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ZX Printer instructions
Copyright Sinclair Research Limited 1981
ZX Printer Operating Instructions
Introduction
The Sinclair ZX printer gives a permanent record if anything the computer can print on the TV
screen. In addition, graphics always "join up" if done in several goes, so that long programs, long
tables of results and elaborate patterns and graphs can be printed out without a break.
Supplied with a printer are these instruction and 1 reel of paper. You will also need either a ZX81, or
a ZX80 with the replacement ROM: the standard version of the ZX80 cannot be used. Chapeter 20 of
the ZX81 instruction book gives the BASIC commands necessary to use the printer. You will also
need a 1.2A power supply which will have been supplied either with your computer or your printer.
Connecting up
Before connecting anything to you computer, pull its power plug out. If you have a RAM pack,
unplug that too. The edge socket on the end of the printer's cable now pushes onto the back of the
computer through the rectangular slot - which is on the left of the ZX80 and on the right of the ZX81
(looking from the front). The printer will work perfectly well without a RAM pack, but if you have
one an extra plug has been provided behind the printer's socket so that the two may be stacked
together. Just push the RAM into the back of the socket housing the same way as if you were
connecting it to the computer. The printer should now sit neatly on the right hand side of the
ZX80/81.
IMPORTANT:Since the printer takes a lot of power, a new power supply is provided which must
be used in place of the old computer suplpy, and which plugs into the same socket on the ZX80 or
ZX81. No harm will be done using the replacement supply all the time, even if the printer isn't
connected.
Note - since you should'nt connect the printer without switching the computer off first, it's a good
idea to have the printer always plugged in just in case - otherwise you'll have to save your program
to tape while you fiddle about with plugs and sockets.
See LPRINT inside back cover
The paper
The ZX printer uses its own special metallized paper, which can be supplied by Sinclair Research.
Other metal-coated papers will work, but may give smeared, fuzzy or faint printing - others contain
cadmium in the coating and could be a health risk. Non-metallized paper won't work at all.
How to load a fresh reel of paper
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Summary of Contents for Sinclair ZX Series
- Page 1 ZX Printer Operating Instructions Introduction The Sinclair ZX printer gives a permanent record if anything the computer can print on the TV screen. In addition, graphics always "join up" if done in several goes, so that long programs, long tables of results and elaborate patterns and graphs can be printed out without a break.
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Page 2: The Feed Button
Press on the underneath of the reel With the reel carrier pulled out of the prtiner, take out the carrier to disengage it from the empty cardboard tube - but save the plastic hubs in the ends printer. Thread the end of the new reel Push the hubs into the reel, and clip it into the carrier underneath the metal roller. -
Page 3: General Principle Of Operation
Use the feed button to get a manageable length of paper and/or to make sure that the rinting is clear of the serrations. Less thant 2 or 3 inches of paper may be difficult to tear off properly. (If you're right handed). Hold the printer steady with your left hand;... - Page 4 32ms, and off it for about 16ms. Since the speed of printing can vary, an encoder disc is used to give 256 pulses across a 92mm print width (allowing 4mm margins). These pulses are synchronised with the stylus hitting the paper so that the printing is always vertical.
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Page 5: Program Description
Both these last two programs plot rather slowly due to the amount of calculation they have to do, so program 4 is designed to tack on the end of either of them (or any graphics program). It saves the finals pictures in A$; once this is done, the results of your program can be recalled quickly with PRINT A$. - Page 6 elements at a time and hand it over to the print routine. POSITION OF ARRAY ELEMENTS ON PRINT OUT Each element of the array, e.g. A$(1,256) contains one byte of information. A byte has eight bits which have the following values: bit 7 bit 6 bit 5...
- Page 7 Program 1 5 REM TEXT EDIT 10 FAST 15 INPUT A$ 20 IF LEN A$>32 THEN GOTO 35 25 INPUT A$ 30 GO TO 15 35 LET C=0 40 IF C=32 THE GO TO 65 45 LET B$=A$(32-C) 50 IF A$(33-C)=" " OR B$="," OR B$="." OR B$=":" OR B$=";"...
- Page 8 10 FOR J=1 TO 10 20 FOR I=0 TO J*12 30 PLOT 32+J*2*SIN(I/(J*6)*PI), 22+J*2*COS(I/(J*6)*PI) 40 NEXT I 50 NEXT J Program 3a 10 FOR I=-4 TO 4 20 FOR J=0 TO 120 30 PLOT 32+20*SIN(J/(60*PI), 22+20*COS(J/60*PI+ I/4*PI) 40 NEXT J NEXT I Program 4 1000 DIM A$(704)
- Page 9 70 GOTO 40 80 GOSUB 500 90 GOTO 80 100 GOSUB 500 110 PLOT X,Y 120 UNPLOT X,Y 130 GOTO 100 500 IF INKEY$="1" THEN GOTO 40 510 IF INKEY$="2" THEN GOTO 80 520 IF INKEY$="3" THEN GOTO 600 530 IF INKEY$="4" THEN GOTO 100 540 IF INKEY$="5"...
- Page 10 150 GOSUB 9980 160 LET X=128+80*SIN(I/120*PI)+20*SIN(I/60*PI) 170 LET Y=128-80*SIN(I/120*PI)+20*SIN(I/60*PI) 180 GOSUB 9980 190 NEXT I 1000 GOTO 9988 9980 REM PLOTS (X,Y) INTO A$ 9981 IF X<0 OR X>255 OR Y<0 OR Y>255 THEN RETURN 9982 LET C=1+INT(X/8) 9983 LET R=256-INT Y 9984 POKE 16526, CODE A$(C,R) 9985 POKE 16527,2**(8*C-INT X-1) 9986 LET A$(C,R)=CHR$(USR 16514)
- Page 11 80 FOR X=0 TO 255 90 LET Y=128+120*SIN(X/128*PI) 100 GOSUB 9980 110 NEXT X 120 GOTO 9980 130 NEXT X 140 GOTO 9988 9980 REM PLOTS (X,Y) INTO A$ 9981 IF X<0 OR X>255 OR Y<0 OR Y>255 THEN RETURN 9982 LET C=1+INT(X/8) 9983 LET R=256-INT Y 9984 POKE 16526, CODE A$(C,R)
- Page 12 110 LPRINT A$ Example 2 Replace: 100 LPRINT A+B/C-D, SNI(1-Q+N) 100 LET A$=STR$(A+B/C-D) With: 110 LET B$=STR$(SIN(1-Q+N)) 120 LPRINT A$,B$ Example 3 Replace: 100 LPRINT "VOLUME="; A*B*C;" LITRES" With: 100 LET A$=STR$(A*B*C) 110 LPRINT "VOLUME=";A$;" LITRES" Note You only need to change your program if you are likely to LPRINT decimal numbers which would otherwise print incorrectly.
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