4 Jul
2001
4 Jul
'01
6:17 a.m.
From: "Russ Blakeman"
<rhblake(a)bigfoot.com>
To: <classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org>
Subject: RE: Apple Thermal Transfer printer
Date: Wed, 4 Jul 2001 16:53:22 -0500
Importance: Normal
Reply-to: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
The Quiet Writers are daisy wheel typewriters with a
keyboard though,
totally different than most thermals. The ribbon is a carbon film and uses
the pressure to make the carbon separate from the carrier film. The mention
of quake and slow are relative to the type of printer that they are - I've
seen worse dot matrix (IBM 5224 and 5225).
Not that kind of impacters. This print head is removeable has lot
of electrical contact pads uses finely spaced traces that presses on
the carbon-based ribbon. The short circuits it creates allows print
to leave behind on paper because heat melts the ribbon. Whole "print
head" thing has 2 motors, one to keep ribbon moving in short bursts,
one to move the head in and leave there (during printing) That motor
also lifts printhead off during non-printing also for reservsing back
to start of line or to print again on specific areas. This motor
doesn't only moves the head, it also unpinches both roller ribbon
pinch and the brake as well when head is lifted. Printing
mechanicals is *complex* and heavy that why printer lurches back and
forth while it whips the assembly back and forth in 1 or 2 inches on
certain characters before going on one direction then lifts off,
advance the paper, whip the thing back to the start of new line to
print. It prints one direction only. The contact pads is appox 50
by guess.
The daisy wheels doesn't leave laser-quality characters. This one
did which is amazing at that time back then.
Cheers,
Wizard