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Printing and Stamping with microcontroller — Parallax Forums

Printing and Stamping with microcontroller

ettoetto Posts: 10
edited 2007-02-27 14:02 in BASIC Stamp
Hello again,

I would like to learn one more thing. From Basic2p40 module, i am going to print some value to a paper. But i don't want to use big printers. I wanna use something like credit card machine. Because they are really small and printing great. How can i control that machine with my microcontroller? I only want to use printing part of that machines.

And, i want second thing, besides printing, i would like to print(stamp) some values from microcontroller to paper. But this is different task cause in first one it is like a reciept and paper supplied from machine. For second one, paper is supplied by user then cartridge print(stamp) the values onto the paper.

Two similar processes with little differences. All i wanna know is how to do these with using microcontroller?

Thanks

Comments

  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2007-02-26 01:03
    There are many ways to control a printer with a microcontroller. It depends on the printer. Parallax has an educational print head driver that works like many other printers. Their schematics and SX firmware are available (www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=27948) to look at or use. Most likely, you will want a printer with a built-in controller that handles the control of the mechanism (paper motor, printhead motor). It may or may not handle the translation of characters to dot patterns. The simplest but most expensive type accepts a serial TTL-level character stream. If you get one of those, you only will need to use the SEROUT statement to do the printing. If the printer uses RS232 voltage levels, you will need some kind of voltage converter. The PBasic manual discusses this in the sections on the SERIN/SEROUT statements. If you get a printer mechanism that needs something else, then that's a larger project.
  • ettoetto Posts: 10
    edited 2007-02-26 01:14
    Mike Green said...
    There are many ways to control a printer with a microcontroller. It depends on the printer. Parallax has an educational print head driver that works like many other printers. Their schematics and SX firmware are available (www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=27948) to look at or use. Most likely, you will want a printer with a built-in controller that handles the control of the mechanism (paper motor, printhead motor). It may or may not handle the translation of characters to dot patterns. The simplest but most expensive type accepts a serial TTL-level character stream. If you get one of those, you only will need to use the SEROUT statement to do the printing. If the printer uses RS232 voltage levels, you will need some kind of voltage converter. The PBasic manual discusses this in the sections on the SERIN/SEROUT statements. If you get a printer mechanism that needs something else, then that's a larger project.
    Parallax product supports TTL, i think best way to do this buy this printer board, cartridge & cartidge holder. Then i can print anything and i also stamp.

    However, is it possible to control more than 2 cartridge with one printer board? cause as i explained, i am going to print·a paper and stamp a paper.
  • Mike GreenMike Green Posts: 23,101
    edited 2007-02-26 03:58
    The Parallax product does not include any paper motion mechanism and the controller board has no provision for paper speed feedback or variability. I had suggested it for learning purposes and I don't think it's a practical way to do what you seem to want.
  • Desy2820Desy2820 Posts: 138
    edited 2007-02-26 10:04
    Etto,

    Taking your posts together, it sounds like you may have a pretty ambitious project planned.· Your asking about barcode scanners and printers, I think that you may find that your project will quickly outstrip the capabilites of any Basic Stamp.·

    If you're still in the planning stages, I'd suggest using a more powerful controller, such as the Propeller or·even·a single-board computer.·
    Please consider your project as a whole and decide how much power you need.

    The Propeller is·NOT as easy to use as a Stamp, but has pre-built code for TV/VGA display, keyboard & mouse interface and now has SD card interface capability, with no extra chips/controllers required.

    I hope this helps!


    Post Edited (Desy2820) : 2/26/2007 10:11:58 AM GMT
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2007-02-26 15:09
    As a note the SX Microcontroller could easily do this and you can do it in BASIC using SX/B. Take care.

    ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔
    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
  • HenrymouHenrymou Posts: 128
    edited 2007-02-27 01:54
    I agree with Chris, not because I'm a suck up, but because the SX chip handles complex values with ease.
    I am not familiar with the little inkjet priter, yet I'm sure the SX can handle it.
    Take care-I mean Good DAY
  • Lee HarkerLee Harker Posts: 104
    edited 2007-02-27 14:02
    Etto,
    I did a project using a small receipt type printer a while back. I found quite a few on Ebay and many had a serial interface. I had no trouble using the Stamp to print on it. You just have to read the manual so you know the proper commands to send. It was mostly standard ASCII characters plus a few special ones. The one I used responded to the TTL levels from the Stamp with no level shifters.
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