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Setting up a Star SP500 Wireless Printer

By In Technology

The wonderfully undocumented SP500 printer with wireless Ethernet connection has been the bane of my existence for the last few days.

So I have the IFBD-HW03/04 model, which isn’t even mentioned really in the manual. That means that my firmware is a thousand years old.

This is silly for many reason, but it also forces me to use a Windows machine as well… which just makes me grind my teeth. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A WINDOWS PC WITH IE to do this.

First things first, find the MAC address.

  1. Turn of the printer
  2. Hold the FEED button
  3. Turn it back ON
  4. After you hear the first BEEP, let go the FEED button
  5. Wait a minute or two. Yeah, seriously.
  6. It’ll print out one page of useless information. And then with a big pause in between, it’ll print out the network information, which is what you need.

Then load up the Star Micronics Printer Utility which you can actually download from their website.

  1. Choose SP512 as your printer
  2. Ethernet as your connection.
  3. You should be able to hit “Search Network” and find the printer, but that has never worked for me. So….
  4. Hit Temporary IP Address Assignment
  5. Fill in the MAC Address from your receipt
  6. On your Windows machine, Start > Run > cmd
  7. Find your IP address of your machine with “ipconfig”
  8. Whatever your IP is, give the printer something similar, so you are XXX.XXX.XXX.153 make the printer .158 or something
  9. Hit OK and you should be prompted to go to the control panel.

Next, the interface

  1. The tool will open the interface in your default browser. If this is not IE (which hopefully it isn’t’), open up IE and type in the printer’s IP.
  2. The username is just “root”
  3. Go to NIC
  4. Then got to WiFi-.11b (no it does not support WAP)
  5. Choose “Infra.” as your Wireless Mode (I guess there wasn’t room for “Infrastructure”)
  6. Pop in your SSID of the network you want it to join and the WEP key.

NOW – theoretically this should just work. But I haven’t had any luck.

 

How to reset the printer’s Ethernet settings.

If you screw something up, you’re dead in the water. The problem is you have to connect to the printer in Ad-Hoc mode (SSID STAR-WIFI) before you can set it up. So if you mess something up on the network settings, you can’t get back in to fix it. Fortunately, you can reset this (although you’d never know from reading the manual) but hitting the second dip switch on the WiFi card.

Open up the case

Find the second switch on the WiFi card. Make sure the printer is OFF. Push it to the DOWN position. Then turn the printer back ON and let it boot up. After that, turn it OFF again. Put the switch back to the UP position and turn it back ON. All the settings are now cleared 🙂

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I help cruise lines turn their technical ideas into reality. I'm experienced in all stages of innovation and technology management. I've also been programing since I was 8 years old, and have somehow retained the ability to have normal human interactions. Occasionally I speak about how Industrial Psychology and Neurophysiology can be interrogated with IT and systems management, because I spend a lot of time thinking about the subject, as strange as that may seem.

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How to Land Your First Tech Job: Or at least what I will tell you

In Technology


Ah, the age-old question that haunts every college graduate’s dreams: “How do I get a job?” But not just any job. A job that doesn’t involve asking, “Would you like fries with that?” unless it’s a cheeky Slack message to your new tech team while deploying code (because, let’s face it, multitasking is key).

So, you’re fresh out of college, armed with a degree, and ready to conquer the tech world. But there’s a catch – everyone wants experience, and you’re fresh out of that. It’s like needing a job to get experience but needing experience to get a job. A real chicken and egg situation, except less philosophical and more annoying.

Now, before you start sending LinkedIn invites to every CEO with a pulse, hoping one of them will notice your enthusiasm (or desperation), let’s talk strategy.

1. Start a Blog – No, Seriously

First things first, start a blog. I give this advice to everyone, and you’re not going to take it, but I will keep trying.

“But I’m not a writer,” you protest. Well, guess what? Neither are most of your competitors when it comes to that job interview. But here’s the thing – writing helps you articulate thoughts, share knowledge, and most importantly, shows you’re committed. Write about what excites you in tech. Dissect the latest AI breakthrough, or maybe just rant about why tabs are better than spaces. It’s your stage. It’ll also help you greatly when interviewing. If you’ve actually researched and forced yourself to write about a topic, it’s WAY easier to talk about it.

If the thought of cranking out 500 words twice a week makes you sweat, consider this: if you can’t commit to a blog, how will you commit to a job? Harsh but fair.

2. Ship Something… Anything!

Next, if you’re a coder, designer, or any species of maker, you need to create something and get it out into the world. A portfolio is great, but a product is better. It doesn’t have to be the next Facebook. Heck, it can be a to-do list app that makes a satisfying ‘ding’ sound when you check off an item. But it shows you can see a project through from start to finish. Plus, nothing beats the thrill of seeing your creation out in the wild, even if it’s only used by three people (including your mom). And three users is way more than what most juniors come to interviews with.

3. Polish That LinkedIn Profile

Ah, LinkedIn, the worse MySpace of the professional world. It might not be the most exhilarating social network, but it’s where the grown-ups and LinkedIn Lunatics go to humble brag. So, get your profile in tip-top shape. Showcase your blog, add a professional photo (no, your beach selfie doesn’t count), and maybe sprinkle in a few insightful comments on posts. Show the world you know how to play the game. It’s only for show as a junior, and everyone knows it, so don’t go overboard.

4. Read. Then Read Some More.

While not the world’s biggest Jim Mattis fan, I got a bit of a kick in the pants after reading his Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead. In it he said “If you haven’t read 100 books on the field in which you claim to be an expert, then you are functionally illiterate.” That was a bit of a wake up call for me as a CEO. So if you’re a junior, lets make that rule “If you haven’t read at least five books about your chosen profession, you’re not ready to be a junior anything.” It’s a bold claim, but let’s face it, you’re competing with people who live and breathe this stuff. Catch up.

5. Network, Even If It’s Painful

Finally, networking. Yes, it’s awkward. Yes, it feels like speed dating but with business cards. But knowing what’s happening in your field and who the players are is invaluable. So, go to those tech meetups, chat with people, and yes, maybe even endure a few boring conversations about someone’s revolutionary blockchain startup. Try and meet one or two people who know me before you reach out to me. Then we can have someone to gossip about, and it’ll feel more personal. Tampa has a few good tech networks that throw decent, free events where you can find people who know me. Check out Tampa Bay Wave, Embarc Collective, and Tampa Bay Technology Forum.

And there you have it. Five steps to improve your odds of landing a job in tech. Most won’t follow this advice, but if you do, you’ll be ahead of the game. And who knows, one day, I might be asking you for a job. Or at least, for some tips on my blog.