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• Color LaserWriter Service Utility •
This file contains important information about the Color LaserWriter Service Utility, for use in troubleshooting and repair of the Apple Color LaserWriter 12/600 PS. To use this utility, you must also have a special interface cable (Apple P/N 9360235-A), available through the Service Price Pages.
With this utility, you can do the following:
• Save the parameter settings stored in EEPROM on an existing DC controller board which needs to be replaced, and restore the parameter settings to a new DC controller board after it has been installed.
• Force the printer into a "ready" condition, even under some error conditions, so that you can trigger a test print and evaluate print quality during the troubleshooting and repair process.
• Monitor the status of many of the sensors in the printer, while it is running.
Special Note: Internal Modems
It is possible for an internal modem to interfere with the communication between this utility and the printer. Ideally, you should use a system which does not have an internal modem. If you must use a system with an internal modem, we recommend the following:
• Connect the diagnostic cable to the Printer port, if possible.
• Disable the modem software (usually, this is done via the Extensions Manager).
When launched, the utility will determine if a printer is connected to either the Printer or the Modem port. If no printer is connected, the utility will display an error dialog (see Error Dialog - Connection, below).
Parameter Settings File
After successfully connecting to a printer, the utility will check for the presence of the Parameter Settings file, in the same directory as the utility. (Note that the "Write File" button will dimmed if no Parameter Settings file has been created yet.)
When you click the "Create File" button, the utility creates a Parameter Settings file, and stores the current parameter settings from the printer, so that the DC controller board can be replaced.
Once the new DC controller board is installed, launch the utility and click the "Write File" button to transfer the previously copied parameter settings back to the printer.
Take care that you do not save parameter settings from one Color LaserWriter 12/600 PS, and then restore them to another. These settings are unique to each printer, and must not be exchanged between printers.
Force Ready Condition
The "Force Ready" button brings the printer to a ready condition, and the "Test Print" button triggers a test print.
If the "Force Ready" button does not bring a reaction, either the printer is already in a ready condition, or it is asleep. Try the ‘Test Print’ button. If the printer is ready, it will produce a test print. If there is still no response, the printer is probably asleep. Cycle power to put the printer in a known state.
Sensor Status
The cutaway view of printer on the left of the screen shows the sensor location. Sensor name and status are shown on right of the screen. Click on the sensor name field to cause the location of that sensor to highlight in the cutaway view.
Refer to Service Source for in-depth review of the function of each particular sensor. In Service Source, you may search on a sensor number, such as PS8, to find information on that sensor.
A good way to exercise many of the sensors is to move to the "Force Ready Condition" screen and trigger a test print. Then move to the "Sensor Status" screen and observe the state of the individual sensors as the test print progresses. Valuable troubleshooting information can be generated this way if you are familiar with the operation of the printer.
The "Sensor Status" field displays the status of the sensors in the Color LaserWriter 12/600 PS. The information is updated at one second intervals. If for some reason the utility is NOT communicating successfully with the printer, the utility will "beep" at one second intervals to indicate that the sensor status displayed may not be valid.
If the utility cannot find a printer it will put up the following dialog:
"Unable to connect to a Color LaserWriter 12/600 PS.
Please check:
• That the cable is attached to the service connector on the LaserWriter
• That the cable is plugged into a Serial Port on this Macintosh
• That the LaserWriter power switch is on.
Note: If using the Printer Port, you must have AppleTalk disabled."
Status Line Messages - Parameter Settings File
The status line (just above the "Create File" and "Write File" buttons) will display messages according to the conditions listed below:
If the parameter settings file does not exist at startup, this message is displayed:
"No parameter settings file has been created."
Recommended action:
Use the "Create File" button to make the file.
If the parameter settings file exists at startup or was just created, this message is displayed:
"A parameter settings file was created at (date) (time)."
Recommended action:
If you did not create a file for this printer, quit the program and delete the file "Parameter Settings" before proceeding.
If the parameter settings file was written to the printer, this message is displayed:
"The parameter settings file was written to the printer at (date & time)."
Recommended action:
No action is required.
If a serial error occurred while reading the parameters from the printer, this message is displayed:
"An error occurred while reading the parameter settings from the printer."
Recommended actions:
Check for a loose connection and retry the Create File command.
Check to see if an internal modem is installed, and disable the modem software (usually, this is done via the Extensions Manager). Or, run the utility from a system which does not have an internal modem.
If the file could not be created due to a file system error, this message is displayed:
"An error occurred while writing the parameter settings to the file."
Recommended Action:
Retry the "Create File" command.
Use MTP Emergency to check the directory structure on your Macintosh.
If the file could not be created because the disk is locked, this message is displayed:
"Unable to write the parameters to the file. The disk is locked."
Recommended action:
Unlock the disk or copy the utility to a disk that can be written to.
If the file could not be created because the disk is full, this message is displayed:
"Unable to write the parameters to the file. The disk is full."
Recommended action:
Delete some files or copy the utility to another disk that has space available.
If a serial error occurred while writing the parameters to the printer, this message is displayed:
"An error occurred while writing the parameter settings to the printer."
Recommended action:
Check for a loose connection and retry the Write File command.
Check to see if an internal modem is installed, and disable the modem software (usually, this is done via the Extensions Manager). Or, run the utility from a system which does not have an internal modem.
If the file could not be read because of a file system error, this message is displayed:
"An error occurred while reading the parameters from the file."
Recommended action:
Retry the "Write File" command.
Use MTP Emergency to check the directory structure on your Macintosh.
If the file could not be read because it is empty, this message is displayed:
"Unable to read the parameters from the file. The file is empty."
Recommended action:
Verify the size of the file; it should be about 5 kb.
Use MTP Emergency to check the directory structure on your Macintosh.
If the utility could not delete the file after writing the settings to the printer, this message is displayed:
"The parameter settings were successfully written to the printer, but the file could not be deleted."
Recommended action:
Delete the "Parameter Settings" file manually.
Status Line Messages - Force Ready Condition.
If a valid command is issued to the printer, the status line will note that with a time stamp attached. If repeated commands are issued and appear to be valid by means of an incrementing time stamp, but the printer does not respond, the printer is probably asleep.
