Atari 1020 keeps resetting itself while in text mode

[The Mr. Video]

Hi, yesterday I got a few Atari 8-bit accessories, including an Atari 1010, a few SIO cables, and an Atari 1020 plotter. The platen gear is cracked and the pens have dried up, but this should go without saying. The one issue with this plotter that I didn't expect is that when I try to print text, it prints a few characters and then resets itself and does the startup pen test. Then, once it's done with that, it prints a few more characters and then resets itself again. It repeats this cycle until it is done printing. This only happens when the plotter is in text mode. When I use it in graphics mode, then it plots without any issue.

[+Stephen]

Just a guess - is there perhaps a special character (or sequence) that resets the printer?  Does it do this with any text you try to print?

[The Mr. Video]

5 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Does it do this with any text you try to print?

Seems so. I've so far tried printing both an Atari Writer text file and a simple program listing and it constantly resets through both.

[_The Doctor__]

Cracked platen gears can jam the drive servo, causing the printer issues. Fix it and then if something hasn't hurt itself trying to push locked rotor currents due to jamming the servo, you should be golden, pass a self test and can troubleshoot your software. If not you can start troubleshooting the printer.

[The Mr. Video]

On 3/2/2023 at 10:21 PM, _The Doctor__ said:

Cracked platen gears can jam the drive servo, causing the printer issues. Fix it and then if something hasn't hurt itself trying to push locked rotor currents due to jamming the servo, you should be golden, pass a self test and can troubleshoot your software. If not you can start troubleshooting the printer.

I just replaced the two cracked pinion gears with brass ones. While the plotter runs smoother now, it seems that the only thing that has changed is that the plotter resets less often when printing text.

[Irgendwer]

On 3/3/2023 at 3:01 AM, The Mr. Video said:

The one issue with this plotter that I didn't expect is that when I try to print text, it prints a few characters and then resets itself and does the startup pen test. Then, once it's done with that, it prints a few more characters and then resets itself again.

I remember having the same issue while using the 1010 power supply with the plotter. This PSU is to weak. (Forget my comment if you're using the matching power supply... )

[The Mr. Video]

7 minutes ago, Irgendwer said:

I remember having the same issue while using the 1010 power supply with the plotter. This PSU is to weak. (Forget my comment if you're using the matching power supply... )

Hmm... I have been using the 1010 power supply that came with everything else since it was the only power supply in the package. Will a 1050/400 power supply work with the plotter?

[+Stephen]

2 hours ago, The Mr. Video said:

I just replaced the two cracked pinion gears with brass ones. While the plotter runs smoother now, it seems that the only thing that has changed is that the plotter resets less often when printing text.

Where did you get the brass gears? 

[BillC]

42 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Where did you get the brass gears? 

https://www.soigeneris.com/alps-printer-plotter-mechanism-pinion-gears

[The Mr. Video]

I tried an Atari 1050 power supply with the 1020 and it solved the problem. I guess printing text is more power intensive than just plotting. I also followed instructions from https://tabajara-labs.blogspot.com/2018/08/como-remanufaturar-as-canetas-do.html?m=1 to fit a Pilot BP.S pen into the plotter so I can actually try printing stuff. It's in Portuguese, but it reads fine with Google translate. From it, I was able to print out a copy of the Gettysburg Address.

58 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Where did you get the brass gears? 

Do be aware that the brass gears do not slide into the motor and need to be installed with a c-clamp.

[_The Doctor__]

Yes, text uses more power due to paper feed and gear work, add color changes and it can really pull some current, if power is weak or gears are weak your plotter will produce terrible results or will refuse to operate for very long.

[+Stephen]

45 minutes ago, BillC said:

https://www.soigeneris.com/alps-printer-plotter-mechanism-pinion-gears

Thanks - cool they exist but won't help me for what I need.  I was hoping for a more general go here for all your custom gear needs.  There's a radio I have that uses a planetary gearset for the tuning control, and one always splits.  Anyhow - don't want to derail the topic.

[HiassofT]

41 minutes ago, Stephen said:

I was hoping for a more general go here for all your custom gear needs.  There's a radio I have that uses a planetary gearset for the tuning control, and one always splits.

Buy a block of brass, a saw, sets of files and drills and do it old-school like students in mechanical engineering school have to go through - create your very own gears from scratch 🙂

 

so long,

 

Hias