 C                                                                 he following article was transcribed from the Inland Empire Adam User's Group Newsletter, and is by Thomas J. Keene\\ 
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Most of us have, by now, learned of the procedu\r~05,80\\ 
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\W\Q\CCORRECTING UNEVEN PRINTING\w\\ 
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The following article was transcribed from the Inland Empire Adam User's Group Newsletter, and is by Thomas J. Keene\\ 
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Most of us have, by now, learned of the procedure to correct the uneven tension of the DIABLO HY-TYPE I printer ribbons.  This has been the major cause of splotchy printing with the ADAM printer. This was not due to any design flaw of the ADAM, but a problem of the ribbon itself.\\ 
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There is another type of problem that manifests itself as an uneven impression of all characters, but usually part of the character is dark enough.\\ 
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This is the result of the hammer of the print head not striking the daisy wheel squarely on the character. This has been observed by others. There was even one solution that I read about, in which it was recommended that the indexing hole in the printwheel be enlarged with a file on one side of the hole, so that the printwheel could be rotated slightly. This was supposed to align the printwheel with the striker. But what happens when the printwheel slips back?.  There is nothing to ensure that it won't.\\ 
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There is a provision in the design of the print mechanism for aligning the striker correctly with the printwheel. I have found that this adjustment makes it possible to obtain precise striking that won't later go out of registration.\\ 
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This operation is not for the faint hearted. And it could make things worse until you get it right. And the needed amount of adjustment is often very slight, which can result in over-correction. But ultimately you can get the adjustment to perfectly align the printwheel and the striker, and the results are well worth the time it takes to do it. The adjustment itself is easy. It might become a bit tedious, because there is a strong tendency to overcorrect.\\ 
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But there is nothing difficult about doing it. And no unusual tools are required. A medium size Phillips head screwdriver is the only tool you will need. And there is no need for additional parts.\\ 
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Be sure that the power is turned off before you start. Place your printer in a convenient position, because you can get a bit tired bending over the printer if it takes a long time to make the adjustment.\\ 
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Remove the ribbon and then you will see four Phillips head screws that must be loosened in order to remove the case. Next you will have to tilt back the printer head and remove the printwheel.\\ 
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I suggest that before you begin any of this disassembly, that you observe the striking action either with or without a ribbon. It is very easy to see if the striker is hitting the printwheel precisely. There are some characters that seem to make it easier to observe this action than others.\\ 
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If you are making a test with the ribbon, the uppercase "W", "D" or "H" are particularly sensitive to uneven striking.  Observing the strike action is easier with the upper-case "W" than with almost any other key. There are a lot of differences in the construction of printwheels by various manufacturers.  The uppercase "W" lies between the comma and the period and, on some makes of printwheels, the comma and period are much shorter than other characters.\\ 
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With this type of wheel it is easier to see how precisely the striker hits the printwheel. But in any case, it is fairly easy to tell if it is hitting the printwheel character exactly right.\\ 
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After you have removed the printwheel you can look directly at the print head. The indexing arm is positioned electronically by referencing the indexing arm with the indexing coil. If this is properly referenced, then all characters of the printwheel will be exactly aligned with the striker. It is very easy to move the position of this indexing arm with respect to the coil. There are two Phillips head screws that clamp the round inner platform, that mounts the coil, to the main body of the print head. If these are loosened, it is possible to rotate that inner platform either clockwise or counter clockwise with  respect to the main body. Gently rotate the platform in the direction that your inspection indicated you should go. If the striker was causing the left side of the "W" to be darker than the right side, then the direction of rotation should be clockwise as viewed from the printwheel side of the printhead.  MAKE VERY SMALL ADJUSTMENTS! Tighten both screws, lower the print head to normal position, turn on the power and make a succession of uppercase W's.\\ 
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Notice the preciseness of the striker action. After a bit, it becomes very easy to tell if it is hitting the printwheel squarely. You don't need to have a ribbon in place to tell if it is hitting evenly. If it seems to be OK, then put the ribbon case back on and put the ribbon back in and try it. Almost always, if the striker was hitting the printwheel squarely, the results with a ribbon will be totally satisfactory. Then, as a final test, print every character on the keyboard (both upper and lower case). \\ 
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Pay particular attention to the commas and the periods. They should be very clear and distinct and above all, they should not be accompanied with a sort of black smudge around the period or comma. If you see this, then you can be assured that it is not striking precisely.\\ 
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ntwheel side of the printhead.  MAKE VERY SMALL ADJUSTMENTS! Tighten b
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