Carriage Mechanism - Epson DFX-8500 Service Manual

OPERATING PRINCIPLES

CARRIAGE MECHANISM

Figure 2-5 shows the carriage mechanism. The front and rear carriage guide shafts support the carriage.
The carriage motor rotates, turning the carriage belt pulleys and the carriage timing belt. The printhead is
mounted on the carriage, which is attached to the carriage timing belt.
The printer does not have a carriage home position sensor; the home position is detected using the carriage
encoder sensor and belt. A bumper is attached to the left side of the frame. When the carriage hits the
bumper, the sensor detects an interruption in regular pulses. The control circuits interpret this interruption as
the carriage home position.
The encoder belt has equally spaced line markings and is mounted under the timing belt. A photo interrupter
(carriage encoder) surrounds the encoder belt and converts the carriage movement into a series of pulses.
Paper Width Sensor
Printhead Bumper
Printhead
Ribbon Mask Holder
Rear Carriage Guide Shaft
Carriage Belt Pulley Carriage Motor
Carriage Encoder Sensor
Front Carriage Guide Shaft
Carriage Encoder Belt
Carriage Timing Belt
Figure 2-5. Carriage Mechanism
2-5