Atari 1025 Maintenance Guide
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The Atari 1025 Printer needs little routine work: a clean ribbon and paper path, a fresh ribbon, and occasional checks of the belt tension and the print head gap. Atari's 1025 Printer Field Service Manual (FD100290 Rev. 01) gives the procedures and tolerances, and the Sams Computerfacts for the printer repeats the main adjustments.[1][2] Faults are diagnosed on the Atari 1025 Troubleshooting page.
 | The 1025 has its mains transformer and fuse inside the case. Unplug it from the wall before opening it. |
Precautions
[edit | edit source]Atari's maintenance precautions for the 1025 include:[1]
- Keep the gears and belts free of dust and paper waste.
- Disconnect the mains plug before removing or refitting any connector.
- Do not disassemble or readjust a printer that is working, and do not loosen screws without reason.
- Never print without paper and ribbon fitted, and make sure the ribbon is not loose or twisted.
- Handle the board with static precautions, without gloves that build up static, and place it on a grounding pad, not on the printer or the floor.
Cleaning
[edit | edit source]Atari's cleaning interval is six months or 300 hours of operation, whichever comes first. Use a dry cloth or gauze to clear dust and ribbon lint from the ribbon path, and paper lint from the paper path.[1]
The Sams service checks add cleaning the print head face when dots go missing.[2]
Ribbon and paper
[edit | edit source]The 1025 takes a ribbon on two typewriter-style spools. With the power off and the top cover removed, fit one spool on the left spindle, aligning a hole in its base with the small guide post, and keep the ribbon eyelet on the spool side of the metal post. Thread the ribbon along the path shown on the diagram inside the printer, without bunching it between the print head and the ribbon protector, then fit the other spool on the right and turn one spool until the ribbon is snug.[3] Moore bought new ribbons from a ribbon supplier in 2019 and describes the type as a standard one that fits many typewriters.[4]
For single sheets, pull the paper lock release lever forward, set the paper guide wire and separator, feed the sheet round the platen under the separator, align it and push the lever back. Fanfold paper goes on the platen sprockets. Turn the platen knob clockwise to remove paper; turning it anticlockwise can tear it.[3]
Opening the printer
[edit | edit source]- Remove the platen knob.
- Pull the top cover straight up.
- Loosen the two switch assembly screws and slide the switch back clear of the cover.
- Remove the two screws inside the front of the upper cover.
- Tip the upper cover back to free it from the hooks on the lower cover, and lift it off.[1]
To remove the board, disconnect the I/O connectors (CN6 and CN7) and the paper-near-end connector (CN2), unplug the print head, remove the flat cable connector screw and connector from the carriage frame, cut the tie-wrap holding the flat cable, and remove the two board screws.[1] When refitting the printer unit, tighten the four bottom screws in their rubber caps to no more than 4-5 kg·cm.[1]
Adjustments
[edit | edit source]| Adjustment | When | Specification | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space belt tension | After replacing the space motor or belt | 80-140 g with the belt pressed in 5 mm | Move the idle pulley bracket; measure with a 300 g stick pressure gauge |
| Platen to print head gap | Print darker on one side; after work on the printer unit, carriage frame or platen | 0.45-0.5 mm | Loosen the snap lever screws and move the carriage shaft; measure with a thickness gauge |
| Platen to paper separator | After removing the platen, or if paper will not feed smoothly | About 0.5 mm | Loosen the separator screws and set with a thickness gauge |
| First character position | Head does not line up for the first character; after belt, motor or frame work | Head stops at the home sensor position (figure 4-9) | Move the space motor, or move the belt one or two teeth on the pulley |
The Sams adjustment notes agree on the 0.45-0.5 mm head gap and the 0.5 mm separator clearance, and draw the home position tolerance in their figure 1.[2]
Fuse
[edit | edit source]If the power light does not come on, check the main switch at the rear and the mains plug, then the fuse. Replace it only with the same type and rating, 250 V, 1.75 A.[3]
Capacitors
[edit | edit source]The 1025 has eleven electrolytic capacitors, including the large filters on the 10 V and 26 V supplies; they are listed on the Atari 1025 Capacitor Replacement Guide.
Related pages
[edit | edit source]- Atari 1025
- Atari 1025 Troubleshooting
- Atari 1025 Capacitor Replacement Guide
- Atari 1025 Documentation
- Recommended Tools
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Atari, Inc., 1025 Printer Field Service Manual, FD100290 Rev. 01, June 1983. Equipment and maintenance precautions (p. 3-1); cleaning (p. 3-2); disassembly, adjustment and assembly (pp. 4-1 to 4-10). Hosted here as File:Atari 1025 Printer Field Service Manual FD100290 Rev 01.pdf.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Howard W. Sams & Co., Computerfacts CP21, Atari Model 1025 Printer (1986): miscellaneous adjustments, disassembly instructions and interconnecting diagram. Hosted here as File:Sams Computerfacts CP21 Atari 1025 Printer.pdf.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Atari, Inc., The Atari 1025 Printer Owner's Guide, ribbon and paper installation and troubleshooting pages. Hosted here as File:Atari 1025 Printer Owner's Guide.pdf.
- ↑ Jason H. Moore, "Replace the Ribbon and Paper in an Atari 1025 Printer (10-15 mins)", Atari Projects, 3 March 2019. atariprojects.org. Community write-up.