snyder@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Scott Snyder) (02/15/88)
Dear Apple,
Early in February I posted this message about potential software problems
arising from using the ImageWriter 2.6 driver, with the System Software 5.0
package.
____________________________________________________________________
I am running 4.2/6.0 on my Mac SE. For the past couple of months I have
had a problem with my IW II that seems to be getting worse. As soon as printing
starts (or sometimes in the middle of printing) I'll hear a loud sound from the
print head (my wife says it sounds like BRRRRRHH) and then the print head uses
that position as the new left margin reference. This can happen in the middle
of a line so that text sometimes wanders all over the place. I have noticed
that using manual paper feed it seems to happen much less often. The self test
seems to be all right so that I suspect either a cable or software problem, but
I am at a loss for what to do. I'm using ImageWriter driver 2.6.
Has anyone else had problems like this? Any ideas? HELP!!
Please e-mail me any ideas, or post if of interest to enough people.
____________________________________________________________________
I got a number of responses both to me on E-mail and on the network. They
indicate that there is a serious incompatibility with the present version of
the Imagewriter driver and the System 5.0 software upgrade. This software
incompatibility makes the printer unreliable at best and destructive at worst.
Below is a summary of the responses I have received so far:
____________________________________________________________________
From: dean@aoa.UUCP (Dean Wormell)
Organization: Adaptive Optics Assoc., Cambridge, Mass. USA
I would like to add some more details about IW II hardware failure.
>>I am at a loss for what to do. I'm using ImageWriter driver 2.6.
>> Has anyone else had problems like this? Any ideas? HELP!!
>>Please e-mail me any ideas, or post if of interest to enough people.
>>
>> Scott snyder@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu
>
> As far as the Imagewriters are concerned, I've have seen very
>little reliability problems with these printers, untill the advent of
>System Software 5.0.
>
>The card being printed had a solid (black) background and a third of the
>way through the print job, the IW head slammed hard against the right side
>of its' travel. It stayed there for a second and I could here the belt,
>which controls the head travel, slipping (as if the head wanted to move
>outside of the printer). When it resumed printing the card, the left
>margin was shifted right about an inch and the solid background now had
>white stripes for every printed line. At the end of the print job, I could
>smell burnt electrical circuitry.
>
>The printer is 3 months out of warranty, and it has been estimated by the
>authorized dealer that it would cost ~ $150 dollars to replace a board in
>the IW II (the print head was not a fault).
>
> Dean Wormell
>
Well, I just talked with the "authorized" service technician, who was
attempting to fix my IW II, and the estimated $150 repair job is now up to
$400.
He suspected that the driver board had failed, so it was replaced and the
printer was tested. In his words upon running the self-test, "sparks and
smoke came off the driver board"; and, the missing line was still present as
the printer continued to print. More specifically, a surface mounted
device at location HIC3 on the driver board was the part that smoked.
He called Apple Tech Support and they told him that replacing the driver
board, the CPU board, and the print motor should solve the problem.
Needless to say, I'm not to thrilled at paying the price to have the guts
of the IW II replaced now that the repair cost is approaching that of a new
printer.
Since this does'nt seem to be a common problem (like loud fans, jittery
screens, and flyback transformers -- two of which I experience with my work
and home SEs); I suspect I have a "lemon". I plan to talk w/ Apple about
this; but, from previous posters, I'm not over confident about a positive
outcome.
In short off buying a new IW II (and AppleCare :-(), could someone point me to
third-party printers and/or schematics of the IW II boards so I can try to
fix the printer myself.
Thank you for bearing with this long poster. Flames, solutions, comments,
related experience, etc. ... are welcome.
--
Dean Wormell
...!{harvard,ima}!bbn!aoa!dean
____________________________________________________________________
From: lriggins@afit-ab.arpa (L. Maurice Riggins)
Organization: Air Force Institute of Technology; WPAFB, OH
Hope ya get this... yep, I've had the same problem What software are
you printing with?
I use Works 1.1 with WorksPlusSpell1.1, sometimes looking at the
upcoming print job with a drvr called print preview which is switched
on and off with an fkey. I can't relate the problems with the times
I have used the latter though. Also sometimes I use fkeys to form feed
and reverse formfeed the paper (one is called printerburp).
I think that Apple was in too big a hurry to ship the new system software
and didn't spend time to update the Imagewriter 2.6. Note that it is the
same version as the previous system release. Also note that StatView512+
will print under MultiFinder to the LaserWriter driver but not the
Imagewriter driver.
At first I was worried about the gears or the motor but I'm more
convinced now it is in the software.
{and in additional correspondence}
I've had a lot of weird things happen since I installed the new System (and
the new Works stuff) including "File not open" errors when quitting the
application and loss of data files...e.g. Attempting to read past end of file
errors...looking at the file, the whole data fork is gone! So I constantly
Save as... to filename and filename.bak to make sure.
I will appreciate any mail you get on the IWII problem and I'll pass any I get
your way.
Regards,
Maurice lriggins@afit-ab.ARPA
DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed here do not reflect those of my employer nor
constitute an official position of any U.S.Government agency.
____________________________________________________________________
From portal!cup.portal.com!Torso@Sun.COM Sat Feb 13 11:49:06 1988
Subject: RE:imagewriter
Hi,
I have the exact same problem with a wide carriage ImageWriter. I would
be most interested in knowing what you find out. Personaaly, I think the belt
that moves the print head must have some bad teeth on it, but I am not
positive that this is the problem.
Good Luck,
-Mi
____________________________________________________________________
Could you tell me and the rest of the assembled Imagewriter II owners whether
there is in fact a software problem that has to be addressed by Apple or a
subtlen hardware problem that the new software tends to exacerbate? And if
there is a problem, what does Apple intend to do to rectify it? As the
situation stands now users run a non trivial risk of destroying there
ImageWriters with the present version of the Imagewriter driver 2.6.
Sincerely,
Scott Snyder
snyder@tcgould.tn.cornell.edu
bhatt@apple.UUCP (Nick Bhatt) (02/18/88)
ImageWriter flambe...yumm, yumm
We are definitely worried if ImageWriters suddenly start taking their
own lives. I have just finished printing the Home card from HyperCard,
in which I have changed almost the enire card to solid black. I was
using my AppleTalk ImageWriter and driver version 2.6. I encountered
ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS.
Now a few notes:
[1] My ImageWriter is a relatively new one -- it's platinum and everything.
[2] The ROM version is 04. I would like to know what your versions are
(assuming the printer is still alive and unrepaired).
[3] Black backgrounds have a way of destroying printers. This is mostly
due to the amount of heat generated when you fire every single pin,
on every single pixel, for the length of the line (and job). The
firmware is supposed to prevent the printer from committing self-
immolation, and my ImageWriter pauses at the end of each line of
solid black to permit the head to cool down. If your ImageWriter
was plugging along, line after line without pause, then that's probably
what happened. This is supposed to be handled automatically in the
firmware, and IS NOT driver controllable.
[4] The big question, though, is why are you seeing it now? This I cannot
answer without more information from you. I don't see how it could be
the driver, since it works just fine for me. I'm open to suggestions,
though.
[5] Please tell me what ROM versions you have, if you have a color ribbon
installed or not, AppleTalk or not. Perform the printer self-test to
find the version number. It's printed at the top as ROMREV().
--NB
AppleLink: BHATT1dean@aoa.UUCP (Dean Wormell) (02/27/88)
Excuse the post, but I know our mailer will fail if I try to send direct to you. Here is the info requested on the IW II failure... In article <7429@apple.UUCP> bhatt@apple.UUCP (Nick Bhatt) writes: >We are definitely worried if ImageWriters suddenly start taking their >own lives. I have just finished printing the Home card from HyperCard, >in which I have changed almost the enire card to solid black. I was >using my AppleTalk ImageWriter and driver version 2.6. I encountered >ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS. > >Now a few notes: >[1] My ImageWriter is a relatively new one -- it's platinum and everything. So is mine, bought in August 87, very lite use, I replaced the original ribbon just a week before the failure. >[2] The ROM version is 04. I would like to know what your versions are > (assuming the printer is still alive and unrepaired). Same here, ROM version 04, still unrepaired, still in the shop. The repair is on hold. >[3] Black backgrounds have a way of destroying printers. This is mostly > due to the amount of heat generated when you fire every single pin, > on every single pixel, for the length of the line (and job). The > firmware is supposed to prevent the printer from committing self- > immolation, and my ImageWriter pauses at the end of each line of > solid black to permit the head to cool down. If your ImageWriter > was plugging along, line after line without pause, then that's probably > what happened. This is supposed to be handled automatically in the > firmware, and IS NOT driver controllable. I don't recall if the print head paused at the end of each line; but, on the fatal print job a faint white line of one pixel (pin?) width began to appear where the print should have been black. After the failure, the print job continued with a displaced left margin and a visible white line was now being (not being) printed. If the head did get hot; how could the driver board (or CPU board) instruct the motor to print where it should not be? Or, how could a hot print head cause a failure on the driver board? And why does the CPU Board, Driver Board and motor all need to be replaced to fix the problem? (Replacing just the driver board did not solve the problem, it self destructed again). >[4] The big question, though, is why are you seeing it now? This I ask you. I am very pleased to see someone taking their time to help me with this problem! >[5] Please tell me what ROM versions you have, if you have a color ribbon > installed or not, AppleTalk or not. > > --NB > AppleLink: BHATT1 ROMREV(04), no color ribbon, no AppleTalk card installed. Again, thank you for looking into this problem. I can be reached during the day at 617-864-0201. -- Dean Wormell ...!{harvard,ima}!bbn!aoa!dean