Performing a Hardware Self-Test on Star Printers

Star printers offer a feature to perform a hardware self-test which is important for troubleshooting and verifying printer configurations. The self-test provides critical information such as the firmware version, interface details, memory and DIP switch settings.

To find the firmware version, look for the top line of the self-test which will look like this example: “*** TSP650II Ver7.0 -b2.0 ***”. The printer model is “TSP650II” and the firmware version is “Ver7.0 -b2.0”.

To perform a hardware self-test, first turn the printer OFF. Then, press and hold the “FEED” button and power ON the printer. Release the “FEED” button when the self-test starts printing. The self-test will print one or two tickets depending on the printer’s interface. One ticket will include the memory and DIP switch settings, while two tickets will include interface information like MAC address, network IP, and dynamic/static IP assignment.

If the hardware self-test doesn’t print, some common reasons might include releasing the “FEED” button before the self-test has started printing, using the wrong type of paper, a network connection issue (if using Ethernet or WLAN), or the printer not being powered on.