Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!hp-pcd!hpcvra.cv.hp.com!rnews!hpcvbbs!akcs.joehorn
From: akcs.joehorn@hpcvbbs.UUCP (Joseph K. Horn)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: Burned-out infrared printer
Keywords: HP infrared thermal printer, smoke, fire, warranty
Message-ID: <2771c3cb:1433.5comp.sys.handhelds;1@hpcvbbs.UUCP>
Date: 21 Dec 90 08:40:08 GMT
References: <4491@altos86.Altos.COM> <1990Dec19.015322.16037@usenet@scion.CS.OR
Lines: 12

Hey, all; remember the PPC hey!days, and how we got the HP-97 to print
pseudo-graphics using non-normalized numbers?  But remember, there was a
danger of sending the right combination of bits which would turn on a dot
and leave it on!  Which, of course, immediately resulted in a puff of
smoke, a very dark dot on the thermal paper (burned thru!), and one dead
printhead dot.  This sort of printer destruction was so easily produced
that HP let it be known that the HP-97 warranty did not cover damages
resulting from the printing of non-normalized numbers.  Notice that it
required no damage to the printer's electronics or short circuit or
controller crash; just the right bitstream to the printer.  Could we be
seeing this ancient phenomenon again?  Just a thought...

--  Joseph K. Horn  --  (714) 858-0920  --  Peripheral Vision, Ltd.  --