Missing data; Loss of origin; Plotted entities shift; Media slipping.
Missing data; Loss of origin; Plotted entities shift; Media slipping.
A. Vector data consists of pen movement commands followed by pen up/down
commands. If any of the commands are lost, then there will be a shift
in the remaining portion of the plot. Alternatively, if the media slips
while plotting, then this may also be a symptom of the problem.
B. If the media is slipping, check the following:
1. Verify that CalComp pens and media are being used. CalComp pens
and media are designed to provide optimal pen life, plot quality,
and plotter performance. CalComp cannot guarantee quality with
other brands of pens and media.
2. If using paper media and it has been stored in a
cellophane/plastic wrapper, then it should be conditioned to the
environment first.
a. A good method of conditioning paper media is to expose
individual sheets horizontally, out of the wrapper, in the
same environment as the plotter for 48 to 72 hours before
use. Generally, this is sufficient time for the paper media
to stabilize to the humidity of the surrounding
environment.
3. Verify that the media is loaded properly.
a. The two rubber pinch rollers are on top of the media,
completely covering each side of the media. If the pinch
roller(s) do not completely cover the media, then slippage
problems are more likely to occur.
b. The grit drum roller is the long round roller that moves
the media from front to back. The grit drum roller is not
continuous. There are places where the grit drum surface is
not visible. If the right pinch roller housing is placed at
one of these positions, then only one pinch roller will
move, causing slippage. For the 2036 model, media that is
loaded in 27 inches wide (left-to-right) would exhibit
this problem. If using ANSI, Architecture, or ISO standard
media sizes, this should not be a problem.
4. The grit drum roller is the long round roller that moves the
media from front to back. Examine the grit drum roller. If the
gritty surface of the drum is worn smooth, then it will no longer
hold the media securely and the drum should be replaced. Place a
service call for diagnosis and repair. The drum is not end-user
installable.
5. Clean the grit drum roller on the plotter. The grit drum roller
is the round roller that moves the media front to back. The
surface on the grit drum roller can become encrusted with chad
(media residue/cotton fiber from the media). Perform the
following:
a. Turn off the power on the plotter.
b. Position the pen carriage away from the area to be cleaned.
If the area to be cleaned is on the right, position the
right pinch roller over the area of the grit drum to be
cleaned. The left pinch roller is fixed in place. This
procedure is used to clean the area beneath either pinch
roller.
c. With the pinch roller up, slide an 8 to 10 inch length of
permanent mending tape, sticky side down, beneath the pinch
roller and pinch roller housing.
d. Lower the pinch roller to trap the tape against the grit
drum. Raise the tape, and while holding the free ends of
the tape away from the platen, slide the tape back and
forth at least 3 inches, causing the grit drum roller to
rotate.
e. Repeat as necessary to remove all residue from the grit
drum.
f. Raise the pinch roller, slide a new 8 to 10 inch length of
tape, sticky side up, beneath the pinch roller and pinch
roller housing.
g. Lower the pinch roller to trap the tape against the pinch
roller. Raise the tape, and while holding the free ends of
the tape away from the pinch roller housing, slide the tape
back and forth at least 3 inches, causing the grit drum and
pinch roller to rotate.
h. Repeat as necessary to remove all residue from the pinch
roller.
6. Clean the rubber pinch rollers. The pinch rollers can be cleaned
with a clean cloth moistened with isopropyl alcohol. The pinch
rollers can become encrusted with residue from the chemical
coating on the media and begin to lose their ability to hold the
media.
a. If the pinch rollers are damaged, have flat spots, or have
worn down, cleaning will not be sufficient. The pinch
rollers need to be replaced. (CalComp part #16136-0011,
2024 pinch roller; CalComp part #18451-0014, 2036 pinch
roller).
b. The Pacesetter 2024 and 2036 Technical Manual is available
for customers who wish to do their own hardware repair.
This manual can be ordered in Parts and Supplies by calling
1-800-CalComp (1-800-225-2667) and order Part Number M0020-
160.
c. Free Illustrated Parts Breakdowns (IPBs) are available via
the CalComp FaxBack (714-821-2914) and ordering: Document
3008 for Models 2024 and 2036.
d. CalComp Technical Support does not offer support for
hardware repairs. On-site service is available for
hardware diagnosis and repair.
7. If the pinch rollers and grit drum roller have been cleaned, and
are in good condition, then try plotting. If the paper has a
tracking problem and skews (i.e., moves from its original
position either leftward or rightward) while plotting, the grit
drum roller may be out of alignment. If it is, the plotter
requires service. This is not user-serviceable.
8. If while plotting, or on power-up, the plotter makes a grinding
noise, then check the following:
a. Remove the media from the plotter.
b. Turn off the power on the plotter.
c. Examine the carriage area for any obstructions and/or torn
media.
d. Manually slide the carriage to check for anything that
might inhibit free movement.
e. Examine the grit drum roller area for any obstructions
and/or torn media.
f. Manually rotate the grit drum roller to check for anything
that might inhibit free movement.
g. If no problems are detected, then the servo motors may be
binding, If it is, then the plotter requires service.
C. If there is a communication problem, then check the following:
1. If the plotter is connected to a switch box, a network, or buffer
box, then for testing purposes, remove them and directly connect
the plotter to the computer and then try plotting again with a
new media sheet loaded in the plotter.
2. If the End of Plot (EOP) timer value, configured on the plotter,
is too small, then the plotter will divide the plot into two
separate plots. In some cases, the second portion of the plot may
be discarded. Usually it is apparent that the EOP timer is too
small by observing that the timer on the plotter resets back to
zero and then begins counting again from the same plot. To
remedy, perform the following:
a. Press the MENU button on the plotter until the plotter
displays: MENU - USE ARROW KEYS TO CHANGE.
b. Press the down arrow key until the plotter displays: EOP
TIMER.
c. The default is 30 seconds. Increase the value by pressing
the right arrow key until the plotter displays: 2 minutes.
d. Press the down arrow key until the plotter displays: SAVE
AS USER. Press the left or right arrow key until the
plotter displays 1, 2, or 3.
e. Press the down arrow key once. When the plotter displays:
INTERNAL PLOT, the plotter is set up.
3. For serial port connections, this plotter uses a straight-through
25-pin to 25-pin serial cable (CalComp part #11772-0102, 10 ft.
serial cable, or part #11772-0250, 25 ft. serial cable).
a. The serial port on a PC is either a 9-pin or 25-pin male
port (pins sticking out). Connecting a 9-to-25-pin adapter
(available at a local computer supply store) is acceptable,
either at the computer-end or at the plotter-end.
b. The serial cable must be no longer than 50 feet.
c. If the application allows a choice for handshake, select
Hardware handshake (sometimes called CTS, hardwire, or
DTR/RTS).
d. Try a slower baud rate. Sending data above 4800 baud will
not produce plots any faster.
e. It is possible that the port on their computer is not
working. Additionally, a PC with an internal fax/modem
installed might have that port disabled or might be
sending/receiving data concurrently via a TSR program.
i. Try connecting to a different port.
ii. Try connecting to a different computer.
iii. Try using a different serial cable.
4. For parallel port connections, this plotter uses a standard
Centronics parallel cable (CalComp part #18735-0129, 10 ft.
parallel cable). The cable length maximum is 12 feet, unless it
is a good quality double shielded cable. The 25-foot CalComp
twisted-pair, double-shielded cables are the only longer
Centronics parallel cables supported by CalComp (CalComp part
#717960-9, 25 ft. parallel cable).
a. It is possible that the port on the computer is not
working.
i. Try connecting to a different port, if available.
ii. Try connecting to a different computer.
iii. Try using a different Centronics parallel cable.
5. Some applications handle their own I/O. If using DOS, then try
sending the data using DOS I/O. By writing the plot to a file
with the file name being set to the port, DOS I/O will be used
which is the most reliable form of I/O. Perform the following:
a. If using a serial port, then perform the following:
i. If the parameters on the plotter are not known, or if
the handshake is not set for hardware handshake, then
configure the plotter. Perform the following:
i.1. Press the MENU button on the plotter until the
plotter displays: MENU - USE ARROW KEYS TO
CHANGE.
i.2. Press the down arrow key until the plotter
displays: PORT TYPE.
i.3. Press the right arrow key until the plotter
displays: RS-232C.
Press the down arrow key until the plotter
displays: BAUD RATE, followed by the value.
Value selection is application-dependent. If a
selection choice is available in the software,
choose 9600 here and in the software
application.
i.4. Press the down arrow key. The plotter will
display: # OF BITS-PARITY, followed by the
value. Value selection is application-
dependent. Use the right arrow key to select
the desired selection.
i.5. Press the down arrow key. The plotter will
display: HANDSHAKE, followed by the value.
Choose HARDWARE handshake.
i.6. Press the down arrow key. If the PROTOCOL
selected was PCI, then the plotter will
display: SYNC # EOM CHK, followed by the value.
i.7. Press the down arrow key until the plotter
displays: SAVE AS USER. Press the left or right
arrow key until the plotter displays 1, 2, or
3.
i.8. Press the down arrow key once. When the plotter
displays: INTERNAL PLOT, the plotter is set up.
ii. Issue a DOS MODE command to establish the baud rate,
parity, number of bits, and number of stop bits.
ii.1. The DOS MODE command format is:
MODE com_port:Baud_rate, Parity, Data_bits,
Stop_bits, P
where parity is one of the following: (E=Even,
O=Odd, N=None),
Data_bits selections for this plotter is either
7 or 8,
Stop_bits is always 1 for this plotter.
The letter P, the last character of the MODE
statement, tells DOS to perform retries.
ii.2. If using COM port 1 at 9600 baud, No parity, 8
data bits, and 1 stop bit, issue the following
DOS MODE command at the DOS prompt:
MODE COM1:9600,N,8,1,P
ii.3. If using COM port 2 at 9600 baud, No parity, 8
data bits, and 1 stop bit, issue the following
DOS MODE command at the DOS prompt:
MODE COM2:9600,N,8,1,P
b. If using a parallel port, then perform the following:
i. If using LPT1, then tell DOS to perform retries by
issuing the following DOS MODE command:
MODE LPT1:,,P
c. In the software application with either serial port or
parallel port communication, select the option to write the
plot to a file. The file name needs to be set to the name
of the port that is being used (e.g., COM1, COM2, LPT1,
etc).