FAQ: MicroVib II Direct Printing

Why should I print directly from my MicroVib II Aircraft Analyzer?

Many customers performing "on the wing" Balancing, Tracking or Vibration Analysis would like to print their results in the field using one of today's small, lightweight and high performance portable printers. In cases like these, direct printing is simple, fast and can be accomplished without access to a personal computer.

What printer drivers are supplied with the MicroVib II Aircraft Analyzer?

The MicroVib II was designed to support a wide variety of printers and therefore contains a printer driver menu from which the operator can choose the driver that best suits his/her printer. With MicroVib II firmware version v1.1X the following printer drivers are selectable:

- IBM Pro Printer (X24E) - For use with printers that emulate IBM Pro Printer. Examples of printers supported by this driver:

  • Dot matrix printers.
  • Ink jet printers that emulate IBM Pro Printer.
  • Canon BJ printers set for "BJ Mode".
  • Many non-HP ink jet printers. 

- Epson LQ Mode (LQ-510) - For use with printers that emulate Epson LQ-510. LQ stands for Letter Quality. Examples of printers supported by this driver:

  • Dot matrix printers that emulate "Epson LQ" mode.
  • Ink jet printers that emulate "Epson LQ" mode.
  • Canon BJ printers set for "LQ Mode".
  • Many non-HP ink jet printers.

- Kodak Diconix (DI-150) - For use with printers that emulate Kodak Diconix 150 printers. Examples of printers supported by this driver:

  • Diconix 150
  • Diconix 180si
  • HP ThinkJet
  • HP QuietJet

- HP DeskJet (PCL3) - For use with black and white or color printers that utilize HP PCL3. Examples of printers supported by this driver:

  • Most HP DeskJet printers.
  • Early HP laser printers (through HP II).

- HP LaserJet (PCL5) - For use with printers that utilize HP PCL5. Examples of printers supported by this driver:

  • Newer HP LaserJet printers (HP III and up).
  • Many other laser printers

What printer interfaces are compatible with the MicroVib II Aircraft Analyzer?

The MicroVib II can interface with printers which use a parallel "Centronics" interface connector. In order to connect to this type of connector, the following interface items must be used with the MicroVib II.

  • DSS 1025 - I/O Cable
  • DSS 1026 - Printer adaptor
  • DB25 to Parallel adaptor cable

What portable printers can I use with the MicroVib II?

The following portable printers have been tested with the indicated MicroVib II printer driver(s):

  • Canon BJ-10             -    Use X24E or LQ-510
  • Canon BJ-30             -    Use X24E or LQ-510
  • Canon BJC-70           -    Use LQ-510
  • Canon BJC-80           -    Use LQ-510
  • HP DeskJet 310         -    Use PCL3
  • HP DeskJet 320         -    Use PCL3       
  • HP DeskJet 340         -    Use PCL3
  • HP DeskJet 350c        -    Use PCL3
  • HP ThinkJet 2225c     -    Use PCL3 or DI-150
  • Kodak Diconix 150      -    Use DI-150
  • Kodak Diconix 180si    -    Use DI-150  

These portable printers are expected to be compatible with the indicated MicroVib II printer driver, but have not been tested by DSS:

  • Canon BJC-50                  
  • Canon BJC-85                  
  • Citizen Notebook II           
  • Citizen PN48                    
  • Citizen PN50                    
  • Citizen PN60                    
  • HP ThinkJet 2225p            
  • HP DeskJet Portable          
  • Mannesmann Tally MT 735  
  • Star SJ-48 StarJet          

Can I print directly from the MicroVib II to desktop printers?

Of course you can! The MicroVib II can also be used with many desktop printers. Here are just a few of the desktop printers that DSS has tested the MicroVib II with:

  • Canon BJ-200e           -     Use X24E or LQ-510
  • Epson Stylus 740        -     Use LQ-510
  • HP DeskJet 610cl        -     Use PCL3
  • HP DeskJet 612c         -     Use PCL3
  • HP DeskJet 895cse      -     Use PCL3
  • HP PhotoSmart 1115    -     Use PCL3
  • HP LaserJet 6P            -     Use PCL5
  • HP LaserJet 2100         -     Use PCL5

Can I use the MicroVib II to print directly to my WinPrinter?

Some low cost printers are not supplied with internal fonts and contain very simple electronics permitting them only to process raster information (bitmaps). These printers are sometimes referred to as "WinPrinters" because they must be used in conjunction with a complex Windows printer driver which converts the document fonts, formatting and graphics into a bitmap image which is then sent to the printer. These printers are not compatible with the drivers supplied with the MicroVib II.

The following printers only support raster operations (according to manufacturer documentation) and are therefore incompatible with the MicroVib II:

  • HP DeskJet models 710c, 712c, 720c, 722c, 820c and 1000c
  • Canon BubbleJet models BJC-5000, BJC-5100 and BJC-7xxx

What about printing with the MicroBase System?

The printer driver information listed above has no effect when printing from the MicroBase System. Since the MicroBase System is a Microsoft Windows application program, it can print to any printer for which a Windows compatible printer driver has been installed.

 
 

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