Restoring an Olivetti ETV260 that doesn't start up

[1ST1]

You are lucky! You have a Code "001" daisywheel, that is not italian but "international", so you can use the german disk version. All the natrional ETV drivers and software can work with local language daisywheel (germany = 458) and the 001. The machine will autodetect the daisywheel pitch and language by reading the black and silver areas on the daisywheel. The different pichtes (10, 12, 15, PS) and national codes have different silver area sizes, that's a kind of coding like barcode, etc. But you will have german keyboard layout as well, as the driver combines printer driver with keyboard layout in one driver, you can't separate. But you should be able to use the SWS wordprocessor software of ETV 3000 which I have in italian language. The "typewriter" mode to directly print what you write is also in the driver so it will stay in german. I'll pick out the disk images tomorrow.

 

[manumuna]

Ohhh!!!! That's great! It's a really interesting system to detect the daisywheel. Thanks so much for the images!!!! Do you know what it should be this thing on the control board? I think is a battery of some kind but it measures 0V... I've disconnected it because I don't want to risk it will leak any acid. But... I'm not sure what to do about it. What do you recommend?

 

[1ST1]

That's a rechargeable battery to keep some settings for the typewriter mode. I haven't seen yet that it leaked, but if you like you can put it on a cable and place it elsewhere away from the boards.

 

[manumuna]

So, I tried the system and after a few attempts, it finally changed to a "stable" error. Before, even cleaning and oiling all the printer mechanic, it got me that the printer head was blocked and it was at the very end...but anyway). Now, instead, as in the video, it start everything correctly and then it states that the daisywheel is not the correct one if I'm translating correctly. What do you think can be done? I cleaned the sensor behind the wheel with a bit of isopropilc alchool and a cotton swab (it was quite dirty...), but anyway it didn't change anything. @1ST1, what do you recommend? Is it a problem of the driver or of the machine or of the sws in your opinion?

 

[1ST1]

Yes, true, that is interesting as your daisywheel is a 001 international one. It should work... I have to check...

 

[manumuna]

Overriding the error and trying to print something, this is the result. Instead of :

Ma la volpe col suo balzo ha raggiunto il quieto Fido

1234567890

it gives me this:


I also tried to cover one of the silver tag on the wheel (the first anticlockwise from the longer tag)) and it gives me no more error but anyway nothing similar to the phrase above.

BUT anyway, it's printing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woooohhhhhohohohooh!!!!!!

 

[1ST1]

Yes, that is the most important. Did you also tested the correction tape?

And please test if the print head can move to the extreme right position without knocking the printer's right border. If not, you need to fix one more setting which is a bit difficult to do.

 

[manumuna]

Nope, but tomorrow I will test both and let you know. Again, thanks a lot!

 

[1ST1]

I understand now why it is printing wrong characters. The german driver assumes that there is a german 458 daisywheel (for older Olivetti typewriter models which can't read such silver code) as it can't read the code. I have to look if I have a 12 Eletto 001 daisywheel and compare with your picture if the code is the same.

 

[manumuna]

The correction tape works absolutely fine!! It's of the type that add the white over the letter. About the right border thing, I think it works in a good way because it move smoothly to the end where in stop without bumbing too hard or keeping pushing. About the daisywheel, what do you recommend trying first? Is there anything you think needs to be checked?
Also, I saw that the Enter key is not working on the original keyboard. I'm always using Alt+13 to emulate it, but it's quite annoying. Is there a good way to clean the membrane of the keyboard (at least, I suppose it's a membrane problem): I remember trying something in the past with a few ZX Spectrums but I didn't get good results and had to buy the new membrane for those. But I think that for this one I will not find any spares...

 

[manumuna]

I just tried a thing... Reading again a message of yours 1ST1, I had an idea. Directly with the ETV3000 didn't boot as you said, giving also sometimes quite a few weird messagges and getting stuck. So I swapped only the printdd.sys and modedd.sys from the ETV3000 disk to the 260 one... It booted, gave an error but printed correctly! With the SWS there is a few bugs I think (like you print a document a time and then you have to close it and reopen if you want to print it again) working this way. At the boot of the system it gives quite an error, but skipping it, it go on smoothly (it tells that the system is faulty and to call the assistance).The keyboard has the right mapping too in this way! The correction tape works and also the left-right motion works. The only thing (but maybe is the sensor dirty???) it does not read the beginning of the white sheet of paper. @1ST1 Do you think is there any problem for the machine eventually working with these drivers?

 

[manumuna]

Nope, the "bugs" I was saying they're not present... It was me that I didn't know how to use the SWS... XD And about the machine not finding the left edge of the paper is because the sensor is TOTALLY missing. There is the cable but it's not connected to anything... About the enter key, with a blow with a bit of compress air it started working again!

 

[1ST1]

With the paper sensor that is interesting. The sensor rear side of the printhead, I can check the service manual.

So your 260 now works with the 3000 drivers? Interesting! And you also use the SWS from the 3000? So the question is, what of the 3000 disk is so different that it stuck at the 260?

 

[1ST1]

What you can do now is to put an XT-IDE with a small CF card in the internal horizontal ISA slot and install MS-DOS 4.01 (Olivetti branded) on the machine. DOS 4.01 is the latest version which works with the ETV 260/3000 drivers, DOS 5 hangs up when loading it. The advantage of DOS 4.01 is that the partition size can exceed 32 MB. And then you can also install the PC-ZIP driver which has been released in this forum, attach a parallel port ZIP drive, and then you have a real working thing. You even can install MS-Word 5.5 (english install version available on vetusware), the ETV 260 printer is supported by using Diabolo 630 or even better Olivetti ET 112/116 typewriter driver inside Word. And you can run plenty of CGA games and even DOOM8088 (but here you have to comment out the ETV drivers otherwise memory is not enough).

 

[1ST1]

Ok, I checked my box of daisywheels and I don't have a Eletto 001, except if it would be in one of my typewriters (plenty of them, tooo much work to search through all of them). So I can't compare & test.

But that might help to fix the paper sensor issue.


That's where the photo transistor is connected to the service pcb in the print head.


3 = paper left edge detection
4 = paper present sensor

 

[manumuna]

With the paper sensor that is interesting. The sensor rear side of the printhead, I can check the service manual.

So your 260 now works with the 3000 drivers? Interesting! And you also use the SWS from the 3000? So the question is, what of the 3000 disk is so different that it stuck at the 260?

I really don't know and it's something really interesting. maybe it has something to do with the startup? Some code in the bootloader that check a reference on some ROM memory address?

 

[manumuna]

What you can do now is to put an XT-IDE with a small CF card in the internal horizontal ISA slot and install MS-DOS 4.01 (Olivetti branded) on the machine. DOS 4.01 is the latest version which works with the ETV 260/3000 drivers, DOS 5 hangs up when loading it. The advantage of DOS 4.01 is that the partition size can exceed 32 MB. And then you can also install the PC-ZIP driver which has been released in this forum, attach a parallel port ZIP drive, and then you have a real working thing. You even can install MS-Word 5.5 (english install version available on vetusware), the ETV 260 printer is supported by using Diabolo 630 or even better Olivetti ET 112/116 typewriter driver inside Word. And you can run plenty of CGA games and even DOOM8088 (but here you have to comment out the ETV drivers otherwise memory is not enough).

This a really great idea!!!!! Oh yess!!! I will start looking for the parts...

Ok, I checked my box of daisywheels and I don't have a Eletto 001, except if it would be in one of my typewriters (plenty of them, tooo much work to search through all of them). So I can't compare & test.

But that might help to fix the paper sensor issue.

View attachment 1319796
That's where the photo transistor is connected to the service pcb in the print head.

View attachment 1319797
3 = paper left edge detection
4 = paper present sensor

View attachment 1319798

About this, the daisywheel sensor is present and I'm quite sure the paper present it's ok too. I will check more carefully about about the left edge sensor, because I only saw the cable and the connector on its end but anything like a place where it should be connected...

I'm really amazed, you have also ALL the documentation!!!!!

 

[Zare]

@Zare , if you like I can help you now with that software. Let me know how to do it.

Hey manumuna, once you get the XT CF upgrade and ability to easily move files from ETV, if you could dump the BIOS to a file, it would be much appreciated.
Instructions you can find here - https://www.dosdays.co.uk/topics/bios.php . Below the BIOS Flashing/Dumping tools is a debug.com procedure you can use verbatim. In the meanwhile I'll also try out some of those utilities on M19 and see if they work automatically so you don't have to enter debug commands but use a done program.

Looking into the BIOS instructions will reveal the specifics of video signal generation.

Edit : attached the better-quality schematic of Hantarex monitor. I will try to open up one of my DSM1912s to see about the similarities. What I recall is that M19 monitor has two boards on the side, the left one (from front POV) should be power board and the right one is the CRT driver, and that board has 3 ICs. H, V deflection ICs and an additional power IC.

 

[manumuna]

As soon as it arrives, I will do it! I was able to order one just this week: I've been really busy recently...

 

[manumuna]

Hey manumuna, once you get the XT CF upgrade and ability to easily move files from ETV, if you could dump the BIOS to a file, it would be much appreciated.
Instructions you can find here - https://www.dosdays.co.uk/topics/bios.php . Below the BIOS Flashing/Dumping tools is a debug.com procedure you can use verbatim. In the meanwhile I'll also try out some of those utilities on M19 and see if they work automatically so you don't have to enter debug commands but use a done program.

Looking into the BIOS instructions will reveal the specifics of video signal generation.

Edit : attached the better-quality schematic of Hantarex monitor. I will try to open up one of my DSM1912s to see about the similarities. What I recall is that M19 monitor has two boards on the side, the left one (from front POV) should be power board and the right one is the CRT driver, and that board has 3 ICs. H, V deflection ICs and an additional power IC.

And it's a really good scan!!!!! Thanks a lot <3