Thermal Printer

[zaccolley]

just submitted a community module for a thermal printer

links links links links links links links

https://www.hackster.io/zaccolley/thermal-printer-module-for-tessel
https://github.com/zaccolley/tessel-thermalprinter
https://www.npmjs.com/package/tessel-thermalprinter

links links links links links links links

There's an example for a Last.fm feed for now playing tracks.

images

If anyone can help me implement images that'd be cool. I've mostly used the thermal printer module as a base and this is how they implemented images: https://github.com/xseignard/thermalPrinter/blob/master/src/printer.js#L202

My main problem is getting the Tessel to convert images to the buffer of hex values for the printer commands. I'm thinking maybe it'll be easier to do this from a server elsewhere...

[dan]

@zaccolley: Thats awesome

[Kelsey]

This is really excellent. Are you still working on getting it to print ASCII portraiture?

PS sorry I'm being slow to get it on the /modules page. I promise I noticed.

[zaccolley]

Cool thanks

Hadn't thought about printing images in ASCII art that's cool. Could only have 32 characters width so probably not the highest res haha.

The printer can print proper bitmaps, black and white. The original thermalprinter library has methods for converting images and printing but that code doesn't work on the Tessel so need to fix that.

Will update when I get it working

[Kelsey]

We're live on the modules page! Thermal Printer.
Sorry that took so long.

As far as ASCII art: huh, must have been someone else? I was talking to someone who wanted to hook up a thermal printer to Tessel to make a photobooth that would take your picture with the Tessel camera, ping an API to turn it into a portrait in ASCII, and print it out for you. I still think that's a great idea/would be such a good demo

Thanks for making this cool module!