Communications
FST 9000
Programmer’s Guide
100-14362
Rev A
Page 245
Miscellaneous Communication Features
Power-cycle Recovery
Sometimes the host needs to know if the printer was power cycled. An example would
be after the receipt tape was changed. It is not necessary to turn off the printer to
change the receipt. However, if the operator does, any information sent to the printer
before the power cycle will be lost.
The EPIC 3000 Printer has a flag that is set after a reset. The flag stays set until the
host requests a reset. The [ENQ] <11> command reads the flag. If the command
returns power-cycled status, the power has been reset or power cycled since the last
request. All unprinted information has been lost.
If the print operation is critical, it is a good idea to check the power-cycle flag before and
after all transactions. An alternate approach is to check the flag after every off-line to
on-line transition.
Note: If the printer mode was changed by the [ESC] y <2> or <3> command, a power-
cycle reset will return to the initial configuration.
Off-line Active
A configuration flag that prevents the printer from going off-line (in most cases) is
available. Off-line mode allows the application to query the printer for status rather than
assume a status from the control signals. The feature allows the host application to
query the printer at all times except when there is no power; a full input buffer; or a hard
failure. For example, when the printer’s cover is open, the printer stops printing but still
accepts data and inquiries. The inquire cover status command returns, “Cover open.”
Hard failures result when there is no power or a printer fault occurs. If the printer is off-
line, either the input buffer is full or a hard fault has occurred. The host application
should not allow the input buffer to fill.
