 16-1. ASCII pattern With this in mind, add these lines: 40 READ L: PRINT CHR$(L) ' Print to screen 50 FOR Y=0 TO 1: FOR Z=0 TO 1: A=L+128*Y+32*Z and make these changes: 60 LPRINT CHR$(27)"&"CHR$(0)CHR$(A)CHR$(A); 70 LPRINT CHR$(139); 90 NEXT Z: NEXT Y Line 50 calculates the code (A), to be defined in line 60, by adding the appropriate amount to the base letter L. Line 60 is the CHR$(27) “&” defining sequence, and line 70 sets the attribute byte to 139.
characters in positions 6 and 7 of string A$, for example, MID$(A$,6,2) would be coded as A$(6,7). If your system uses this scheme, change line 140 to: 140 A=ASC(A$(X,X))+128*Y This program automatically prints all four parts of each letter. You type just a single letter; it does the rest. Before you RUN, check it against Figure 16-3.
no space after the 0 and then press RETURN. The next prompt on the screen is: ENTER A MASTER PRINT MODE NUMBER For now, enter a 24. Remember, all codes from 0 to 255 produce a combination of print modes, but there are only 16 unique combinations. You may want to refer to Figure 5-2 for the other possibilities. Figure 76-4. Giant G The four characters defined in lines 270 to 300 combine to print a giant G. The 0 is printed as four small characters.
190 200 210 220 230 ' SPACE DATA 32 DATA 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 DATA 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 DATA 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 240 DATA 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0 310 ’ A 320 DATA 65 330 340 350 360 370 DATA 0,0,1,0,1,0,6,24,32,92,0 DATA 67,32,24,4,3,0,0,0,0,0,0 DATA 0,65,32,7,24,33,64,32,16,0,8 DATA 8,97,24,7,0,97,24,7,0,1,0 ’M 380 DATA 77 390 400 410 420 430 440 450 460 470 480 490 500 510 520 530 540 DATA DATA DATA DATA ’ E 0,64,0,127,0,32,16,7,8,0,4 4,0,8,7,16,32,0,127,0,64,0 0,1,0,127,0,1,0,127,0,1,0 0,1,0,1
positions. That includes Elite and Compressed Modes. For a comparison of the three print pitches, RUN the program three more times and enter: MESSAGES, 48 MESSAGES, 49 MESSAGES, 52 Figure 16-7. Messages in three pitches All three mode combinations include Double-Strike and Expanded print; the only difference between them is the pitch. The first pitch is Pica, the second is Elite, the third is Compressed.
Deleting line 20 ensures that the printer does not download the ROM characters. That makes your defined characters the only ones around-no funny stuff on the printer. Here is the data: 100 ' SIX 110 DATA 7,8,16,0,32,3,68,0,72,0,73 120 DATA 73,0,72,0,68,3,32,0,16,8,7 130 DATA 73,0,9,0,17,96,2,0,4,8,112 140 DATA 112,8,4,0,2,96,17,0,9,0,73 150 DATA 127,0,0,0,0,127,0,0,0,0,127 160 DATA 73,73,73,73,73,73,73,73,73,73,73 That’s right, there are only six characters, but it is a very powerful set of characters.
210 220 230 240 250 ' Pattern DATA "00012000, "01665620" DATA "05055050","16634652" DATA "45621663"," DATA "04656630" , "00043000" Figure 16-9. Interlace Have fun creating your own designs with these characters. You may wish to SAVE the program before proceeding. Line Graphics The RX series printers have a set of line-graphics characters stored in ROM. In the following program, we define a similar set.
970 DATA 8,0,8,0,127,0,0,0,0,0,0: ’ h 980 DATA 8,0,8,0,127,0,8,0,8,0,8: 'i 990 DATA 8,0,8,0,8,0,80,8,0,8: 'j 1000 DATA 0,0,0,0,127,0,0,0,0,0,0: ’ k 1010 DATA 84,0,170,0,84,0,l70,0,84,0,170: ' 1 You can put the line-graphics characters to work like this: 100 170 175 180 185 190 LPRINT LPRINT LPRINT LPRINT LPRINT LPRINT CHR$(27)"1" "ajjjjjjfjjjjjjjb" "k NAME k PHONE k" "gjjjjjjijjjjjjjh" "k k k" "djjjjjjejjjjjjjc" RUN the program to produce pair of boxes as shown below.
Chapter 17 Business Applications In this chapter we turn our attention to business applications. First we program a sample barchart. Then we use designs from previous chapters to develop a program that puts the FX through its paces. The programs pull together many of the programming techniques that you’ve used in the course of this manual. The second one is considerably longer than the programs in previous chapters, and the length provides two benefits.
Figure 17-1. Barchart In line 130 the parameters for “&” specify that our 14 user-defined characters will be stored at positions 94 to 107 (ASCII symbols ^ to k). Line 140 sets up a READ loop (Y) for the characters and sends the attribute byte--CHR$(139). Line 160 closes the loop and sets the form length to 33 lines so that, while you are setting the chart up, you can print two charts to a page.
Since you will need to switch two features-line feeds and Emphasized Mode-on and off within the program, you can store their commands as shorter strings: 50 B$=CHR$(27)+"E" 60 D$=CHR$(27)+"J"+CHR$(ll): C$=CHR$(27)+"F" If your system won’t send an 11, change both instances to either 10 or 12. The next 18 lines print the barchart.
330 LPRINT 335 LPRINT: 340 LPRINT LPRINT 390 LPRINT H$;H$;"d";: A$="j": GOSUB 800: LPRINT "c" LPRINT C$;H$;H$;H$;" JAN";H$;" FEB";H$;" MAR": CHR$(27)"@": END Line 300 closes the P and M loops, prints the right-hand border, and sends control to either 310 or 320. Line 310 prints the districts. Lines 320 through 340 print the bottom portion of the chart. Check your listing against the one shown as Figure 17-2.
270 FOR M=l TO 3: LPRINT H$; 280 FOR P=l TO 3 290 IF R>MAX(M,P) THEN LPRINT " ";ELSE LPRINT CHR$(93+P);" "; 300 NEXT P: NEXT M: LPRINT B$;H$;"k";C$;: IF F=0 THEN LPRINT: GOT0 320 310 LPRINT H$;CHR$(93+Z)" - DISTRICT ";Z: Z=Z+l 320 NEXT R: LPRINT H$;H$;B$;"g";H$jH$;H$;H$;"k" 325 LPRINT H$;H$;B$;"k";H$;H$;H$;H$;"k" 330 LPRINT H$;H$;"d";: A$="j": GOSUB 800: LPRINT "C" 335 LPRINT: LPRINT 340 LPRINT C$;H$;H$;H$;" JAN";H$;" FEB";H$;" MAR": LPRINT 390 LPRINT CHR$(27)"@": END 799 ' *** STRING$ ROUTINE *** 800 FOR J
Since this program uses many of the routines from the BARCHART program above, begin by loading that program. Many of its lines need no changes, including: 110, 120, 150 and 799-1010 Delete lines 10 to 90.
7 WIDTH LPRINT 255 90 LPRINT CHR$(27)"QP"; 100 DIM A(18): LPRINT CHR$(27)"3"CHR$(20)CHR$(27)"U1"; 110 LPRINT CHR$(27) ":"CHR$(0)CHR$(0)CHR$(0); 120 LPRINT CHR$(27)"%"CHR$(1)CHR$(0); 1 130 LPRINT CHR$(27)"&"CHR$(0)"at '; 140 FOR Y=1 TO 20: LPRINT CHR$(139); 150 FOR X=1 TO 11: READ C: LPRINT CHR$(C);: NEXT X 160 NEXT Y: LPRINT CHR$(27)"C"CHR$(66);: GOSUB 700 170 LPRINT CHR$(27)"!8";"pmpsrpr mnopqrst"; CHR$(27)"!@"; 180 LPRINT CHR$(27)"B"CHR$(18)CHR$(25)CHR$(1); 190 LPRINT CHR$(27)"D"CHR$(13)CHR$(17)CHR$(57) C
499 ' *** BOX SUBROUTINE *** 500 FOR K=1 TO 5: READ L$(K),M$(K),N$(K),R$(K): NEXT K 510 FOR K=1 TO C: READ W(K): NEXT K 520 FOR L=1 TO 5: IF L=4 THEN FOR G=1 TO H 530 IF FT=1 THEN LPRINT H$; 540 LPRINT L$(L);: FOR K=1 TO C-1 550 FOR J=1 TO W(K): LPRINT M$(L);: NEXT J 560 LPRINT N$(L);: NEXT K 570 N=W(C): A$=M$(L): GOSUB 800: LPRINT R$(L); 580 IF L<>2 THEN 640 590 LPRINT CHR$(27)"!H";CHR$(27)"A"CHR$(0) FOR Q=1 TO C: READ T$: LPRINT H$;T$;: NEXT Q 600 LPRINT CHR$(27)"!@"; 610 IF F=1 THEN LPRINT CHR$(27)"A"CHR
1100 D A T A 0 , 1 2 1 , 0 , 7 3 , 0 , 7 3 , 0 , 7 3 , 0 , 7 9 , 0 : ‘ m - S 1110 1120 1130 1140 1150 1160 1170 1199 1200 DATA 0,127,0,65,0,65,0,65,0,127,0:'n DATA 0,63,64,8,64,8,64,28,64,32,0:'oDATA 0,32,64,0,64,63,64,0,64,32,0'p DATA 0,126,1,2,4,1,2,4,8,4,2,1,126,0: 'q DATA 0,7,8,16,36,64,36,16,8,7,0: 'r DATA 0,127,0,72,0,72,0,76,2,121,0:'s DATA 0,62,65,8,65,8,65,28,65,34,0:'t ' <<< LOGO DATA >>> DATA 0,1,2,4,11,18,36,72,-16,16,64,8, 0 F T W A R E 64,8,32,16,0,-7,0,0,128 1210 DATA 1220 0,126,1,0,126
You may prefer to work out what each line does on your ownthree cheers if you do. But if you want a little guidance, here is a brief program overview, followed by a line-by-line description of the main portion of the program.
Deciphering the box routine in lines 500 through 660 is left as an exercise for you. The following hints will get you started. The subroutine at 500 is used to create three boxes of different sizes and characteristics, using the line-graphics characters. The data stored in lines 1300 to 1370 determine which line-graphics characters are used to print the boxes, the width of each cell, and the headings.
INDEX Note: Refer to Table of Contents and List of Figures for specific programs. Also, the chapter summaries are not indexed. A Accessories, 16 American Standard Code for Information Interchange. See ASCII Apostrophe. See REMarks Apple II computers, 38, 40, 312-313 See also Seven-bit systems Arrays, 173-176, 189-193 DIMensioning, 176 Arrow.
C Cable, 16, 35 CANcel, 46 Caret symbol. See Exponent character Carriage return, 23, 41 CHR$( 13) produces it. See also Line feed Centronics. See Interface Channels. See Tabs, vertical Character fonts, shown, 253-270 See also User-defined characters Character size, 256-270, 327 See also specific pitches by name Character string function. See CHR$ function CHR$ function, 39 See also ASCII codes CHR$(7). Sounds beeeper. See Beeper CHR$(8). Produces backspace. See Backspace CHR$(9). Activates a horizontal tab.
Control codes, 41-42 Hex dumping and. See Hex dumping for FX compared with those for MX and RX, 287-294 listed by function, 283-286 listed by number, 271-281 See also specific modes and functions Control panel, 35 Conventions used in this manual, iii-vi Core sets of user-defined characters, 223-226 Corvus Concept computers, 151 Covers. See lids D DATA statements, 154-156, 166-167 Data transfer sequence, 335-336 DEC microcomputers, 151 Default settings, 44, 295-296 DEFINT, 176 DELete, 46 CHR$(127) deletes.
ESCape = CHR$(27), 42-43 format for commands, iv-v, 46-47, 57-58 listed by function, 283-286 listed by number, 271-281 See also specific modes or functions ESCape “!“. Master Select. See Master Select ESCape "#“. Accepts eighth bit as is from computer. See Bit, high order ESCape “%“CHR$(n1)CHR$(n 2). Selects a character set. See User-defined characters ESCape “&“CHR$(n)“s1s2“. Selects characters to be defined. See Userdefined characters ESCape “*''CHR$(m)CHR$(n 1)CHR$(n 2). Selects Graphics Mode, density m.
ESCape “I1”. Enables printing of control codes O-31. See User-defined characters. ESCape “J”CHR$(n). Produces an immediate one-time line feed of n/216-inch without a carriage return. See Line feed ESCape “K”CHR$(n1)CHR$(n2). Turns Single-Density Graphics Mode on. See Graphics Mode ESCape “L”CHR$(n1)CHR$(n 2). Turns Low-Speed Double-Density Graphics Mode on. See Graphics Mode ESCape "M". Turns Elite Mode on. See Elite Mode ESCape “N”CHR$(n). Sets skip-over-perforation. See Skip-overperforation ESCape “0”.
F Firing of pins. See pins FE See Form feed Foreign language characters. See International character set Form feed, 103-105 CHR$(12) produces one. button, 35 See also Top of form Forms length of, 103-107 ESCape “C”CHR$(0)CHR$(n) sets length to n inches; ESCape “C”CHR$(n) sets to n lines; ESCape “@” resets to default and sets top of form to current line. non-standard, 105-107 See also Form feed; Top of form Friction-control lever, 26, 28, 30 Friction feed, 28-29 Function switches.
Nine-Pin, 152-154 ESCape “A”CHR$(d)CHR$(n1)CHR$(n 2) enters Nine-Pin Graphics Mode. reassigning code, 150-152 ESCape “?s”CHR$(n ) reassigns an alternate code to Graphics Mode n. summary table, 151 Grid. See dot matrix H Half-Speed Mode, 89, 322 ESCape “s1” turns it on; ESCape “s0” returns it to normal. Head. See Print head Hex dumping, 305-306 Humidity, 329 Horizontal tabs.
Line feed, 98-101 CHR!§(lO) produces it. button, 35-36 computer interface and. See Interface DIP switch for, 23 one-time immediate, 99-100 ESCape “J”CHR$(n) produces it. reverse, 99, 101 ESCape “j”CHR$(n) produces it. Line spacing, 93-98 ESCape “A”CHR$(n) sets to n/72”; ESCape “0” sets at 1/8”; ESCape “1” sets at 7/72”; ESCape “2” sets at 1/6” (default); ESCape “3”CHR$(n) sets at n/216”.
N NEC, 151 Nine-pin graphics. See Graphics Mode Noise reduction. See Half-Speed Mode 0 Offsets, 82-83 ON LINE light and button, 35 Overstrikes, 81-82 P Page, top of. See Top of form Paper bail, 15, 24, 26, 29 loading, 24-32, 304 length. See Forms separator, 17-18 thickness adjustment, 32, 34 types of, 16, 24, 328 Paper-out sensor, 110, 304 ESCape “9” turns it on; ESCape “8” turns it off. DIP switch control of, 297-298 Parallel interface. See Interface Pattern design. See Graphics PEEK.
Print head and dot graphics, 132-133 and dot matrix printing, 50 life of, 16,324, 328 replacement, 324-325 Print modes. See Modes Print pitch summary table, 60 See also specific pitches by name Print quality, 61-66 Print speed. See Half-Speed Mode Print type chart, 78 Print width, See specific pitches by name: Width Printer buffer, 44 Printer driver for problem codes, 308-309 Priorities. See Modes. Proportional Mode, 64-65 ESCape “pl” turns it on; ESCape “P 0” turns it off.
S Schematic, 331 Script Mode, 71-72 ESCape “SO” turns Superscript Mode on. ESCape “S1” turns Subscript Mode on. ESCape “T” turns either Script Mode off. Self test for printer. See Test Semicolons, iv, 45 Sensor. See Paper-out sensor Separator, paper. See paper Serial board.
Temperature, 329 Test automatic, 35-36 for seven-bit system, 309 Top of form, 31-33, 103-104 CHR$(12) sends the paper to top of form. ESCape “C” resets it to current paper position. ESCape “@” resets form length to default and sets top of form to current line. with skip-over-perforation, 109 See also Reset Code Tractor built-in, 24-28 cover, 14, 19 removable, 14-15, 28-31 Troubleshooting, 301-315 TRS-80, 38, 40, 307-309, 313 Type style chart, 317 U Up arrow.
W Width of characters, 256-270 statements, 313-314 Word processing, 36, 321-322 Z Zero, slashed, 23 251
FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT FOR AMERICAN USERS This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause interference to radio and television reception.
Preface The User’s Manual for the FX Series Printers consists of two volumes: Tutorial and Reference. This volume is the Reference, which contains the appendixes to Volume 1. These appendixes are organized as follows: Appendix A deals with the characters: it gives ASCII codes and displays the dot matrix characters. Appendixes B through D cover control codes. Appendix B shows the codes in their ASCII numerical order, while C provides a list of the same codes organized by usage groups.
iv
FX Series Printer User’s Manual Volume 2 Contents Preface ..................................... iii List of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii List of Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii B ASCII Codes and Character Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ASCII Codes and International Characters . . . . . . . . . ASCII Code Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . International Characters Summary . . . . . .
F Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Problem/Solution Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beeper Error Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hex Diagnosis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coding Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POKEing codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Special printer drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
K Parallel Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Data Transfer Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interface timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Signal relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 335 335 335 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 List of Figures E-1 Factory setting of the DIP switches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix A ASCII Codes and Character Fonts This appendix provides information about the way the ASCII codes are employed on the FX printers and about the character fonts associated with those codes. The first section summarizes the codes. The second section displays, in ASCII order, the decimal number, the hexadecimal number, a printout, and an enlarged dot matrix for each character in the two fonts that you can access directly: 1. the Roman font for the USA character set (decimal 32-126) 2.
ASCII Code summary Dec Hex 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 OA OB OC OD OE OF 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 1A 1B 1C 1D 1E 1F 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 2A 2B 2C 2D 2E 2F 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 3A 3B 3C 3D 3E 3F 25 254 19 CHR Dec none none none none none none none BEL BS HT LF VT FF CR SO SI none DC1 DC2 DC3 DC4 none
International characters summary ASCII locations 0 to 31 and 128 to 159 store the international characters that are needed for sets other than the one for the USA. These characters are printable only with the CHR$(27) “6”, CHR$(27) “I”, or CHR$(27) “R” sequences.
ASCII Character Matrixes As in the summaries above, this section follows the ASCII code arrangement, but this time we show the codes only as they are associated with characters—0 through 255. The characters for the Roman and Italic USA fonts, which together make up the USA character set, occupy ASCII positions 32 through 126 and 160 through 254, respectively. The international characters use ASCII positions 0 through 31 and 128 through 159. We show enlarged dot matrixes for both pairs of fonts.
Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character Width 12 OC 12 21 15 13 OD 12 22 16 8 14 OE 12 23 17 12 15 OF 11 24 18 12 16 10 10 25 19 12 17 11 11 26 1A 12 18 12 12 27 1B 10 19 13 12 28 1C 11 20 14 12 29 1D 12 257
Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character Width 30 1E 12 39 27 5 31 1F 12 40 28 6 32 20 12 41 29 6 33 21 5 42 2A 12 34 22 8 43 2B 12 35 23 12 44 2C 7 36 24 12 45 2D 12 37 25 12 46 2E 6 38 26 12 47 2F 10 258
Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character Width 48 30 12 57 39 12 49 31 8 58 3A 6 50 32 2 12 59 3B 6 51 33 3 12 60 3C 10 52 34 4 12 61 3D 12 53 35 5 12 62 3E 10 54 36 6 12 63 3F 12 55 37 7 12 64 40 56 38 8 12 65 41 12 259
Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character Width 84 54 12 93 5D a 85 55 12 94 5E 12 86 56 12 95 5F 12 87 57 12 96 60 5 88 58 10 97 61 12 89 59 12 98 62 11 90 5A 10 99 63 11 91 5B a 100 64 11 92 5C 10 101 65 12 261
Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character Width 102 66 f 10 111 6F o 12 103 67 g 11 112 70 p 11 104 68 h 11 113 71 q 11 105 69 i a 114 72 r 11 106 6A j 9 115 73 s 12 107 6B k 10 116 74 t 11 108 6C l a 117 75 u 12 109 6D m 12 118 76 v 12 110 6E n 11 119 77 w 12 262
Width Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character 120 78 10 129 81 11 121 79 12 130 82 11 122 7A 10 131 83 11 123 7B 9 132 84 8 124 7C 5 133 85 8 125 7D 9 134 86 12 126 7E 12 135 87 10 127 7F 12 136 88 11 128 80 11 137 89 12 263
Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character Width 138 8A 12 147 93 12 139 8B 12 148 94 12 140 8C 12 149 95 11 141 8D 12 150 96 142 8E 11 151 97 12 143 8F 11 152 98 12 144 90 12 153 99 91 11 154 9A 11 146 92 12 155 9B 11 145 264 9
Width Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character 156 9C 12 165 A5 12 157 9D 12 166 A6 12 158 9E 11 167 A7 5 159 9F 12 168 A8 a 160 A0 12 169 A9 a 161 Al 10 170 AA 12 162 A2 10 171 AB 12 163 A3 12 172 AC a 164 A4 11 173 AD 12 265
Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character 174 AE 7 183 B7 12 175 AF 10 184 B8 12 176 B0 12 185 B9 11 177 Bl 9 186 BA 8 178 B2 12 187 BB 9 179 B3 12 188 BC 10 180 B4 12 189 BD 11 181 B5 12 190 BE 9 182 B6 11 191 BF 11 266 Width
Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character Width 210 D2 R 12 219 DB 11 211 D3 S 12 220 DC 7 212 D4 T 12 221 DD 11 213 D5 U 12 222 DE 10 214 D6 V 11 223 DF 12 215 D7 W 12 224 E0 5 216 D8 X 12 225 E1 11 217 D9 Y 12 226 E2 11 218 DA Z 12 227 E3 11 268
Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character 228 E4 12 237 ED 11 229 E5 11 238 EE 10 230 E6 12 239 EF 11 231 E7 11 240 FO 11 232 E8 11 241 F1 11 233 E9 9 242 F2 10 234 EA 10 243 F3 11 235 EB 11 244 F4 10 236 EC 9 245 F5 11 Width 269
Dec Hex Character Width Dec Hex Character Width 246 F6 10 255 FF 247 F7 12 248 F8 12 249 F9 11 250 FA 12 251 FB 10 252 FC 9 253 FD 10 254 FE 12 270 12
Appendix B Control Codes in Numeric Order You activate an FX control code by using LPRINT CHR$(n), where n is the number in the decimal column below. When the ESC column contains a dash, you use only CHR$(n) but when ESC is written in this ESC column, you must precede the CHR$(n) with CHR$(27).
ESC Dec Hex Symbol Function - 11 0B VT Vertical tab. Empties the printer buffer, then advances the paper to the next vertical tab stop. - 12 0C FF Form feed. Empties the printer buffer, then advances the paper to the next logical top of form. - 13 0D CR Carriage return. Prints the contents of the buffer and resets the buffer character count to 0. Restores the print head to the left margin. You turn the automatic line feed on or off with DIP switch 2-4. - 14 0E SO Shift out.
ESC Dec Hex Symbol Function ESC 33 21 ! Master Print Mode Select (Master Select). Selects 16 unique print mode combinations. Format: CHR$(27)” ! “CHR$(n) where n = 0 - 255. See Appendix D. ESC 35 23 # Accepts the eighth bit “as is” from the computer. ESC 37 25 Activates a character set. DIP switch 1-4 must be off. Format: CHR$(27)” % “CHR$(0)CHR$(0) selects the ROM set; and CHR$(27)” % “CHR$(1)CHR$(0) selects the RAM set. % ESC 38 26 & Defines characters in user RAM.
ESC Dec Hex Symbol Function ESC 47 2F / Selects a vertical tab channel. Format: CHR$(27)“/“CHR$(n) where n = 0 - 7. ESC 48 30 0 Sets line spacing to 1/8-inch (g-dot). ESC 49 31 1 Sets line spacing to 7/72-inch (7-dot). ESC 50 32 2 Returns line spacing to the default of 1/6 inch (12-dot). ESC 51 33 3 Sets line spacing to n/216-inch (1/216-inch is 1/3 dot). Stays on until changed. Format: CHR$(27)“3”CHR$(n) where n = 0 - 255. ESC 52 34 4 Turns Italic Mode ON.
ESC Dec Hex Symbol Function ESC 61 3D = Sets the eighth bit to 0 (limits the range to 0 - 127). ESC 62 3E > Sets the eighth bit to 1 (limits the range to 128 - 255). ESC 63 3F ? Redefines one of the 4 alternate graphics codes -- “K”,“L",“Y”, or “Z” - as one of the seven graphics density numbers used with the ESCape “ * ” command. Format: CHR$(27)“?s”;CHR$(n); where s is K,L,Y, or Z and n is 0 - 6.
ESC Dec Hex Symbol Function ESC 68 44 D Resets the current tabs and sets up to 32 horizontal tabs in the current pitch. Tabs may range up to the maximum width for the character and printer size. For example, the maximum tab for Pica characters on an 8inch line is 79. Tab settings are not affected by subsequent changes in pitch. Format: CHR$(27)“D”CHR$(n 1)CHR$(n 2). . . CHR$(nk)CHR$(O) Terminate a tab sequence with CHR$(0) or a number less than that of the last tab (n k).
ESC Dec Hex Symbol Function ESC 75 4B K Turns Single-Density Graphics Mode ON. Prints 480 dots per 8-inch line. Format: CHR$(27)“K”CHR$(n 1)CHR$(n 2); followed by n data numbers, where n = n1 + 256*n 2 , n 1 = 0 - 255, n 2 = 0 - 255. For example, to print 480 dots, n1 = 224, n2 = 1. ESC 76 4C L Turns Low-Speed Double-Density Graphics Mode ON. Prints 960 dots per 8-inch line. Format: CHR$(27)“L”CHR$(n 1)CHR$(n 2) followed by n data numbers, where n = n1 + 256*n 2 , n 1 = 0- 255, n 2 = 0 - 255.
ESC Dec Hex Symbol Function ESC 81 51 Q Sets the right margin. Also cancels all text that is in the print buffer. Format: CHR$(27)“Q”CHR$(n) where n = 1 - maximum number of characters per line in the current pitch: FX-100 FX-80 2-136 in Pica 2-80 3-163 in Elite 3-96 4-233 in Compressed 4-137 ESC 82 52 R Selects an international character set by its country’s number. See Tables 6-2 and 6-3. Format: CHR$(27)“R”CHR$(n) where n = 0 - 8. ESC 83 53 S Turns Script Mode ON.
ESC Dec Hex Symbol Function ESC 89 59 Y Turns High-Speed Double-Density Graphics Mode ON; gives the same density as CHR$(27)” L”, but cannot print two adjacent dots in the same row. ESC 90 5A Z Turns Quadruple-Density Graphics Mode ON. Prints 1920 dots per 8-inch line. Format: CHR$(27)“Z”CHR$(n 1)CHR$(n 2) followed by n data numbers, where n = n, + 256*n2 , n 1 = 0 - 255, n 2 = 0 - 255. For example, to print 1920 dots on the FX-80 n1 = 128, n2 = 7. On the FX-100, to print 3264 dots, n1 = 192, n2 = 12.
ESC Dec Hex Symbol Function ESC 106 6A j On the FX-80 only, causes an immediate reverse line feed in an increment of 1/216inch without a carriage return. Similar to CHR$(27)“J”. Format: CHR$(27)“j”CHR$(n) where n = 0 - 255. ESC 108 6C I Sets the left margin. Format: CHR$(27)“I”CHR$(n) where n ranges from: FX-100 FX-80 in Pica 0 - 78 0-134 in Elite 0-160 0 - 93 in Compressed 0-133 0-229 ESC 112 70 p Turns Proportional Mode ON. Cannot mix with Elite, Emphasized, Compressed, Script, or Double-Strike Mode.
The printer’s high-order control codes from 128 to 155 and 255 mirror their low-order counterparts (0 - 27 and 127). For ready reference, both sets are listed here: Low Dec High Dec High Hex Symbol Function 0 128 80 NUL 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 145 146 87 88 89 8A 8B 8C 8D 8E 8F 91 92 BEL BS HT LF VT FF CR SO SI DC1 DC2 19 20 147 148 93 93 DC3 DC4 24 27 127 152 155 255 97 9B FF CAN ESC DEL Terminates horizontal and vertical tab setting.
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Appendix C Control Codes by Function This Appendix shows the same control codes as Appendix B, but this time arranged by categories before ASCII order. If your computer cannot generate lowercase letters, use the equivalent decimal ASCII values. See Appendix B or refer to the pages suggested by the Index for usage instructions. Character Width (Pitch) CHR$(27)“M” CHR$(27) "P" CHR$(15) CHR$(18) CHR$(14) CHR$(20) CHR$(27)“W0” CHR$(27)“W1” CHR$(27)“p0” CHR$(27)“p1” Turns Elite Mode ON. Turns Elite Mode OFF.
Print Enhancement CHR$(27)“S0” CHR$(27)“S1” CHR$(27)“T” CHR$(27)"-0” CHR$(27)“-1” Turns Superscript Mode ON. Turns Subscript Mode ON. Turns either Script Mode OFF. Turns Underline Mode OFF. Turns Underline Mode ON. Mode and Character-Set Selection CHR$(27)“!"CHR$(n) Master Select. CHR$(27)”%“CHR$(n 1)CHR$(n 2) Selects a character set by source: ROM (factory) or RAM (user-defined). CHR$(27)“&“CHR$(n)CHR$(c 1)CHR$(c 2)CHR$(A)CHR$(d 1)... Defines characters c1 to c2 in RAM area; n is 0.
CHR$(27)” < ” CHR$(27)” = ” CHR$(27)” > " CHR$(27)“ U0 ” CHR$(27)“Ul” CHRS(27)“i0” CHR$(27) “il” CHR$(27)“s0” CHR$(27)“sl” CHR$(127) Turns One-Line Unidirectional Mode ON. Sets the high-order bit OFF. Sets the high-order bit ON. Turns Continuous Unidirectional Mode OFF. Turns Continuous Unidirectional Mode ON. Turns Immediate Mode OFF. Turns Immediate Mode ON. Returns to normal speed. Turns Half-Speed Mode ON. Deletes the most recent text character in the print buffer.
Page Format CHR$(9) or CHR$(137) Activates a horizontal tab. Activates a vertical tab. CHR$(1l) CHR$(27)" / “ CHR$(n) Selects a vertical tab channel. CHR$(27)“B"CHR$(n 1) . . . CHR$(nk)CHR$(0) Sets vertical tab stops. CHR$(27)“D”CHR$(n 1) . . . CHR$(nk)CHR$(0) Sets horizontal tab stops. CHR$(27)“Q”CHR$(n) Sets the right margin. CHR$(27)“b”CHR$(n)CHR$(n 2)CHR$(n 2) . . . CHR$(nk)CHR$(0) Stores vertical tab stops in a channel. CHR$(27)“1”CHR$(n) Sets the left margin.
Appendix D Control Code Comparison The first part of this appendix consists of a chart of the commands used on Epson printers. It shows similarities and differences between the MX III, the FX, and the RX. Unless otherwise specified, the FX column applies to both the FX-80 and the FX-100, and the RX column applies to both the RX-80 and the RX-100. In the second part of this chapter, we summarize the differences in software and then cover variations in hardware features.
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Epson Model Differences In this discussion of software and hardware differences between the MX III, the FX and the RX, the command name (backspace, vertical tab, etc.) is that of the most recent model which carries it. CHR$(8) - Backspacing On the MX III in Expanded Mode, moves the print head to the left one Pica position. On the FX and RX in all six pitches, moves the print head to the left one position in the current pitch. CHR$(9) or CHR$(137) - Default horizontal tabbing See CHR$(27)“D” and CHR$(27)“e”.
CHR$(15) - Compressed Mode selection On the MX III, prints 132 characters per 8-inch line. On the FX-80 and RX-80, prints 132 characters per 8-inch line, but can print 137 characters if the right margin is changed. On the FX-100 and RX-100 prints 233 characters per 13.6-inch line. CHR$(17) and CHR$(19) - Printer selection On the FX only and only with DIP switch 2-1 off, turns printing on and off. When CHR$(19) is in effect, the printer ignores all output.
Escape”/” , “B”, and “b” - Vertical tabbing On the FX and RX-100 only lets you set up to 16 vertical tabs and store up to eight vertical tab channels in memory. ESCape “3" - Special line spacing On all three models, you can set and reset the line feed function by changing hardware (DIP switch and/or cable wiring). On the FX and RX, this code provides n/216-inch line spacing and incidentally controls the automatic line feed function.
Escape ” G” - Double-Strike Mode selection On the MX III, FX-100, and RX, moving in and out of DoubleStrike Mode on one line produces a descent of one-third dot per change. ESCape ”H” - Double-Strike Mode selection On the MX III, this code also cancels Script Mode. ESCape ” I ” - Special character selection On the FX only, you can use this code as a toggle (with 0 and 1) which allows you to print the characters stored behind control codes 0 to 31.
ESCape ”Y" - High-Speed Double-Density Graphics Mode selection On the FX and RX, prints ESCape”L” graphics at twice the usual speed. There is one limitation: it will not print adjacent dots in the same row. ESCape “Z” - Quadruple-Density Graphics Mode selection On the FX and RX, prints 1920 dots per B-inch line; on the FX-100 and RX-100, prints 3264 dots per 13.6-inch line. Escape ”^” - Nine-pin Graphics Mode selection On the FX and RX-100 only, speeds up screen dumps. ESCape ”b” - Vertical tabbing.
ESCape”s” - Half-speed printing On the FX, prints at half the normal speed, which results in 80 characters per second. On the RX, prints at half the normal speed, which results in 50 characters per second. Dumping programs in hexadecimal On the FX and RX, you can use the hex dumping facility to aid you in debugging. All codes sent to the printer are dumped onto the paper in their hex format, which lets you see exactly what the printer is receiving from the computer.
Appendix E Defaults and DIP Switches In this Appendix we list the default settings for your printer, showing which settings you can change and the way you can change them. Some of the defaults can be changed by using DIP switches; the second section illustrates and discusses those defaults. Default Settings When your FX comes from the factory, it is set to the following defaults.
* 2K buffer available for user-defined characters * l Paper-out sensor on * Non-slashed zero (although there’s no code for “turning on” slashed zero, you can slash one zero at a time with backspace) * Carriage return issued at the end of a line without an automatic line feed l Bidirectional movement of the print head * l Skip-over-perforation feature off * Beeper on (turning off the paper-out sensor deactivates the beeper for this function but not for others) Top of form occurs at the position of th
Table E-1. DIP switch function Switch 1 Note: The shaded boxes show the factory settings. OFF Figure E-Z.
Table E-2. International DIP switch settings See Chapter 6 for a discussion of the international sets. Switch 1-5: selects a default print weight. When it is ON, Emphasized is the default. When it is OFF, Single-Strike is the default. Switch 7-4: controls the RAM memory. When it is ON, makes a 2K buffer available. When it is OFF, that memory can be used for userdefined characters. Switch 1-3: controls the paper-out sensor.
Switch 2-2: controls the beeper. When it is ON, the beeper sounds when it receives a CHR$(7) or to indicate the paper has run out. When it is OFF, CHR$(7) or paper-out doesn’t sound beeper. For printer detected error other than paper-out sensing (for which switch 1-3 must also be set), the beeper will sound regardless of the setting of switch 2-2. Switch 2-1: selects the printer.
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Appendix F Troubleshooting This appendix approaches troubleshooting from several directions. The first section uses a columnar format to match solutions with problems. Other sections cover beeper error warnings, hexadecimal code dumping, coding and seven-bit solutions, and specific solutions for several popular personal computer systems. Problem/Solution Summary The left column below will help you in identifying the source of your problem and start you on the way to finding a solution.
Changing form measurements The ESCape”C” command is not working properly. Don’t set, form lengths of 0 or 128. The ESCape“N” skip-over-perforation doesn’t work. Don’t set the skip larger than the form length. Tabbing Vertical tabs don’t work correctly. Can’t set vertical tabs greater than the form length. Each tab sequence must be terminated by a CHR$(0) or a number less than the last tab value. Horizontal tabs don’t work correctly.
Printer “freezes” in Graphics Mode. The printer expects a certain number of pin patterns, determined by n1 and n2. It will wait patiently until the quota is full. Note that 9-Pin Graphics Mode requires two bytes for each column of graphics. Can’t get a full page in width. Some systems require a WIDTH statement. See your system documentation. Seven-bit computers are limited to widths of 0 - 127, 256 - 383, 512 - 639, etc. See below. Having trouble getting into Graphics Mode.
Loading paper Paper goes crooked as it rolls down. It may be running against the ribbon guide. Move the printhead to the middle of its path. Paper crunches up. The paper guides are set incorrectly. Move them to fit this paper. If your paper is thin, doubling the first page may give enough rigidity to ease it through the guides. For subsequent loading, tape the first page of a new batch of paper to the last page of an old batch, thus avoiding reloading. Top edge of paper sticks under the roller.
1. A short circuit between the collector and the emitter of a head transistor along with a shorted dot driver winding produces: PI, PI, PI . . . PI, PI, PI on power-up or self-test, and PI, PI, PI, PI when on-line and printing. 2. Detection of high voltage produces: PI, PI, PI, PEE 3. Errors detected by slave CPU (restricted printhead motion or PTS sensor failure) produce: PI, PI, PI . . . PI, PI, PI 4.
Figure F-1. Best-case hex dump Most BASICS, however, are not quite that straightforward. For example, the TRS-80 Model III prints Figure F-2: Figure F-2. TRS-80 Model III hex dump Notice that the FX is receiving decimal code 10 as hex 0D, which is decimal 13. In addition, decimal code 12 (hex 0C) is coming across as a series of line feeds, hex 0A (decimal 10). The hex mode prints 20 numbers per line on the FX-80 and 34 numbers per line on the FX-100.
printing, either by trial and error or by using the hex dumping capability of the FX, you can start overcoming them. Because each computer system deals with ASCII codes differently, it is impossible to provide solutions for all potential problems in one appendix. We can, however, point out generic problems and suggest ways to handle them. There are four common approaches. First, you may be able to buy an alternative printer interface card for your system. This is the best solution for 7-bit system problems.
These codes can be sent directly to the printer by POKEing them to a special memory location where they are immediately forwarded to the printer. The format is: POKE 14312, N where N is the decimal value of the code you wish to send to the printer. This works fine as long as the printer is ready to receive the data when you are ready to send it. On the Model I, the printer’s readiness is assured if location 14312 contains a decimal 63.
50 IF B>9 THEN B=B - 7 60 T=ASC(MID$(B$,P + 1, l)) - 48 70 IF T>9 THEN T=T-7 80 POKE A,B*l6 + T 90 A=A+1 100 NEXT P 110 POKE 16422, 187 120 POKE 16423, 64 This driver will also work on the TRS-80 Model III-with one change in line 10: change 32E837 to D3FB. That’s all there is to it. If you use this program, you can kiss problems with radical codes goodbye.
User-defined characters can’t be printed with the top 8 pins (the standard position for most characters). Eight pins can’t be used in defining characters. Here we suggest some ways to work around these types of problems. High-order bit control If you own a seven-bit system, the FX can help you.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ Setting the eighth bit on in line 10 adds 128 to each of the number in line 20; thus it prints Italic characters. The ESCape ”=” in line 30 effectively subtracts 128 from each of the numbers in line 40, so the second line prints as the characters from 65 throught 90. Line 50 returns your system to its usual state. Seven-bit graphics The 7-bit limitation affects graphics in two ways.
Solutions for Specific Systems The next four sections illustrate dealing with interface puzzles on four types of computers: the Apple II, the TRS-80, the IBM-PC, and the QX-10. Apple II solutions There are two types of problems that you who own Apple II computers will need to address. The first is that the Apple II is an 8-bit computer, but its printer interface only handles seven bits. The second is that there is one problem code number: nine.
code and the program will not work properly. The programs in this manual do not use CHR$(9), but some do use its high-order version CHR$(137) - which your system will change to CHR$(9). In these cases use the following method to change your printer initialization code to a number that is not used in the program. For example, you can change your initialization code to one by typing: PR#l PRINT CHR$(9); CHR$(l) TRS-80 solutions A routine to POKE codes to the memory of a Model I is given above.
This does allow you to print anything, but it ignores any previous WIDTH statements. If you want to print more than 80 characters per line in a graphics program, you must therefore change your opening statement to include the appropriate WIDTH statement: OPEN "LPTl:" AS #l : WIDTH #l, 255 And for the programs in this manual, don’t forget to use PRINT #l wherever we use LPRINT. This won’t work for those of you who have the original release of the Disk Operating System (DOS 1.0).
Sometimes it may be easier to use another low-order value. For example: FOR X=1 TO 10 IF X=9 THEN X=10 When DATA numbers include 9, you can sometimes simply double each of them or change each 9 to 8 or 11. The best number to substitute for 9 in pin patterns is usually 11.
Appendix G Mixing Print Modes One of the most pleasing aspects of your FX printer is its wide variety of print modes. By mixing modes as shown in Table G-1, you can print characters in 128 different type styles. The details are in Chapter 5; a short summary is provided here. Table G-1, Arriving at 128 type styles. Methods for Mixing The Master Select code can be used to select 16 popular print modes. The format is CHR$(27)"!"CHR$(n) where n ranges from 0 to 255.
By using the character form of some of the numbers, you can shorten the command string. Table G-2 shows some convenient characters to be used for the various combinations. You can find the Master Select code for any valid combination of pitch and weight by reading across in the row for the pitch you have selected and down in the column for the weight you want. Where the two intersect you will find the ASCII symbol to use in the simplified format.
it stays on until turned off. When two modes that conflict are turned on at the same time, the printer must choose which one to use. For example, suppose you turn on both Elite and Compressed Pitches. Since the printer can only print one pitch at a time, it must make a choice; in this case, the printer chooses Elite. The Compressed switch, however, is still on even though it doesn’t show on your printout.
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Appendix H Customizing the FX You can adapt your FX to fit a variety of needs. You can alter the print capability both by hardware switches that change default conditions and by software codes that activate or deactivate different print modes. In this Appendix we show you a few typical applications and a few adjustments that you may want to make to your printer.
Keep in mind that this puts extra wear on your ribbon and slows your printing speed. A few word processing programs support the FX’s Proportional Mode. Since there is no DIP switch for this mode, consult your program’s manual for instructions on activating Proportional printing. If you wish to use right-justification with Proportional, be sure that your program can do so.
Appendix I Printer Maintenance Always Always keep your printer in a safe and clean location. Keep it away from: Dust and grease Heaters and furnaces. Safe temperature range is 5°C (41°F) to 35°C(95°F) Base unit for cordless telephone systems Large electrical machines Crowded areas (the paper needs room to flow freely) Leaky ceilings Rambunctious children or pets. Now and Then Clean particles and dust from the printer every so often with a soft cloth or brush.
O-2 lubricant on the shafts and platen bearings, wiping off excess with cloth. Use G-2 sparingly on ribbon feed, line feed, and carriage return drive gears, every five million lines. Changing the Print Head The expected life of an FX print head is about 100,000,000 characters (assuming an average of 14 dots per character). See your Epson dealer for FX print head replacements. To remove the old print head: If you have been printing, turn the printer OFF for about 15 minutes to allow the print head to cool.
Now pull the cable from the connector block. Hold the block firmly because it has to stay put. Pull the print head straight up and off. To install the new print head: Place the new print head onto the head mount and flip the locking lever back toward the front of the printer. Connect the cable to the block.
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Appendix J Technical Specifications Printing Printing method ......... Impact dot matrix Printing speed ........... 160 characters per second Paper feed speed ......... Approximately 150 ms/line (at 1/6 inch/line) Printing direction ........ Bidirectional, logic seeking Unidirectional (left to right) in Graphics Mode Character set ............
Column width: Maximum characters per line FX-100 FX-80 Pica Pica Expanded Elite Elite Expanded Compressed Compressed Expanded 80 40 96 48 132* 68 136 68 163 81 233 116 *137 if right margin is changed (See Chapter 9). Paper FX-80 Paper width P i n - f e e d . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.5” to 10" Adjustable sprocket pinfeed Tractor feed with optional 4" to 9" tractor unit Cut Sheet ............... 7.25" to 8.5” Friction Feed Friction Feed with Roll Paper .............. 8.
Dimensions and weight FX-80 100 mm 420 mm FX-100 150 mm 594 mm Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Width (without paper ..... feed knob) Depth .................... 347 mm 354 mm Weight ................... 7.5 kg 10.5 kg Power .................. 120 AC ± 10% Power capacity .......... 70 volt-amperes maximum Frequency .............. 49.5 to 60.5 Hz Environment Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Operating 5°C to 35°C (41°F to 95°F) Storage — 30°C to 70°C ( — 22°F to 158°F) Humidity ...............
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Schematic 331
Appendix K The Parallel Interface The FX printer uses a parallel interface to communicate with the computer; this appendix describes it. Connector pin assignments and a description of respective interface signals are shown in Table K-1. Table K-1.
Table K-1, continued Signal Return 13 — 14 — Signal — AUTO FEED XT 15 — 16 17 — — 18 19 - 30 31 — — NC OV CHASSIS GND NC GND — INIT 32 — ERROR 33 34 35 — — — 36 — GND NC — SLCT IN Direction Description Pulled up to + 5 volts through 3.3K ohm resistance. When this signal is LOW, the paper is IN automatically fed 1 line after printing. (The signal level can be fixed to this by setting DIP switch 2-4 to ON.) — Unused. — Logic ground level.
4. Data transfer must be carried out by observing the ACKNLG or BUSY signal. (Data transfer to this printer can be carried out only after receipt of the ACKNLG signal or when the level of the BUSY signal is LOW.) 5. Under normal conditions, printer cable pins 11, 12, and 32 are activated when the paper-out condition is detected. The ESCape”8” code disables pins 11 and 32, but not pin 12. Those computers that monitor pin 12 halt printing when the paper is out, making ESCape”8” ineffective.
Table K-2. Signal interrelations On-Line OFF ON ON ON SLCT IN DC1/DC3 HIGH/LOW HIGH LOW DC1/DC3 DC1 DC3 DC1//DC3 ERROR LOW HIGH HIGH HIGH BUSY HIGH LOW/HIGH same same ACKNLG Not generated Generated after data entry same same DATA ENTRY Disabled Enabled (normal entry) Enabled* Enabled (normal entry) *Data entry will be acknowledged, but the input data will be lost until DC1is input. Note: ERROR status is assumed to result only in Off-Line state, and the ERROR status does not always mean SLCT IN.
INDEX Note: Refer to Table of Contents and List of Figures for specific programs. Also, the chapter summaries are not indexed. A Accessories, 16 American Standard Code for Information Interchange. See ASCII Apostrophe. See REMarks Apple II computers, 38, 40, 312-313 See also Seven-bit systems Arrays, 173-176,189-193 DIMensioning, 176 Arrow.
C Cable, 16, 35 CANcel, 46 Caret symbol. See Exponent character Carriage return, 23, 41 CHR$(13) produces it. See also Line feed Centronics. See Interface Channels. See Tabs, vertical Character fonts, shown, 253-270 See also User-defined characters Character size, 256-270, 327 See also specific pitches by name Character string function. See CHR$ function CHR$ function, 39 See also ASCII codes CHR$(7). Sounds beeper. See Beeper CHR$(8). Produces backspace. See Backspace CHR$(9). Activates a horizontal tab.
Control codes, 41-42 Hex dumping and. See Hex dumping for FX compared with those for MX and RX, 287-294 listed by function, 283-286 listed by number, 271-281 See also specific modes and functions Control panel, 35 Conventions used in this manual, iii-vi Core sets of user-defined characters, 223-226 Corvus Concept computers, 151 Covers. See lids D DATA statements, 154-156, 166-167 Data transfer sequence, 335-336 DEC microcomputers, 151 Default settings, 44, 295-296 DEFINT, 176 DELete, 46 CHR$(127) deletes.
ESCape = CHR$(27), 42-43 format for commands, iv-v, 46-47, 57-58 listed by function, 283-286 listed by number, 271-281 See also specific modes or functions ESCape “!”. Master Select. See Master Select ESCape "#". Accepts eighth bit as is from computer. See Bit, high order ESCape “%“ CHR$(n1)CHR$(n 2). Selects a character set. See User-defined characters ESCape “&“ CHR$(n)“s1s2". Selects characters to be defined. See Userdefined characters ESCape “*“ CHR$(m)CHR$(n1)CHR$(n2). Selects Graphics Mode, density m.
ESCape “I1”. Enables printing of control codes 0-31. See User-defined characters. ESCape “J” CHR$(n). Produces an immediate one-time line feed of n/216-inch without a carriage return. See Line feed ESCape “K” CHR$(n1)CHRS(n 2). Turns Single-Density Graphics Mode on. See Graphics Mode ESCape “L” CHR$(n1)CHR$(n 2). Turns Low-Speed Double-Density Graphics Mode on. See Graphics Mode ESCape "M". Turns Elite Mode on. See Elite Mode ESCape “N” CHR$(n). Sets skip-over-perforation.
F Firing of pins. See pins FF. See Form feed Foreign language characters. See International character set Form feed, 103-105 CHR$(12) produces one. button, 35 See also Top of form Forms length of, 103-107 ESCape “C” CHR$(0)CHR$(n) sets length to n inches; ESCape “C” CHR$(n) sets to n lines; ESCape “@” resets to default and sets top of form to current line. non-standard, 105-107 See also Form feed; Top of form Friction-control lever, 26, 28, 30 Friction feed, 28-29 Function switches.
Nine-Pin, 152-154 Escape “^“ CHR$(d)CHR$(n1)CHR$(n2) enters Nine-Pin Graphics Mode. reassigning code, 150-152 Escape "?s" CHR$(n) reassigns an alternate code to Graphics Mode n. summary table, 151 Grid. See dot matrix H Half-Speed Mode, 89, 322 ESCape "s1" turns it on; ESCape “s0” returns it to normal. Head. See Print head Hex dumping, 305-306 Humidity, 329 Horizontal tabs.
Line feed, 98-101 CHR$(10) produces it. button, 35-36 computer interface and. See Interface DIP switch for, 23 one-time immediate, 99-100 ESCape “J”CHR$(n) produces it. reverse, 99, 101 ESCape “j”CHR$(n) produces it. Line spacing, 93-98 ESCape “A”CHR$(n) sets to n/72”; ESCape “0” sets at 1/8"; ESCape “1” sets at 7/72”; ESCape “2” sets at 1/6” (default); ESCape “3”CHR$(n) sets at n/216”.
N NEC, 151 Nine-pin graphics. See Graphics Mode Noise reduction. See Half-Speed Mode O Off sets, 82-83 ON LINE light and button, 35 Overstrikes, 81-82 P Page, top of. See Top of form Paper bail, 15, 24, 26, 29 loading, 24-32, 304 length. See Forms separator, 17-18 thickness adjustment, 32, 34 types of, 16, 24, 328 Paper-out sensor, 110, 304 ESCape “9” turns it on; ESCape “8” turns it off. DIP switch control of, 297-298 Parallel interface. See Interface Pattern design. See Graphics PEEK.
Print head and dot graphics, 132-133 and dot matrix printing, 50 life of, 16, 324, 328 replacement, 324-325 Print modes. See Modes Print pitch summary table, 60 See also specific pitches by name Print quality, 61-66 Print speed. See Half-Speed Mode Print type chart, 78 Print width. See specific pitches by name; Width Printer buffer, 44 Printer driver for problem codes, 308-309 Priorities. See Modes. Proportional Mode, 64-65 ESCape “p1” turns it on; ESCape “P0” turns it off.
S Schematic, 331 Script Mode, 71-72 ESCape “S0” turns Superscript Mode on. ESCape “S1” turns Subscript Mode on. ESCape “T” turns either Script Mode off. Self test for printer. See Test Semicolons, iv, 45 Sensor. See Paper-out sensor Separator, paper. See paper Serial board.
Temperature, 329 Test automatic, 35-36 for seven-bit system, 309 Top of form, 31-33, 103-104 CHR$(12) sends the paper to top of form. ESCape “C” resets it to current paper position. ESCape “@” resets form length to default and sets top of form to current line. with skip-over-perforation, 109 See also Reset Code Tractor built-in, 24-28 cover, 14, 19 removable, 14-15, 28-31 Troubleshooting, 301-315 TRS-80, 38, 40, 307-309, 313 Type style chart, 317 U Up arrow.
w Width of characters, 256-270 statements, 313-314 Word processing, 36, 321-322 Z Zero, slashed, 23 349
Control Codes by Function Print Width Commands CHR$(27)"M" CHR$(27)“P” CHR$(15) [^O] CHR$(18) [^R] CHR$(14) [^N] CHR$(20) [^T] CHR$(27)“W1” CHR$(27)"W0" Turns Turns Turns Turns Turns Turns Turns Turns Elite Mode ON. Elite Mode OFF. Compressed Mode ON. Compressed Mode OFF. One-Line Expanded Mode ON. One-Line Expanded Mode OFF. Continuous Expanded Mode ON. Expanded Mode OFF. Print Quality Commands Turns Emphasized Mode ON. CHR$(27)“E” Turns Emphasized Mode OFF. CHR$(27)“F” Turns Double-Strike Mode ON.
Forms Control Commands Produces a form feed. CHR$(12) [“L] Produces a carriage return. CHR$(13) Turns the paper-out sensor OFF. CHR$(27)“8” Turns the paper-out sensor ON. CHR$(27)“9” CHR$(27)“C”CHR$(n) Sets the form length in lines: n = 0 - 127. CHR$(27)“C”CHR$(0)CHR$(n) Sets the form length in inches: n = 0 - 22. CHR$(27)“N”CHR$(n) Produces a variable skip-over-perforation. n = 0 - form length or 127. Turns skip-over-perforation OFF. CHR$(27)“0” Formatting Commands CHR$(27)“D”CHR$(n 1) ...
CHR$(27)”%“CHR$(n 1)CHR$(n 2) Selects a character set: n1 selects ROM (0) or RAM (1); n2 is 0. CHR$(27)“&”CHR$(n)CHR$(c 1)CHR$(c 2)CHR$(A)CHR$(d 1) ... CHR$(d11)... Defines characters c1 to c2 in RAM area: n is 0. Each character requires an attribute byte (A), followed by 11 data numbers (d1 to d11). CHR$(27)“:“CHR$(n 1)CHR$(n 2)CHR$(n 3) Copies ROM characters to the user RAM area. All numbers must be 0.
ASCII Codes Character or Function Dec Hex 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 OA OB OC OD OE OF 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 1A 1B 1C 1D 1E 1F 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 2A 2B 2C 2D 2E 2F 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 55 37 7 56 57 38 39 8 9 none none none none none none none BEL BS HT LF VT FF CR SO SI none DC1 DC2 DC3 DC4 none none none CAN none none ES
Dec Hex 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 AE AF BO B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 87 B8 B9 BA BB BC BD BE BF CO C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 Character or Function , / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? @ A B C D E F G H I Dec Hex 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 CA CB CC CD CE CF D0 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 DA DB DC DD DE DF E0 E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 Character or Fun
