Troubleshooting tips for the external printer kit 

If you can't get your FONIX 6500-CX or FP40 analyzer to work with the external printer kit, here's some things to check.

Are you using the FONIX external printer kit?

We sell a special serial-to-parallel converter that allows our analyzers to connect to an external printer. The standard serial-to-parallel converter that you can buy from places like Black Box will not usually work. This is why it's important that you buy it from us. On the converter box, switches 1 & 3 should be turned ON. All other switches should be turned OFF.

What is your external printer's language?

You need to use an external printer using the HP PCL (Hewlett Packard Printer Computer Language) 3.0 or above.

Have you set up your analyzer correctly to use an external printer?

On the 6500-CX, press [MENU] and [CRT] to open the Print menu. Make sure the settings are appropriate for your printer. On the FP40 analyzer, press [F1] to enter the Setup menu and select the correct setting for PRINT. On both analyzers, you might try using different baud/speed settings to see if that fixes the problem.

Have you tried powering off & powering on the printer?

The printer should be turned on AFTER the analyzer is turned on. Try leaving your analyzer powered on, and turning on and off your printer. Sometimes this fixes connection problems.

Have you checked all the connections?

The external printer kit should be connected to the RS-232 AUXILIARY INTERFACE on the back of the 6500-CX. The RS-232 Computer Interface will NOT work with the external printer. The external printer kit should be connected to the SERIAL INTERFACE on the back of the FP40 analyzer. Make sure all connections are secure, including the connection to the parallel port on the back of your computer. And make sure you are using the connectors that come with the external printer kit and not the connectors that come with the RS232 computer interface kit.

Are you using a switch box?

Sometimes switch boxes can cause problems. Try connecting the printer directly to the 6500-CX and see if you still have problems printing. If you can print with a direct connection, the problem is the switch box.

Have you tried replacing the printer cable?

The external printer kit comes with a printer cable, which should work correctly. However, it's not unknown for cables to be bad. Try substituting another cable and see if that works.

Have you tried using another printer?

If you have access to a printer with known compatibility, try using it with the 6500-CX, if only temporarily. If it works, then you can narrow down the problem to being with the printer and not with the analyzer.

If all of these suggestions do not fix your external printer problem, contact the factory or your local FONIX service person.