Which printers work?
 Not all printers will work with the CTS timers. There are 2 reasons
for this. The first is the physical connection between the printer and
the timer. Currently the timer can ONLY connect to a printer across a
25 pin "parallel" cable from the "Printer Port" on the back of the timer.
Printers that must use a USB port will currently NOT work. The second
reason is the language that the printer understands. Our timers send
ASCII type data, they do NOT run printer drivers. Generally in the printer
specifications there should be lines that say something like:
"Emulation: HP-PCL" and "Connectivity, std. — IEEE 1284-B compliant parallel port"
System 6 back panel - click for a larger image
While HP-PCL is not the only language that the timer knows it certainly is the most commonly used printer language that it understands.
The System 6 timer can run races in any size pool from 1-12 lanes wide. The printer output is geared for 8.5-inch wide paper. This means that with a fixed width of paper we will need to change the size of the type in order to fit a line into those available inches. For 6 lanes or less we need the standard 10 cpi (characters per inch) printing (called PICA); for 7-8 lanes we need 12 cpi printing (called ELITE); for 9-10 lanes we need 16 cpi printing (called CONDENSED; and for 11-12 lanes we need 20cpi printing (called SUPER CONDENSED). NOTE : If you are running 6 or fewer lanes then the timer's default SETUP printer settings will work for you.
Our timers already know a number of code sets (IBM, Epson and OKIDATA). The System 6 also knows the HP-PCL codes. If you tell our timer that you wish to send codes to the printer (this is done by selecting PRINTER= "something" in SETUPS) then the timer will send the appropriate codes before it starts to send printable data. It will send these codes every time that it begins a printout. Sending the wrong codes to a printer will have unpredictable results on your printouts.
We have generally found that the use of printers supporting the HP-PCL codes provides the best option for our users; these printers include the recommended Brother and HP printers listed above. This code set is the newest and most widely used in the printer market. We are only using the most basic commands within this set for our print jobs. While the System6 already knows the PCL codes, in SETUPS/PRINTER just select PRINTER=HP-PCL, if you are running a System5 you will need to select "OTHER" as the printer and then hand enter all of the codes (the relevant codes are listed below).
A few of the printers that we currently recommend are: Brother HL-5140, Brother HL-2070, Citizen GSX-190, Okidata-320 and many Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printers. We find most Inkjet printers do NOT work. If you are looking for an impact printer, one that that can do 2 or 3-part paper, we recommend the Okidata-320.
If you have a System 5 you can manually enter HP-PCL codes in to your timer. They should be stored in SETUPS/PRINTER/PRINTER=USER DEFINDED then "#2 User defined printer control codes." Only enter items labeled "Start of print job" (do NOT bother entering any items labeled "End of print job"). You will have to move up and down in the small scrolling window to find the next number to enter in the string of codes, once you find it press "enter" to insert it into the string of codes. There are 126 different numbers listed so you will have to go up and down through this list to get to the ones that you wish to enter next. If you will not think that you will ever want to print in CONDENSED format then save your self the effort and do not bother to enter the codes for that item. The following are the codes that you might want:
PICA: 27 40 115 49 48 72
ELITE: 27 40 115 49 50 72
CONDENSED: 27 40 115 49 54 72
6 LPI: 27 38 108 54 68
8 LPI: 27 38 108 56 68
* 27 is listed on the System 5 as "ESC"
Our timers allow you to set up a sequence of things to print at the end of each race; this is located in SETUPS/PRINTER/STORE PRINT FORMAT. A "Form Feed," some times called a "Page Eject," command can be sent to the printer. This command is necessary as the last command of a print sequence in order to get the last page of printing out of the printer. It also allows you to separate printed items and put them on different pages. If you are running a two team (dual) meet for instance you might want to use the following Store Print Format; "Race Summary, Form Feed, Race Summary, Form Feed, Race Summary, Form Feed." The printer will give you 3 copies of the race summary, one for each of the 2 coaches and one for the filing cabinet. If you wish items to be on their own page you should put a "Form Feed" after the item in order to get the next item on its own page. |
