Thermal Printer

User’s Manual
Flashpoint
Version 1.x
© Copyright Markpoint Printer AB Gothenburg 1998
Markpoint Printer AB reserves the right to change specifications contained in
the text and illustrations without notice. The content of this publication may
not be copied either wholly or in part without the consent of Markpoint
Printer AB.

In no event will Markpoint Printer AB be liable for direct, indirect, special,

incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the software
or its documentation. In particular, Markpoint Printer AB shall have no
liability for any programs or data stored in or used with Markpoint products,
including the costs of recovering such programs or data.

2nd Edition: January 1998

Part number: 540 340
Printed in Sweden

Written by: Mikael Palmén & Henrik Dittmer

 Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents 1
Introduction 2
Getting Started 3
Communication Settings 4
Files 5
Adding 5
Deleting 5
Detailed information 6
View File 6
Advanced 7
Low Speed 7
Upgrading Labelpoint 8
Step 1. 8
Step 2. 8
Memory 9
Overview - Memory 9
Overview - Flash memory 9
Advanced User Accessories 10
Connect Terminal 10

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 Introduction

INTRODUCTION

The Flash memory device is used for static information such as program code,
fonts and typefaces. It replaces the EPROM memory device. One of the main
advantages compared to the EPROM is that it is very easy to reprogram.
Connect the printer to your computer, and then add, delete or update the
contents of the flash memory device. It can also be used to simply monitor the
contents of the flash memory device. This makes it easy to load the printer
with new typefaces, new software upgrades and new application programs.

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 Getting Started

GETTING STARTED

Step 1.
Start the PC - FlashPoint software. If you are not in ‘Flash’ connect mode,
then select Flash from the Connect menu.

Step 2.
Switch on the power on the printer. The Monitor Control timer should now
start
ticking, indicating that it is trying to make contact with the printer. When
contact is established, a list of all files in the printer is downloaded and
displayed on your computer display. If this fails, please turn off the printer for
15 seconds and then restart with step 1.
Toolbar, with
menu shortcuts.

Memory map, List of files,

showing used loaded in the
and free memory printer, the files
areas. are sorted by
location.

Memory
segment address.

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 Communication Settings

COMMUNICATION SETTINGS

To setup the communication settings for the printer, select “setup” from the
file menu.
Click on the menus to select between the different settings. The settings
shown below are default for the printer.

Select between serial ports

(COM1-COM4) and
parallel ports (LPT1-LPT3

Select baud rate for serial port Select parity for serial
communication port communication
(None, even or odd)

Select number of
Select handshake
data bits (7 or 8)
method

Select number of stop

Select bi- or uni-
bits (1, 1,5 or 2)
directional
communication

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 Files

FILES
Information, logos, macros and data are all stored as files in the printer. When
the printer and PC are connected, a list of the files stored in the printer is sent
to the PC. All files have type identifiers which are used to describe the
information stored in the files, i.e. font, typeface or application program. The
type identifier can be any value between 0 and 255.

Adding
To add a file to the printer, select add from the file menu.

Write the name and

the file location.

...or choose browse to

locate the file.

Deleting
To delete files from the printer, select the files you want to delete from the
listbox, and then choose delete from the file menu.

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 Files

Detailed information
To view the file attributes, and also more detailed information about the file,
select “more” from the flash menu.

File name
Program version

Memory segment File size in

address bytes

Number associated File type

to the file type

View File
Experienced users may want to see more details of what a file consists of and
for that purpose the user can choose view from the Flash menu. The result is a
new window with all the information that the file includes. See the example
below.

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 Advanced

ADVANCED
The flash memory device is internally divided into 8 sectors, each sector
containing 64-Kbytes. These sectors can individually be erased from the
advanced flash dialog. For more information about the use of the different
memory sectors, see the memory chapter.

Erase the marked

sectors

Erase sector 0-6

Clear all sectors

and format the
chip.

LOW SPEED

For a more secure downloading of files to the printer the communication

speed can be set to low. This will slow down the transmission speed and
minimise the risk for errors when sending information to the printer.
1. Choose low speed from the flash menu
2. You have to restart the printer to make the new setting active.

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 Upgrading Labelpoint

UPGRADING LABELPOINT

To replace Labelpoint you first have to erase sectors 4-6. (The area where
Labelpoint is stored). Then add the new Labelpoint file to the printer.

Step 1.
To erase sector 4-6, select “advanced” from the flash menu. Then mark sector
4 through 6 in the sector listbox. Click on the erase sector button to start
erasing the selected sectors. It will take a few seconds to erase each sector.

Step 2.
To add a new Labelpoint instead of the erased Labelpoint, select add from the
file menu. A new dialog box is shown, prompting The user to select the file
which is to be added to the printer. Choose the Labelpoint file you want to
download and then click the OK button. The download time is dependent on
the size of the file to be send. The normal download time for Labelpoint is
about 3 minutes.

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 Memory

MEMORY
The memory in the printer is divided into 16-byte segments. All files stored in
the printer, start on a 16-byte segment boundary. Files can be any number of
bytes in size. The graphical memory map shows used and free memory areas
segmented in 16-byte resolution.

Overview - Memory
Address Type Size Description
FFFF FLASH 512KB flash memory
.
.
.
.
.
.
8000
7FFF CARD 256KB upper memory card
.
4000
3FFF CARD 128KB lower memory card
.
2000
1FFF RAM 64KB user area - logos, macros, data
1000
0FFF RAM 64KB reserved - internal
0000

The flash memory is internally divided into eight sectors. We recommend the
following memory allocation plan. The aim of the allocation plan is to group
files of the same type into the same segments.

Overview - Flash memory

Address Sector Number Size Description
F000 7 64KB bootstrap routine, flash software, test program
E000 6 64KB labelpoint (printer firmware)
D000 5 64KB labelpoint (printer firmware)
C000 4 64KB labelpoint (printer firmware)
B000 3 64KB fonts (bitmap fonts)
A000 2 64KB fonts (bitmap fonts)
9000 1 64KB typefaces
8000 0 64KB application programs, freepoint, typefaces.

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 Advanced User Accessories

ADVANCED USER ACCESSORIES

Connect Terminal
The terminal function is an addition for the advanced user. When connecting
the printer in Terminal mode, the user can send commands directly to the
printer.

Start Flashpoint and choose “terminal” from the connect menu. Terminal
window is then displayed, shown below.

Using the printer’s language (Labelpoint), The user can send files, status
requests or print commands to the printer. For more information see the
Labelpoint manual.

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