Serial Inkjet Printer Help Please

Beancey

Ok... I'm a 2 year old... fish out of water. Patience please.
I've already printed using the usb connection, but I need to simplify. I just need to print a line (fire all nozzels).·I need to ditch the usb cord.·Can someone step by step teach me how to load the sx chip?·Can this be done through the usb connection?
My goal is to turn printing on/off with the relay I have connected to my PC. I'm using this as a marking device. I've connected the cartridge to a solenoid·inwhich reciprocates to make a 1/2" line. I have 3 people wanting me to replicate my marker. Therefor I would like to rid the marker of the serial command and cable. I already have 3 other serial connections running·peripherals.·Makes for a complicated install.
Thanks Vince

LoopyByteloose

It has been awhile, but here goes....

There are two interfaces to the Ink-jet SX card.
-The USB
-A serial interface

Via the USB, you may actually program the SX to do nearly anything, but it is primarily intended to download the provided programs.

Via the serial interface and a Stamp, you may send one character at a time to be printed -- after you download the appropriate program.

Testing and program modification can be a bit more involved.

Be very careful with testing as there are two modes of output and one is actually destructive to the print head as the power duration is too long. It is indended to allow you to observe the on-board LEDs without the print head.

There is space on the SX chip for you to load a standard string of printout or even a graphic image. But if you want to output ASCII strings that change, that is what the serial port is used for.

I am not clear about why you need a relay involved. It might be easier [noparse][[/noparse]and safer] to have a 5v pulse or serial command control the on/off. In fact, it is a bit difficult to understand how you have this mechanically set up to print. Any diagrams or photos would be helpful.

As I understand you, you want to eliminate both the USB and the serial interface in actual routine operation. You merely want to toggle the power on and off to get it to print a line as a marker.

Such an approach is really brute force as there is a time delay to start up the SX and with a relay, there may be voltage spikes that actually can confuse or harm the SX's cpu. What turns the PC's relay on and off? That controling pulse may be put to better use.

Of course if you really want to do it your way, it will require adapting the existing SX code or writing your own. Are you up to that? I would suggest you try to minimally adapt the existing code.

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"Everything in the world is purchased by labour; and our passions are the only causes of labor." -- David·Hume (1711-76)········

···················· Tropically,····· G. Herzog [noparse][[/noparse]·黃鶴 ]·in Taiwan

Beancey

Thanks for the reply. The relay on the PC I'm contolling with MSCOM in VB6. It's fairly simply. It turns on/off by toggling the RTS property of the com port. I agree with the 5v pulse as the trigger. This could be done very easily with my PC relay because there is actually two relays on the card. I could see it also being done with a motion sensing chip, since I'm shaking the hell out of the print head. I believe the pulse would be easier. I have the inkjet serial printer book by Matt Gillian. In this book there is example of pulsing a stamp. I'm needing Sx for dummies- Such as what to pulse. The basic code of the existing program is not hard to follow. I do believe I'm up to the task with you as a crutch. As far as a sketch-- I have a prototype and a second version of the marker. I could send pictures but because of the patent not being established I would rather send this privately to you.
Thanks Vince