Mag Mini 41 Ticket Printer

Users Manual
BOCA SYSTEMS, INC.

© 1997 Boca Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.

Under the copyright laws, this manual may not be copied, in whole or in part, without
the written consent of BOCA.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this manual is accurate.
BOCA is not responsible for printing or clerical errors and reserves the right to change
specifications without notice.
Table of Contents Page

1.0 Introduction 1

2.0 Unpacking the Printer 2

3.0 A tour of your printer 3-5

4.0 Installation 6

5.0 Configuration 7

6.0. Standard Interface Pinouts 8

7.0 Thermal Paper - Theory and Specification 9

8.0 Maintenance and Adjustments 10-15

9.0 Magnetic Encoding - Theory and Specifications 16-19

10.0 Spare Parts List 20

11.0 Troubleshooting Guide 21-22

Table of Figures and Appendices Page

Figure 1 Packaging 2

Figure 2 Mag Mini Ticket Printer 3

Figure 3a Mag Mini side view 4

Figure 3b Mag Mini side view - Electronics Cover Removed 4

Figure 4 Rear view 5

Figure 5 Ticket loading 6

Figure 6 Optical Devices 11

Figure 7 Print head removal 13

Appendix A Operator Menu options through control panel

FCC NOTICE

NOTE: The equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a class
A digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is
operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radi-
ate radio frequency energy and , if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference
in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.

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.

NOTE: This unit was tested with shielded cables on the peripheral devices. Shielded
cables must be used with the unit to insure compliance.

IMPORTANT NOTICE
THE PRINTER MUST BE OPERATED WITH THE COVER ON AND ALL
SCREWS ATTACHED. THE DATA CABLE MUST BE SHIELDED.

FAILURE TO OPERATE IN THIS MODE MAY CAUSE THE PRINTER TO

EMIT EMISSIONS IN EXCESS OF EITHER FCC OR CE REGULATIONS.
ADDITIONALLY, THE PRINTER MAY BECOME SUBJECT TO DAMAGE
BY EXCESSIVE ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGES IF NOT OPERATED
IN THIS MANNER.

i
WARRANTY INFORMATION

PRINTERS - BOCA warrants each printer to be free of defects for a period of one year
from the date of shipment when subject to normal use and service. This warranty cov-
ers all parts and labor except for the print head which is warranted for 90 days. All
warranty labor is to be performed at the BOCA facility. Equipment damaged by misuse
or negligence including damage to print heads caused by defective ticket stock is
excluded from this warranty.

Any defective equipment meeting these conditions should be returned to BOCA for
repair (freight prepaid) in its original box and packing material. A short note describing
the failure should be enclosed with the printer.

Equipment damaged in shipping should be reported immediately both to BOCA and to

the shipper.

EXTENDED WARRANTY PLAN - BOCA offers extended warranty plans for all printer
models. These plans cover all parts and labor. All labor is to be performed at the
BOCA facility. Equipment damaged by misuse or negligence including damage to print
heads caused by defective ticket stock is excluded from this extended warranty. The
customer, at his option, may request BOCA to ship individual parts to expedite simple
repair procedures. In certain cases where the customer is unable to wait for the nor-
mal repair cycle, BOCA will ship an exchange printer within one business day after
notification by the customer. All freight charges are the responsibility of the customer.

ii
1.0 Introduction

The BOCA Mag Mini 41 is a direct thermal ticket printer with read-write magnetic
capablility and integrated bursting mechanism designed for ticketing environments
which require encoding and verification of data on a magnetic stripe. The printer is
available in a credit card (ISO 3 track) and airline ticket (ATB 4 track) versions. The
standard versions imprint on the thermal face of the ticket and encode on the rear.
Optional models imprint and encode on the face of the ticket. This manual will provide
the user with general information regarding printer set-up, configuration and
troubleshooting. Please review your programming guide for additional details.

1
 2.0 Unpacking the Printer

The printer is shipped in a ruggedized container. Please save packing material for
future use. Remove the printer (see figure 1) and accessories from the box and
inspect for obvious damage. If damage is noticed, please report it immediately to
BOCA.
Tel: (561) 998-9600 Fax: (561) 998-9609 E-mail: [email protected]

The following items should be in the box:

a) Ticket Printer
b) Hopper and infeed guide
c) AC power cord
d) Interface cable (optional)
e) Programming guide
f) This manual

Figure 1 - Packaging

2
3.0 A Tour of Your Printer

LCD

Control Panel

Hopper

Figure 2 - Mag Mini 41 ticket printer

3
 Toroid Transformer Board

Magnetics Module
(obscured)

Print Station

Burster Assembly

Burster Solenoid

Logic Board

Figure 3a - Mag Mini 41 side view

Print Station
Stepper Motor
Magnetics Module
Stepper Motor

I/0 Brd.
Magnetics I/0 Brd.
Magnetics Power Supply

Figure 3b - Mag Mini 41 side view

Electronics Cover Removed

4
 ON/OFF Switch

Fuse Holder (2amp,SB)

Infeed Slot

Infeed Guide

Interface Connector

AC Power Connector

Figure 4 - Mag Mini 41 rear view

5
 4.0 Installation
The Mag Mini 41 ticket printer is designed to be mounted on a counter top or shelf.
However, prior to site preparation and installation, the printer should be powered up
and run in the self test mode. Attach the AC cord and interface cable into the proper
connectors as shown in figure 4. Turn Power on. The LCD will display PAPER OUT.
Begin loading tickets through the input roller assembly (figure 4) with a smooth motion
until the printer automatically positions the ticket.
Two typical ticket formats and feed directions are shown below (figure 6).

3.375
FEED DIRECTION

2.12
Mag stripe on rear

8.0

3.25

Figure 6 - Ticket loading

After the ticket is automatically positioned (the READY LED will be illuminated), press
the TEST button located on the control panel (figure 2) to print a test ticket and mag-
netics feature A printed test pattern indicates that printer is operational. Verify that the
printer properly works with your system by issuing a ticket through your computer sys-
tem.

You may now install the printer in its permanent location. Adequate room should be
provided behind the printer for the smooth feeding of stock. Please do not prevent the
ticket hopper from operating by touching tickets during the printing cycle.

6
5.0 Configuration

The Mag Mini 41 is factory configured for 200 or 300 dpi (optional). An optional
Windows compatible (HP emulation) is also available. The printer is factory configured
for either serial or parallel interface (see pinouts in section 6.0).

A number of other features including baud rate, burst count and print speed are also
factory set but can be modified (Operator Menu) through the touch panel as described
in Appendix A. Most users will never have reason to change the options in the
Operator Menu.

7
 6.0 Standard Interface Pinouts
6.1 Serial Pinouts
RS232 (Standard) RS232 (PC type)
Pin Function Pin Function
2 Printer Transmit 2 Printer Receive
3 Printer Receive 3 Printer Transmit
7 Ground 5 RTS (+5Vdc)
5,20 DTR (Printer Ready) 6 DTR (Printer Ready)
4,22 RTS (+5Vdc) 7 Ground
8 CD (+5Vdc)

6.2 Typical RS232 Pin Connections

(Standard) (Standard) (PC Type) (PC Type)
25 PIN PC 9 PIN PC 25 PIN PC 9 PIN PC
BOCA CPU BOCA CPU BOCA CPU BOCA CPU
2 3 RXD 2 2 RXD 2 2 TXD 2 3 TXD
3 3 TXD 3 3 TXD 3 3 RXD 3 2 RXD
7 7 GND 7 5 GND 5 5 CTS* 5 8 CTS*
20 6 DSR 20 6 DSR 6 6 DSR 6 6 DSR
20 5 CTS* 20 1 CD* 7 7 GND 7 5 GND
20 8 CD* 20 8 CTS* 8 8 CD* 8 1 CD*

* Optional Connection

6.3 Parallel Pinout

Pin Function
1 Strobe (negative)
2-9 Data (DB0-BD7)
10 ACK (negative)
11 BUSY
12 PAPER OUT
15 ERROR (negative)
18 Ground

NOTE: The above pinouts may vary on certain printers due to special customer
request.

8
7.0 Thermal Paper - Theory & Specification
The print head’s life expectancy is composed of both a mechanical and an electrical component. Both of
these factors are strongly influenced by the quality of the thermal paper used.

MECHANICAL
The print head has a theoretical rating of 60 kilometers. This number is based upon the assumption that
the head will be used with a good quality, top coated thermal paper. Uncoated and poorly top coated
thermal papers are abrasive to the print head and have been found to wear through the head after less
than one kilometer.

Other factors which may contribute to premature mechanical wear are the use of non-thermal inks and
stray metallic particles stuck in ticket perforations. Certain inks colors such as opaque white (which con-
tains titanium dioxide) are also highly abrasive.

Unfortunately, there are no available devices for quantitatively measuring the abrasiveness of a given
ticket. Fortunately, we have developed a slightly subjective, but effective method of weeding out overly
abrasive ticket stock.

ELECTRICAL
Each heat element, dot, on the print head has a theoretical life expectancy of 100 million activations.
This is based on the assumption that each activation will cause the dot temperature to approach the
dot’s maximum recommended temperature. Running at lower temperatures will increase the theoretical
life expectancy, while slight temperature increases will seriously (exponentially) degrade the head life.

The thermal paper can affect the electrical head life in two ways. Insensitive, slow to image papers, will
typically encourage the user to increase the voltage to darken the printed image. This will directly
increase the head temperature resulting in reduced head life. Additionally, the higher temperatures will
frequently cause the ink to peel off the ticket and deposit onto the print head. The ink debris will disrupt
the normal transfer of heat from the head to the paper. This further increases the head temperature
above the desired level. The use of non-thermal inks and/or non-top coated papers also will cause the
ink to release and deposit on the print head.

SPECIFICATION
Based upon the above technical information, BOCA has always tried to encourage our customers to use
the proper thermal papers to maximize the life of their print heads. BOCA provides an extensive series
of papers which meet the above criteria for low abrasion and high sensitivity. We have also tested and
approved a number of Ricoh thermal papers which meet our criteria. While we have not had the oppor-
tunity to test other manufacturers’ thermal papers, we feel confident that other papers manufactured with
the above goals in mind should be acceptable for use in our printers. The following list of papers have
been approved by BOCA.

200 dpi usage

BOCA TLD7
Ricoh 120TLD
300 dpi usage
BOCA HS7, HS11SG
Ricoh 150TLD

Please note that the 300 dpi papers may be used on 200 dpi printers. In fact, doing so will increase the
electrical life of the head as this will allow the head to operate at a lower temperature. DO NOT use 300
dpi heads with 200 dpi paper.

9
 8.0 Maintenance and Adjustments
Your ticket printer is solidly constructed and has been designed for high volume use. It
requires minimal care to provide maximum service.

This section provides an overview of printer maintenance, including part alignments,

adjustment and replacement.

For discussion purposes, the printer consists of four major modules or assemblies:
• Paper guide and print head assembly
• Burster assembly
• Logic board assembly
• Magnetics Module
As a safety precaution, all service to the printer should be done with power off
and the AC cord unplugged from the printer.

8.1 Paper Guide and Print Head Assembly

The principal function of this assembly is to guide the ticket stock to the thermal print
head where thermal printing takes place. Additionally, this assembly houses the drive
plates and one optical detector. If necessary, the total assembly can be removed from
the unit. However, all replacements and adjustments of the components of this assem-
bly can be done without removing the total assembly. The most common adjustments
and replacements regarding this assembly follows:

8.1.5 Optical Devices (see figure 8)

There are four opto devices located in the Mag Mini 41 printer.

The opto position is factory set and adjustment should not be necessary.
Caution: Before making any opto adjustments make sure your ticket stock was
manufactured to proper specifications.

10
 The printer should burst the ticket at the perforation. The position of the burst can be
controlled by changing the burst count setting in the FACTORY MENU. If you are not
able get the desired burst position, then make sure your ticket stock was manufactured
to proper specifications.

Once a year the optos eyes should be blown off with air. This interval will vary depend-
ing upon the environment and the quality of the ticket stock.

11
 8.1.6 THERMAL PRINT HEAD
The print head should be cleaned periodically to prevent debris from building up on the
print element. The required cleaning interval varies greatly depending on the quality of
the ticket stock and the amount of dust entering the print area. Excessive dirt build up
on the print head will result in reduced quality. Continuing to run the print head in a
dirty condition will reduce its life expectancy as it is unable to diffuse its heat properly.

The thermal print head can be removed for cleaning or replacement, as follows:

(Please refer to figures 9a - c)

1. Make sure power is off and the AC cord is disconnected from the printer.
2. DO NOT UNPLUG CABLE FROM PRINT HEAD.
3. Lift up on the cam lock assembly (located above the head mounting block) to
remove pressure from the thermal head. (see figure 9a)
4. Lift up on the head mounting block/thermal head to remove. (see figure 9b)
5. Clean the thermal print head surface (the side that makes contact with the paper)
with isopropyl alcohol. (see figure 9c)
6. Install the head by reversing the above procedures.
7. Restore pressure to the head by pushing down on the cam lock assembly.
8. The printer in now ready for operation. If the print quality is still poor then the
thermal head needs to be replaced.
9. To replace print head remove ribbon connector from print head and then remove
print head from mounting block by removing two unmarked screws. (see figure 9b)

12
Figure 9A - Print Head removal

Remove these two unmarked screws to

replace print head.

Figure 9B - Print Head removal

Clean this surface.

Figure 9C - Print Head removal

13
 8.1.7 Rubber Drive Roller (Platen)
The rubber drive roller should be cleaned once a year to prevent paper dust from
building up on the roller. Clean drive roller with a paper towel and alcohol.

1. Unlock the thermal head and tilt back to gain access to platen.
2. Clean the full length of the platen.
3. Rotate the platen clockwise and repeat step 2, continue in the same manner for
one full revolution of the platen.
4. Close or lock the thermal head. Printer in now ready for normal operation.
(NOTE: The platen may require more frequent cleaning in dusty environments
or when using inferior ticket stock.)

8.2 Burster Assembly

The Burster is a solenoid activated menchanism designed to separate ticket at the per-
foration. The Burster requires no adjustments and is rated for approximately 750,000
cuts. Please be aware of the following:

The Burster should be blown out with air periodically to prevent debris from building up
inside the cutter area. The required cleaning interval varies greatly depending on the
quality of the ticket stock and the amount of paper dust entering the burst area.

8.3 Logic Board and Power Supply Board

The printed circuit boards used in this product have been manufactured using surface
mount technology. These printed circuit boards cannot be effectively repaired in the
field and should be returned to the manufacturer if repair is required.

Your printer has one large printed circuit board, the Main Logic Board. This section
describes board removal and proper installation. ALL SERVICE SHOULD BE DONE
WITH POWER OFF AND THE AC CORD UNPLUGGED FROM THE PRINTER.

8.3a Logic Board (Removal)

1. Gain access to the Logic Board Assembly by turning printer over and unscrewing
electronics mounting plate.
2. Remove nuts attaching heat sink brackets to the electronics mounting plate.
3. Unplug connectors going to the main logic board.
4. Use a screwdriver to gently wedge logic the board from the fasteners.
5. Lift board and remove.

14
8.3b Logic Board (Installation)

1. Align Main Logic Board so that the four mounting holes are above the four
fasteners.
2. Press logic board straight down onto the brass fasteners.
3. Attach connectors going to the main logic board.
4. Install nuts attaching heat sink brackets to the electronics mounting plate.

8.4 General Cleaning

The interior of the printer should be cleaned whenever there is a visible accumulation
of dust. Use a small vacuum for cleaning. Be careful not to jar any of the printer’s
parts loose.

15
 9.0 Magnetic Encoding
Theory and Specifications

Initialization Sequence
• Ticket feeds forward through magnetics module to register ticket
• Ticket reverses to encode position

Normal Operation
• CPU sends magnetics data, followed by ticket data
• Printer starts encode process
• Burster separates ticket
• Ticket moves through print station, while the next ticket is reversed through
magnetics to the pre-encode location
• Ticket ejected after printing
• Next ticket starts encoding
(NOTE: The “next ticket starts encoding” function will eventually be performed while
the ticket is being printed)

Command Formats and Communications

• All printing related commands will be handled in accordance with BOCA’s FGL IV pro
gramming guide.
• Any error in writing to the magnetic strip will cause the printer to automatically print a
“void” ticket.
• To print a ticket without magnetics, just send a valid ticket with a print command. The
printer will automatically bypass the encoding operation.
• All transmissions to and from magnetics will be as defined below. These functions
will follow normal FGL formats.

CPU COMMANDS

COMMAND Definition Printer Response

<T1> write track 1 magnetics
<T2> write track 2 magnetics
<T3> write track 3 magnetics
<T4> write track 4 magnetics
<WM> start writing magnetics ACK or NAK after completion of encode
<bc#> burst length

16
Burst Count

The burst length is preset at the factory and should not require adjustment by the
customer. In the event that the ticket is not bursting at the proper location, the burst
length # should be adjusted to a value slightly greater than or less that the actual ticket
length. The ticket length is defined as the number of dot columns in the ticket. (For
example, a 8”, 203.1 dpi ticket is approximately 1624 dots long; at 305 dpi, the ticket is
2440 dots long.)

In addition to the burst length command, the burst count can also be adjusted from the
front panel by entering the factory menu. The procedure for doing this is given below.

1) Press and hold all three control panel keys, (MENU, TEST & CHOICES) to enter
the factory menu.

2) Scroll to the “INC BURST COUNT” or “DEC BURST COUNT” topic, depending on
the direction of adjustment, by repeatedly pressing the MENU key.

3) Press the CHOICES key to select the topic’s numeric value.

4) Repeatedly press the CHOICES key to increment or decrement the value as nec
essary. Please note it is usually best to move in increments no larger than 10
counts at a time to prevent over compensation of the burst position.

5) Press the TEST key once to enter your choice and a second time to save the new
value permanently and re-initialize the printer.

Magnetic Format

The magnetics section of the printer is shipped from the factory in either the ATB or
ISO (1 thru 3 track) configuration. Please address the magnetics in the format appro-
priate to your configuration type:

ATB Format
The data for each track must be terminated with an EOT (04H). All data must be sent
in accordance with the ATB specification.

Typical ATB data stream

<T1> block1 ; block2 ; block3 EOT

<T2> block1 ; block2 ; block3 EOT
<T3> block1 ; block2 ; block3 EOT
<T4> block1 ; block2 ; block3 EOT
<WM>

17
 NOTES:
1. Do not insert spaces in data stream. Spaces are for readability only.
2. All 4 tracks support alphanumeric data.
3. The “;” (block separator character) must be sent between blocks whether or not
there is any data in a given block.
4. Maximum number of characters per block: Block 1 = 60; block 2 = 60; block 3 = 40.

ISO Format
The data for each track must be terminated with an EOT. All data must be sent in
accordance with the ISO specification.

Typical ISO data stream

<T1> block1 EOT

<T2> block1 EOT
<T3> block1 EOT
<WM>

NOTES:
1. Do not insert spaces in data stream. Spaces are for readability only.
2. ISO data contains only one block of data and no block separator characters.
3. A start, stop and LRC byte are automatically inserted into each track of data. These
three characters are counted among the maximum characters allowed per track.
4. Tracks 1 supports alphanumeric data. Tracks 2 & 3 are numeric only.
5. Maximum number of characters per track: Track 1 = 79; track 2 = 40; track 3 = 107

Automatic Re-print

Automatic Re-print is a user selected feature that provides for automatically reproduc-
ing a ticket, including the magnetics data, that has fail the verification process. The
printer will make up to three attempts to produce a good ticket from the original infor-
mation before it returns an error message and halts any further ticket processing. This
feature was designed specifically for those customers using parallel interfaces who can
not receive status messages from the printer and would otherwise not know when a
void ticket has been printed.

18
Automatic Re-print can be selected from the factory menu using the
following procedure.

1) Press and hold all three control panel keys, (MENU, TEST & CHOICES) to enter
the factory menu.

2) Scroll to the “Auto Reprint” topic by repeatedly pressing the MENU key.

3) Press the CHOICES key to select the topic’s options.

4) Repeatedly press the CHOICES key to scroll through the option list. Please note,
the flashing black cursor indicates the current selection.

5) Select Yes to enable automatic re-print or No to disable it.

6) Press the TEST key to enter your choice and re-initialize the printer.

19
 10.0 Mag Mini Spare Parts
PART # DESCRIPTION
P31-1000 AC FILTER
P28-1012 AC SWITCH
P50-1002 BELT, TIMING 89T
P50-1013 BELT, TIMING 94T
BURSTER ASSEMBLY
421671 CONTROL PANEL ASSEMBLY
422559 CONTROL PANEL CABLE
P19-1002 CORD, POWER
422558 DATA CABLE
422773 DC HARNESS
P29-1001 FUSE 2A SB, 250V
422558 HEAD CABLE
421359-5M3 HEAD MOUNTING BLOCK
422190-2 INTERFACE BOARD
P38-1003A LCD DISPLAY PANEL
422754 LCD WIRE HARNESS
MAGNETIC UNIT
422770 MAIN LOGIC BOARD (FGL 41)
422264 OPTO BOARD
P52-1009 O-RING (BAG OF 3)
421508W PLATEN
P45-1011 PLATEN BEARING
422772 PRINT CAGE ASSEMBLY (NO PRINT HEAD)
PULLEY SET
422718 STATIC BRUSH
4422590 STEPPER MOTOR
422774 STEPPER MOTOR WIRE HARNESS
422808-115 TRANSFORMER, 115 volt
422808-230 TRANSFORMER, 230 volt
422775 TRANSFORMER WIRE HARNESS
P29-1002 FUSE, 2A SB
421428 OPTO MTG. BRACKET
422264 OPTO DETECTOR ASSY. (surface mtg. IC’s)
422007-F OPTO DETECTOR, ATM FEED
422007-C OPTO DETECTOR, ATM TEAR OR CUT
OPTO MTG. HARDWARE (SCREW, FW, LW)
4215085M2 PLATEN 2.00” 200 OR 300 DPI
4215085M3 PLATEN 3.25” 200 OR 300 DPI
421370-5M PRESSURE BLOCK ASSY.
BS2002 PRINT HEAD, THERMAL (2.00” 200 DPI)
BS3002 PRINT HEAD, THERMAL (2.00” 300 DPI)
BS 2003 PRINT HEAD, THERMAL (3.25” 200 DPI)
BS3003 PRINT HEAD, THERMAL (3.25” 300 DPI)
P44-1011 SPRING, PRESSURE ADJ. BLOCK
P28-1013 SWITCH, POWER (4 tab)
P28-1012 SWITCH, TEST
421724 TAKE OUT HEAD CAM LOCK ASSY. (Complete)

20
11.0 Troubleshooting Guide
This is a simplified troubleshooting guide listing some of the typical problems. It is not intended
to provide technical details or repair methods, but can serve as a guide to fault isolation in the
field. If you need additional help, please contact BOCA at
Tel: (561) 998-9600 Fax: (561) 998-9609

1. NO OPERATION, POWER INDICATOR IS OUT

a. Check the power cord for proper installation at both ends.
b. Check main fuse and replace if blown. (2amp, 250 volt, SB)
c. Check that there is power at the AC receptacle.
d. If main fuse keeps blowing then check that the printer’s AC voltage board is set
for the correct voltage.

2. POWER IS ON BUT NO OPERATION

a. Check all electrical connections on the printer.
b. Unplug the thermal head and turn on the printer.
If printer works, replace the thermal head.
c. Replace the Power Supply board.
d. Replace the Main logic board.

3. POWER IS ON BUT TICKET WILL NOT LOAD

a. See # 2
b. Make sure the print head/cam lock assembly is fully locked in the closed position.
Consult “Thermal Print Head” in Section 8.1.6.
c. Check that the ticket stock is being loaded correctly.
d. Replace ticket load opto.
e. Replace the Power Supply board.
f. Replace the Main logic board.

4. ERRATIC CUT POSITION

a. Check for defective ticket stock Is the ticket too wide for the paper path?
b. Clean off opto eyes. Consult “Optical Devices” in Section 8.1.5.
c. Check that the platen is clean. Consult “Rubber Drive Roller” in Section 8.1.7.
d. Replace ticket burst opto.
e. Replace ticket load opto.
f. Replace the Power Supply board.
g. Replace the Main logic board.

5. ERRACTIC PRINT POSITION

a. See # 4

21
 6. POOR PRINT OUT (light print out)
a. Make sure the print head/cam lock assembly if fully locked in the closed position.
b. Consult “Thermal Print Head” in Section 8.1.6.
c. Clean print head. Consult “Thermal Print Head” in Section 8.1.6.
d. Adjust print intensity setting via the control panel (see Appendix A)
e. Replace thermal head.

7. POOR PRINT OUT (white voids in print out)

a. Clean print head. Consult “Thermal Print Head” in Section 8.1.6.
b. Replace thermal head.

8. NO PRINT OUT
a. Check head cable for electrical connection at both ends
b. Check to make sure head cable is plugged in properly into the thermal head.
c. Replace the thermal head.
d. Replace the Power Supply board.
e. Replace the Main logic board.

9. PRINTER SKIPS TICKETS WHILE PRINTING

a. Check all electrical connections on the printer.
b. Check position and quality of black mark on the ticket stock.
c. Clean off opto eyes. Consult “Optical Devices” in Section 8.1.5.
d. Replace ticket burst opto.
e. Replace ticket feed opto.

10. PRINTER SKIPS TICKETS AND DIES

a. See # 9.

11. TICKET JAM ENTERING THE BURST AREA

a. Check all electrical connections on the printer.
b. Verify that path is clear

22
The FGL 41 printers allow the user to adjust various printer options through the control panel.

CHECK
PAPER
MENU
Selects proper menu topic (baud rate, cut count, etc.)
PAPER
JAM

TEST Enters new value / Also saves new values.

DATA

Scrolls through choices in individual menu topics.

CHOICES READY

To access and use the OPERATOR MENU, follow these steps:

1. Ticket stock should be loaded into the printer. The LCD window displays
FGL41B#
(# - revision number, incremented for minor revisions ( B - revision letter,
incremented for major revisions)
2. Press both MENU and TEST switches simultaneously for about three seconds.
The LCD window displays OPERATOR MENU! .
3. To scroll through the menu topic, use MENU stopping on the topic you wish to
change.
4. Press CHOICES to scroll through choices in the selected topic. NOTE: The
printer displays a blinking cursor for the values presently stored in the printer.
5. Once you have found the new value you want, press TEST. The LCD window
displays EXIT AND SAVE?. If you wish to save the new value, press TEST
again.
6. If you do not wish to save the new value, press MENU. The LCD window
displays JUST EXIT?. Press TEST to exit the OPERATOR MENU without
saving new values or press MENU to enter back into the OPERATOR MENU.

Appendix A - Operator Menu Options

23
The chart below lists the present menu topics. These topics are subject to change.

OPERATOR MENU!
BAUD RATE?
MINI/MICRO?
PRINT SPEED?
DIAGNOSTIC MODE?
TICKET TYPE?
STATUS ENABLED?
TRANSPARENT MODE
PAPER MODE?
INC CUT1 COUNT?
DEC CUT1 COUNT?
INC CUT2 COUNT?
DEC CUT2 COUNT?
PRINT MODE?
PRINT INTENSITY?
EXIT AND SAVE
JUST EXIT

The following is an overview of what each Menu option does:

BAUD RATE? Controls the serial interface baud rate, parity bit, data bits and stop
bits.

Here are the following choices:

1200,N,8,1
1200,E,7,1
2400,N,8,1
2400,E,7,1
4800,N,8,1
4800,E,7,1
9600,N,8,1 (factory default)
9600,E,7,1
19200,N,8,1
19200,E,7,1
MINI/MICRO? Defines the type of printer.
MINI Is for a printer with a Silent Cutter Assembly (SC2) ( Mini, Mini Plus, Mini MB,
Dual Mini)
MICRO Is for a printer without a SC2 (Micro, Micro Plus, Micro MB, Dual Micro)
(factory default)

PRINT SPEED? Controls the speed the ticket travels at. Also effects the print
quality.
The numbers range from 0 - FASTEST to 7 - SLOWEST. 3 is factory default.

DIAGNOSTIC MODE? Please consult your Programming Guide

Your choices are YES or NO. NO is factory default.

TICKET TYPE? Defines how the optos are configured on the paper guide assem-
bly.
NORMAL Both optos are inline with each other (usually mounted on a black bracket)
(factory default)
ATM Feed opto is mounted under the thermal head and cut opto is attached to the cutter
assembly.
LABEL Same as ATM but the cut opto is a see through type.
SPECIAL TICKET This option is for a Micro MB printer

STATUS ENABLED? Enables or disables the X-ON/X-OFF and status response

protocols.
Your choices are YES (Enabled) or NO (Disabled). YES is factory default.

TRANSPARENT MODE? Please consult your Programming Guide

Your choices are YES (Enabled) or NO (Disabled). NO is factory default.

PAPER MODE? Is generally used only for test purposes. It may also be used on
roll stock with no black marks on the ticket.
Your choices are YES (Enabled) or NO (Disabled). NO is factory default.

INC CUT1 COUNT? Enables the operator to move the cut or tear position to the
left (towards the ticket entrance area). Cut counts are increments of .003” for 300dpi
and .002” for 200dpi. The count value is changed by depressing CHOICES. 16 is fac-
tory default.

DEC CUT1 COUNT? Enables the operator to move the cut or tear position to the
right (towards the ticket exit area). Cut counts are decrements of .003” for 300dpi and
.002” for 200dpi. The count value is changed by depressing CHOICES. 16 is factory
default.
INC CUT2 COUNT? Same as INC CUT1 COUNT? but effects path #2 on a dual
path printer.

DEC CUT2 COUNT? Same as DEC CUT1 COUNT? but effects path #2 on a dual
path printer.

PRINT MODE? Defines the automatic ticket length calculation feature.

THERMAL The printer will feed out and then retract a ticket during this measurement. (facto-
ry default)
RIBBON The printer will feed out one blank ticket. This mode is used for label stock to pre-
vent peeling.

PRINT INTENSITY? Controls the darkness of ticket print out.

Here are the following choices:

LIGHT
MED LIGHT
NORMAL (factory default)
MED DARK
SHORT HEAD LIFE

EXIT AND SAVE ! Will save any changes made to the above menu options.
If you wish to save the new value then press TEST, if not press MENU.

JUST EXIT? Will exit the menu options without saving any changes.
If you with to exit without saving the new value then press TEST, if not press MENU.