HP 97 printhead not moving full distance

[Dave Britten]

(01-26-2021 02:08 PM)Paul Berger (Canada) Wrote:  That sounds a lot like a problem I had with one of my 97s that turned out to be a flaky PIK chip, when cold print was compressed and when the paper feed button was pressed, it would not move far enough to print the paper, but once it had been on for a while it printed normally. I was able to get a PIK that came from a 91 and it prints normally however the character set is not the same as in a 97.

That said cleaning and lubrication can be an issue especially the lead screw and support rods. If the idler gear between the motor and lead screw has not been replaced, it is likely rotten and can lead to erratic movement of the head as it falls apart.

Paul.

Huh, interesting. The idler gear was newly replaced last year, and all the components are properly installed and engaged, so if lubing up the moving parts doesn't help, then I suppose it might be the PIK. I wonder if there are any workarounds beside leaving the calculator on long enough to warm up, or just always setting FIX 4 mode to make the printhead move far enough to advance the paper.