[General] Thermal printer interfacing with micro controller

[akhilfrancis]

Hai,
I am new to thermal printer. I am planing to interface fujitsu thermal printer with micro controller. In fujitsu data sheet i could not find anything more about code side. I dont know about the communication protocol between the printer and the micro controller.
For serial reading should i make any external circuit? please suggest me a reference design/sample code?

Thanks Advance
Akhil Francis

 

[KlausST]

Hi,

You buy a printer.. and there is no informatin how to use it? Unbelievable.

What printer is it exactely?

Klaus

 

[FvM]

Guess you are asking about FTP-628 or a FTP-6x4 printer mechanism? There are technical reference manuals that describe the interface and expected signal characteristics. Several previous threads at Edaboard, see "Similar Threads" field below, or search yourself.

I'm not aware of ready-to-use reference designs. I believe, the controller can be designed from the scratch based on the reference document, but advanced knowledge of digital and analog electronics is required.

 

[c_mitra]

So it is a serial printer. I guess you can get away with a three wire setup. Is the baud rate, parity and byte size are marked on the printer?

You can try with an arduino. Be ready for some trial and error.

 

[akhilfrancis]

FTP-628USL401 , this is the printer which i am going to use. i am planing to bring the interfacing board also.
I have the data sheet. but i need to know some theory about the operation. I am going to communicate with serial interface.
How the strobes and latch signal is working, how the stepper motor is working ?

 

[FvM]

i am planing to bring the interfacing board also.

If you use the controller board from Fujitsu, you don't need to bother with the printer signals.

 

[c_mitra]

I am going to communicate with serial interface.
How the strobes and latch signal is working, how the stepper motor is working ?

Why you bother about the latch and strobe if you are going to use the serial interface? A regular serial interface does not care about latch and strobe.

 

[tiwari.sachin]

Akhil Fransis.... send the data to Din (Serial-386 dots i guess if its 2inch) and just follow the latch and strobe signal timing sheet. Should work fine.

Make sure you rotate the motor for single step after every dot print.

 

[akhilfrancis]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I am using "STM32F103R6" microcontroller.
while reading, my understanding is for serial i have to use 8 pins for connecting the "FTP-628DSL490 " interface board with
STM32F103R6 micro controller.

8 connections

1. RD
2 TD
3 DTR
4 GND
5 DSR
6 SLCTIN
7 INPRM
8 AFT

Is this is the connections into the printer? / from the micro controller into
the interface board?

 

[akhilfrancis]

Thanks for your reply.

I am using "FTP-628DSL490" interface board also with this thermal printer. I guess this interface board will convert the TTL level into rs232 level.
my controller has CTS, RTS pins instead of DTR and DSR.

my doubt is
what are the pins which i have to connect into this interface board from my micro controller? should i have to connect all these 8 pins? or these 8 pins are out put of interface board into the printer. I am confusing with the interfacing connections.

 

[FvM]

I presume the signals have RS-232C level and need level translation.

You'll connect at least RD, TD, GND, possibly DTR if not using XON/XOFF handshake.

- - - Updated - - -

what are the pins which i have to connect into this interface board from my micro controller?

That's exactly the question I tried to answer with my previous post. Please read it again.