FieldPro RT43 Series Operator’s Manual Printek, Inc. 1517 Townline Road Benton Harbor, MI 49022 269-925-3200 www.printek.com Printek Part Number 6360 Rev.
FCC Part 15 Class B This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules.
Read all setup and operating instructions before proceeding with operation. Do not operate in an enclosure unless properly ventilated. Make sure no ventilation openings are blocked or obstructed, which may result in the printer overheating. Do not operate near a heat source. Lesen Sie vor der Inbetriebnahme die Aufbau- und Bedienungsanleitung. Betreiben Sie den Drucker nicht in einem kleinen, geschlossenen Raum, es sei denn dieser wird ordnungsgemäß belüftet.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................................1 Getting Started .....................................................................................................................................................3 Printer Features..............................................................................................................................................
Table of Contents Print & Font Samples.........................................................................................................................................39 Specifications.......................................................................................................................................................43 Printer Specifications ......................................................................................................................................
Introduction Thank you for purchasing a Printek FieldPro RT43 Series mobile thermal printer. The FieldPro series offers a variety of configurations to suit any printing environment. The RT43 prints on receipt paper supplied in roll form up to 4.125 inches wide and includes “black mark” sensing capabilities on the printed side of the media. All models are equipped with a “Universal Port” which supports cabled, serial communications using an optional RS-232C or USB cable.
Getting Started Printer Features Before preparing your new FieldPro RT43 for use, please refer to Figure 1 and familiarize yourself with the locations of the various features of the printer. Tear Bar Paper Door Release Lever Paper Door Battery Right Side Of Printer Control Panel Universal Port Cover Carrying Strap Power Connector Figure 1 - Printer Features Battery Installation and Charging The battery for your FieldPro printer is shipped in an “uncharged” state.
Getting Started Release Lever Battery Contacts Figure 2 - Battery Installation To charge the battery, connect an optional power supply to the appropriate input source, and then connect the output of the power supply to the printer’s Power Connector at the location shown in Figure 3. The Battery Indicator will turn on and remain on until the battery is fully charged. This may take up to 2½ hours. Note: You must charge the battery for at least 2½ hours prior to the first use.
Getting Started Installing Media Each printer comes supplied with a roll of receipt paper. Note: For maximum performance and optimum print quality, use only genuine Printek media in your FieldPro printer. To install media, you must release the paper door by moving the Paper Door Release Lever in the direction shown in Figure 4 and then lift the paper door to expose the paper compartment.
Getting Started Turning the Printer On and Off Refer to Figure 5 and locate the printer’s Power Button. To turn the printer on, simply press and release the Power Button. To turn the printer off, press and hold the Power Button. The printer will “beep” and then power down after the button is released.
Getting Started Removing Printer Output To tear the paper, pull the paper against the tear bar (a sharp edge on the paper door) at a slight angle as shown in Figure 6, and then continue to pull the paper in the direction shown to tear it off. If all the printing is not yet out of the printer and the host has finished sending data to the printer, the paper may be positioned for tearing by simply pressing the Paper Feed Button.
Getting Started Using The Carrying Strap The printer’s flexible carrying strap with multiple hook-and-loop fasteners is designed to be used in a variety of ways to carry or mount the printer. The most common use will be to hang the printer from a belt or from the optional shoulder strap as shown in Figure 7. To use the strap in this way, simply pull the end of the strap from the bottom of the printer, route it around the back side of your belt and fasten the strap back on itself as shown.
Daily Operation Introduction For normal daily use, most users will only need to turn the printer on and off, tear off printed output, load paper, and charge the battery as described in the Getting Started section of this manual. This section of the manual provides additional detail regarding the printer’s control panel and for recharging the battery. Use of the optional Magnetic Card Reader is also described.
Daily Operation Symbol Function Status Power Button Paper Feed Button Used to turn the printer on or off. Advances paper a preset distance or to the next black mark. Also used to clear paper error conditions. Printer is Off. Printer is On. Power Indicator Printer is in Standby. (Will wake on receipt of data.) Printer is receiving data and/or printing, or is in the Control Panel Setup mode. Battery is fully charged. Battery Indicator Battery needs to be charged. or Battery is being charged.
Daily Operation Battery Charging The FieldPro RT43 contains battery monitoring and charging circuitry so that the battery may be charged while in the printer. Charging the battery in the printer requires an optional power supply. Printek offers power supplies for use with 100-240VAC/50-60Hz and 12/24VDC for vehicle applications. The printer’s Battery Indicator flashes whenever the battery needs recharging.
Daily Operation Using the Magnetic Card Reader The optional Magnetic Card Reader (MCR) may be used by some applications to read information from credit cards, drivers licenses, etc. When the host system sends a request to the printer to enable the Magnetic Card Reader, the MCR Indicator will light to indicate that the card may now be passed through the MCR slot, or “swiped”. Refer to Figure 11 for the card orientation.
Printer Configuration Introduction This section describes printer operating features that may be configured to allow FieldPro series printers to communicate and operate with your computer and applications. These features are grouped into logical groupings as “menus”. Two methods are available to change the configuration features of the printer. The preferred method is to use the Printek Mobile Setup Utility, a Windows® based program which may be downloaded from a Printek web site.
Printer Configuration INTERFACE MENU – Bluetooth Selected Menu Item Emulation Paired Mode Role Policy Discoverability Pin Security Local Name Values Printek, O’Neil, ZPL-II, Mt3, CPCL Paired, Unpaired Defer, Master On, Off Up to 16 Numeric Characters On, Off Up to 16 Alphanumeric Characters Modify From Default Value Control Setup Panel Utility Printek 9 9 Paired 9 9 Defer 9 9 On 9 9 0 9 Off 9 9 FP-Serial # 9 INTERFACE MENU – Wi-Fi Selected Menu Item Emulation WLAN Type WLAN Channel WLAN SSID WLAN WEP Bit
Printer Configuration PRINT ALL LOGOS IN MEMORY Menu Item Print All Logos in Memory Values n/a Modify From Default Value Control Setup Panel Utility n/a 9* OPTIONS MENU Menu Item Left Paper Guide Adjust Right Paper Guide Adjust Auto Power Down Print Promo Print Header Values A–G None, 1 – 9 Off, 1 – 15 Minutes Off, On Off, On Modify From Default Value Control Setup Panel Utility A 9 9 None 9 9 Off 9 9 Off 9 9 Off 9 9 HARDWARE MENU Menu Item Enter Hex Dump Mode Burnin Mode Reset to Factory Defaults Va
Printer Configuration Serial Interface The following Serial Interface Menu features are only available and/or only take affect when the Serial Interface is currently selected as the active interface. For information on how to select the active interface, please refer to Control Panel Setup on page 25. Note: Factory default values are indicated by an asterisk (*).
Printer Configuration ETX/ACK Handshaking Possible Values: Off*, On This feature enables or disables the ETX/ACK character handshaking method used to control data flow from the host system to the printer. When enabled, an ACK character will be sent by the printer after an ETX character has been received and processed out of the input buffer. ETX characters used for handshaking cannot be part of an escape sequence.
Printer Configuration Discoverability Possible Values: Off, On* This feature is used to set whether the printer may be discovered by other Bluetooth devices. It should only be set to “Off” after the printer has been discovered and paired with a host computer. PIN Possible Values: 0*, Up to 16 Numeric Characters. Note that this feature is only available if Paring Mode is set to Paired. The PIN value must exactly match the PIN value set on the host computer.
Printer Configuration WLAN Type Possible Values: Infrastructure*, Peer-to-Peer This feature specifies the type of wireless network the printer will be attached to. An Infrastructure network consists of nodes that connect to each other and/or a wired network through an Access Point. A Peer-to-Peer , or Ad-Hoc, network consists of nodes that connect directly to each other without the control of an access point.
Printer Configuration WLAN Auth Possible Values: Auto*, Open, Shared This feature specifies the authentication method that will be used when establishing connections on the network. The method may be to use an open key or a shared key. If set to “Auto”, the printer will automatically match itself to the method used by other nodes.
Printer Configuration Format Menu The features contained in the Format Menu affect the location and appearance of the data printed. Note: Factory default values are indicated by an asterisk (*). Font Possible Values: 4.2 cpi SnsSrfA 5.5 cpi SnsSrfA 10.2 cpi SnsSrfA 10.7 cpi SnsSrfA 12.7 cpi Courier 13.5 cpi Courier 14.5 cpi Courier 15.6 cpi Courier 16.9 cpi SnsSrfA 16.9 cpi Courier* 18.5 cpi SnsSrfA 18.5 cpi Courier 20.3 cpi SnsSrfA 20.3 cpi Courier 22.6 cpi Courier 25.
Printer Configuration Print Contrast Possible Values: -35% … 0* … +35% in increments of 5% The printer automatically adjusts the amount of energy used in order to maintain constant print quality as the battery discharges during use. The Print Contrast setting modifies the value that is determined to be needed by the printer and may be used to obtain improved print quality on different qualities of thermal print media. A higher value will result in a darker image.
Printer Configuration Print All Logos In Memory This menu item is only available using Control Panel Setup and is only available if downloaded fonts and/or logos are currently stored in the printer’s memory. Selecting this item causes the printer to print out a directory of all fonts and logos, and to print a copy of all logos. Options Menu The Options Menu contains features that affect the overall operation of the printer. Note: Factory default values are indicated by an asterisk (*).
Printer Configuration Insert This End First Snap In This End Second Figure 12 - Paper Guides Auto Power Down Possible Values: Off*, 1 Minute Delay … 15 Minute Delay This feature sets whether the printer will automatically power down and if so, after what period of time of inactivity. If set to a value other that “Off”, the printer will automatically turn itself off after the specified number of minutes have passed since the printer last received data or last printed, whichever is longer.
Printer Configuration Hardware Menu Features in the Hardware Menu are used for software development/debugging and/or printer configuration. These features should not be changed unless directed by Technical Support personnel. Note: Factory default values are indicated by an asterisk (*). Enter Hex Dump Mode Possible Values: No*, Yes This feature is used to assist software programmers in determining the actual data values being received by the printer.
Printer Configuration Using Setup After the Setup mode is entered, instructions will be printed indicating that the Power Button may be used as a “Select” button and that the Paper Feed Button may be used as a “Next Menu” button. As instructed, press the Power to select each menu or item, and press the Paper Feed to skip to the next menu or item. Upon selecting an Item inside a Menu and pressing Power, the displayed setting will change. Press Paper Feed to skip to the next item in the menu.
Interfacing To A Host Computer Every FieldPro printer is equipped with a Universal Port which contains a Serial Interface. The Serial Interface may be used for either RS-232C or USB communications depending upon which optional cable is used. Optional factory installed interfaces are also available for Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi®. When the printer is equipped with one of the optional interfaces, only one of the interfaces may be “active” at any time.
Interfacing to a Host Computer Figure 14 and Figure 15 show the location of the Universal Port Connector and the connector pin assignments. Caution: Do not make any connection to pins 4 or 8. These pins are used only for Printek accessories and improper connections with these contacts may cause severe damage to the printer. Such damage will not be covered by the printer’s warranty.
Interfacing to a Host Computer Operating as a server, other devices such as a PDA or other host computer may initiate the connection to the printer. When discovered, the default name that will appear will be “FP-aaannnnn” where “aaannnnn” is the printer’s serial number. To obtain the printer’s Bluetooth name, you may print the printer’s test page by holding the Paper Feed button while turning the printer on.
Power Considerations FieldPro printers are designed to provide superior output using as little power as necessary. This provides the longest possible battery life. The printers may also be operated from an external power supply when used in a more permanent installation in a vehicle or office. The following discussions indicate how the printer accomplishes this power conservation using features such as Standby and Auto Power Down.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting Cleaning In normal environments, the printer should be cleaned after printing a few rolls of paper or if there are voids in the printout. For optimum performance and life, you should clean the Print Head and Platen Roller whenever you load new paper. To clean the printer areas as described below, use a Thermal Head Cleaning Pen and MCR Cleaning Card available from Printek, or you may use cotton swabs moistened with isopropyl alcohol.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting Battery Care Charging the Battery The printer’s battery is charged in the printer using an optional power supply. Power supplies are available for 100-240VAC/50-60Hz and for 12/24VDC vehicle applications. Follow the steps listed below to charge the battery. • Plug the power supply into a power source appropriate for the adapter being used. • Plug the power supply into the power connector on the side of the printer.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting Testing the Power Supply and Battery To verify that the printer’s internal battery charger is functioning properly, perform the following steps. • Test the power adapter (100-240VAC/50-60Hz, 12/24VDC adapter) with a voltmeter to verify that its output voltage is 9 VDC. • Connect the power supply to a power source and then connect it to the printer. • Verify that the printer’s Battery Indicator is illuminated. If illuminated, the charging circuit is functioning properly.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting Troubleshooting When encountering problems, the cause may be the printer or may sometimes be due to other problems with your system. Please review the following tables to solve common problems you may encounter with your printer. You may also visit www.printek.com for additional “FAQ’s” that may assist you. If you are still unable to solve your problem, please contact the company where you purchased your printer since they are most familiar with your systems.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting Problem Battery not charging. Possible Cause Faulty power supply or battery. Poor print quality. Low battery. Print head dirty. Poor quality or “old” paper. Paper not feeding. Obstruction in paper path or paper improperly installed. Poor quality paper. Paper not feeding reliably or print is compressed vertically Paper Door not fully closed. Poor quality paper. Heavy or thick forms. Specialty paper with slick finish. Print Garbled. Printer will not print.
Print & Font Samples Print Samples 39
Print & Font Samples Courier Font With International Extended Character Set Courier Font PC Line Drawing Extended Character Set 40
Print & Font Samples Sans Serif Font 41
Specifications Printer Specifications Printing Specifications Printing Method: Printing Resolution: Printing Width: Direct Thermal, Up To 2.8 Inches Per Second 203 dots per inch (8 dots per mm) 832 Printing Elements for up to 4.1″ (10.
Specifications Physical Specifications Size: Weight: 6.1 x 5.9 x 2.7 inches, 15.5 x 15.0 x 6.9 cm (LxWxH) 20 Ounces (.
Specifications Media Specifications Receipt Paper General Specifications: Approved Vendors: 0.0022 to 0.0065” (0.056 to 0.089mm) Thick 2.9 to 4.125” (73.66 to 104.78mm)Wide 1.75” (44.45mm) Maximum Outside Diameter 0.750” (19.05mm) Core Diameter Recommended Black Mark Sensing On Printed Side Kansaki: P300, P310, P350, P354, P390*, P530UV, TO281CA, OP200, TO381N, F180, F380, F550 Jujo: TF-50KS-E2C Honshu: FH65BV-3 Appleton: Resiste 900-3.
Specifications Supplies and Accessories Supplies Battery: Media: Cleaning Supplies: 7.4V, 2200 mAH Li-Ion Available separately or in 5 or 20 packs. 3.125” and 4.125” wide standard receipt paper 3.125” and 4.125” wide premium receipt paper Available in cases of 36. Other sizes available on request.
Glossary of Terms 802.11 Wireless networking communication standards created by IEEE. access point An interface between a wireless network and a wired network. Ad-Hoc A Wi-Fi network consisting of only stations (no access point). Same as Peerto-Peer. ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange. authentication The process a Wi-Fi station uses to identify itself to another station. bandwidth The amount of data that be transferred in a given period of time.
Glossary IP Internet Protocol. A specification for packets, or datagrams, of data and an addressing method to allow the exchange of data with another system. Must be combined with another protocol such as TCP to create a complete connection with the other system. LAN Local Area Network. LCD Liquid crystal display. LED Light emitting diode. line pitch The vertical spacing of rows of characters. Measured in lpi. lpi Lines per inch.
