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The CLUSTERPRINT printhead controller modules each have 1 gigabyte SD-RAM memory.

The use of the memory can be configured very flexibly.

Various preconfigured allocations can be selected for the operating modes Dropwatcher mode, Scanning mode and Singlepass mode.

The size of the memory offers large reserves even when using very data-intensive configurations, as the following calculation examples demonstrate.

Example 1)

Scanning mode

Print head: RICOH GEN5
print width: 2000 mm
resolution: 600 dpi

600 dpi corresponds to (600/25.4) 23.62 shots per millimeter
at 2000 mm print width this results in (2000 * 23,62) 47240 shots per scan

The printhead has 4 nozzle rows with 320 nozzles each.
In “binary mode” (4 x 320), it requires 1280 bits per shot.

1280 bits occupy (1280 / 8) 160 bytes in the memory
One scan therefore requires (47240 x 160 / 1048576) 7.20 MB

Even with memory split in half for scanning, the print data (512 / 7.2) would fit about 71 times in the memory.

Or the scan could be 71 times longer – about 140 m long!

Example 2)

Scanning mode

Print head: EPSON I3200
Print width: 2000 mm
Resolution: 600 dpi

600 dpi corresponds to (600/25,4) 23,62 shots per millimeter
at 2000 mm print width this results in (2000 * 23,62) 47240 shots per scan

The printhead has 8 nozzle rows with 400 nozzles each.
In “Grayscale mode” (8 x 400 x 2), it requires 6400 bits per shot.

6400 bits occupy (6400 / 8) 800 bytes in the memory
One scan therefore requires (47240 x 800 / 1048576) 36.04 MB

Even with memory split in half for scanning, the print data (512 / 7.2) would fit about 14 times in the memory.

Or the data of 14 I3200 heads necessary for one print movement could be stored in the memory of the module!

Example 3)

Single pass operation

Printhead: Kyocera KJ4A

The printhead has 4 shift registers which load together (4 x 664 / 8) 332 bytes per shot in “binary mode”.

With an output resolution of 1200 dpi in the running direction and a print length of 1000 mm, (1000 x 1200 / 25.4) 47240 passes are required.

One pass requires (47240 x 322 / 1048576) 14.50 megabytes of data.

Since the memory is fully usable in single-pass mode, data for (1024 / 14.50) 70 different passes can thus be held in the memory and output alternately.