Functional View; Description Of Components And Operation - Hengstler eXtendo X-56 Operating Manual

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eXtendo Thermal Printer Family
range. 58 mm and 60 mm paper widths are very common, and are considered standards.
Paper guides are not needed to handle these two paper widths.
The X-80 has a maximum paper width of 86 mm. While 86 mm wide paper may sometimes
be used, the most common larger paper widths are 80 mm and 82.5 mm (3¼ inches). These
do require a paper guide to use. This, then, is one of the most obvious differences between
the two printers. The X-56 does not come with paper guides, though they may be ordered
separately. The X-80 is always shipped with paper guides, since they are needed for the
most common paper widths.
Current consumption is also a difference between these two printers. Because of the greater
number of heating elements (dots) that can be fired simultaneously in the X-80 (the 203 dpi
version of the X-80 has 640, while the same resolution version of the X-56 has 448), the
current consumption can be higher by 43%. This does not mean the X-80 current is always
higher, however. Current consumption is controlled by many factors, most importantly by the
density of what is being printed. For example, if the same receipt is printed on an X-56 and
X-80, the current consumption will be approximately the same, since the same number of
dots is being fired on both printers.
Current consumption is also affected by whether the heating elements are fired as one block,
the burn time (the length of time that the dots are on), whether graphics are being printed,
whether sleep mode is employed to reduce current, and other factors.

3.3. Functional View

3.4. Description of Components and Operation

There are several key components or modules to the eXtendo
(Please refer to Fig. 1.) The thermal printhead is positioned above the platen. The platen
acts as a roller to advance the paper at the same time it acts as a surface against which the
spring-loaded printhead presses the paper to insure good thermal conductivity. The interface,
motor used to turn the platen (not visible in Fig. 1), sensors, printhead, and paper cutter are
all connected to the controller, which sends commands and causes these components to
Part No. D 684 124
Figure 1
Mod. No. 4 080812 LEV
HENGSTLER
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family of thermal printers.
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