Dot Matrix and Daisy-Wheel Printers

So you took your printer apart....

"I stupidly took apart my Panasonic KX-P1123 to attempt a head swap (the cable was too short!), now that it's back together it just beeps when I try to print. The only things I touched were the rod that the head assembly slides on and the toothed belt also had to come off (I don't think it's a timing belt.. there's no clear markings suggesting that). When I try to print, the head moves to the center, there's no pin action and it starts beeping at two second intervals (and won't stop). It's not the paper sensors because they seem to work properly...any ideas?"

(From: Filip M. Gieszczykiewicz (filipg@repairfaq.org).)

Greetings. A few:

1. Make sure you didn't trap and crimp any wires .. there SHOULD be a 'Column 0' sensor - either a photo-interrupter or a switch. The print head will activate it during the self-init.

BTW, move the carriage all the way to the right, close the cover and turn it on - does the print head move or does it just sit there and beep?

1. Ensure that you have the ribbon cable correctly hooked up between the printer & head .. some [smarter] printers can tell... I am not sure about that one, but some printer have an optical (IR) sensor that detects ribbon presence (or am I spoiled with fixing $$$ printers? :-)

2. This should be obvious - but does the print head move FREELY all the way from the left to right and back? Don't forget to oil (not too much!) the rails!

3. Did you reconnect all the cables? Is the front-panel (display+buttons) attached?

More depends on the answers and results of the above. BTW, most newer dot-patrix printers just need 2 screws to be removed to release the head. I know the Epson LQ-1050 works like that (and many of that Stars as well). Anyones needs parts from the former? I have one with a dead head (and it's not economical to repair).