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RESTRICTED USE ONLY

 

FARGO Electronics, Inc.

 

DTC500 Series Card Printer/Encoders Troubleshooting Guide (Rev. 3.0) 

1

DTC500 Series Card Printer/Encoders 
Troubleshooting Guide (Rev. 3.0) 

 

P/N:  L000315 

 

Summary of Contents for DTC500 Series

Page 1: ...RESTRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 1 DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 P N L000315 ...

Page 2: ...rofessional and international standards requirements guidelines and models for our technical training and user documentation At all times the Copyright Protection Notice for each document was adhered to within our FARGO documentation process This reference to other documents does not imply that FARGO is an ISO certified company at this time ANSI ISO ASQ Q9001 2000 American National Standard sub ti...

Page 3: ...placing the Main Board D850429 ___________________________________ 39 Resolving the Failed Magnetic Encode Error Message_______________________ 41 Resolving the No Prox Encoder Error Message ____________________________ 41 Resolving the No Smart Encoder Error Message ___________________________ 42 Resolving the Failed Smart Encode Error Message__________________________ 42 Removing the Card Jam in...

Page 4: ...___ 89 Reviewing the Magnetic Test option _____________________________________ 89 Card Lamination Module ________________________________________________ 90 Safety Messages review carefully ________________________________________ 90 Loading the Overlaminate _______________________________________________ 91 Adjusting the Card Lamination Module ____________________________________ 94 Adjusting th...

Page 5: ...______________ 149 Reviewing the ISO Track Locations ____________________________________ 150 Reviewing the Sample String__________________________________________ 150 Sending the Track Information ________________________________________ 151 Reviewing the ASCII Code and Character Table __________________________ 152 Using the Overlay Print Area tab________________________________________ 153 Usin...

Page 6: ...ng the Standard Resin Self Test _________________________________ 192 Using the Magnetic Test option only with Magnetic Encoding Module _______ 193 Setting up the Printer ________________________________________________ 193 Print TOF and Print EOF Alignment Procedures ____________________________ 194 Preparing to Adjust the Print TOF and Print EOF__________________________ 195 Setting the Print TO...

Page 7: ...RESTRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 7 Index ________________________________________________________________ 215 ...

Page 8: ... sensitive It may be damaged if exposed to static electricity discharges Information that raises potential electrostatic safety issues is indicated by a warning symbol as shown to the below To prevent equipment or media damage refer to the following safety messages before performing an operation preceded by this symbol To prevent equipment or media damage observe all established Electrostatic Disc...

Page 9: ...se tables will also offer a solution to what should be done The purpose of this section is to provide the User with specific procedures relating to the LCD SmartGuard Messages Communication Errors Card Feeding Errors Encoding Errors Printing Process Errors and Diagnosing the Image Problems for the DTC500 series card Printer Troubleshooting the LCD Messages Message Cause Solution Aligning Ribbon If...

Page 10: ... Indicates that a card is jammed in the magnetic encoding area of the Printer See Removing the Card jam in the Printer s Magnetic Encoding Area on page 43 Card Jam Smart Indicates that a card is jammed in the Smart Card encoding area of the Printer See Removing the Card jam in the Printer s Smart Card Encoding Area on page 44 Data Input Indicates that the print data sent to the Printer is corrupt ...

Page 11: ...and should be disposed of in a proper manner Failed To Initialize Indicates that an unexpected hardware error has occurred See Board Errors on page 181 Flipper Alignment Indicates that the Printer is unable to align the Flipper table See Resolving the Flipper Alignment Error Message on page 64 FPGA Indicates that an unexpected hardware error has occurred See Resolving the FPGA Error on page 183 FP...

Page 12: ...ailable is set as the Card Hopper Selection in the Driver See the Resolving the Card Hopper Empty Error Message procedure on page 27 Hopper 2 Empty Card Hopper 2 has run out of cards Note The Printer will continue printing from Hopper 1 if First Available is set as the Card Hopper Selection in the Driver See the Resolving the Card Hopper Empty Error Message procedure on page 27 Invalid Flip Comman...

Page 13: ...e Resolving the No Magnetic Encoder Error Message on page 28 No Ribbon Installed Indicates that the Printer is trying to print with no print Ribbon installed Install the proper print Ribbon and press RESUME to continue or CANCEL to reset the Printer No Smart Encoder Indicates that the Printer has received encoding data but the Printer is not configured with this Encoder type See Resolving the No S...

Page 14: ...n is open during printing Close the Station and press the Printer s RESUME button to continue or CANCEL to reset the Printer Print Timeout Indicates that the Printer was unable to complete the print process See Communications Errors on page 16 Printhead Temp Indicates that the Printhead Temperature Regulator is not functioning properly See Resolving the Printhead Temp Error Message on page 58 Prog...

Page 15: ...ter and press RESUME to continue or CANCEL to reset the Printer Unable To Feed Card The Printer is unable to feed a card from the Card Hopper See Resolving the Card Feeding Errors on page 21 Unknown Ribbon Type The print Ribbon installed is not appropriate for your specific Printer model See Resolving the Unknown Ribbon Type Error Message on page 52 Update Failed The Firmware update was interrupte...

Page 16: ... or higher ECP Parallel Port with DMA access 2 Confirm the correct installation of the Printer driver a Close the software program and check the Printer driver b Reboot the computer c Be sure the correct setup options within the Printer driver are selected d Confirm that the driver is current by checking at www fargo com 3 Verify the use of an adequate data cable a Use a double shielded parallel c...

Page 17: ... Switch Box or other peripheral in line with the parallel cable b If using a Switch Box or other peripheral remove it while testing communication between the computer and the Printer c If needed replace the Switch Box or other peripheral once it is determined that the cause of the interference is not the Switch Box or the peripheral d Alternative Add a second Parallel Port into the computer if a s...

Page 18: ...age 190 b Print the Windows test page that is located in the General tab of the driver c Use WordPad a Windows 95 98 ME NT 2000 XP word processing program in the Accessories Program Group via Start Programs Accessories WordPad Follow this procedure Open the program and type This is a Test Select File Page Setup and click on the Printer button Ensure that the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersis s...

Page 19: ... set correctly a Ensure that the Parallel Port is set to the Enhanced Communication Port ECP mode Note The port mode can be determined by checking the Device Manager tab in the System Control Panel b If the port mode is not set to ECP it will need to be changed in the computers BIOS Note Refer to the appropriate computer manual for instructions on how to change the Parallel Port mode Continued on ...

Page 20: ...lume of temporary files on the computer can cause communications errors Access the temporary files by following this process Search for all folders called TEMP Once found clear out the contents of the folders Run the System Tool Disk Defragmenter found in the Accessories folder of the Start Menu if using Windows 95 98 ME 2000 XP Use a disk cleanup utility such as Disk Cleanup found in the System T...

Page 21: ... Printer power ON and the top covers open throughout this procedure Note The card cleaning cartridge can also remain within the Printer during this cleaning process c Use a cleaning card from the Printer Cleaning Kit and remove its adhesive backing paper d Insert the cleaning card into the Exception Card Slot until the card stops Verify that the longest non adhesive end of the cleaning card enters...

Page 22: ...en push the Card Thickness Lever up or down to the appropriate setting b with any of the Card Thickness settings move the slide slightly toward a higher setting until the cards begin feeding if the Printer seems unable to feed cards at the selected setting c Move the slide slightly toward a lower setting if the Printer seems to double feed cards Note The card thickness slide is adjustable to accom...

Page 23: ...n the Input Hopper a Load the cards into the Printer by inserting them straight into the hopper and setting them on the feed Roller 5 Verify that the Hopper Lift A000124 is operational a Reset Power to the Printer b Open the Card Hopper Door and watch to verify that the Hopper Cycles on startup c If the Hopper does not cycle on startup remove the top cover and verify that the Hopper Lift Motor is ...

Page 24: ...mine the direction that the Card Feed Roller on the Flipper Table will rotate a Open the Top Cover and remove any cards that are jammed inside the Printer as shown below b Reset power on the Printer to clear any error messages that are on the LCD c Press the MENU button on the LCD d Press the Down Arrow button and select PRINTER SETUP e Scroll through the menu and select ENCODER SETUP f Ensure tha...

Page 25: ...TUP e Scroll through the menu and select FLIPPER OFFSET f Select Level If the cards are feeding over the feed Rollers on the card path adjust the value by 2 OR If the cards are feeding under the Card Feed Path adjust the value by 2 3 Ensure that the Flipper Table Tension Spring is providing appropriate tension a Open the Top Cover on the Printer b Remove the Ribbon c Rotate the Flipper Table to an...

Page 26: ...a Open the Input Hopper Door as shown below b Remove any cards from the Input Hopper c Ensure that there are no cards that are partially fed out of the Card Hopper 2 Verify the mechanical operation a Remove the Top Cover b Ensure that the guide belt for the Hopper Travel Assembly D850253 is intact and moves smoothly c Verify that the Hopper Travel Motor is properly meshed with the gear assembly ...

Page 27: ... error message is displayed on the LCD Step Procedure 1 Refill the hopper when convenient 2 Be sure to load cards with the mag stripe toward the rear of the Printer 3 Turn the Card Sensor off if it is determined that the Hopper s Card Sensor cannot see these types of cards Note with the Sensor turned on the Printer can believe the Card Input Hopper is empty and cards will not feed ...

Page 28: ...om None to Installed 2 If the encoding data was sent in error check the in house software user s manual for encoding instructions Resolving the No ENC Response Error Message Symptom There is no ENC response Step Procedure 1 Check the Magnetic Offset Setting a Press Menu on the LCD b Select Setup Printer and Encoder Settings c Select Magnetic TOF d Verify that the current value matches the default ...

Page 29: ...CTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 29 Replacing the Main Board J12 J18 J30 J27 J26 J13 J14 J25 J23 J24 J8 J9 J21 J7 J16 J4 J26 J15 J6 J31 J33 ...

Page 30: ...ur corners of the cover 5 a Carefully lift the cover off of the Printer b Remove the LCD interface cable D850481 at the main circuit board c Disconnect the grounding cable at the power supply casing 6 a Completely remove the Card Output Hopper D850290 from the Printer by pulling back the release tab at the bottom of the Printer b Remove the two circuit board mounting screws located in the hopper o...

Page 31: ...de Rev 3 0 31 Replacing the Main Board D850426 Continued This is a view of the bottom of the discharge end of the Printer Note This shows the release tab from Step 6 in the previous procedure in this section This is the discharge end of the Printer The arrows point to the screws described in Step 8 ...

Page 32: ...ed 11 Carefully disconnect the cables from the main circuit board All cables should be factory labeled Caution Some nylon tie wraps may need to be cut to remove cables attached to the main circuit board Carefully cut these tie wraps using a wire cutter 12 Remove the Main Board Caution When replacing the circuit board be sure all cables are carefully routed as not to bind with pulleys belts and any...

Page 33: ...pply J1 No Cable Assembly Parallel Port Connection J11 No Cable Assembly DRAM Connector J12 Fan J13 Fan J14 Card Detection Sensor and Flipper Table Card Sensor J15 Ribbon Sensor Array J16 Unpopulated J17 LCD J18 Background Mode Debugger Connection Program Loading J19 Smart Proximity Card Interface J21 Ribbon Supply Motor Ribbon Take up Motor and Headlift Motor J23 Continued on the next page ...

Page 34: ...ble Angle Stepper J27 Unused Spare Sensor Circuitry J29 Flipper Feed Encoding Feed Stepper J30 Print TOF Sensor J31 Hopper Position Sensor J32 Unused SCI Interface J33 P1 Card Detection Sensor P3 Hopper Lift Sensor P4 Hopper Transport Sensor J4 P1 Printhead Arm Sensor P2 Headlift Sensor P3 Ribbon Encoder Sensor J6 P1 Flipper Home Sensor P2 Encoding TOF Sensor J7 Printhead 12 Pin Connector J8 Print...

Page 35: ...4 Pull back the plastic tabs at each of the four corners of the cover 5 Carefully lift the cover off of the Printer Remove the LCD interface cable D850481 at the main circuit board and disconnect the grounding cable at the power supply casing 6 Completely remove the Card Output Hopper D850290 from the Printer by pulling back the release tab at the bottom of the Printer Remove the two circuit board...

Page 36: ...alled 11 Carefully disconnect the cables from the main circuit board All cables should be factory labeled Caution Some nylon tie wraps may need to be cut to remove cables attached to the main circuit board Carefully cut these tie wraps using a wire cutter 12 Remove the Main Board Caution When replacing the circuit board be sure all cables are carefully routed as not to bind with pulleys belts and ...

Page 37: ...back the plastic tabs at each of the four corners of the cover 5 a Carefully lift the cover off of the Printer b Remove the LCD interface cable D850481 at the Main Circuit Board c Disconnect the grounding cable at the power supply casing 6 a Completely remove the Card Output Hopper D850290 from the Printer by pulling back the release tab at the bottom of the Printer b Remove the two 2 circuit boar...

Page 38: ...alled 11 Carefully disconnect the cables from the main circuit board All cables should be factory labeled Caution Some nylon tie wraps may need to be cut to remove cables attached to the main circuit board Carefully cut these tie wraps using a wire cutter 12 Remove the Main Board Caution When replacing the circuit board be sure all cables are carefully routed as not to bind with pulleys belts and ...

Page 39: ...ull back the plastic tabs at each of the four corners of the cover 5 a Carefully lift the cover off of the Printer b Remove the LCD interface cable D850481 at the main circuit board and disconnect the grounding cable at the power supply casing 6 a Completely remove the Card Output Hopper D850290 from the Printer by pulling back the release tab at the bottom of the Printer b Remove the two circuit ...

Page 40: ...nstalled 11 Carefully disconnect the cables from the main circuit board Caution All cables should be factory labeled Some nylon tie wraps may need to be cut to remove cables attached to the main circuit board Carefully cut these tie wraps using a wire cutter 12 Remove the Main Board Caution When replacing the circuit board be sure all cables are carefully routed as not to bind with pulleys belts a...

Page 41: ...e driver corresponds to the type of cards that are being used High Coercivity 2750 Oersted Low Coercivity 300 Oersted Note See the Using the Magnetic Encoding tab procedure on page 138 Resolving the No Prox Encoder Error Message Symptom The Printer is receiving encoding data but the Printer is not configured with this Encoder type Step Procedure 1 Ensure the LCD Setting correct a Press Select on t...

Page 42: ...anual for encoding instructions if the encoding data was sent in error Resolving the Failed Smart Encode Error Message Symptom The card s smart chip was not encoded properly Step Procedure 1 Check to ensure that the cards are loaded with the smart chip facing up and are being fed into the Printer first 2 Verify that the card is entering the E card Docking Station properly a Send an encoding print ...

Page 43: ...rds are feeding into the Encoding Module properly a Reset power on the Printer to clear any error messages b Select the Menu from the LCD c Select the Print Test Image from the menu See the Printing the Self test on page 190 d Select the Magnetic Test from the menu Note A card is fed from the input hopper onto the Flipper table and rotated into the Encoding Module e If the card appears to jam agai...

Page 44: ... free the card 2 Inspect the Card Feed Roller Motor for proper operation a Leave the power ON and open the Top Lid and Printhead Arm b Press the FORWARD button to advance the card or the BACK button to reverse the card Note Use these buttons to move the card through the Printer 3 Adjust the Flipper Offset a Select Menu on the LCD display b Select Setup Printer c Select Flipper Offset d Select Enco...

Page 45: ... the Accessories Program Group as shown on the next page a Open the program and type in 1 JULIEANDERSON 1234567890 b Select File Page Setup and click on the Printer button c Ensure that the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersis selected and click on OK d Change all the margin settings to zero 0 and click on OK e Go to File on Menu Bar and select Print Note The Printer should then feed a card into ...

Page 46: ...SE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 46 Resolving the Printer not reading Encoded Magnetic Track Data continued See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 47: ... on page 151 2 Use WordPad a Windows 95 98 ME NT 2000 XP word processing program in the Accessories Program Group See previous page for display a Open the program and type 1 JULIEANDERSON 1234567890 b Select File Page Setup and click on the Printer button c Ensure that the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersis selected and click OK d Change all the margin settings to zero 0 and click OK e Go to Fi...

Page 48: ...nnection to the Main Board c Use a Multimeter to ground the negative lead to the chassis and put the positive lead on pins 3 5 7 9 and 11 of J16 on the main board d Place a RibbonTraq mark over the Ribbon Sensor Note The voltage should be less than 1 VDC e Remove the RibbonTraq mark from the Ribbon Sensor Note The voltage should be greater than 4 VDC f Replace the Sensor if the voltages are incorr...

Page 49: ... near the hinges 4 Release the plastic tabs in the four corners of the cover 5 Lift the cover off of the Printer 6 Use the Torx T10 Screwdriver to remove the screw F000169 from the front side of the Ribbon Sensor Array 7 Remove the Retainer Clip from the end of the shaft just above the Ribbon Sensor Array 8 Use the Torx T 10 Screwdriver to remove the screw F000169 from the front side of the cross ...

Page 50: ...essage Symptom The Print Ribbon has run out Step Procedure 1 Install a new Ribbon and press Resume to continue Resolving the Ribbon Jam Broke Error Message Symptom An error message is displayed on the LCD and the Ribbon is broken Step Procedure 1 Verify that the Print TOF and Print EOF are set correctly a If the break occurs before anything is printed to the card reduce the Print TOF by 5 b If the...

Page 51: ...control panel from the computer If using Windows 95 98 ME right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer EncodersIcon and select Properties If using Windows NT 4 0 right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersand select Document Defaults If using Windows 2000 XP right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersand select Printing Preferences b Click on the Device Option tab See the Us...

Page 52: ...sage 2 Test the Ribbon Sensor 840108 a Remove the back cover and locate the connector labeled J16 on the main board b Check the voltage for each of the five 5 Ribbon Sensors at their connection to the main board c Use a Multimeter to ground the negative lead to the chassis and put the positive lead on pins 3 5 7 9 and 11 of J16 on the main board d Place a RibbonTraq mark over the Ribbon Sensor Not...

Page 53: ...lift does not rotate check the Headlift Motor A000124 to ensure that it is running 3 If the Headlift Motor is not running replace the Headlift Motor See the Replacing the Headlift Motor A000124 procedure in the next two pages 4 If the head cycles but does not stop at the position every time check the Headlift Sensor as described in Sensor Testing on page 184 5 If the Headlift Sensor is failing rep...

Page 54: ... the Top Lid D850289 tilt it back into the fully open position 3 Use the Phillips head Screwdriver to remove the two screws 130939 located near the hinges 4 Release the plastic tabs in the four corners of the cover 5 Lift the cover off of the Printer 6 Use the Torx T 10 Screwdriver to remove the two screws that secure the Headlift Motor to the front side plate 7 Tip the Printer carefully on its ba...

Page 55: ...e fully open position 3 Use the Phillips head Screwdriver to remove the two screws 130939 located near the hinges 4 Release the plastic tabs in the four corners of the cover 5 a Carefully lift the cover off of the Printer b Remove the LCD interface cable at the main circuit board and disconnect the grounding cable at the power supply casing 6 a Completely remove the Card Output Hopper from the Pri...

Page 56: ... mounting screws at the middle and lower section 10 At the bottom mid section of the circuit board remove the last mounting screw 11 Carefully disconnect the cables from the main circuit board All cables should be factory labeled Note Some nylon tie wraps may need to be cut to remove cables attached to the main circuit board Carefully cut these tie wraps using a wire cutter 12 Remove the Main Boar...

Page 57: ...ly on J13 2 Check the Printhead fans for pinched wires a Inspect the wires that are routed under the top cover and through to the back of the board to ensure that they are not pinched 3 Verify if the thermal Regulator on the Printhead has failed a Remove the Printhead and reseat cable connections See the Removing the Original Printhead Assembly procedure on page 61 b If problem persists replace wi...

Page 58: ...ng MENU from the front display panel then selecting Print Test Image and then selecting Gray Align YMC K See the Printing the Self test in page 190 Note This provides a card to use as a guide for when printing test cards with the new Printhead b Record the R value from the white label attached to the new Printhead Note This label can be found beneath the Printhead mounting bracket located in the m...

Page 59: ... Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 59 Replacing the Printhead Assembly 850102 continued Compress these 2 springs to remove the Printhead as shown below These arrows below show how the Printhead fits into the mounting bracket ...

Page 60: ... Guide Rev 3 0 60 Replacing the Printhead Assembly 850102 continued When you remove the Printhead you can see the circled area as shown in the photo below Note This is where the Printhead serial number and resistance value is located It can only be seen when you hold the Printhead as shown here ...

Page 61: ...able from the Printer 3 Open the Top Lid D850289 of the Printer by lifting up on its bottom edge and tilting it back into the fully open position 4 a Unhook the blue colored Printhead latch levers D850189 b Raise the Printhead Arm Assembly D850252 5 a Lift up on the top bracket of the Printhead Assembly b Compress the head springs 150074 c Rotate the Printhead Assembly out from the retaining hooks...

Page 62: ...on window press the down arrow once and select Setup Printer 5 At the Change Parameter window press the down arrow three times and select Head Resistance 6 Use the up and down arrows to change the Current Value to closely match the resistance value recorded from the new Printhead Note The value on the display will change at 50 ohm increments Adjust the value as closely as possible 7 When the Curre...

Page 63: ...e 58 Remove the back cover as needed to verify the Printhead Cable connection to the Main Print Board See the Replacing the Main Board procedure on page 29 2 Replace the Printhead if after checking the Printhead Cable connection at both the Printhead and the Main Print Board the error is still displayed on startup See the Replacing the Printhead Components procedure on page 58 3 Confirm that the c...

Page 64: ...he LCD display b Ensure that Level is selected and press the Select button c without making any adjustment press the Select button Note This should cause the Flipper Table to attempt to home itself 3 Test the Flipper Home Sensor 140407 a Remove the screws from the rear cover b Tilt the back cover outwards from the Printer c Using a Digital Voltmeter connect the negative lead to its ground d Connec...

Page 65: ...nd unplug the power cord from the Printer 2 Lift up on the bottom edge of the Top Lid D850289 tilt it back into the fully open position 3 Use the Phillips head Screwdriver to remove the two screws 130939 located near the hinges 4 Release the plastic tabs in the four corners of the cover 5 Lift the cover off of the Printer 6 Use the Torx T10 Screwdriver to remove the two screws that secure the Sens...

Page 66: ... B Switch Box dongle key or other peripheral in line with the parallel cable b If using a Switch Box dongle key or other peripheral remove it while testing communication between the computer and the Printer c If needed replace the Switch Box dongle key or other peripheral once it is determined that the cause of the interference is not the Switch Box or peripheral See the Updating the Main Firmware...

Page 67: ... and open the 32 bit Print Spooler program b Click on File in the menu and select the Open option c Point this window to the directory where the latest Firmware is located on the PC Note This Firmware file will always have a s19 extension d Once the Firmware file is selected the Printer needs to be restarted into SYSTEM UPGRADE mode Follow this procedure At the PRINTER READY screen select the Menu...

Page 68: ...USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 68 Resolving an Upgrade Failed error continued See the previous procedure in this section Continued on the next page ...

Page 69: ...e Printers Firmware and a Program Exception Error Step Procedure 1 Restart the Printer and attempt to print the card again a If no Error is displayed continue printing b If a Program Exception is displayed again continue to step 2 2 Reload the Firmware See the Updating the Printer s Firmware on page 209 3 Replace the Main Board See the Replacing the Main Board procedure on page 29 ...

Page 70: ...card Step Procedure 1 Check the card stock for scratches Replace the cards as needed 2 Examine the Printhead for visible damage 3 Clean the Printhead a Remove watches rings bracelets and other jewelry b Open the Top Cover and Printhead Arm c Use a Printhead Cleaning Pen from the Printer Cleaning Kit to firmly wipe back and forth across the surface of the Printhead d Close the Top Cover and Printhe...

Page 71: ...ew Cleaning Tape loop f Place the Tape Rollers and the new tape back into the cartridge Be sure to orient the new tape loop so that it extends over the Cleaning Roller once installed Place the Roller closest to the cartridge s handle in first and then press the second Roller into place g Set the clear Cleaning Cartridge Cover back into place Be sure the tabs on the cover are seated properly into t...

Page 72: ...move the print Ribbon c Locate the Print Platen Roller as shown below d Use a Cleaning Pad from the Printer Cleaning Kit to wipe the Roller clean e Locate the Transfer Platen Roller as shown below f Use a Cleaning Pad from the Printer Cleaning Kit to wipe the Roller clean Press the FORWARD and BACK buttons to move the Roller back and forth while cleaning g Replace the printing supplies h Close the...

Page 73: ...Cards with embedded contaminants in the surface should not be used 2 Clean the inside of the Printer a Open the Top Cover and Printhead Arm b Remove the print Ribbon from the Printer c Use a can of compressed air to blow out all visible areas of the Printer interior d Use a cleaning pad from the Printer Cleaning Kit to wipe out all visible areas inside the Printer e Remove any debris that may be i...

Page 74: ...to the new Cleaning Tape loop f Place the Tape Rollers and the new tape back into the cartridge Caution Be sure to orient the new tape loop so that it extends over the Cleaning Roller once it is installed g Place the Roller closest to the cartridge s handle h Press the second Roller into place i Set the clear Cleaning Cartridge Cover back into place Caution Be sure the tabs on the cover are seated...

Page 75: ... the Printer power ON and open the Top Cover and Printhead Arm b Remove the print Ribbon c Locate the Platen Roller as shown below d Use a Cleaning Pad from the Printer Cleaning Kit to wipe the Roller clean e Press the FORWARD and BACK buttons to move the Roller back and forth while cleaning f Replace the printing supplies and close the Top Cover and Printhead Arm after the Rollers are clean and c...

Page 76: ... Using the Image Color tab procedure on page 123 a Open the Printer control panel from the computer If using Windows 95 98 ME right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer EncodersIcon and select Properties If using Windows NT 4 0 right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersand select Document Defaults If using Windows 2000 XP right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersand sel...

Page 77: ...TRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 77 Resolving the incorrect Image Darkness problems continued See previous procedure in this section ...

Page 78: ...NLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 78 Resolving the incorrect Image Darkness problems continued See previous procedure in this section Continued on the next page ...

Page 79: ...perties If using Windows NT 4 0 right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersand select Document Defaults If using Windows 2000 XP right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersand select Printing Preferences b Click on the Image Color tab c Adjust the Dye Sub Intensity to a more negative value in increments of 10 OR Correct the Image Darkness in the LCD See the Adjusting the Imag...

Page 80: ...TED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 80 Resolving the Ribbon wrinkle problems continued Step Procedure 5 Check the Printhead for debris and burrs ...

Page 81: ... 95 98 ME right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer EncodersIcon and select Properties If using Windows NT 4 0 right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersand select Document Defaults If using Windows 2000 XP right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersand select Printing Preferences b Click on the Image Color tab c Adjust the Resin Heat to a more negative value in incremen...

Page 82: ...ICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 82 Resolving the excessive Resin Printing problems continued See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 83: ...t click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer EncodersIcon and select Properties If using Windows NT 4 0 right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersand select Document Defaults If using Windows 2000 XP right click on the DTC500 Series Card Printer Encodersand select Printing Preferences b Click on the Image Color tab c Adjust the Resin Heat to a more positive value in increments of 5 OR Cor...

Page 84: ...ICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 84 Resolving the incomplete Resin Printing problems continued See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 85: ...ut off or off center Card Image problems Symptom The printing is cut off or is not centered on the card This causes a white border to appear on the card as shown below Step Procedure 1 Use the Image Position within the Card tab of the Printer driver to precisely center the image See Using the Image Position button on page 171 ...

Page 86: ...r grainy as shown below Step Procedure 1 Use a high resolution 24 bit color image to always capture an image at a 24 bit color setting at 300 dpi at the same size that it will be printed on the card as captured either with a scanner or with a digital camera Caution If a small or low resolution image is stretched or blown up a pixilated or grainy effect will occur when printing as shown below Good ...

Page 87: ...nter is functioning properly 2 Scroll to the desired test image from the Select Test Image options and press the Select button Reviewing the Gray Align YMC K Self Test Step Procedure 1 Use this card to determine Image Placement and confirm that the Printer is working properly Note The image consists of sixteen 16 gray scale boxes and alignment arrows 2 Adjust the Image Placement Note The gray boxe...

Page 88: ... properly reproduced and b the Resin Panel is printing properly Note The Image consists of twelve spot colors YMC and RGB as well as gray density bars and thin resin lines Reviewing the Color Bars YMC Self Test Step Procedure 1 Use this card to confirm that image colors are properly reproduced Image consists of sixteen graduated steps of RGB and YMCK Note This print will provide maximum image size...

Page 89: ...as produced Pass Count is the total number of print passes made by the Printhead Note A pass is measured each time a single Ribbon panel is printed or passes beneath the Printhead The Transfer Count is the total number of times the Printer transfers an image to a card Reviewing the Magnetic Test option Step Procedure 1 Use this option only applies if a Magnetic Encoding module is installed in the ...

Page 90: ...l perform these procedures Caution This device is electrostatically sensitive It may be damaged if exposed to static electricity discharges Information that raises potential electrostatic safety issues is indicated by a warning symbol as shown to the below To prevent equipment or media damage refer to the following safety messages before performing an operation preceded by this symbol To prevent e...

Page 91: ...ther type of overlaminate into the Printer Danger Do not touch the metal lamination shield or the Lamination Roller when loading overlaminate You will burn yourself Step Procedure 1 Open the lamination module s Top Cover and Lamination Station 2 Remove the overlaminate from its packaging 3 The supply end of the overlaminate roll is the side containing the fresh unused portion of the overlaminate T...

Page 92: ... the overlaminate roll in between the two black Lamination Drive Hubs Note The smaller Lamination Drive Hub closest to the front of the lamination module is spring loaded Use the end of the supply roll with the black core plug to push this hub in when inserting the overlaminate roll Make certain the overlaminate material is fed from beneath the roll as shown Continued on the next page ...

Page 93: ...ng Guide Rev 3 0 93 Loading the Overlaminate continued Step Procedure 5 Close the lamination module When you start to print the Lamination Drive Hubs will automatically engage the overlaminate core notches Caution Do not reverse the overlaminate roll Damage may occur to the lamination Roller ...

Page 94: ...ur FARGO warranty is void where not prohibited by law if you use non FARGO Certified Supplies To order additional materials please contact your authorized reseller Adjusting the Card Flattener The Card Lamination Module provides an adjustable Card Flattener that allows you to fine tune the flatness of laminated cards This flattener works by reverse bending cards as they eject from the laminator wh...

Page 95: ...wise Note This pushes the flattener Roller down to increase the reverse bending pressure For best results turn the knob one full rotation then print and laminate a test card Repeat this process as necessary 4 If the card is bowing downward the reverse bending pressure may be too great In this case rotate the adjustment knob counter clockwise Note Some card types have very low heat resistance and m...

Page 96: ...ement of these patches across the card width a mechanical adjustment can be made If the PolyGuard patches are being applied too closely to or overlapping a card s top or bottom edge as the card travels through the Printer the laminator s Card Guide Rail should be adjusted Note This adjustment is described below Step Procedure 1 Open the lamination module s Top Cover and Lamination Station 2 a Feed...

Page 97: ...inued Step Procedure 3 Slightly loosen the two 2 screws which fasten the Card Guide Rail to the Printer s main chassis 4 If the PolyGuard patch is being placed more toward a card s top edge as shown move the Card Guide Rail slightly toward the rear of the Printer opposite the direction you would like the patch to move Continued on the next page ...

Page 98: ...wn move the Card Guide Rail slightly toward the front of the Printer opposite the direction you would like the patch to move 6 Always make very slight adjustments to the Card Guide Rail and run a test print after each adjustment until the optimum patch position is found Note Be sure the Card Guide Rail always remains parallel to the card path and that the screws loosened in step 1 are retightened ...

Page 99: ... Card Guide Rail and the Internal Card Guide Note Depending upon how much you adjusted the Card Guide Rail you may also need to adjust the Internal Card Guide When both are adjusted properly there should be a slight space of about 010 25mm between the card edge and the Internal Card Guide as indicated here 8 If necessary adjust the Internal Card Guide as described in the remainder of this section ...

Page 100: ...dard CR 80 sized cards To adjust this guide please refer to the following steps Note If adjusting for an oversized card you must also adjust the Printer s Internal Card Guide Step Procedure 1 Feed a blank card into the module by inserting it through the Output Hopper and reverse feeding it by pressing the lamination module s Resume button Manually position the card so its edge is flush with the Ca...

Page 101: ... 010 25mm between the card edge and the Internal Card Guide as indicated below When adjusting the Internal Card Guide be sure it always remains parallel to the Card Guide Rail and card edge 4 Always make very slight adjustments to the Internal Card Guide and run a test print after each adjustment until the optimum position is found Note Be sure the Internal Card Guide always remains parallel to th...

Page 102: ...ou are installing the field upgradeable Card Lamination Module onto a Printer Your Printer model must be capable of accepting this module as not all Printer models are compatible with this field upgradeable option If you have questions about compatibility please contact your authorized FARGO reseller Step Procedure 1 Remove the Card Lamination Module from its packaging 2 Disconnect the power cable...

Page 103: ...oubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 103 Attaching the Card Lamination Module continued Step Procedure 4 Set the Printer on the lamination module s Baseplate at an angle as shown Note This position will make it easier to connect the Power and Communication cables Continued on the next page ...

Page 104: ...aching the Card Lamination Module continued Step Procedure 5 a Connect the lamination module s Power Cable to the Printer s Power Port Note both are labeled with a red Power label b Push firmly to ensure both are securely connected Note The port and cable are keyed for one way installation Continued on the next page ...

Page 105: ...Card Lamination Module continued Step Procedure 6 Set the Printer completely into the lamination module s Baseplate Note The rubber pads on the bottom of the Printer will rest securely in the holes in the lamination module s Baseplate when the Printer is seated properly Continued on the next page Rubber pads through Baseplate ...

Page 106: ...tire Printer and Lamination Module back onto its rear cover as shown below Note Be careful not to slide the unit around in this position as scratching could occur 8 Using a Phillips screw driver insert each of the four 4 screws into the Baseplate and tighten the screws to secure the Printer to the Lamination Module s Baseplate Continued on the next page 4 screws to secure printer to Baseplate ...

Page 107: ...ns see the Using the Lamination tab only with Card Lamination Module on page 174 For overlaminate information see the Loading the Overlaminate on page 91 The packaging for the Card Lamination Module has been designed to accommodate shipping either the lamination module only or the fully assembled Printer with lamination module After assembling the complete Printer lamination system please re use t...

Page 108: ... perform these procedures Caution This device is electrostatically sensitive It can be damaged if exposed to static electricity discharges Information that raises potential electrostatic safety issues is indicated by a warning symbol as shown to the below To prevent equipment or media damage refer to the following safety messages before performing an operation preceded by this symbol To prevent eq...

Page 109: ...st use only FARGO Certified Supplies For this reason your FARGO warranty is void where not prohibited by law if you use non FARGO Certified Supplies To order additional materials please contact your authorized reseller Adjusting the Internal Card Guide The Internal Card Guide holds the card in position as it feeds through the Printer This guide is factory set to handle both CR 79 sized cards and s...

Page 110: ...de continued Step Procedure 1 If loading CR 80 10 mil cards adjust this guide as needed to accommodate very thin flexible card stock 2 Open the Printer s Top Cover and Print Station 3 Rotate the guide s Securing Peg until it is parallel to the card guide and push it down Note This widens the card path so it holds thinner cards with less force ...

Page 111: ...RGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 111 Printer Driver options These Driver options and pictures are from the DTC500 Series driver Version 1 3 3 Using the Device options tab ...

Page 112: ...1 Adjust to match the Ribbon Type selection with the Ribbon Type already loaded in the Printer YMCKO Yellow Magenta Cyan Resin Black Overlay OR YMCKOK Yellow Magenta Cyan Resin Black Overlay Resin Black OR BO Dye Sub Black Overlay OR K Standard or Premium Resin OR Colored Resin Colored Resin is available in Red Blue Green or White OR Metallic Resin Metallic Resin is available in Gold or Silver OR ...

Page 113: ...or Matching software OR Select Algebraic to allow the Printer driver to make very simple fast color balance adjustments Note This option gives a natural looking image without slowing down the processing speed of the Printer driver It also allows further customization of the printed color of the cards through the Image Color tab OR Select Monitor to allow the Printer driver to make color correction...

Page 114: ...e the appropriate Dither method according to the type of image to be printed Note This option only affects those objects printed with the resin black panel Step Procedure 1 Select Optimized for Graphics when printing lower quality images e g clipart logos etc with resin OR Select Optimized for Photo when printing photo quality images with resin ...

Page 115: ...on DTC520 DTC525 only Use this option to automatically print on both the front and backside of a card Step Procedure 1 Select this option in conjunction with any application program that supports a multiple page document duplex printing Note The program must be able to send down two or more separate pages to be printed within the same document ...

Page 116: ...option to automatically print full color on the front of a card and resin black on the back of a card using either of the Full Color YMCKO or YMCKOK print Ribbons YMCKO Ribbon type usage The front of the card is printed with the Ribbon s YMC and O panels and the back is printed with the K panel YMCKOK Ribbon type usage The front of the card is printed with the YMCKO panels and the back is printed ...

Page 117: ...on to print only onto the backside of cards that must have their Magnetic Stripe or Smart Card chip encoded Note Load the cards in the usual fashion When this option is selected the Print Both Sides option is automatically disabled When attempting to print a two page document if Print Back Side Only is selected the first page of the document will print on the backside of the card The second page o...

Page 118: ... Using the Rotate Front by 180 Degrees option Use this option to change the position of the printed image in relation to the set location of a card s Magnetic Stripe or smart chip Step Procedure 1 Select the Rotate Front 180 Degrees option to rotate the image on the front of the card by 180 degrees when printed ...

Page 119: ...he Rotate Back by 180 Degrees option DTC520 DTC525 only Use this option to change the position of the printed image in relation to the set location of a card s Magnetic Stripe or smart chip Step Procedure 1 Select the Rotate Back 180 Degrees option to rotate the image on the back of the card by 180 degrees when printed ...

Page 120: ...d only one print job at a time Step Procedure 1 Select this option only when printing to multiple Printers sharing print jobs over a network which ensures that all Printers evenly share all print jobs OR Do not select this option and the Printer s memory will Buffer as many print jobs as possible until the Printer s memory is full Note This is ideal for most applications where Printers are not net...

Page 121: ...encoding e cards Caution In this case it is often critical that an e card with a pre encoded serial number for example coincide with a particular printed image If the two were to get out of sync the card s security could be compromised Step Procedure 1 Select this option to cause the Printer to dispense with the print job if a blank card is removed or ejected Note The next card is then fed into th...

Page 122: ...printing capabilities of the Printer yet still allow the Printer to encode cards Note This option is useful to encode or re encode cards without additional time effort or printing supplies Step Procedure 1 Select this option to ensure no print data will be sent to the Printer while all encoding instructions will be sent according to how they are configured within the software ...

Page 123: ...properties Step Procedure 1 Select the Algebraic Color Matching option see the Device options tab window shown below to control the Contrast and Gamma of the printed image as well as the individual color balance of Yellow Magenta and Cyan see the Image Color tab window shown below In most cases the default settings of these options will suffice Continued on the next page ...

Page 124: ...eat sliders 3 Control the overall darkness and lightness of the dye sub printed image by adjusting the Dye Sub Intensity slide by clicking and dragging the slide s box Move the slide to the left to cause less heat to be used in the printing process thus generating a lighter print OR Move the slide to the right to cause more heat to be used thus generating a darker print Note This slide only affect...

Page 125: ...th a resin only Ribbon by adjusting the Resin Heat slide Move the slide to the left to cause less heat to be used in the printing process causing resin images to be lighter or less saturated OR Move the slide to the right to cause more heat to be used causing resin images to be darker or more saturated Note This control can be helpful for fine tuning the sharpness of resin text and bar codes See t...

Page 126: ...ARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 126 Using the Image Color tab continued Step Procedure 5 Return all options to their factory settings by clicking on the Default button ...

Page 127: ...eadability when scanned by an infrared barcode reader Note The Printer driver will automatically print all TrueType black text and TrueType barcodes only with the resin black K panel of the print Ribbon by default If printing black text or barcodes that are not TrueType fonts or black graphics select one of the three options listed under Print All Black with K Panel See the Selecting the Full Card...

Page 128: ...ies Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 128 Selecting the Full Card with the K Panel Resin tab Step Procedure 1 Select the Full Card option to print the resin black K panel for all black found within all areas of the image as shown below ...

Page 129: ...rd Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 129 Selecting the Defined Area s with the K Panel Resin tab Step Procedure 1 Select the Defined Area s option to print the resin black K panel for all black found only in an area or areas defined as shown below ...

Page 130: ...lecting the Undefined Area s with the K Panel Resin tab Step Procedure 1 Select the Undefined Area s option to print the resin black K panel for all black found only in the space outside the areas defined as shown below Note In the card grid black indicates the area in which the resin black K panel will be printed ...

Page 131: ...ppropriate Defined Area see below to activate the card grid in the upper half of the window Note It is through this card grid that up to five areas can be defined as shown below When the card grid is first activated a small black square will appear at its default size of 2 x 2 5mm x 5mm default location in the lower left hand corner 0 0 Note This square represents the first defined area ...

Page 132: ...his area is indicated by the dashed outline as shown below The easiest way to determine the size of this area is to actually print a card and look at it in the same orientation as when it exits the Printer 2 Measure the total area and enter those dimensions into the Dimension boxes Note The minimum size for an area is 2 x 2 5mm x 5mm See the next page 172355 Karen Atkins Access Level 2 ID 1234478 ...

Page 133: ...RESTRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 133 Measuring the Total Card area continued See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 134: ...a is sized properly measure the location where this area is to be positioned on the card a Measure from the lower left corner of the card up and over to the lower left corner of where the defined area is to begin b Enter these values into the X and Y boxes as shown below c Note that the card grid lines are spaced at 2 5mm intervals 172355 Karen Atkins Access Level 2 ID 1234478 Y 0 2 X 1 4 ...

Page 135: ...CTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 135 Defining the positioning of the area on the Card continued See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 136: ...he Yellow Y Magenta M and Cyan C Ribbon panels directly beneath the resin black K panel Note Select this option if printing resin black text or barcodes onto a colored background to provide a more gradual transition between the two OR Select the Print K Only option a to print all black in the designated areas only with the resin black K panel or b to print resin black onto a white background to ma...

Page 137: ...SE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 137 Selecting the Print YMC under the K and Print K Only options continued See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 138: ...agnetic Encoding tab Use these options only if the Printer has an optional Magnetic Stripe Encoding Module installed Step Procedure 1 Select the Magnetic Encoding tab to display options for controlling the Magnetic Stripe encoding process Note The following describes these options and the Printer s magnetic encoding process ...

Page 139: ...agnetic Encoding options Step Procedure 1 Select the ISO Standard Encoding Module with a dual Coercivity high or low encoding head Note By default the Printer driver is set to encode according to ISO standards onto High Coercivity Magnetic Stripes OR Select the JIS II Standard Encoding Module commonly used in Japan Select the JIS II mode to encode only Track 2 Note 1 The JIS II option provides enc...

Page 140: ...RESTRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 140 Using the Encoding Mode option continued See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 141: ...0 600 Oersted FARGO s Low Coercivity UltraCards are 300Oe 2 Select the Magnetic Track Selection option to specify which track is to be configured through the Magnetic Track options if the application being used requires customization of the standard ISO encoding process 3 Customize these options if the application requires it even though the default ISO Magnetic Track options should be correct for...

Page 142: ...TRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 142 Encoding the Mode Coercivity Magnetic Track Selection See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 143: ...coded data format for each of the Magnetic Stripe s three tracks Step Procedure 1 Specify which of the three 3 tracks to customize by selecting one of the three track options After making the required selection the Magnetic Track options box displays the current set of customization options for the selected track Remember that each track must be customized independently of the other two tracks ...

Page 144: ...t for each of the Magnetic Stripe s three tracks Customize each track independently of the other two Specify which of the three tracks to customize by selecting one of the three track options Note 1 After making the required selection the Magnetic Track options box displays the current set of customization options for the selected track Note 2 For most applications the default settings for these o...

Page 145: ...PI to change the bits per inch to 75 BPI OR Select 128 BPI to change the bits per inch to 128 BPI OR Select 210 BPI to change the bits per inch to 210 BPI Using the Character Size radio buttons Use this option to customize the Character Data Size Bits per Character used to encode the magnetic data on the currently selected track Note This character size includes the parity bit if enabled Step Proc...

Page 146: ...SCII Offset used to encode the magnetic data on the currently selected track Note This character offset value is subtracted from the ASCII value of each Magnetic Stripe data character prior to encoding on the track Step Procedure 1 Select NULL to change the ASCII Offset to NULL OR Select SPACE to change the ASCII Offset to SPACE OR Select ZERO to change the ASCII Offset to ZERO ...

Page 147: ...C Generation to none OR Select Even Parity to change the LRC Generation to Even Parity OR Select Odd Parity to change the LRC Generation to Odd Parity Using the Character Parity radio buttons Use this option to customize the Character Data Parity used to encode the magnetic data on the currently selected track Step Procedure 1 Select No Parity to change the Character Parity to none OR Select Even ...

Page 148: ...ful since Magnetic Stripe verification can sometimes require more than a single pass Manual Eject mode Only the first mistakenly verified card would be automatically ejected If a second consecutive card cannot be verified the Printer will signal an error and go into a Manual Eject mode Auto Eject option The Auto Eject option is the most direct means of dealing with mistakenly verified cards Howeve...

Page 149: ...iewing the Shift Data Left Use the Shift Data Left option which applies to all tracks when selected Step Procedure 1 Select this option to shift the recorded magnetic data to the left hand side of the card s Magnetic Stripe Note This is useful in situations that require cards to be readable with insert type readers ...

Page 150: ...splay below TRACK1 0 110 TRACK2 0 110 TRACK3 0 110 0 130 0 140 0 223 0 353 0 493 Reviewing the Sample String Sending Data to Track 1 1 JULIEANDERSON 1234567890 Sending Data to Track 2 2 1234567890987654321 Sending Data to Track 3 3 1234567890987654321 Track Start Sentinel End Sentinel Field Separator Valid Characters Maximum Number of Characters Track 1 ASCII 32 95 See Reviewing the ASCII Code and...

Page 151: ...ers are not added to the track data the text intended for the Magnetic Track will appear as printed text on the card To avoid this track information must be entered as described below Step Procedure 1 When entering track data the tilde character is entered first followed by the track number 1 2 or 3 on which the data should encode This is followed by the data to be encoded Start Sentinel and End S...

Page 152: ...acter Table ASCII Code Character ASCII Code Character ASCII Code Character 32 space 56 8 80 P 33 57 9 81 Q 34 58 82 R 35 59 83 S 36 60 84 T 37 61 85 U 38 62 86 V 39 63 87 W 40 64 88 X 41 65 A 89 Y 42 66 B 90 Z 43 67 C 91 44 68 D 92 45 69 E 93 46 70 F 94 47 71 G 95 _ 48 0 72 H 49 1 73 I 50 2 74 J 51 3 75 K 52 4 76 L 53 5 77 M 54 6 78 N 55 7 79 O ...

Page 153: ...e Overlay Print Area tab Use this option to control how the Overlay O Panel and or the print area will appear on a card Note This option is helpful if to omit the overlay or printing around a card s smart chip or Magnetic Stripe By default this option is set to print and overlay the entire card Continued on the next page ...

Page 154: ...nd or print only in the space outside the selected and defined area OR Select the Omit Smart Chip Area option for the Printer to overlay and or print only in the space outside the standard location of a smart chip OR Select the Omit Mag Stripe Area option for the Printer to overlay and or print only in the space outside the standard location of an ISO Magnetic Stripe OR Select the Omit Signature A...

Page 155: ...the printing and overlay process OR Select For Overlay Only for the defined area to apply only to the overlay process Note In this mode printing will still be allowed over the entire card and only the overlay will be affected OR Select For Print Only No Overlay for the defined area to apply only to the print process Note In this mode the overlay is completely disabled so it will not be applied Cau...

Page 156: ...de Rev 3 0 156 Using the Overlay Print Area continued Step Procedure 1 Select the Defined Area s option to activate the card grid in the upper half of the window Note This allows defined areas to be created It is through this card grid that up to five areas can be defined Continued on the next page ...

Page 157: ...its default size of 2 x 2 5mm x 5mm and at its default location in the lower left hand corner 0 0 Note This square represents the first defined area Determine the area size by actually printing a card and looking at it in the same orientation as when it exits the Printer 3 Measure the total size of the desired area and enter those dimensions into the Dimension boxes Note The minimum size an area i...

Page 158: ...RESTRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 158 Using the Overlay Print Area continued See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 159: ... the area is sized properly a Measure the location this desired area to be positioned on the card b Measure from the lower left corner of the card up and over to the lower left corner for the defined area to begin c Enter these values into the X and Y boxes Note The card grid lines are spaced at 2 inch 5mm intervals Continued on the next page Y 0 3 X 1 3 Karen Atkins Access Level 2 ID 1234478 ...

Page 160: ...e up 6 Use the Defined Area arrows to navigate back and forth from area to area Note The active area will always be highlighted with a dotted outline a Define another area by clicking on the Defined Area UP arrow Another 2 x 2 5mm x 5mm area will appear in the lower left hand corner Note This is the location in which all newly defined areas will first appear Up to 5 areas can be defined However ad...

Page 161: ...ity Image a if using the Printer s optional SmartGuard Security Feature and b if the SmartShield option is enabled Note Use the Front and Back options at the top of this tab to designate the side or sides of the card to print the SmartShield image OR Select No SmartShield a if not using the SmartShield option or b if not printing the SmartShield image even if it is encoded on the SmartGuard Access...

Page 162: ...RESTRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 162 Using the Card tab Use this option to control specific Printer functions ...

Page 163: ...the total print area for each card size will appear in the Print Width and Print Length boxes Step Procedure 1 Select CR 80 to print onto standard credit card sized cards OR Select CR 79 to print onto slightly smaller CR 79 sized cards 3 303 L x 2 051W 83 9mmL x 52 1mmW The CR 79 card adhesive backed card is used in applications where they are printed and applied to thicker proximity cards Make a ...

Page 164: ...RESTRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 164 Selecting the Card Size continued See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 165: ...lected as indicated on the Printer s LCD To automatically switch via the Printer to the other hopper once the current hopper runs out of cards Note In most cases this option is used when both hoppers are loaded with the same type of cards such as in higher volume batch printing applications To manually designate the hopper just prior to each specific print job by pressing the H 1 or H 2 softkey bu...

Page 166: ...ED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 166 Using the Card Hopper Selection DTC515 DTC525 only option cont See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 167: ... USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 167 Using the Card Hopper Selection DTC515 DTC525 only option continued See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 168: ...adio buttons for Orientation Note An icon illustrating a printed card helps represent the difference between the two Step Procedure 1 Select Portrait to cause the card to print in a vertical orientation OR Select Landscape to cause the card to print in a horizontal orientation as shown on the below Specifying the Copies Specifies the number of copies to be printed as shown above ...

Page 169: ...end a Self Test print to the Printer Ribbon Requirement A Full Color YMCKO print Ribbon is required for a DTC510 DTC515 or YMCKOK print Ribbon is required for a DTC520 DTC525 Test Print Procedure This test print procedure can be helpful in ensuring a that the computer is effectively communicating with the Printer and b that the Printer is functioning properly ...

Page 170: ...onics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 170 Clicking on the About button Click this About button to open a dialog containing the copyright and version information about this Printer driver software ...

Page 171: ...g Guide Rev 3 0 171 Using the Image Position button Use the Image Position controls to adjust the position of the overall print area to be precisely centered on a card Step Procedure 1 Adjust the Image Position values by clicking on the Vertical and Horizontal adjustment arrows as shown below ...

Page 172: ...n mind that cards always remain in the same position as they travel through the Printer regardless of image orientation To illustrate this the card illustration shown in the Image Position box will flip and rotate according to whether you have selected the Portrait or Landscape radio buttons However the outline around the illustration will always remain in the same landscape orientation ...

Page 173: ...e entered Use the Vertical adjustment to move the image more toward the rear of the Printer if a positive number is entered and more toward the front of the Printer if a negative number is entered Use the Horizontal adjustment to move the image more toward the card output side of the Printer if a positive number is entered and more toward the card input side of the Printer if a negative number is ...

Page 174: ...ing Guide Rev 3 0 174 Using the Lamination tab only with Card Lamination Module Use this option to control specific Printer functions The Lamination Tab appears only if the Printer is equipped with the Card Lamination Module These options allow you to control the Printer s lamination process ...

Page 175: ...ate requires adjustment To adjust the lamination position click on the Horizontal adjustment arrows To move the overlaminate more toward the Card output side of the Printer enter a positive number To move the overlaminate more toward the card input side of the Printer enter a negative number Note The adjustment arrows point in the direction the patch will move on the card The maximum value for the...

Page 176: ...de Rev 3 0 176 Selecting the Lamination Side Step Procedure 1 a Select the No Lamination option if you do not want to use the Printer s built in laminator b Select Laminate Front Side Laminate Back Side or Laminate Both Sides to specify the side s of the card to laminate Continued on the next page ...

Page 177: ... Lamination Module The Film Lamination may be applied with or without the application of an additional overlay from a paneled full color print Ribbon The Overlay O Panel provides additional Ultra Violet UV light protection and additional abrasion resistance not found when using film laminations alone however it requires use of a print Ribbon with an Overlay O Panel If using Film lamination the add...

Page 178: ...ness Note These both offer equivalent protection but require different heat settings and lamination speeds Select the appropriate option according to the thickness of the PolyGuard material you are using Select the PolyGuard Alternating Patch option only if using PolyGuard material that has alternating patch configurations on the same roll e g full patch on the front of the card and half patch on ...

Page 179: ...well Time or through put speed of a card in seconds inch and the Lamination Temperature Selecting the Sensors button and Defaults button Step Procedure 1 Select the Sensors button to bring up a separate dialog to calibrate the Lamination Sensor See the next page 2 Adjust the Default settings as needed when using other types of cards Note The Default settings for the Lamination Dwell Time and Tempe...

Page 180: ...detects the start of each PolyGuard patch throughout the roll This Sensor may occasionally need to be recalibrated If the lamination module seems to skip PolyGuard patches or wind the PolyGuard roll until the lamination module s LED flashes recalibrate the Lamination Sensor according to the instructions given the in the Calibration window Be sure the Printer is powered ON and that the lamination m...

Page 181: ... need to be replaced See the Replacing the Main Board procedure on page 29 3 As an alternative to replacing the Main Print Board the chip U16 080239 can be replaced Note FARGO recommends that only a qualified electronics technician perform this procedure Resolving the EE Checksum Error Symptom An error has occurred in the permanent circuit memory Step Procedure 1 Reboot the Printer 2 If the proble...

Page 182: ... remove the memory simm and reinstall 4 If the installation appears correct and the error persists the SIMM 080229 on the Main Print Board will need to be replaced Resolving the RAM Memory Error Symptom An error has occurred in the permanent circuit memory Step Procedure 1 Reboot the Printer 2 If the problem persists the Main Board will need to be replaced See the Replacing the Main Board procedur...

Page 183: ...ardware error has occurred Step Procedure 1 Reboot the Printer 2 If the problem persists the Main Board will need to be replaced See the Replacing the Main Board procedure on page 29 3 As an alternative to replacing the Main Print Board the chip U2 080066 can be replaced Note FARGO recommends that only a qualified electronics technician perform this procedure ...

Page 184: ...tep Procedure 1 Check the voltage to determine if a Sensor is working 2 a Test the voltage of each Sensor using ground GRD Chassis to the correct pin on each connector See the Sensor Location and Voltages table on the next page b Block a slot Sensor with a card c Cover a reflective Sensor with a card 3 a Troubleshoot the Ribbon Sensor by using the RibbonTraq marks on the Ribbon and Film to cover t...

Page 185: ...TOF Platen Home J29 4 Unblocked 17 9 Blocked 3 0 3 3 Flipper Table Card Sensor J15 8 Unblocked 17 9 Blocked 3 0 3 3 Flipper Table Sensor J7 4 Covered 9 Uncovered 3 0 3 3 Hopper Lift Sensor J4 12 Unblocked 17 9 Blocked 3 0 3 3 Dual Hopper Position J32 4 Unblocked 17 9 Blocked 3 0 3 3 Printhead lift Sensor J6 8 Unblocked 17 9 Blocked 3 0 3 3 Magnetic Card Sensor J7 8 Covered 9 Uncovered 3 0 3 3 Bypa...

Page 186: ...ked 17 9 Blocked 3 0 3 3 Print TOF Sensor J31 4 Unblocked 17 9 Blocked 3 0 3 3 Ribbon Encoder J6 12 Unblocked 17 9 Blocked 3 0 3 3 Ribbon Sensor 5 J16 3 Covered 0 9 Uncovered 3 5 5 0 Ribbon Sensor 4 J16 5 Covered 0 9 Uncovered 3 5 5 0 Ribbon Sensor 3 J16 11 Covered 0 9 Uncovered 3 5 5 0 Ribbon Sensor 2 J16 7 Covered 0 9 Uncovered 3 5 5 0 Ribbon Sensor 1 J16 9 Covered 0 9 Uncovered 3 5 5 0 Reviewin...

Page 187: ...lecting from the Menu Option Tree Structure on page 188 shows the available menu options A description of each option and its function is included on the pages following the on line menu Step Procedure 1 Press the MENU button to bring up the Select Function screen appears as shown here Use the scroll buttons to move up or down through the menu options as shown below Note The brackets appear on eit...

Page 188: ...ther type of button on its control pad called Scroll buttons These buttons are located just to the right of the LCD display Use these buttons to scroll through the help text to navigate through the Printer s menu and to adjust certain Printer setting Note The Printer will indicate when the scroll buttons are active by displaying on the right hand side of the LCD display If scrolling through a list...

Page 189: ...alue X 99 min 99 max Current Value X 10 min 10 max PRINT RIBBON Type XX Prints Remaining Not Available Part Number XX Lot Number Not Available SELECT FUNCTION Print Test Image Setup Printer Report Supplies Show Error Count Show Card Count System Upgrade Print TOF Print EOF Ribbon Tension Head Resistance Image Darkness Encoder Settings Hopper Settings BAUD Rate Settings Flipper Offset CHANGE PARAME...

Page 190: ... of the Printer The standard self test function requires only that a full color print Ribbon and at least one card be installed Note The Printer will begin printing this image as soon as the image has finished processing Generally processing only takes about 5 to 10 seconds Step Procedure 1 When the Printer is powered ON and is sitting idle its READY screen will display on the LCD Press the MENU b...

Page 191: ...and Gray Align YMC K DTC520 525 Self Test Reviewing the Color Resin YMCK Self Test Step Procedure 1 Use this card to determine Image Placement and confirm that a the image colors are properly reproduced and b the Resin Panel is printing properly Note The Image consists of twelve spot colors YMC and RGB as well as gray density bars and thin resin lines ...

Page 192: ... CC and Pass Count PC The Card Count is the total number of cards the Printer has produced Pass Count is the total number of print passes made by the Printhead Note A pass is measured each time a single Ribbon panel is printed or passes beneath the Printhead Reviewing the Standard Resin Self Test Step Procedure 1 Print this card with any resin Ribbon However it will work best with a standard resin...

Page 193: ...ntenance Manual available upon request for detailed instructions or call for technical assistance If you would like to make small adjustments to Print TOF EOF offset or Image Darkness first try making these changes through the Printer driver s Image Position and Image Color controls prior to changing the internal Printer settings Caution 1 These settings are optimized at the factory and will rarel...

Page 194: ...inside the edges of the card This information pertains to the two procedures on the next page Alignment Test Image The alignment test image is designed for setting these parameters Be sure to run this test after each adjustment Run the Alignment Test Image by selecting the following options MENU Print Test Image and Gray Align YMC DTC510 515 or Gray Align YMC K DTC520 525 Value and Settings Change...

Page 195: ...er options Print TOF 30 and Print EOF 30 Setting the Print TOF Use this procedure to position the printed image correctly on the leading edge of the card Step Procedure 1 Choose MENU Print Test Image and Gray Align YMC to print a test card 2 Select MENU Setup Printer and Print TOF 3 Record the Print TOF value on the test card you just printed 4 Examine the test card Note When centered properly the...

Page 196: ...s or 2 54mm equals 60 increments on the LCD 6 Press SELECT to save the value and print another test card 7 Repeat steps 1 to 6 until the test image is correctly positioned as shown above Setting the Print EOF This procedure positions the printed image correctly on the trailing edge of the card Step Procedure 1 Choose MENU Print Test Image and Gray Align YMC to print a test card 2 Select MENU Setup...

Page 197: ...F value to move the printed image more toward the trailing edge of the card The numbers being entered for the settings are in pixels The number of pixels is equal to the measurement in inches times 600 or the measurement in mm times 23 6 For example 0 100 inches or 2 54mm equals 60 increments on the LCD 6 Press SELECT to save the value Print a test card as described in step 1 7 Repeat Steps 1 to 6...

Page 198: ... and Gray Align YMC to print a test card 2 Select MENU Setup Printer and Ribbon Tension 3 Record the Ribbon Tension value on the test card you just printed 4 Examine the test card Note When centered properly the Alignment Arrows should appear just at the edge of the card s Trailing edge If the test card does not look like the sample shown below go to step 5 to adjust the Ribbon Tension ...

Page 199: ...ge of the card Caution Be sure to make adjustments in small increments of 2 to avoid over adjusting this setting For example the Ribbon may jam or break if the setting is set too high 6 Press SELECT to save the value and print another test card 7 Repeat Steps 1 to 6 until the test image is correctly positioned See the previous page Setting the Printhead Resistance Step Procedure 1 Locate the Print...

Page 200: ...ess value on the test card last printed 4 Examine the test card 5 Adjust the Image Darkness value if needed Enter a negative value to lighten the printed image OR Input a positive value to darken the printed image Caution Be sure to make adjustments in small increments of 4 to avoid over adjusting this setting The Ribbon can jam or break if the setting is too high 6 Press SELECT to save the value ...

Page 201: ...ag Press the CHANGE button to select None or Installed according to whether or not a Magnetic Stripe Encoder is installed Smart Press the CHANGE button to select None or Installed according to whether or not a Smart Card Encoder is installed Prox Press the CHANGE button to select None or Installed according to whether or not a Prox Card Encoder is installed Position This option is set according to...

Page 202: ...etic Card Analyzer to measure the Start Sentinel distance 2 a Use a magnetic viewer or developer solution or spray to make the magnetic data visible in order to identify the Start Sentinel as the first set of magnetic lines or first one bit which are visibly closer together than the large number of evenly spaced lines or leading zero bits that fill the space to the edge of the card as shown on the...

Page 203: ...a to move As a rule a shift of 27 equals about 0625 1 16 or 1 6mm Note Keep this in mind when adjusting this option to avoid over adjusting If the negative value is set too high for example the Printer may start encoding before the card s Magnetic Stripe reaches the encoding head 7 Repeat steps 1 to 5 until the Magnetic TOF is correct 8 Press SELECT to save the value Magnetic Track Data 293 7 44mm...

Page 204: ...te dark colored blank cards or with cards that have a Magnetic Stripe in the non ISO standard position Note 2 In some cases these types of cards cannot be seen by the Sensor This leads the Printer to assume that the Card Input Hopper is empty and that cards will not feed Turn the Sensor to OFF to correct this problem Change the desired option as needed for Exception Feed Press the CHANGE button to...

Page 205: ...t Step Procedure 1 Select MENU Setup Printer and Flipper Offset 2 Select Level or Encoder Angle Use the Level option to set the position of the Flipper so it is level with the card path Use the Encoder Angle option to fine tune the position of the Flipper in relation to the Printer s built in Encoder if your Printer is equipped with this option 3 Change these settings in small increments if the ca...

Page 206: ...ining about how many cards you can produce before the next Ribbon change Part Number This displays the specific part number for your Ribbon which can be helpful when re ordering Lot Number This displays the print Ribbon s lot number Using the Show the Error Count Tool Use the Show the Error Count tool to a troubleshoot the Printer b maintain a log of up to 255 errors c track how many times specifi...

Page 207: ...he total number of print passes made by the Printhead Note A pass is measured each time a single Ribbon panel is printed or passes beneath the Printhead Selecting the System Upgrade Firmware Upgrade This option is used to upgrade the Printer Firmware Step Procedure 1 Upgrade by selecting SYSTEM UPGRADE The LCD will prompt Are you sure you want to continue 2 Select YES to begin the System Upgrade O...

Page 208: ...quired to send Firmware updates from the computer to the Printer To download and install the Firmware Updater from this site refer to the following steps Step Procedure 1 Go to FARGO Electronics Technical Support Web site http www fargo com tech_support 2 Click on the Firmware Updater Program link 3 Click on OK when prompted to Save this Program to Disk and then select a folder in which to save th...

Page 209: ... the Update file 5 a Once the file has been downloaded navigate to the location where the file was saved Note The Firmware Update file has been compressed for ease of downloading b Decompress the file by double clicking on the designated icon Updating the Printer s Firmware The Main Firmware and the LCD Firmware are type types of Firmware for FARGO Printer models Each Firmware type has a different...

Page 210: ...the Firmware update file a Ensure the Printer is powered ON and in its READY mode b Press the Printer s MENU button 5 a Use the scroll buttons to scroll down to the System Upgrade option and press SELECT b When the Printer asks if you would like to continue press YES 6 a Wait while the Printer restarts into the System Upgrade mode b Verify that the interface cable is securely connected to both the...

Page 211: ...ED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 211 Updating the Main Firmware continued See the previous procedure in this section Continued on the next page ...

Page 212: ... update was successful 9 If the Upgrade Successful is displayed click on Exit on the Sending Update to Printer dialog screen 10 Press the Printer s Exit button 11 When prompted turn the Printer power OFF for a few seconds and then back ON to complete the update process Note As the Printer restarts the new Firmware version appears on the LCD 12 a If the upgrade was not successful the LCD will eithe...

Page 213: ...ck OK 5 Click on the Send Update button to bring up the Sending Update to Printer dialog as shown on the next page 6 Wait a few minutes while the Firmware updates itself Check the Printer s LCD for the status When the update is complete the LCD will indicate if the update was successful If Upgrade Successful is displayed click Exit on the Sending Update to Printer dialog screen Press the Printer s...

Page 214: ...RESTRICTED USE ONLY FARGO Electronics Inc DTC500 Series Card Printer Encoders Troubleshooting Guide Rev 3 0 214 Updating the LCD Firmware continued See the previous procedure in this section ...

Page 215: ... Card Hopper Door 39 Card Hopper Jam 9 Card Input Guide adjustment 94 95 96 97 98 99 Card is encoded 45 Card Jam Flipper 10 Mag 10 Print 10 Smart 10 Card Jam 10 Card jam in Printer s Smart Card encoding area 44 Card Lamination Module 106 107 card orientation 160 Card Sensor 27 Card Size 163 Card statistics 188 card surface debris problems 73 74 75 card thickness settings 22 Card Thickness Slide 22...

Page 216: ...n 52 DTC500 Main Board A000048 33 34 DTC515 DTC525 only 165 dual sided card 116 Dye Sub Intensity slide 124 dye sub printed image 124 Dye Sublimation Ribbon panels 124 E edge of card 202 EE Checksum Error 11 181 EE Memory Error 11 181 Ejecting Used Card 11 Encoder Settings 41 42 201 encoding data 42 Encoding data sent in error 28 encoding instructions 122 Encoding Mode 141 Encoding Module 43 End S...

Page 217: ... I EEE 1284 compliant cable 16 Image Color tab 79 81 83 113 124 126 Image Darkness 76 200 Image Position controls 171 inadequate data cable 16 incorrect image darkness problems 76 Input Hopper 23 Input Hopper Door 26 42 interface cable 210 Interpreting LCD display Messages 206 Invalid Print Ribbon 12 ISO 7811 2 Magnetic Stripe 150 ISO encoded data format 143 144 ISO option 141 ISO Standard Encodin...

Page 218: ...Shield 161 O obstruction 64 Omit Mag Stripe Area option 154 Omit Signature Area option 154 Omit Signature Area setting 157 Omit Smart Chip Area option 154 Original Printhead Assembly 61 overall print area 171 Overlay O Panel 153 Overlay Print Area 153 156 157 159 Overlay Print Area options 155 P Parallel Port mode 19 Pass Count 89 192 Pause 13 permanent circuit memory 181 Photo 114 pixel failure p...

Page 219: ...125 Resolving card feeding problem 66 67 69 Resume button 48 53 retries 148 RFID Tag 14 RGB 88 Ribbon Cards 8 108 Ribbon jammed 48 Ribbon panels 116 Ribbon Sensor 48 52 184 Ribbon Sensor Array 33 Ribbon type 51 112 Ribbon Type setting 51 Ribbon wrinkle problems 79 80 RibbonTraq mark 48 52 RibbonTraq marks 184 Rotate Front 180 Degrees option 160 rotate front by 180 Degrees 118 rotates image 118 119...

Page 220: ...ion 73 TrueType black text and TrueType barcodes 127 U Unable To Feed Card 15 unable to read encoded data 28 Undefined Area s K Panel Resin tab 130 Undefined Area s option 130 154 Unknown Ribbon Type 52 Update Failed 15 Update file 209 Update Firmware Now 15 Upgrade Failed or Upgrade Firmware Now on 212 Upgrade Successful 213 V Verification 148 visible damage 70 W Windows 2000 XP 51 76 79 81 83 Wi...

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