Which Commodore printer is easiest to maintain?

Modding and Technical Issues

Moderator: Moderators

yoyodyne
Vic 20 Enthusiast
Posts: 173
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2005 12:30 pm

Which Commodore printer is easiest to maintain?

Post by yoyodyne »

Hi,
I've accumulated several Commodore printers, and even
1 or 2 commodore compatible ones. I'm looking at thinning
out the herd.

Of the Commodore brand printers, which is the best to keep
around, based on:

1. find new ribbons.
2. doesn't break down, or is easy to fix.
3. quality of print.

I don't print hardly at all, but I would like to keep one or two
around. My goal is someday have a setup in a room by itself, not
sharing desk space with a pc.

Thanks for your help.

Brian
If you document it, its not a bug, its a feature.
~
You can have peace, or you can have freedom. Just don't count on having them both at once.
~
There was a time, before we were born. If someone asks, this is where I'll be.
User avatar
ral-clan
plays wooden flutes
Posts: 3702
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 2:01 pm
Location: Canada

Post by ral-clan »

Ummm....I only have the MPS-801, which really sucks from a performance point of view....but I actually love it. It's old, not bi-directional, has no features other than page advance, slow, noisy. But, it's the oldest Commodore printer you can still find ribbons for. It's pretty reliable too.

If you don't want the oldest, most retro printer (the MPS-801 is basically the same as the VIC-1525 in terms of performance & print quality), then I would suggest any later Commodore printer that was actually manufactured by Epson. You can almost always get ribbons for those quite easily. The MPS-1200 comes to mind (if there was one of those). The later printers are much faster, can take non-tractor feed paper, have better quality (NLQ) etc.

Just make sure it has the Commodore Serial Bus! I think the last Amiga ones did not.
TurtleWax
Vic 20 Newbie
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2009 3:07 pm

Reliable printers...

Post by TurtleWax »

I have an MPS-801. I just reink the ribbons with stamp ink.... :)
I also have a BlueChip Printer adapter that lets you connect Non-comodore printers. I would consider selling the Printer adapter since I don't have a printer to hook up to it.
User avatar
RobertBe
Vic 20 Elite
Posts: 2304
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 2:48 pm

Post by RobertBe »

ral-clan wrote:The MPS-1200 comes to mind (if there was one of those). The later printers are much faster, can take non-tractor feed paper, have better quality (NLQ) etc..
The MPS-1250 (a rebadged Citizen 120D) is even better. Though it is a 9-pin printer, its print quality is good, it's fast, and it has both IEC serial and parallel Centronics ports.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
Catch the Fatman and Circuit Girl at
http://vimeo.com/jeri
brain
Vic 20 Nerd
Posts: 531
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 10:12 pm

Post by brain »

the newer units (1000,1250, etc.) are probably OK, but I think the rest are at best collector's items.

1515 has nonstandard paper size and isn;t 64 compatible
1525 has the same 64 compatibility issue
1525 works, but is 5x7 and is slow. You can still get ribbons and it is hard to break these, tho
1526 no real gfx mode. Easy to get ribbons, but no support for it.
MPS801 not sure about ribbons. Hardy printer, but 5x7 again.
MPS802 same printer as 1526
MPS803 hard to find new ribbons, 5x7, some are missing the optional tractor feed unit.
DPS1101 hehe, well, it's a nice printer, but hardly useful for gfx.

I'd personally recommend a non CBM printer. Epsons, HPs and old Okidata units (I have a 180 here, which has CBM and Centronics and is a true tank of a printer). Ribbons are cheaper, and availability is better.

Jim
User avatar
ral-clan
plays wooden flutes
Posts: 3702
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2006 2:01 pm
Location: Canada

Post by ral-clan »

brain wrote:the newer units (1000,1250, etc.) are probably OK, but I think the rest are at best collector's items.

1525 works, but is 5x7 and is slow. You can still get ribbons and it is hard to break these, tho
Do you know of some secret place that stocks them?

The 1525 was a relabelled Shiekosha. Although this printer was also sold under many other brands for many other computers, I have found the ribbons REALLY hard to find. I managed to pick up four on Ebay last year, but that's all I've seen in years.
MPS801 not sure about ribbons. Hardy printer, but 5x7 again.
I agree that the MPS801 is a strongly built printer. Ribbons are still available with a little searching (and they come up on Ebay from time to time). The great thing about the MPS801 is that it uses an endless loop of standard width ribbon. So, even if you can't track down original ribbon cartridges, you can buy just about any other printer ribbon cartridge available at your local business supply store, pop both cartridges open, and drop in the ribbon into the MPS801 catridge's plastic shell. Put a few drops of stamp pad ink (available in bottles) on the foam sponge inside, and you've got an ink cartridge that's almost like new.
I'd personally recommend a non CBM printer. Epsons, HPs and old Okidata units (I have a 180 here, which has CBM and Centronics and is a true tank of a printer). Ribbons are cheaper, and availability is better.
Don't forget the STAR NX10C or NX1000C. THey were both immensely popular printers in the 80s and early 90s. Make sure they have the "C" at the end - which means they also have a standard Commodore serial port and PETSCII character print ability. Star also made regular versions of these printers (No "C" at the end). Last time I checked (about four years ago), Ribbons for these printers could still be ordered through my local office supply store, and they were widely available online as well.

Newer printers are certainly nice for speed, print quality and ease of finding ribbons....but I actually PREFER the old printers. Since I like the retro experience, I actually want a printer that is from the era the VIC was sold in. The VIC1525 and MPS801 are perfect. They are slow, low quality, noisy, etc. but they really bring back that 80's feel every time I use and hear them operate. I also like the really retro look of the crude dot matrix text (definitely NOT NLQ and no true descenders).
vk4akp
Vic 20 Drifter
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:53 am

Boxed like new MPS-802

Post by vk4akp »

I have a boxed like new MPS-802 printer that I saved for as a kid.

Part of my C64 collection.

Unfortunately the head has a dropped pin.

If anyone can help out with a spare head or two and maybe some belts, ribbons or anything else to help me keep the old girl going I'd be a happy boy.

Out of interest there was a replacement Eprom for these back int he day that added graphics ability to these printers. I am so mad at myself that I never sprung for the extra $50 to get it. If anyone has the code please please let me know.

There was also some software that would allow the printer to print graphics but it was very slow.

.-.-.
User avatar
eslapion
ultimate expander
Posts: 5458
Joined: Fri Jun 23, 2006 7:50 pm
Location: Canada
Occupation: 8bit addict

Post by eslapion »

RobertBe wrote:The MPS-1250 (a rebadged Citizen 120D) is even better. Though it is a 9-pin printer, its print quality is good, it's fast, and it has both IEC serial and parallel Centronics ports.
Hey, I got one for free last year!!

Will probably start using it next summer to fill in the customs declarations forms when shipping abroad. These are still on continuous paper with standard perforated edges.

Good to know it uses the same ribbon as the Citizen 120D.
Be normal.
Harlock
Vic 20 Newbie
Posts: 8
Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2009 6:30 pm

Post by Harlock »

I've gotta pair of MPS801's sitting here unused. I do still like them as they were my first printer I personally owned. But after the ko wrecked type fiasco of overpriced dried up old ribblons I've been unable to use them at all. Did see another place online but as they charge an insane price of $67 I cancelled the order and will not buy from them. Nor will I mention their name as they deserve not any publicity.
vk4akp
Vic 20 Drifter
Posts: 36
Joined: Tue Aug 28, 2007 4:53 am

Post by vk4akp »

RE-ink your old ribbons.

Or find someone that can repack them for you.

.-.-.
dru
Vic 20 Newbie
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2009 12:13 am

Post by dru »

brain wrote:1515 has nonstandard paper size and isn;t 64 compatible
1525 has the same 64 compatibility issue
Hi Jim, this is my first post but I came here specifically interested in the 1525. We had one for our C-64, I used to print to it from the PaperClip word processor. What compatibility issue was there?
IsaacKuo
Vic 20 Hobbyist
Posts: 147
Joined: Tue Aug 04, 2009 5:45 am

Post by IsaacKuo »

I was curious about that also, but I didn't want to bump the thread (I'm a newbie also).

I have a 1525 and used it with my C64 with no issues.
brain
Vic 20 Nerd
Posts: 531
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 10:12 pm

Post by brain »

The timing for the IEC bus in the 1525 has some of the same issues as that on the 1540. The C64 required a bit more delay in some areas to handle the VIC-II timing rquirements, so the 1541 was created, which was a ROM change. Likewise, the 1525e was created, which did similar for the 1525.

In practice, since the majority of the bus timing concerns were around bus transitions the printer initiated, and the printers never did much in that area, some people may not notice the issue.

Jim
AmiDog
Vic 20 Newbie
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Oct 15, 2007 4:22 am

Post by AmiDog »

I have an MPS-801 at home, simply because it was the very first printer I owned. Haven't used it in years. I remeber using it with GEOS, which was a pain (not GEOS, but the MPS-801) as it has some weirdo 69x69 DPI resolution (or something) compared to the standard 80x72 one...
PaulQ
undead vic
Posts: 1967
Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2007 2:57 pm

Post by PaulQ »

Sorry to revive such an old thread, but I made a recent discovery. I searched various forums and websites, and found that my discovery hasn't already been discovered, and to the best of my knowledge it hasn't, and it relates to this topic, so I'll add on to this one instead of creating a new thread.

My first printer ever was an MPS 802 connected to my Commodore 64. When I got a Commodore Amiga system, I sold the MPS 802 to buy an Epson LX-810, as the MPS 802 didn't work with the Amiga. It always occurred to me that the printer cartridges looked very similar; but, as is the way with printer technology, there are slight differences in the ribbon cartridge design that prohibits interchanging the two.

I recently acquired an MPS 802 printer. It occurred to me that, while there may have been differences in the printer cartridge design, I assumed that the ribbons themselves would be of standard dimensions. It would have been cheap and easy enough for manufacturers to stamp out their own plastic ribbon cartridge cases en masse, but they likely bought the ribbons from a common source, as is typical in manufacturing. I checked. The dimensions of the ribbon in the cartridge of the MPS 802 are pretty much identical to that in the Epson LX-810 cartridge (and probably others).

To test, I took an old Epson LX-810 cartridge that still works but is slightly faded, and removed it from that cartridge. Next, I carefully pried the top off the MPS 802 cartridge, and removed that ribbon. Then I wound the ribbon from the LX-810 cartridge around the spools, snapped the lid back into place, and wound the ribbon back in. The result? Success.

Image

This is good news, because ribbons for the LX-810 are still common and available at Staples for a reasonable $13. With this theory now verified, I think I'll stop by Staples to pick up a brand new LX-810 printer ribbon cartridge to cannibalize.
Post Reply