I got this cheap label printer from market. Need to be interface with arduino.
Any idea where I can find its datasheet. Seller didnt have it, asked to download from internet.
Found some link, but no further info: https://shop.aftabrayaneh.com/LP...
Label printer datasheet
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Plug it into the USB of your Win10 pc and see if it loads a driver and see that the thing works. Then you should be able to open a terminal window and experiment?
Jim
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If nothing else when you plug it in it should report a VID/PID that you can then look up in the Linux USB list of VIDs to find out who made it (and the PID should identify the model)
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EDIT wait a minute though, is it even USB as the photo show the connections to just be TX/RX which suggests UART. (presumably the reference to USB simply means you can use a USB CDC lead?)
Last Edited: Thu. Apr 18, 2019 - 03:49 PM
clawson wrote:
wait a minute though, is it even USB
Yes, look closely to the right of the USART connections there is a Mini USB connector
Jim
To use this with Arduino, connect it to the usart and send ascii text to it, (ds: says rs232/ttl interface)!
Use softUSART if your Arduino does not have a 2nd USART.
I have used similar thermal printers, you just set the interface to ttl and connect the TXD from the AVR to the RXD pin on the printer, also GND to GND and start sending text!
Could not be easier to use.
Jim
Last Edited: Thu. Apr 18, 2019 - 06:14 PM
1. I have sent data serially from arduino like Serial. print("text"). Have been able to print without issue.
2. this is label printer, as in attached picture, how to identify the cut in sticker so that data gets printed on label only, now as there is no detection command I know, data gets printed out of label too.
3. connected usb port to PC, it comes out to unidentified harware in device manager.
Attachment(s):
Get a label printer from a known manufacturer. Problem solved.
Vindhyachal Takniki wrote:
2. this is label printer, as in attached picture, how to identify the cut in sticker so that data gets printed on label only, now as there is no detection command I know, data gets printed out of label too.
Labels come in standard sizes, so you will need to determine the number of (\n) lines and number of characters per line on each label and keep count of them.
You may find a form feed or vertical tab character will take to you the beginning of the next label. Its all known as forms management!
Jim
Last Edited: Fri. Apr 19, 2019 - 12:32 PM
Surely you can print labels on a regular Laser printer. Plenty good enough for a few hunded labels e.g. 6 sheets per 100 labels.
Obviously not convenient for printing one label at a time.
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I bet that your label printer will respond to regular commercial software designed for label printers,
Very old hardware might be character oriented. Others will be able to do graphics.
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David,
If you do some googling for "Arduino label printer" you should find lots of examples to try out, even printing of bar codes as well as normal ascii text.
Jim
I've got a Brother QL-650TD. Worked beautifully with an AVR over RS-232. Dunno if they still make them.
Well-documented, too, if all you wanted was characters. Not cheap, though. S.
1. Here is pic of paper I found by taking printout on selftest (paper is not label, otherwise label printer is used)
2. Selftest pic is attached
3. label paper pic is attached
4. Printer has these pin on it : VH, Gnd , Tx, Rx, DTR, GND.
5. One thing I found on selftest pic, is that hardware flow control is enabled. Now how to do that in arduino?
6. I wam able to print text on printer by normal command: serial1.println("text") . But this print only of label printer is correctly placed i.e side hole is properly detected.
7. Now I want to that whenever I power on system, I send command to align label properly so thAT i can print on it.
I have tried all commands by this loop:
for(cnt = 0U ; cnt < 255U ; cnt++)
{
Serial1.write(cnt);
}
only cnt = 14 takes to next label , but only if previous label was properly placed, otherwise this dont work either.
Attachment(s):
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If the baud rate is 9600 baud then the micro will be sending 1 character about every ms, how long does it take the printer to print that character? Do you know if the data is buffered?
1. havent measured how long it take the printer to print character. I need to print few lines only so its not time critical.
2. in pritner data seems to be buffered. Because sometimes when i send data in high speed from MCU, printer takes time & keep on priting, even if MCU goes to next activity.
WHere i am stuck now is:
1. On power up, how to align the label to start.
2. how to move to next label, once previous label is complete
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Time to find out who the manufacturer is?
The seller should be able to tell you that. Then you can continue and see if they are willing to share information with you.
The labels have a marker on the holding paper, so it might be just the case of sending a simple command to the printer, or you might need to do some sort of feeding ( not line feding as that is to coarse) that you do by print line precision and then read back a status register to see if the marker has actually passed.
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On power up, how to align the label to start.
Does the printer understand the Form Feed command? (Control L 0X0C)
Cheap printers: You perform the initial paper alignment.
Expensive printers: Have a sensor to position the paper.
If you have a cheap printer, you will have to perform the alignment manually.
JC
solved,
1. send only 14, moves the lbel to next label i.e to start of new label. I was sending 14,10 together, which created issues.
2. Rest print text is normal & for barcodes, adafruit library comes handy