MFP Copiers, a Simple Introduction.

The WorkCentre 5945-style MFP copiers are still relatively new machines.  They’re well-built, B&W Xerox brand copiers which look to be a great new series for everyone involved.  In previous ENX articles, we took apart the fuser and learned how to work on and rebuild the drum cartridges. It’s high time we look at the machines themselves and get a handle on how to work on these fine beasts.

WorkCentre 5945 / 5955

The WC-5945 / 5955 machines are monochrome copiers with speeds of 45 / 55 ppm.  They are increasingly popular and seem to be trouble free for the most part.  We’re keeping an eye on some of the VersaLink models that just came out, as some of the new models share the same toner cartridge part numbers.  When we learn more, we will probably include them as a 5945-style machine.

The machines come configured with 4 paper drawers. Tray 1 and 2 are 500 sheet trays and tray 3 and 4 are side-by-side high capacity drawers which can hold up to 3600 sheets of paper.  Then there is “tray 5,” which is the bypass feeder.

They call the document feeder an SPDH (Single Pass Document Handler).  It can handle up to 200 documents.  Watch the sep roll on these: they get flat spots and need to be replaced more often than they should (5945DSR).  The more common and simpler of the two choices of finishers is the 2k LCSS (Large Capacity Stacking Stapler).  That’s nice because they’re the same finishers found throughout the C35 style, so they are already familiar.

Main Consumables / Supplies

Here are the main consumables and some details about each:

• Toner Cartridge: US Sold Plan 2 pack = 006R01605 (stated yield = 22K per ctg. / 44K per case).  Note that most machines which are not under service contract are set up for the “Sold Plan.”  In those cases, the machine will reject toner cartridges which are designed for the “Metered Plan” version (006R01604).
• Drum Cartridge: 013R00669 (stated yield is 179K).  The drum cartridge for this machine includes the developer station which is the lower half of the same cartridge. At first glance, this part reminds you of the C123-style drum cartridges. But these are longer and none of the parts turned out to be compatible with the older models.  Drums, blades, charge rolls, cleaning rolls, and CRUMs are already available out there.

  5945 Drum Cartridge

• Fuser Module: 110v version = 109R00847 (stated yield is 250K).  The fusers are easy enough to get to (open the left door and a couple of thumbscrews will get it out).  The fuser module’s part number is 109R00847.  Fuser CRUM chips are already available. Heat rolls and pressure rolls for rebuilding these should hit the aftermarket field by fall of 2017.

  5945 Fuser Module

• Bias Transfer Roll (BTR):  008R13178 (250K stated yield).

Entering Diagnostic Mode (Service Mode)

From the ready condition (or from a fault condition), press and hold the “0” button for at least 7 seconds. Then, while still holding the “0” button, press the “Start” button and release both together.  The machine will ask for a passcode. Enter “6789” followed by “Enter” on the screen.To exit diagnostic mode, choose the “Call Closeout” tab and select “Do Not Reset Counters” if you want to keep the fault history intact.  Then select “Exit and Reboot.”

Diagnostics Menus

There are 5 tabs in diagnostics:

• Service Info Tab:  includes fault history and CRU (Customer Replaceable Unit) / HFSI (High Frequency Service Items).
• Diagnostics Tab:  includes “dc330 Component Control” (for testing motors and switches, etc.) and print test patterns.
• Adjustments Tab:  Here you’ll find “dc131 NVM Read / Write” and also “NVM Save & Restore.”   CAUTION: Never use “NVM Initialization” unless you know how to reload the firmware and all of the memory settings and any customer settings which are in the machine.
• Maintenance Tab:  also includes fault history and CRUM / HFSI’s.
• Call Closeout Tab: for exiting diagnostics.

Reading Fault Codes

As is often the case, these machines sometimes aren’t forthcoming with fault codes when they have problems. Here’s how to get the fault codes to show up.  Press the “Machine Status” button and choose the “Active Messages” tab followed by the “Fault History” button.  Alternately, if the “Machine Status” button doesn’t bring it up, you can also go into the diagnostic mode (as mentioned earlier), choose the “Service Info” tab and then choose “dc122 to Fault History.”

Resetting HFSI’s (High Frequency Service Items) / Consumable Counters

Note that the drums and fusers have CRUM chips on them so those are plug-and-play, but other components such as the 2nd BTR Roll will require resetting. Enter diagnostics and choose the “Service Info” tab.  Then choose “dc135 CRU/HFSI.”  Select the HFSI you want to reset from the onscreen list.  Then touch “Reset Counter” and finally “Reset” to confirm.

Backing Up NVM Data (Non Volatile Memory)

On these machines backing up the NVM data for the SBC (Single Board Controller) and IIT (Image Input Terminal, i.e. the scanner) to a USB drive is a piece of cake, so it is definitely worth doing for every machine in your fleet.  You should do this at your first service call and anytime you make changes to the NVM or need to reload firmware. Here’s how to do it:

1. Connect a USB flash drive to the USB port on the UI (User Interface / Control Panel).
2. Enter diagnostics, select the “Adjustments” tab and then touch “dc361 NVM Save and Restore.”
3. The display will show the available data: “live” NVM data appears first and then any data which has been saved to the hard disk, and then below everything else you will see any NVM data which is already on the flash drive.
4. You will first need to save the “live” data to the hard disk by choosing which NVM live data you want to save and then clicking on “Save to Hard Drive.”
5. Then you can select the hard drive data entry and touch “Save to USB Device.”  (You can’t go directly from the USB to the “live” memory or vice versa. You simply have to save to the hard drive first in either direction).

If you ever need to “Restore NVM” from a backup, you will do basically the same thing.  First save the memory from the USB backup drive to the hard drive and then choose that data entry and touch “Restore Machine NVM.”  Wait and watch for the touchscreen to report that the NVM was restored successfully.  When you finish, you will need to select “Call Closeout” and then “Exit and Reboot.”

Firmware Upgrade

This you will find delightful. You don’t need to have any special PWS laptops to upgrade to newer software levels.  Just check first to make sure you are upgrading to a newer version.  If you need to reload the same version because software corruption is suspected, that requires a different procedure using an Altboot method (which can still be done from a USB drive)

1. First do an NVM save (see above).
2. Make sure USB ports are enabled. Log in as the administrator, press “Machine Status” and choose the “Tools” tab, select “Security Settings” and then “USB Port Security” and make sure it shows “Enabled.”  If you need to change it to “Enabled,” you’ll want to turn the machine off and back on again before continuing.
3. Create a top level folder on the USB flash drive and name it “upgrade.”
4. Copy the .dlm file into the “upgrade” folder.
5. Connect the USB flash drive into any of the USB ports.
6. The software upgrade screen will show up and after a few minutes the progress screen opens.  It is supposed to take about 5 minutes and then the machine will reboot several times and come back to a ready state.
7. Run an NVM restore (see above).

Altboot from a USB Drive

This is similar to the firmware upgrade procedure above, but you will name the top level folder “AltBoot” and you’ll put the .dlm file in there instead.  For an Altboot, you will need to power the machine off.  Then connect the USB drive to one of the two USB ports on the SBC (Single Board Controller) and power on the machine.  If an error comes up really quickly, the hard disk drive is probably bad and you’ll want to troubleshoot the hard drive.  Normally, you will wait about 3 minutes before the upgrade begins and the progress screen opens.

Ok. I think that’ll have to suffice for this month’s article on the 5945-style machines.   I’ll have to come back again for a look at the fault code meanings and how to reset the ones which require resetting.

Xerox Docucolor 240, 250, 242, 252, 260, WorkCentre 7655, 7665, 7675, 7655, 7665, 7675, Xerox Color 550/560/570, C60/C70, DCP-700/700i/770, Color Press C75/J75

A bit of time and a healthy dose of patience (as well as a few replacement parts) are all that’s needed to rebuild one of the DCP700 or Color 550 2nd BTR roller (transfer roll) assemblies.  The first few techs who rebuilt these reported that what at first looked like an easy repair turned out to be quite complicated. I have been wanting to write an article on one for some time now.  For this article I recruited my brother Kurt’s help.  He showed me how the assembly comes apart and with his guidance the repair became far more approachable.

As is true with most things, the repair gets easier with experience.  There are a few tidbits of knowledge which make this procedure go a lot smoother.  One of the keys is to slide the pivot shaft out through the front end of the unit rather than the rear. The temptation is to leave a pair of e-clips on the shaft and slide it out through the rear end—but as it turns out, there’s a ground clip inside which you need to sneak the shaft past.  The rear end of the shaft is rounded to help get it by that ground point.  You’ll also see there are parts which don’t need to be removed at all, in particular the cam shaft and all the hardware on that part of the assembly.

There are two types of screws on this assembly: long plastic thread screws and short metal thread screws.  It’s important to put the correct kind of screws back in the right spots or you’ll run into problems.  The instructions below will mention which type of screw is in each position.

There are four versions of this assembly depending on which model machine you’re working on. Though all are similar, they are not completely interchangeable.DC250 version:

• 059K45987 / 059K88420 (for: DC240/DC242/DC250/DC252/DC260, WC-7655/7665/7675, WC-7755/7765/7775)
• 550 version: 059K68395 (for 550/560/570, C60/C70)
• 700 version: 059K55905 / 059K78323 (for DCP 700/700i/770)
• J75 version: 059K79314 (for J75 / C75)

For this month’s article, we’re going to tackle the bulk of the rebuild procedure. We’ll use the 550 version as the guinea pig.  Note that the 700 and J75 versions are extremely similar in their complexity. I’m told the DC250 version is easier to take apart.   We will get all the way through freeing up the sub-assembly which has the transfer roll / blade / brush and wax bar so that it can be lifted out of the unit.  Then, next month, we’ll finish the procedure and look at the differences between the four versions.

You’ll want to keep the following tools handy:

• Philips head screwdriver (or 5.5 mm nutdriver)
• Small flat-bladed screwdriver
• Needle-nosed pliers or a spring hook.

PROCEDURE:

Photo #1: Remove tension springs

1. Use a spring hook or needle-nosed pliers to remove the two tension springs at the bottom of the unit (one each at the front and rear ends, see photo #1)

Photo #2: Notice the location of the markings on the cam adjust collar

2. Take notice of the position of the 2 “dashes” on the cam adjust collars (see photo #2).  In this example and on all of the ones we’ve seen so far, these two dashes are positioned at the very top of the unit (at the 12:00 position).  This is true for both the front and rear cam adjust collars.

Important NOTE: the two cam adjust collars are not identical.  Instead, they are mirror images of one another.  You can tell them apart because the one at the front end is the thicker of the two.

Photo #3: Front end

3. Remove the front-end cover (1 screw at the upper left corner: short machine thread), then shift cover to your right and let it hang by its wiring harnesses. (see photo #3)

Photo #4: Top entrance baffle: One screw from the front, one up top near the front and another near the rear end.

4. Take off the top entrance baffle (the metal baffle). Remove 2 screws from the top and 1 from the front end (see photo #4).

Photo #5: Front indexing bracket (4 screws, #2 is the only machine-thread of the 4)

5. Next the front inner bracket can come off (4 screws from the front. Of these, 3 are long plastic thread screws.  The one on the lower left is a short metal thread screw)

Photo #6: One screw to remove the front inner cam plate.

6. Next, take off the large front gear (1 e-clip) and then the front cam adjust collar can also slide off (but see the important note in step #2!)

Photo #7: Front inner cam plate shown removed from the unit. Be careful not to lose the Indexing Finger from either end of the unit. They are spring loaded and not captive.

7. Also pop off the small front gear (1 e-clip)

Photo #8: Rear end

8. The front inner cam plate can now come off. Extract it from around the BTR roll’s shaft. Be careful with the little cam indexing finger, though. This finger is spring loaded and not captive, so it can easily fall off if you’re not paying close attention.  NEXT for the rear end (see photo #8):

Photo #9: Rear cam plate (4 screws)

9. Remove the BTR drive gear (DC250BTRDG) from the end of the BTR roller’s shaft (it is just pushed onto the D-shaft and will pop off fairly easily).

Photo #10: Extract pivot shaft out front end

10. Also remove the BTR drive idler gear (DC250BTRDIG or DC700BTRDIG) from its shaft (1 e-clip) and then remove 2 other e-clips from the same shaft behind where the gear was mounted.  (see Photo #8)

11. Remove the rear BTR roll bias contact (1 screw – short machine thread)

12. Next take off the rear plastic plate. This plate is black plastic and had the bias contact attached to it. It also holds the cam adjust collar’s indexing pin (as with the one on the front end, this piece is spring loaded. Be very careful as the indexing finger can pop or slide off and get lost). There are 3 screws. The bottom screw has long plastic threads and the two upper screws have short machine threads.

13. Now you can remove the cam adjust collar and its bearing from the BTR roll’s shaft (1 e-clip).

14. Extract the rear cam inner collar from the BTR roll’s shaft as well.

15. Slide the pivot shaft out through the front end.

Important NOTE: When reassembling, you will need to insert the pivot shaft in again through the front end so that the rounded rear end will make it past a ground clip inside the pivot frame.

Ok… so I hate to leave you all hanging!  But we’ll need to wait till next month to do the honors of actually lifting the BTR roll / brush / blade / wax bar assembly out of the unit (hint: you’ll be lifting the front end out first and you’ll want to be gentle with the mylar seal blade on the unit).  Next month we’ll also take a good look at the various versions and what makes them different from one another. We’ll take an especially close look at the gears on each version.

550 2nd BTR Assembly

Welcome back to the lesson in patience which we bravely began two months ago. In that first article, we took the 2nd BTR assembly of a Color 550 almost all the way apart. Not an easy procedure, but doable given enough time and patience. Now we’ll soldier on and finish the procedure, as we lift the core of the unit out and replace the consumable parts within. Afterward, we’ll also talk about the four versions of the units within the DC250 style, with a close eye on what’s the same and what’s different about them.

Photo #10: Extract pivot shaft out front end

Let’s start where we left off in the procedure. After you extract the pivot shaft through the front end of the unit (step #15 in the previous article, see photo #10), you can now get to the most important components in the assembly, which are usually sold in a kit (DC700BTRK): 2nd BTR Roller, Cleaning Brush, Cleaning Blade, and Wax Bar. Below is how the procedure continues:

Photo #11: Lift the transfer roll and cleaning assembly’s front end upward to get the assembly out of the base of the unit.

16. Lift the transfer roll and cleaning assembly out of the body of the unit. You can lift the front end up and out first (see photo #11). Be gentle with the fragile foam gasket strip on the front end, which needs to remain intact. Also watch the Mylar recovery blade, which is along the right side of the assembly, next to the transfer roll.

17. Vacuum out the waste toner in the body of the unit. (see photo #12). Again, be gentle with the Mylar recovery blade.

Photo #12: On the left is the body of the unit where waste toner will be found. On the right is the transfer roll and cleaning assembly.

18. Remove the front end cover from the transfer roll and cleaning assembly (1 screw, see photo #13). With this cover off, you can remove the transfer roll, the cleaning brush, and the wax bar assembly from the metal framework of the cleaning blade assembly (see photo #14)

Photo #13: Remove one screw from front end plate of transfer roll and cleaning assembly

Photo #14: Components of the transfer roll and cleaning assembly

19. Replace the wax bar. The old wax bar’s metal plate is adhered to the rest of its framework by double sided tape. You’ll need some tape to stick the new wax bar back in place. Be gentle with this piece: sometimes they crack, which is OK as long as all the pieces remain in place on the metal plate. This wax bar helps lubricate the cleaning brush so that it lasts longer.

20. Remove the tension springs on the cleaning blade assembly (one at the front end and one at the rear end, see photo #15)

Photo #15: Blade tension springs

21. Pivot the cleaning blade assembly open and remove the 2nd BTR cleaning blade (2 screws, see photo #16)

Photo #16: Removing the cleaning blade from its metal assembly (1 of 2 screws shown in photo)

22. Reassemble everything. Take your time and make sure things fit right against each other, but don’t force anything. There are a few places in this unit (especially near the cam plates of the transfer roll) where delicate parts are in harm’s way. If something is not quite in the right spot and you push too hard against it, you might damage some of these parts. Refer back to the disassembly procedure and the photos to help see how everything should go. Also make sure to pay attention to which screws go where (which are machine thread and which are plastic thread is important).

Now, let’s review the four versions of 2nd BTR assemblies within the DC250 style:

• DC250 version: 059K45987 / 059K88420 (for: DC240/DC242/DC250/DC252/DC260, WC-7655/7665/7675, WC-7755/7765/7775)
• 550 version: 059K68395 (for 550/560/570, C60/C70)
• 700 version: 059K55905 / 059K78323 (for DCP 700/700i/770)
• J75 version: 059K79314 (for J75 / C75)

The 2nd BTR roller, brush, blade and wax bar are all the same for the 550, DC-700, and J75 versions. Only the DC250 version uses different internal parts. Note that the DC5000/7000/8000 are extremely similar to the 700 or J75 version, with the exception of the cleaning blade, which is the only unique piece.

The procedure showed a 550 unit, but the job will be similar for all of these, with a few slight deviations. The procedure should suffice to get you through rebuilding a 700 version or a J75. The DC250 version is supposedly easier to take apart.

The gears on the rear of the unit include a pair of gears for the transfer roll drive and another pair relating to the cam drive. Below is a list of all the varieties of each of the gears for identification purposes:

DC250BTRDG – 2nd BTR Roll Drive Gear 39T (at rear end of roller) (fits all versions)

DC250BTRDIG – 2nd BTR Roll Drive Idler Gear (17/43T) (fits DC250 version only)

DC700BTRDIG – 2nd BTR Roll Drive Idler Gear (24/44T) (fits DC700, 550, & J75 versions)

DC250BTRCG – 2nd BTR Cam Gear (Retract Gear) (67T) (interchangeable across all versions)

DC250BTRCIG – 2nd BTR Cam Idler Gear (30/28T, Black) (fits DC250, DC700, & J75 versions)

550BTRCIG – 2nd BTR Cam Idler Gear (30/24T, White) (fits 550 version only)

For the front end of the unit, we’ll only show the 550 version, as the gear layout is the same for the DC700 and J75 versions (note that the DC250 version has no gears on the front end)

DC250BTRFC – 2nd BTR Front Cam / Actuator (fits all versions)

DC700BTRG40T – 2nd BTR Front 40T Gear (fits 550, DC700, & J75 versions)

DC700BTRG16T – 2nd BTR Front 16T Gear (fits 550, DC700, & J75 versions)

That’s a wrap. Hopefully the procedure makes tackling one of these units less intimidating, as well as less time consuming. Happy repairs folks!

Color 550, DCP700, J75, DC250, WC-7675, W-7775 Families, WC-7556, WC-7855 and WC-7970 Families

We’ve looked at the rebuilding and repair procedures of quite a variety of drum cartridges in the pages of ENX over the years. Of late we’re seeing a number of important updates to the internal design of some of these cartridges, without any change being made to the OEM part numbers. Some changes are simple improvements which are designed to increase longevity, and others make the earlier versions of parts obsolete. Let’s have a peek at some of the changes and explore what, if any, impact each update may have on us all, as cartridge remanufacturers and technicians.

We’ll look at two changes to the DC250 style (550 / DCP700 / J75 families) Color Drum Cartridges, and one mentionable improvement to the fuser modules in this series. Also, we’ll investigate a change to the 7425 style (WC-7556 / WC-7855 / WC-7970 families) Drum Cartridges.

DC250 style Color Drum Cartridges:

• 550 Family (550/560/570) (013R00664)
• DCP700 Family (DCP700/700i/770) (013R00656)
• J75 Family (Color Press C75/J75) (013R00672)
• DC5000 Family (DocuColor 5000/7000/8000) (013R00649)
• DC250, 7675 & 7775 Families (DC240/250/242/252/260, 7655/7665/7675, 7755/7765/7775) (013R00603)

CHANGE #1: Drum Cleaning Blade:

The Drum Cleaning Blades had a subtle change to their design which amounts to a general improvement in the toner waste handling. The early Drum Cleaning Blades had a simple, straight edged mylar sheet adhered to their undersides. Sometime probably in 2016, the newer Color Drum Cartridges (for the higher speed models in particular) started being produced with notches cut into the mylar sheet.

These new blades allow toner to migrate to the toner waste auger faster. This change was most valuable on the highest speed models, such as the DCP700 and J75, where the stress on the cartridge’s waste handling is the greatest. The newer ones we’ll call the 550 version (550DBC). These have now completely replaced the earlier version (DC250DBC). Refer to photo #1.

Photo #1: 550CRCR (Original Larger Diameter version- top / red cap) versus 550CRCR-B (New Smaller Diameter version – bottom / black cap)

Photo #2: 550DBC (New version – top… with notches in mylar) versus DC250DBC (Original version – bottom… no notches in mylar)

CHANGE #2: Charge Roll Cleaning Roller (foam roll):

The white foam Cleaning Roll which rides on the charge roller is found on the 550 / DCP700 / J75 / DC5000 family versions of the cartridges. At the beginning of 2017, the drum cartridges started coming with a new smaller Outer Diameter foam Cleaning Roller. The shaft itself remains the same… only the foam was smaller. The new cartridge bodies do not have enough room for the original foam cleaning roll version to sit in place and spin properly. So when buying a drum rebuild kit, it’s important to only use the original version (550CRCR) on the older style cartridge bodies. The new smaller version (550CRCR-B) will fit in the new or the old cartridges equally well, so that one is universal in fit. Refer to Photo #2 below to see the difference.

DC250 style Fuser Modules:

Improvements introduced to the fuser modules to make them work in the high-speed models are subtle but important. The one change which is of true significance is that the Pressure Sleeve found in the earlier fusers (for DC250 / WC-7675 / WC-7775 families) (DC250FPS) would not hold up well in the high speed DCP700 and J75 machines… so a sturdier sleeve was born. The new sleeve (DC700FPS) which is found in the high-speed models looks identical to the eye and it will still fit the lower speed fusers just fine, but it is indeed made of tougher stuff. The new kind is therefore the preferred universal version and is recommended for use in all of the fusers for best results. Here’s a list of the related fuser modules which the DC700FPS press sleeve fits:

• 550 Family (550/560/570) (008R13102)
• DCP700 Family (DCP700/700i/770) (008R13065)
• J75 Family (Color Press C75/J75) (008R13146)
• DC250, 7675 & 7775 Families (DC240/250/242/252/260, 7655/7665/7675, 7755/7765/7775) (008R12988)

7425 style Drum Cartridges (+ Phaser 7500 & 7800):

Next let’s have a peek at an important change to the 7525 etc drum cartridges (013R00662):

• 7435 Family (7425/7428/7430/7435) (013R00647)
• 7556, 7855, & 7970 Families (WC-7525/7530/7535/7545/7556, 7830/7835/7845/7855, & 7970) (013R00662)
• Phaser 7500 (108R00861)
• Phaser 7800 (106R01582)

CHANGE: Charge Roll Cleaning Roller (foam roll):

At the start of 2017, the new 013R00662 drum cartridges in particular, began coming with newly designed foam Charge Roll Cleaning Rollers. These new rolls have a spiral foam design. They also have shafts with a larger Outer Diameter. The spiral design was said to have been introduced to reduce the wear of the foam on the charge roll. Tests prove that the spiral foam does, in fact, increase the longevity of the charge roll slightly. We will also all see this spiral design in the new Versant 80 drum cartridges as they become more important in the years to come.

Because the new cartridge has foam roll cradles which are larger (to accommodate the larger shaft), the original version of the foam roll, with its smaller diameter shaft, will still fit and function in the newer cartridge bodies. Fortunately, these use only gravity for pressure against the charge roll. There being no springs or other devices loading the Cleaning Roll against the Charge Roll, in cases where the drum cartridge body is the new version and the available foam roll is the original smaller shaft version (7425CRCR), the foam roll will feel loose in its cradles. However, once the cartridge is completely assembled and right side up, gravity will still allow the original foam Cleaning Roll to sit down on the charge roll. It will still rotate freely as it does in the older version of the cartridge.

So, the original version of the Cleaning Roll appears to be in essence universal. Tests are in progress to make sure longevity is not compromised by using the original version foam roll in the new style cartridge. In the meantime, the new version of foam roll is in the works (7525CRCR-B) so folks will have a choice. The new version will not fit into the cradles of the older style drum cartridges but will be a better physical match for the body style of the newer cartridges. Refer to photo #3 below to see the two versions.

Photo #3:
Left: 7525CRCR-B (New version – Larger diameter shaft; spiral foam)
Right: 7425CRCR (Original version – Smaller diameter shaft, solid foam)

Changes like these only complicate the job of rebuilding cartridges. These changes make it necessary for rebuild facilities and techs to keep up with the times and to be prepared for any of the versions of the cartridges. Hopefully that covers the cartridge changes for a good long spell.

Here’s to wishing you all very happy recycling in 2018!

In prior articles, we’ve covered the drum cartridges and fusers for this series of full-color MFP copiers. Now let’s see what makes these machines tick—we’ll cover the Fault Code meanings and take a first stab at how to get around in diagnostic mode.

As a refresher, these machines are designed for office use with a duty cycle of around 50K impressions per month. They’re price at around $7,000 new, which is roughly half the cost of a WC-7855. Although they’re not as heavy of a machine, they’re capable of producing fine-looking full-color copies and prints, and are substantial machines in their own right.

This series has a duty cycle of around 50,000 impressions per month, with toner cartridges expected to run about $15,000 (for c/m/y) and $22,000 (for black) assuming 5% coverage. One thing to note is that there is more than one region or “plan.” If you install the wrong version, the machine will reject it because the Customer Replaceable Unit Monitor (CRUM) chip is wrong. There are 4 drum cartridges (R1-R4) which are color specific, as each includes the developer station underneath it. These have a stated yield of around 50-60,000 each (part numbers: 013R00657(K), 013R00658(Y), 013R00659(M), 013R00660(C)). Replacement parts for the drum cartridges and drum count reset CRUM chips are available to repair, rebuild or otherwise extend the yield on these cartridges.

The 2nd BTR (Transfer Roll Assembly) on the left door is R5, good for just under 200,000. There’s also a Transfer Belt Unit (R6) which is fairly easy to replace; it’s considered to be customer replaceable, and has a stated yield of 200,000. Finally, there’s the Toner Waste Container (R7), which comes with a new wand (stored in the front door) for cleaning the ROS windows (the laser-slit glasses). To clean the ROS windows, remove the Waste Container first, and behind there you’ll see the slots where you can slide the wand in and out. Push the wand in slowly until it stops, then retract it slowly for best results.

Next, let’s have a look at some of the fault codes. This list is by no means complete, but should send you in the right direction for most of the common faults. In the list below, some of the hints tell you to “power off completely,” which means turning off the outer power switch first (that one on top of where the front door opens on the right). After the machine is fully powered down, you then need to open the front door to turn off the Inner Main Power Switch on the inside of it.

For reference, here are some acronyms used repeatedly in the fault list:

ATC = Automatic Toner Concentration
ADC = Automatic Density Correction
CRUM = Customer Replaceable Unit Monitory (drum or toner chip)
ESS = Electronic Switching System (the print controller board on the machine)
MCU = Main Control Unit (main board)
NVM = Non-Volatile Memory (machine settings)
ROS = Raster Output Scanner (laser unit)

Note: a handful of fault codes require you to reset NVM settings back to zero before the machine will run again. See the asterisks at the bottom of the table for more info about resetting the fault codes which require the extra step.

FAULT CODE LIST

For 7220/7225, the fault codes will all start with “3” instead of “0.”(e.g. 310-319 = 010-319)

*Faults requiring reset from NVM Read/Write

Some codes require setting a particular NVM code back to “0” to clear the fault. Enter diagnostic mode and choose “NVM Read/Write” reset the value of the specified code back to “0” (read more below).
*010-319/010-320/010-333/010-337 fuser faults—reset NVM code 744-248 back to “0”
*092-312 Yellow toner dispense fault—reset NVM codes 752-365 & 752-369 back to “0”
*092-313 Magenta toner dispense fault—reset NVM codes 752-366 & 752-370 back to “0”
*092-314 Cyan toner dispense fault—reset NVM codes 752-367 & 752-371 back to “0”
*092-315 Black toner dispense fault—reset NVM code 752-368 & 752-372 back to “0”

**Faults requiring reset from dC135 HFSI (high-frequency service items)

1. Entering Diagnostics Mode
Hold down “0” for at least 5 seconds
2. While holding “0,” press “Start”
A passcode screen shows up, enter “6789” and touch “Confirm”
Press “Machine Status” and choose the “Tools” tab
3. Choose “System Settings,”
4. In the center ”group” column, choose “Common Service Settings”
5. In the right column (features), scroll down to “Maintenance/Diagnostics” and choose “NVM Read/Write”

*NVM Read / Write (Memory Settings)

To reset some fault codes:
Enter diagnostics mode and touch “NVM Read/Write”
Enter the NVM code (chain-link code) and touch “Confirm/Change” (t will show you the “Current Value”)
Enter a “0” in the “New Value” column and touch “Save”
Select “Close” and finally “Exit” diagnostics
The machine will need to reboot for the NVM changes to take place and for the machine to attempt to come to ready again, now that the fault code has been cleared.

**HFSI Counter Resets

The CRUs should automatically reset when the customer installs the assembly, but the product manual also presents a way to access HFSI counters from diagnostic mode. This may be helpful if a new module fails to reset properly. After you enter Diagnostics Mode (read above):

• For the 7220/7225: press “Service Info” or the “Maintenance” tab and choose “Dc135 CRU/HFSI Counters.” Scroll through the list, choose the HFSI item and touch “Reset Counter.”
• For the 7120/7125: enter diagnostics mode, choose “Adjustment/Others,” then select “HFSI Counter.” Select the HFSI from the list and press “Details,” followed by “Reset Current Value.”

Special Boot Modes

This is helpful for clearing jobs when they get stuck in the queue. Hold down the buttons specified below while turning on the power, and keep holding them until the boot screen (progress bar) appears.

Job Log Initialize: hold down “1,” “Stop,” and “Energy Saver” buttons while powering on.

Spool Log Initialize: hold down “6”, “Stop,” and “Energy Saver” buttons while powering on.

HDD (hard drive) Initialize: Hold down “4,” “Stop,” and “Energy Saver” buttons while powering on (WARNING: all customer data will be deleted if you do this. Make sure to create backups of all data set before you initialize the HDD)

Now that we’ve scratched the surface on this series of machines, hopefully they will be more approachable for everyone. Happy repairs.

Xerox WorkCentre 7120, 7125, 7220, 7225

Last month we took a first glance at the Xerox WorkCentre 7120 Style, one of Xerox’s mid-sized, full-color copiers/MFPs. We covered the supply items and listed the more-valuable fault codes, briefly touching on how to use the diagnostic function “NVM Read/Write” to clear the codes after you repair the underlying cause of the faults.

This month, we’ll learn more about how to use the diagnostic mode specifically to make adjustments to the color balance, color registration and overall copy quality.

7225 Copier

Before we get started, there’s something important to follow up on from last month’s article. The code listing was for the WC-7120/7125 models, but the list applies also to the 7220/7225 models if you are aware that all of the fault codes will simply need to start with “3” instead of “0.” For example, instead of the fault code 092-315 as seen on a 7120 machine, you’d see fault code 392-315 if you are working on a 7220 with the same problem.

Let’s begin with the basics of getting into, and navigating, the Diagnostic Mode. As is true with most Xerox photocopiers in this weight class, the diagnostic features are extensive. There are some things which are best left untouched unless you’re an authorized dealership with a PWS laptop and the software for backing up settings and reloading firmware. I’ve made mention of those few functions you should avoid entirely in the Diagnostic Menu listed below.

How to get into the Diagnostics Menu:

1. Hold down “0” for at least 5 seconds, then while still holding “0,” press the “Start” button.
2. At the prompt, enter the default passcode “6789,” then touch “Confirm”. The top right of the control panel will show “Service Rep” on an orange tab.
3. Press the “Machine Status” button and choose the “Tools Tab”.
4. With “System Settings” selected in the left column, choose “Common Settings,” then scroll down in the right column and choose “Maintenance/Diagnostics.”

Exiting Diagnostics:

Close any open menus and then choose “Exit.” Choose “Exit -Keep Log” so you can still go back to see recent faults if you need to.

The Maintenance/Diagnostics Menu includes the following options:

• Quick Setup [for things like IP Address Settings]
• Software Options
• NVM Read/Write [for some adjustments and for clearing some of the fault codes]
• Initialize Hard Disk [never do this unless the customer is ok with losing all of their data and settings; a better way to clear a corrupted print job is to use one of the Special Boot Modes—refer to the previous ENX article 7120 style Tech Info, Part 1]
• Print Test Patterns [very helpful for troubleshooting copy quality issues]
• Delete All Data [never use this, as it initializes many of the machine settings and will result in the loss of the factory setups for System Registration, Image Quality and Scanner Setups]
• Initialize NVM [never use this feature unless you know exactly what you’re doing; this should only be used by people who have the ability to restore the machine from a backup]
• IO Check [here you’ll find “Component Control” for testing motors and sensors etc.]
• Sub System
• Adjustments/Others [Machine ID and Billing settings for synchronizing logic boards; you’ll also find the HFSI (High Frequency Service Item) Counters]
• Registration [adjustments for both registration of colors and registration of the image to the paper can be found here]
• Faults [choose “Shutdown History” and then “Last 40 Faults” to view the most-recent faults]
• Max Setup [adjustments for toner concentration, Scanner Calibration, & 2nd BTR Transfer Voltage]

Note that if copy quality is off and you’re at a high elevation (over 1,000 ft. above sea level), there is a way to adjust the charge roll voltage to suit various elevation ranges. That adjustment is designed to help correct some light copy problems which can happen as the charge voltage increases with higher elevations.

Before we get into the adjustments which are only available from the Diagnostic Mode, let’s have a look at a great tool which is available in the Administrator’s “Customer Tools,” as well as in Diagnostics Mode.

Color Calibration:

Procedure:

1. Go into Diagnostic Mode or login as the Administrator (default username = “admin” and the default password is “1111”). If the default password for admin doesn’t work then you will need to get the password from the customer, or go into diagnostic mode to run this adjustment.
2. Press “Machine Status” and touch the “Tools” Tab.
3. Select “Setup & Calibration” and then in the Group column, choose “Calibration”
4. Choose the type of job you want to calibrate colors for and select the “Paper Tray” you have loaded for printing out the Calibration Test Page and touch “Save.”
5. Select “Target” and choose the calibration type (you can choose “Copy & Print Jobs,” ”Copy Jobs Only,” or “Print Jobs Only”), then touch “Save.”
6. Press the “Start” button and a calibration test page will print out along with instructions.
7. Place the calibration test page face down on the platen glass with the magenta squares on the left side of the glass, and press the “Start” button. The machine will display if the calibration was successful or unsuccessful.
8. Go back and repeat these steps for each required Job Type and Calibration Type.

Next, let’s concentrate on the adjustments available in the “Max Setup” menu.

ATC Sensor Setup (ATC=Automatic Toner Concentration): Here’s a way to perform an ATC Sensor Setup immediately after installing a new drum/developer cartridge with a known toner density (a new OEM Drum Cartridge comes with the proper toner concentration). Normally you should not need to do this every time you install a new drum cartridge—it should only be done if the concentration seems to be going “off” after a new cartridge was recently installed. Unfortunately, since this adjustment requires a new cartridge, you’d need to have another new cartridge again to do the adjustment.

Procedure:

1. From the Maintenance / Diagnostics screen, choose “Max Setup”
2. Select “Default Developer ATC Setup”
3. Select the “On” button for the color or colors you need to set up and touch “Start.”
4. When the machine is done, it will show the ATC measurement Value, the ATC Target Value and the results (NG means no good—in those cases, double check the ATC Sensor on the drum/developer cartridge and the wiring and connector leading to the sensor).

Toner Density Adjustment (Tone Up/Tone Down): This is useful for a one-time increase or decrease of toner concentration in a particular color. This is particularly helpful if you just solved a Toner Dispense problem which caused light copies in one or more colors as the toner density has dropped too low.

Procedure:

1. From “Maintenance/Diagnostics,” choose “Max Setup,” followed by “Adjust Toner Density.”
2. Choose the “Number of Sheets” using the up and down arrows (2-3 pages up or down are recommended).
3. If you enter a positive number, this will increase the TC (Toner Concentration). The machine will print out blank pages while toning up.
4. If you enter a negative number, it will instead decrease the TC. The machine will print solid-area coverage patches to help pull toner out of the developer unit, while not adding more toner during the adjustment cycle.
5. Always adjust only one color at a time.
6. After the adjustment, the machine will display the “TC Measurement” and the “TC Target.” Repeat the steps as needed till you are within +/-30 of the TC Target.

Copy Mode Color Balance Adjustment: Note that the Service Manual recommends only using this adjustment if there is a strong customer complaint regarding color rendering in copy mode.

Procedure:

1. Get a good full color test pattern or a good example of a full color print and make two copies.
2. From “Maintenance/Diagnostics,” choose “Max Setup,” followed by “Color Balance Adjustment.”
3. Compare the copies you made to the original. For each color and for each density range (low density, medium density & high density), assign a number from -4 to +4 (negative numbers will result in lighter copies, and positive numbers mean darker ones).
4. Press the “Start” button to save the new adjustment values.
5. Exit Diagnostic Mode and then turn the machine off and back on to reboot it fresh. Make 2 new copies and compare them to see if you got the desired results. You may need to try this procedure several times to get the copy quality to the point where your customer is satisfied.

Scanner/IIT (Image Input Terminal) Calibration: You can do a White Reference Adjustment from here. The White Reference Strip is located on the underside of the platen glass. Before you begin, you’ll want to first clean the optics, including the white reference strip, the platen glass and the mirrors. Note that in this same menu, there is also an adjustment available to run a “CCD Calibration,” but that would require the use of a special test pattern (part #: 82E13120).

White Reference Adjustment Procedure:

1. Place 10 sheets of clean white paper on the document platen glass.
2. From “Maintenance/Diagnostics,” choose “Max Setup,” followed by “IIT Calibration.”
3. Choose “White Reference Adjusment” and touch “Start” on the screen.

Color Registration Adjustment: This will help line up the colors when they stray. Assuming things are mechanically correct and the MOB sensor (Marks On Belt Sensor) is OK, this adjustment is designed to correct misaligned colors.

Procedure:

1. From Diagnostic Mode, choose “Registration.”
2. Select “Registration Control Setup Cycle” and press “Start.”
3. The color shift should be corrected automatically.

Happy summer, everyone. I hope the adjustments go well for you, and you get the stunningly colorful copies your customers crave out. Hope to see you all reading again next month.

Repairing and Rebuilding the Print Cartridges for the WC-5945/5955 and the new B8045/B8055/B8065/B8075 & B8090

The new AltaLink B8090 family uses an extremely similar drum/developer cartridge as its predecessor models (WC-5945/5955), only with a different CRUM chip.

B80909 Drum Cartridge

We did cover the rebuild procedure of the upper half of the 5945 cartridges back in June of 2015. So let’s revisit these, since the same procedure will work on the new B8090 cartridges. We’ll also go a little deeper and cover the developer material replacement end of things.

The WC-5945/5955 print cartridge is sold under the part number 013R00669 (13R669)., and has a stated yield of 200K according to the machine’s brochure. There is a new family of models in the style which uses an extremely similar cartridge (same drum, blade, etc., but a different CRUM chip): the AltaLink B8090 / B8075 / B8065 / B8055 / B8045 use 013R00675. These cartridges have an upper half which contains the drum, blade, charge roll and a cleaning roll (a white foam roll). The lower half has a developer station including an ATC sensor (Automatic Toner Concentration).

Now let’s explore how to separate the upper drum/cleaning half and the developer station. This can get pretty messy, so make sure you are working over a drop-cloth. One notable change from the previous version of this article: it is easier to handle the drum without it falling over and getting hurt if you turn the whole unit upside down before removing the white drum/mag roll bushings.

To complete these steps, you’ll need a Torx T-10 safety driver bit (T10S).

Photo #1: CRUM chip location

1. Replace the CRUM chip behind the right side of the front-end cover (1 screw – Torx T-10, see Photo #1) (CRUM chip part # B8090CN or 5945CN)

Photo #2: Rear End Cover

Photo #3: Front End cover

2. Remove the rear end cover (2 screws and release one clip on your lower left, see Photo #2). Take care that the white drum/mag roll bushing does not slip out until you’re ready, or else the drum becomes loose and can be easily damaged. Also, watch over the cleaning auger coupling as it will “pop” off the auger when you remove the cover. Keep the small white coupling handy, as you’ll need it for turning the mag roll later on.

Next, remove the front end cover (2 screws, see Photo #3).

3. Take off the front inner plate (3 screws, T-10, see Photo #4). Be careful that both the front and rear white plastic drum/mag roll bushings stay in place.

Photo #5: Make sure this contact maintains the ‘D’ shaft’s position at all times. As it is critical to the magnet angle inside the Mag Roll.

4. Very gently turn the unit upside down. Extract the white rear drum/mag roll bushing. Hold up the front end of the developer station as you extract the front drum/mag roll bushing. Caution: there is a metal contact with a D-shaped hole, which fits over the front D-shaft of the mag roller. This D-shaft must not be allowed to rotate, as it is designed to be fixed in place by the contact. This piece determines the angle of the magnet inside the mag roller and must not change position (Photo #5). You will want to remove the contact from the D shaft only for a moment: slide the drum/mag roll bushing off and then immediately put the contact back on the D shaft. The developer station can now be lifted off.

Photo #6: Blade, Charge Roll, & Cleaning Roll

5. The drum with its bearings can now be lifted out of its cradle. This exposes the charge roll and drum blade (Photo #6)

6. The charge roll can now be replaced; use a little bit of conductive grease on the plastic cradles the charge roller sits in. The white foam roll just behind the charge roll is the charge roll cleaning roll. It comes out easily at this point as well.

Photo #7: DV Station Top Cover Removal

7. Finally, you can remove the drum cleaning blade (2 screws) and gently vacuum out the waste toner auger behind the blade. Be very careful not to hurt the mylar recovery blade.

Photo #8: DV Station Top Cover Removal

Prepare to remove the developer station’s top cover. There are two screws on the side of the unit (one at front and one at the rear end, Photo #7). There are also two springs to release from the toner dispense shutter. Then there are 3 clips (two shown in Photo #7, one in Photo #8).

Photo #8: DV Station Top Cover Removal

Release the metal contact at the front end of the DV station from the top cover (continue to keep the D shaft retained by this contact piece). You can now lift the front end of the top cover, pivoting it up so it hinges at the rear until its two indexing pins come out of the holes in which they are seated. When it comes off, watch that you don’t lose the small black plastic anchor/spring support, as it will now fall right off (Photo #9).

Photo #10: Watch the position of the Mag Roll’s Keyed Bushing.

8. Dump the old developer out of the unit. There are three things you must pay close attention to:

• Keep the Mag Roll’s Keyed Bushing in-position at all times. (see Photo #10)
• You can use the white Mag Roll Drive Coupling but be careful not to lose it.
• Continue to keep the metal contact at the front end on the ‘D’ shaft of the Magnet, and also on its plastic retaining pin.

With those three things in mind, tilt the DV unit vertically so the rear end points downward over an appropriate waste container and dump it out. Then, turn the mag roll and brush it off with a soft bristled bottle brush or paint brush to clear the surface. Turn the mag roll about ¼ turn and brush it off again—you will need to do this about 40 times before you see less and less of the mag roll being covered with developer material.

Photo #11: DV Recycling Screen and narrow cap above it. Both pieces are loose so be careful not to lose them.

Eventually, it will all be brushed out. This part can be time consuming, so be patient. You should not use a vacuum to clean the unit out for two reasons. First, the ATC Sensor (Automatic Toner Concentration Sensor) is static sensitive and a vacuum could blow the sensor. Second, there are some tiny parts which could get sucked out easily, like the small rectangular-shaped screen piece with a narrow cover over it near the rear end of the unit. This piece is located in the “wall” between the augers of the developer mixing area. Be careful not to lose them or accidentally dislodge them with the brush (Photo #11).

9. Once all the old developer has been dumped and brushed out, you can fill the top cover with new developer and install a peel-and-stick developer pull seal to keep everything in there until the customer pulls the seal at the time of installation.

10. Reassemble everything with care.

That’s it, you’ve got it licked!

The newest “Cadillac” of full-color Xerox copiers is increasing in popularity in leaps and bounds. The Versant series are phenomenal machines in general. Of course, as with any newly introduced equipment, there are challenges to overcome. One early complaint relates to the shorter than stated yield, and rather high cost, of the fuser heat belt units. Let’s look at ways to increase the longevity and we’ll also go over the steps to refurbish one of these units.

V80 Fuser Heat Belt Unit

The newest “Cadillac” of full-color Xerox copiers is increasing in popularity in leaps and bounds. The Versant series are phenomenal machines in general. Of course, as with any newly introduced equipment, there are challenges to overcome. One early complaint relates to the shorter than stated yield, and rather high cost, of the fuser heat belt units. Let’s look at ways to increase the longevity and we’ll also go over the steps to refurbish one of these units.The fuser heat belt unit is only shown in the OEM parts book as a complete unit. It is sold under the part number 126K34853 or 001R00620. At last check it retailed for just over $1,400.

The OEM literature says to expect a yield of 650K, but word is that they don’t make it that far in most cases. The most common failure is a fault code 099-395 which is closely related to the fault 010-613. Either code means the machine saw extra strain on the fuser drives or slowing of the belt’s speed. Usually the underlying cause is failure of the heat pad or slip sheet. This fabric-like piece is found inside the heat belt, right where the pressure roller makes contact. When the slip sheet tears, it bunches up inside the belt and causes extra friction and strain on the drives. The fault can be reset by turning the machine off and back on, but eventually the heat belt itself will get damaged if the problem is not addressed.

If the customer knows to call for service right away, rather than continuing to run the machine, you will likely rescue the heat belt before it gets too badly damaged.

The fix is to open the unit up, replace the slip sheet (V80FHBSS) and make sure to apply plenty of heat belt oil (V80FHBO) to the new slip sheet. At the same time you should sit the two wicks in a heat belt oil bath for a few minutes until they are fully re-lubricated. Then they can do their job as oil reservoirs for the components inside the unit once again.

If the belt is damaged badly enough to cause copy quality problems, you may need to replace that as well.

Photo #1: Orientation

Now let’s have a look at how to take the heat belt off. This way you can get inside to clean the rollers and re-oil or replace the slip sheet and the two heat belt oil wicks. See Photo #1 for orientation of some of the parts mentioned in the first few steps of the procedure.

TOOLS & SUPPLIES NEEDED: 

• #2 Phillips Screwdriver (or 5.5mm nut driver)
• Pair of screws (to use as spacers… you’ll see their purpose in the procedure)
• Slip sheet (V80FHBSS)
• 2 oz. bottle of heat belt oil (V80FHBO)
• Lintless cleaning/oil applicator cloth
• Index card

PROCEDURE:

1. Remove the stripper plate by first taking off the two springs (one at each end, see Photo #2). Then rotate the plate away until it can come off of its mounting pins.

Photo #2: Stripper Plate Springs

2. Next, you’ll need to release pressure on the heat belt. The tension/steering roll can be pushed inward, against a pair of heavy springs to release the tension. Any small screw can be used as a temporary spacer to hold off the pressure. At either end of the tension roll, place these spacer screws between the roller’s metal pin and its black limiting collar (see Photo #3 & #4).

Photo #3 & #4: Use a small screw as a temporary spacer.

3. Slide the heat belt off of the non-drive end of the unit (be careful as the edge of the heat belt will want to hang-up on a metal frame piece (see Photo #4).

Photo #4: Sliding the heat belt off carefully.

4. Remove the two wicks. Each is held on by two screws. You do need to remove the screws, only loosen them so the metal part of the wicks can slide out from under the mounting screws.

Photo #6: Treat the wicks to a nice oil bath The blue arrow points at how high the oil has wicked. This one needs more time in the bath.

5. Stand the two wicks in a heat belt oil bath. Best to use a long narrow tray (I used a plastic tray which was originally the packing for a drum blade). Give the wicks enough time to suck up as much oil as they can. If you look at the end of the wicks you can see how far the oil has “wicked” up into its reservoir material (see Photo #6). When you remove the wicks from the oil, wipe off any excess oil from the metal and from the edge of the wick material.

6. Next you can remove the old slip sheet. It’s held by a flat metal plate with five screws. Note that one corner is cut off the slip sheet to indicate which end is which. Refer to Photo #5 for an example of how a failed slip sheet looks.

Photo #5: A good example of a bad slip sheet

7. Install a new slip sheet and oil it using the cleaning/applicator cloth to work the heat belt oil into the weave of the slip sheet thoroughly (see Photo #7).

Photo #7: Oil the new Slip Sheet

8. Clean the metal drive and tension/steering rollers’ surfaces with some of the heat belt oil…this stuff is a magnificent cleaning material for this purpose (see Photo #8 & 9 for before and after pics). Wipe off any excess oil afterward.

9. Use the edge of the index card to clean off the faces of the four thermistor heads where they touch the two metal rollers. Be gentle so as not to damage the yellow kapton tape on the thermistor heads. Put a little pressure behind the head as you slide the card back and forth a few times to remove any built up residue.

Photo #8 & 9: Before and after cleaning with the heat belt oil on a lintless cloth.

10. Slide the heat belt back on using the index card as a guide to help ease the heat belt over the end of the slip sheet (see Photo #10). This way the slip sheet doesn’t get dog-eared. Once past the end of the slip sheet, remove and discard the index card and slide the heat belt the rest of the way on. Note: If you are re-using the old heat belt (assuming it’s not damaged), it is a good idea to flip the belt end to end when reinstalling it, so the inside of the belt will wear more evenly.

Photo #10: Use an index card as a temporary guide to get the belt over the end of the slip sheet.

11. Center the heat belt on the metal rollers and then remove the two screws you used as spacers earlier, allowing the tension roll to press on the inside of the belt again.

12. Reinstall the stripper plate and the spring at either end. The springs’ little “handles” should point in toward the unit.Voila! You rescued a heat belt unit!

That’s a nice friendly procedure…not too many screws, and not too time consuming.

Hope you all have a beautiful spring! Happy rebuilding everyone!

Xerox Families: 550/C70, DCP700, J75/C75, DC250/DC260, WC-7675 and WC-7775

An increasingly common topic, which has been asked about many times over, has to do with resetting fault codes from diagnostics on the more recent families in the DC250 style. In a previous article, we looked at similarities and differences among the many families in this series, but the fault codes were not addressed at the time.

This is because even though they remained familiar, the memory codes that need to be reset to “0” to clear the faults change for each new family of machines. So let’s first have a peek at some of the subtle changes in the diagnostic-access procedures and how to navigate the diagnostic menus. Then, we’ll cover the faults that require resetting, and see what’s changed over the years.

The procedure for getting into UI (User Interface) Diagnostics and navigating the menus to find “NVM Read/Write” depends on which family of machines you’re working on. Important: do not use the other function “NVM Initialize” to try to clear faults unless you have the tools and firmware and backup files to restore the machine to its original settings. (Note: NVM stands for Non Volatile Memory)

Accessing Diagnostics, and how to get into “NVM Read/Write”

DC250 Family (DocuColor) DC-240/242/250/252/260

1. Hold down the “0” button for five full seconds, and while still holding the “0,” press “Start.” A prompt for a password will show up (the “CE Access Number”).
2. Use the default password “6789,” and press “Confirm.”
3. Press the “Log-in/out” button.
4. On the touchscreen, press “System Settings,” “Common Settings” and finally “Maintenance/Diagnostics.”

Here you’ll find a menu option for “NVM Read / Write.”

DC700 Family (Digital Color Press) DCP-700/700i/770 or 550 Family (Color) 550/560/570, C60/C70 or J75 Family (Digital Press) C75/J75

These three families are almost the same as the DC250 Family above, but instead of pressing “Log-in/out,” press “Machine Status” instead. Then choose the “Tools Tab” up top. The rest is the same as DC250.

WC-7675 Family (WorkCentre) WC-7655, 7665, 7675 or WC-7775 Family WC-7755, 7765, 7775

1. From the fault code screen, hold down the following three buttons for about 10 seconds: “#,” “*” and “Stop.”
2. When the diagnostic login screen asks for a password, type in the code “6789” and press “Enter.”
3. Wait a few minutes as the machine reboots into the Service Diagnostics screen. Here you will see several tabs across the top.
4. Touch the “Adjustments” tab where you’ll find “NVM Read/Write.”

Now that you have a clear shot to get to the “NVM Read/Write screen,” let’s have a look at the Fault Codes that require resetting. In each case, it’s important to first address what caused the fault and correct the problem before resetting the memory codes. The machine is protecting itself from someone trying to run copies or prints while it’s still in the error condition. If you don’t address the problem which triggered the fault, in most cases the fault code will come back in very short order.

Fault conditions that require resetting include fuser faults relating to temperature control, transfer-belt home-position sensing faults and toner-dispense failures.

Note that some models use a “3” as the first digit in the fault codes, while most of the machines use a “0” as the first digit. So, the fault 310-319 has the same meaning as 010-319.

That wraps it up. With these few details in hand and the basic Tech Info sheets for the DC250 style, you’ll be better equipped to fix any of the models in the entire series. Happy repairs, everyone!

WC-5945, WC-5955, AltaLink B8090, B8075, B8065, B8055, B8045

The WorkCentre 5945 & 5955 MFP copiers are starting to show up on the secondary markets as more of them come off lease agreements. At the same time, the new AltaLink B8090 family continues to roll off the production line.

A few months back, we had a look at some of the basics of how to use the diagnostics and how-to backup and restore the NVM (non-volatile memory). Now let’s focus on the fault code meaning, particularly those which need to be reset from the NVM read/write memory settings.
Compiling the fault code list made it clear that the engineers of this series have decided to simplify things somewhat for customers and technicians—it’s a really good sign. For years now, each new wave of machines seemed to have more and more possible fault codes to contend with, and most of them didn’t lead to any useful troubleshooting in the service manuals. More codes did not turn out to be more helpful, they were simply confusing overkill. This machine’s list is a lot shorter than the C123 style machines, and that’s an improvement worth applauding.

Here is the abbreviated list:

FAULT CODE MEANINGS:

Clearing some fault codes:

Fuser faults (310-320, 310-330, & 310-340) and toner concentration faults (393-360 to 393-364) need to be reset from NVM read/write (non-volatile memory) in diagnostics as described below:

1. First enter diagnostic mode:

• Hold down “0” button for seven seconds
• While still holding “0,” press “Start,” then release both buttons. (Note that for the new B8090 family you would instead hold the “Home” button for 10 seconds and then release)

2. The machine will prompt you for a passcode. Enter the default code “6789” and touch “Enter.”
3. Next go to NVM read/write:

• Choose the “Adjustments” Tab and touch the “dC131 NVM read/write” button.
• The NVM code to reset is “501-359” system lockout fault.

4. Enter the system lockout fault NVM code:

• Enter the first 3 digits (this is the NVM ID, in this case “501”), followed by the second set of digits (this is the NVM Index, n this case “359”).

5. Enter a “0” under the heading “Value of 501-359” and select “Write,” followed by “Close.”
6. Finally exit diagnostics & reboot:

• Choose “Call Closeout” and “Exit and Reboot.”

Voila!—the fault is re-set. And assuming you fixed whatever triggered the fault in the first place, the machine will come to ready again.

Demystifying the Magic of a Nifty Little Invention Known as Stabilant 22

Well known in the automobile, audio equipment and aerospace industries, Stabilant 22 remains relatively unknown among copier- and printer-repair technicians. So this month, we’ll look at why it’s so valuable in maintaining just about any piece of electronic equipment. I’d also like to share the story that gave me what I had long wished for—grounded personal testimony that this product performs as it claims. It turns out that hearing truly is believing.

Stabilant 22 is a block-polymer, which is a macromolecule composed of a linear sequence of blocks. When applied in a thin film between metal contacts, it becomes conductive in the presence of an electrical field, while remaining nonconductive between adjacent contacts in a multiple-pin environment. Basically, it significantly improves connections by acting as a conductive material which fills in microscopic gaps in the metal and increases the electrically viable surface area between pins.

Pour half of the concentrate into the 15 ml mixing bottle and then fill to just below the bottle’s shoulder with 98% or purer isopropyl alcohol for the proper mix of Stabilant 22a

Stabilant 22 concentrate is a viscous liquid, which when mixed with isopropyl alcohol forms “Stabilant 22a.” It’s then applied with a tiny brush to the pins and sockets of a connector and allowed time to dry before reseating the two-halves. The result is a significant increase in the passage of electrical signals across memory card, ribbon cable and other multi-pin connectors.

Stabilant 22a – 5 ml mixing kit

The other advantage to having a film of Stabilant 22 present in connectors is that it coats the metal, preventing outside contaminants such as ozone or moisture from getting to the contacts. The isopropyl alcohol in Stabilant 22a has enough surfactant action to lift existing contaminants so they can be held harmlessly in suspension. For cases in which corrosion has begun setting in, Stabilant 22 penetrates the corrosion and protects the metal from further oxidation.

As I mentioned, the product is already prevalent in a number of other industries. Airplane mechanics often use Stabilant 22 in its concentrated form on Cannon plugs and similar critical communication connections. In the automobile repair industry, I’m told by mechanics that it’s particularly useful for repairing intermittent communication problems on some of the 40- to 60-pin connectors in the logic systems of diesel trucks and trailer hookups.

So why is it that Stabilant is not well known yet in office-equipment-tech circles? I was talking with a copier technician a while back about Stabilant 22, and his question to me was, “tell me the truth, do you think this stuff is for real, or is it just snake-oil?” My answer was that I had read the specifications and the theory behind the invention, and I believe it has tremendous value to offer in preventative copier maintenance. But while I could provide piles of literature and data from engineers showing that it works, I couldn’t offer any great examples of field data specifically from the copier field. At that time, I didn’t have any personal-experience stories to relate as testimony.

Copier Example #1: Memory cards and their connectors (i.e. WC-5790 family software /memory module)

Then I met Bill Fields, an engineer with the FAA, who told me how he realized that Stabilant 22 is for real. His story convinced me this product is worth talking about.

Copier Example #1: Memory cards and their connectors (i.e. WC-5790 family software /memory module)

His first time using Stabilant was not in his profession as an FAA Engineer, but instead for a different company to resolve a video issue. While the manufacturing engineers were testing the Stabilant 22a, he personally tried it in a hobby he enjoys—he’s a self-professed audiophile who likes to play around with sound-reproduction equipment in his spare time.

Bill decided to try it on a mid-fi system’s soundstage he was working on. He explained that when you have the system on and the volume at normal listening levels, you usually hear familiar background noise which is acceptable and normal. He decided to test the Stabilant 22a by selecting familiar material, identifying a low-level musical passage and exceeding normal listening level (those would be his words. I would say he cranked it to 11!). He turned off his system, removed all the signal-path-associated connections and coated both sides (male/female) of all connections with the Stabilant 22a. Then he plugged everything back in.

Copier Example #3: Molex cables controller cables for EFI Fierys, etc.

Without any changes to the system, other than the Stabilant 22a, he turned the system back on and replayed the previous low-level musical passage. He said he stood there a moment and realized the impossible had happened: he didn’t hear the usual background noise. Then he said the hair on the back of his neck started to rise as he realized the background noise was, in fact, still there, but it was significantly reduced. As the music played, he was amazed by the signal-to-noise improvement and the overall improvement to the musical sound stage. By his own words, it blew his mind.

He moved on to advocating its use to improve and clarify communication on frequency channel connections where, due to oxidation, the signal strength can be notoriously low. Bill set about proving its worth. He told me that he’s extremely happy with his findings so far, and that in several test locations where Stabilant 22 was applied to 66 pin bridge clips, it’s been well over two years without any signal problems. Overall, Bill has been using Stabilant 22 for over 20 years.

In the office-equipment field, Stabilant 22a will likely be most valuable as a preventative solution, though that’s not easily measured. Data will need to be gathered on communication issues and memory failure rates before and after incorporating widespread use of Stabilant 22 on a fleet of copiers. Then we’ll have the irrefutable proof we crave from our own industry.

Beyond the long-term wisdom of using Stabilant 22 as a valuable preventative maintenance tool, there are also many applications for which this product will help solve intermittent faults in copiers and printers on-the-spot.

Reading a Xerox service manual about troubleshooting a communication problem recently, I ran across this statement:

“Check the connections for broken, bent and dirty pins (oxidation buildup). Unplug and plug-in the connectors several times to remove contaminants due to oxidation. The resistance created by contamination will change the machine timing.”

This change in timing can result in print jobs getting stuck in the queue, corruption of the Non-Volatile Memory or corruption of the printer’s firmware. When dealing with this, you should apply Stabilant 22a to any connectors involved and then restore the machine’s memory and firmware. Also, check for any batteries which are dying, as that may be causing the trouble. Replace any battery which measures too low; in most copiers it will be 3.0 vdc, so replace the battery if the voltage drops below 2.8vdc.

Ribbon Cable / Flat Cable latching

Below are three examples of problems Stabilant 22 will likely solve in the field for Xerox equipment specifically. Other makes of copiers no doubt have similar issues to deal with, as well.

DC240/242/250/252/260, 550/560/ 570, C60/C70—Intermittent faults codes, some unclearable: MCU PWB to IOT Driver PWB Flat Cable Connections. Problems with the 2 flat cable connections cause a huge number of possible fault codes:
003-316, 007-534, 042-323, 042-324, 042-326, 042-327, 042-328, 045-314, 074-103, 074-104, 071-104, 072-105, 073-104, 074-103, 074-104, 075-100, 077-103, 077-104, 077-107, 077-120, 077-130, 077-909, 093-313, 093-314, 093-315, 093-316, 124-374.

If you get a lot of miscellaneous codes or hard-to-solve errors, and you feel like you’re chasing your tail, refer to the list of faults above. They are all acknowledged in the OEM service manual as possible results of failures in the signals trying to pass through the flat cable connections between the MCU and IOT Driver Boards.

The original versions of the flat cables and their sockets on the boards used tin pins and tin contact points. Eventually, Xerox decided the tin was causing too many problems and they introduced “Tag 014,” a field modification which replaced both boards and both ribbon cables. The new boards and flat cables have all gold contacts. The manual warns not to mix tin and gold components, as tin contacts are known to develop “tin whiskers” (little fibers which form as part of the oxidation process, and could potentially cause partial shorting between rows of pins).

To restore functionality, try using a pencil eraser to gently brush off any tin whiskers which may have formed on the flat cable contacts, then apply Stabilant 22a. I believe you’ll likely find the problem can be solved without replacing the rather-expensive boards. The Tag 014 board kits are part numbers: 604K44700 (for DC240/250), 604K44750 (for DC242/252) or 604K44760 (for DC260). They sell for $500 or more.

Note that Models 4110/4112/4127/ 4590 and 4595 also had similar problems with a pair of ribbon cables in and around the same area of the machines. Here they called the same upgrade to gold contacts “Tag P-018.”

Oxidized Fiery Network Controller Cables and ESS connections can cause slow connection speeds and intermittent failures, or print jobs getting stuck in the queue.

DC240/250/260, 550/560/570, DCP700/770, C75/J75—ROS (Laser Unit) Fault Codes: 061-310 thru 061-338. Just about any of the Raster Output Scanner (ROS) fault codes can result from poor connections at the ribbon cables which connect the ROS assemblies to the MCU PWB (Main Board). Any time you are going to remove the ROS assemblies or their ribbon cables, apply Stabilant 22a to assure a good connection. Also, check the little “latches” which hold the ribbon cables in place on their connectors. They are delicate, and if they aren’t pushing the cables firmly onto the row of contacts evenly and firmly, you’ll get errors.

Well that was quite the technical romp, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I especially want to thank a few collaborators on this one: Bill Fields for sharing his delightful experiences with Stabilant 22, Betty from D.W. Electrochemical, and Ed Riess from LT3 for doing a remarkable job editing my first draft. Thanks all!

I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS 2019.
May the New Year be full of the glad tidings of successful repairs!

Xerox Digital Color Press DCP-700/700i/770, Color Press C75/J75 and Versant V80, V180, V2100, V3100

While it hasn’t been an option in the past, it’s finally becoming possible to rebuild or repair decurler transport assemblies. Foam decurler rollers are spared in the J75 parts book, where they were missing from the DCP700 list.

So let’s begin by checking out how to protect the gears on the front end of the unit; these four little white gears are known for getting chewed up for reasons we’ll discuss. Then we’ll take one of these units apart far enough to replace these four gears.

DCP700 decurler transport

There are three versions of the decurler transport assemblies, and each version has its own OEM part numbers. While they are similar, there are some differences between them. The large foam rollers are the same for all three versions.

• DCP700/700i/770 version (059K62633)
  o OEM Refurbished= 641S00720
•  J75 / C75 version (059k79264)
  o OEM Refurbished= 641S01011
• V80/V180/V2100 version (059K81491)
  o OEM Refurbished= 641S01072

In many cases, the limiting factor for these units ends up being four small white gears at the front end. There are two idler gears—one with 11 teeth, and one with 13 teeth—and there are two drive gears which fit onto D shafts (one fits on the upper drive roll and one fits the lower drive roll).

These gears are in harm’s way of toner and developer falling from the developer unit above. The grit gets into the teeth of the gears and wears them down rather quickly. One look at the ramp-like black front-end cover makes it clear why so much grit lands on the gears, but installing a Mylar sheet on this cover will protect these gears. (See photos #1 and 2)

Photos #1 & 2: lower front cover and a solution to protect the gears

Now let’s open one up and see how to get to the four important gears.

Tools required

• #1 Phillips head screwdriver or 5.5mm hex driver
• Small flathead screwdriver

Parts you may need

• Decurler transport gear kit, four gears (DC700DTGK or V80DTGK)
• Decurler foam roll (DC700DTFR or V80DTFR: 059K56451)

Procedure
1. Lay the unit on its right side and remove the hinge-limit bracket (1 screw, see photo #4). While holding both upper and lower halves steady, carefully lift the green latch to release the two halves and open the unit up all the way.

Photo #4 & 5: hinge retainer bracket and upper assembly shown hinged all the way open

Caution: the hinge’s spring is strong, so take care not to let go of either half until the unit is fully open (see photo #5).

2. Remove the two idler gears (11-toothed and 13-toothed) from their shafts on the inside of the front-end frame (one e-clip each, see photo #3). Important: Take care not to lose the tiny white plastic spacer ring which shares the same shaft as the 11-toothed idler gear.

Photo #3: lower assembly parts

3. Remove the upper drive-roll gear (one e-clip, see photo #6)

Photo #6: upper drive-roll gear

4. Next up is the lower drive-roll gear. Start by removing the lower drive-roll coupling from the rear end of the unit (one e-clip) and the inner e-clip and bearing (see photo #7).

Photo #7: lower drive coupling

5. Take off the black plastic cover from the lower left corner of the front end (one screw, see photo #8).

Photos #8 & 9: lower left cover and motor bracket assembly

6. From the front end of the lower half, take off the motor mounting bracket (three screws and two wiring harness clips to release, see photo #9).

7. Remove the e-clip and bearing from the front end of the lower drive roller.

8. Shift the lower drive roller toward the rear of the unit until you can slide the gear off the front end of the roller. That’s the fourth of the group of small white gears which usually fail.

Photo #10: lower drive shaft removal

OK, time to take a breather. You’ve taken it apart enough to replace the four gears. Next month, we’ll take things a bit further by replacing the upper and lower foam rollers, as well as the four small white back-up rollers hiding behind the two drive rollers. The back-up rollers have the smallest-imaginable ball bearings.

Happy repairs, everyone—see you next month for Part 2!

Xerox Digital Color Press DCP-700/700i/770, Color Press C75/J75 and Versant V80, V180, V2100, V3100

In the previous article published in the March 2019 issue on these decurler transports, we went as far as replacing the four little white gears on the front end of the assemblies. Now we’ll take the disassembly a bit further and see how to replace the assembly’s upper and lower foam rollers, as well as some of the other smaller parts.

In the parts book, the big orange foam rollers are called “Pene” rollers. There is one up top and one in the lower half of the assembly and they are both the same. The DCP700 parts book didn’t spare these, but the more-recent families (J75/C75 and V80) both list it as part number 059K56451 (also found under: DC700DTFR or V80DTFR).

Let’s continue the procedure where we left off—removing the upper foam decurler roll:

TOOLS REQUIRED

• #1 Phillips-head screwdriver or 5.5mm hex driver
• Small flathead screwdriver

PARTS YOU MAY NEED

Decurler foam roll (DC700DTFR or V80DTFR: 059K56451)

PROCEDURE-Part 2

1.Remove the upper decurler drive roll. At the rear end of the roll, remove one e-clip and the bearing. At the front end, it’s best to leave the black plastic retainer in place, as it can easily break if you try to remove it (photo #11). Pop off the front e-clip and bearing, and the upper decurler drive roll comes right out. Inspect the drive roll’s surfaces for any serious wear; if it has developed a wide groove where the pinch roll makes contact, it could potentially cause wrinkled copies.

2.With the drive roll off, the drive back-up roll and its narrow metal shaft will drop off easily. Inspect and clean the single white back-up roll and its bearings. (photo #12)

Remove the upper chute (four screws, photo #13)

3.Now you have access to remove the front rocker-arm support bracket. (one screw, photo #14)

4.Remove the upper decurler foam roll. Pop off the front and rear e-clips and slide the bearings off. Inspect the rocker arms, which support the foam roll, for damage. You can leave the rear rocker-arm and its bracket in place.

5.You already have the lower decurler drive roll off (refer to steps 4-8 in part 1 of this pair of articles). Now prepare to remove the lower foam roll by removing the lower chute (four screws, photo #15).

6.Inspect the 12 mylar feed-in guides on the lower chute for signs of damage or burrs (photo #16). Repair or replace them if necessary. Also, clean up and inspect the three drive roll back-up rolls—make sure the tiny bearings spin freely and remain seated firmly in the ends of the rolls. Note that these three rolls are identical to the one in the upper half.

7.Remove the lower foam roller. Start by popping off the rear e-clip and bearing (a rectangular hole in the top of the rear frame is helpful for reaching the e-clip with a tiny flat-head screwdriver). Next, go to the front end and remove the inner of the two rocker-arm support brackets (photo #17). Removing the rear bracket makes things more complicated, so leave it in place.

8.Inspect the rear cam follower. This black plastic piece sometimes breaks (photo #18), leading to a lack of pressure on the upper foam roller. If yours is broken, a metal replacement cam follower is available (655N50090). A tiny e-clip at the rear end must be removed to get the cam follower’s shaft off. Photos #19 & 20 show how the new cam follower and its spring should be positioned.

That should do the trick! Your decurlers should now keep your copies flat and beautiful. Happy repairs everyone!

This issue, we’re exploring this specific set of machines due to the sheer volume of them sold in the field. They’re great for being compact, relatively quick (especially the 55 ppm 3655) and reliable. The knock against them is that they are not good for printing on envelopes. Let’s focus on rebuilding the fuser modules as some really good aftermarket heat rolls and pressure sleeves are now available.

There are two versions in this series so far. First came the 3655FA fusers for the WC-3655/3615 and Phaser 3610. These are usually sold in a maintenance kit along with the BTR assembly (transfer roll) 115R00084 (115R84). Valid part numbers for the fusers alone would be 126K30919, 126K35550 or 126K35551.

The newest models in the “3655 style” are the VersaLink B405 and B400. These have an extremely similar fuser. The heat roll, pressure sleeve and most other parts interchange nicely, but the fuser itself is not interchangeable. The B405 fuser also usually sells in a maintenance kit (115R00119), although again there are a few valid part numbers for the fuser alone: 126K36841, 859K00950 or 126K36840.

One thing that differentiates the two fusers is an indexing resistor on board, which has different ratings the machine will recognize for the right fuser. The other difference is a new feature on the B405/B400 fuser—the manufacturer added two little gray sliding pieces, one near the top front and one near the top rear. These are designed to change the pressure in the fuser so it can handle envelopes better, but it is a rather impractical fix. If the customer wants to run envelopes, they need to stop the machine, allow it to cool down for a while, turn the machine around and open the back door to access the fuser. They then have to slide the two little gray pieces to the envelope position. When done with envelopes, they need to remember to return the slides to the regular paper position.

This type of fuser has a typical heat roller and a pressure sleeve which slips over a core with a fabric-like Slip Sheet inside, and a pair of oil wicks/pads. They should have enough slip sheet lube inside to make it turn with as little friction as possible. Good lubricant in there may well turn out to be the most important key to getting good longevity out of your rebuilt fusers.

TOOLS NEEDED:

• 2 Philips head screwdriver
• T-10 safety torx driver (or bit)
• Needle-nosed vice-grip pliers

PARTS YOU MAY NEED:

• Fuser heat roller (3655FHR)
• Fuser pressure sleeve (3655FPS)
• Fuser heat roll bushings (heat sleeves) (3655FHS) and bearings (3655FHRB)
• Pressure sleeve lubricant (PSL)

Before you begin, take a look at photo #1 so you’re clear when we reference top versus bottom, front versus rear and inner face versus outer face.

REBUILD PROCEDURE:

1. Secure the picker fingers which are mounted to the exit chute (top inner cover). When the exit chute is off, the picker fingers will fall off easily. Use masking tape to keep them in place (photo #2). The tape will also be helpful later when you’re reassembling—when you install this exit chute, you need to keep the fingers away from the heat roller. Holding all four fingers up at once is tricky without tape.

2. With the fingers secured, remove the Exit Chute (two screws, photo #3).

3. Extract the two pressure springs (needle-nosed vice grips work well for this, photo #4). These are fairly heavy springs, so make sure to grip them tightly or you could lose them.

4. Remove the two green tension release levers. Use a small flat-head screwdriver blade to pry them gently away from the metal bracket in which they’re seated. (photo #5)

5. Take off the outer cover (the one with the temperature warning). Start by removing two screws (photo #6) from the outer face—one near the front end and one near the rear end, tucked into alcoves near the gray locking knobs. Then fully open the jam clearance gate and pivot the outer cover upward. Next, shift the cover toward the gate to extract the two nubs which seat it in place (photo #7). CAUTION—the exit gate is fragile (yep, I broke one already), so remove it now to help protect it.

6. Hinge the pressure sleeve assembly away, and slide it up and off the two metal pivot brackets (photo #8). Once it’s off, remove the two pivot brackets from their pivot points.

7. Take apart the pressure sleeve assembly. Look it over closely first, because it will fall apart once the two hubs/ends come off and the old sleeve is slipped off. (photo #9).

8. Inspect the pressure sleeve’s slip-sheet. This piece must not be grossly distorted, nor torn. Lubricate both sides of the slip sheet with slip-sheet lube, working the oil into the fabric-like surface to give it as much slip as possible. Also, add some lube to the two wicks—wick 1 is mounted to the metal core, wick 2 is on one of the two plastic core pieces (photo #10). These wicks serve as a reservoir for the lube.

9. Remove the contact/clip from above the indexing resistor (at the front end of the fuser, photo #11). Release the larger bottom contact/clip where it hangs onto two plastic nubs, and the indexing resistor’s shuttle will slide out (photos #12 & 13).

10. Remove the metal guide bracket (two screws, one at either end). Be careful not to lose the metal contact piece after the rear end’s screw is out—once the bracket is off, the contact is only loosely mounted to it.

11. Remove the heat control/electrical cover. This requires peeling off the small square sticker from the center of the cover which has the wrench symbol crossed off. Next, you’ll need to remove one screw (T10 safety torx, photo #14). Flex the cover to unseat it at the front and rear ends. Note that the little white idler gear at the rear end can fall off easily once this cover is removed. Remove this gear now, so you don’t lose it.

12. Release the thermostat (thermal fuse) and pop the front heat lamp log off the thermostat (photo #15).

13. Pull the red heat lamp terminal and its spade lug through the lower frame. Then lift the front end of the heat roller out of the lower frame and slide it off over the end of the heat lamp (photo #16).

14. On the heat roll you will find a pair of bushings under a pair of bearings. Replace these pieces and add some high-temperature grease as needed.

15. Reassemble everything. Note that you will want to reinstall the two green tension levers before you put the springs back on.

Nice work! You just saved your customer some money while keeping a perfectly good piece of equipment out of a landfill.

Resetting the Fuser Counter:

For WC-3615 / WC-3655:

1. Press the “Machine Status” button.
2. Touch the “Tools” tab.
3. Next touch “Admin Settings” followed by “Service Tools.”
4. Touch “Reset Transfer Unit/Fuser,” followed by “Reset.”
5. Finally press “Yes, Reset.”

For WC-3655 (you need to first log in as administrator):

1. Press “Login/Logout” and enter the username (default is ‘admin’), then enter the password on the next screen (default is ‘1111’).
2. Press the “Machine Status” button.
3. Next touch the “Supplies” tab.
4. Then touch “Supply Counter Reset,” followed by “Reset CRU Life.”
5. Finally press “Reset Counter.”

For VersaLink B405 / B400:

1. Press the “Home” button.
2. Choose “Maintenance” (gears icon).
3. Touch “Supplies.”
4. Touch “Maintenance Kit.”
5. Press “Reset,” followed by “Confirm,” and “Close out.”

Repairing and Rebuilding the Transfer Belt Cleaners for the V80, V180, V2100, & V3100

Continuing along the lines of going green, saving some green and keeping stuff out of landfills, let’s see what we can fix this month.

A few months back, we rebuilt the heat belt units… charming buggers. Now let’s have a look at how the cleaning assemblies come apart. These are really easy to rebuild—I think you’re going to love them!

The IBT (transfer belt) cleaning assemblies sell under part number 042k94700, and retail for around $300 at last check (July 2019). Xerox does offer their own factory rebuilt units (part number 641S01070), but those are not always available.

The IBT cleaning blade is the main component which wears out. They do spare it (033K98760). You can save some money if you choose to replace just the IBT cleaning blade (V80IBTCB). Even better, if you also replace the cleaning brush at the same time, the new blade will last quite a bit longer. The other piece which is available, the mylar seal blade, should only be replaced if it’s damaged (kinked, curled or otherwise deformed). You can pick up a rebuild kit (V80IBTCK), which includes all three pieces.

Replacing the cleaning assembly is quite simple—only two screws need to be removed from the front end to slide it out. Naturally, it’s likely to drop toner during removal, so make sure you put down a drop-cloth.

On to the rebuild procedure. You’ll want to be very gentle when vacuuming the waste toner out of the unit, especially if the seal blade is in good condition. Use a 5.5 mm nut driver for most of the screws, though on the units I’ve seen, a #2 Philips head screwdriver will suffice.

Now to it! Here’s the rebuild procedure, nice and simple:

PROCEDURE:

1. by removing the baffle (2 screws, photo #1). Be careful when handling it, as the metal blade is extremely sharp.

2. Remove the IBT cleaning blade (2 screws, photo #2).

3. Gently vacuum up waste toner in the auger area and inside the spring-loaded shutter and tube at the rear of the unit. Be extra careful not to hurt the mylar seal blade.

4. Take off the front-end cover (2 screws, photo #3).

5. Remove the black gear cover (1 screw, photo #4), and slide the cleaning brush’s gear off (see photo #5 for orientation of the gear).

Tip: It’s best to leave the Auger, its gear and the shutter in place, as it’s tricky to re-seat both ends of the auger and the shutter properly. Check the feel of the rotation of the auger before and after—if it feels stiff when turning, the auger isn’t seated properly.

6. At the rear end, remove the tiny e-clip and washer from the end of the cleaning brush (photo #6).

7. Carefully peel up the rear fuzzy end seal, so it’s far enough to release the cleaning brush, then slide the brush’s bushing to the rear and off (photo #7).

8. Remove the cleaning brush and replace it with a new one.

9. If the mylar seal blade has any kinks or curling, replace it. Check the positioning of the new seal blade against where the original one lines up first. Then, peel off the old one and clean under it thoroughly (do not leave any adhesive behind). Start at one end and slowly lay the new blade’s peel-and-stick adhesive evenly and slowly to make sure it remains straight. Do not stretch the new seal blade or it will come out wavy.

10. Clean everything thoroughly and reassemble it all.

Piece of cake—you did it!

After replacing or rebuilding the IBT cleaner assembly, you should reset the counter from the HFSI (high-frequency service items) section of the NVM (non-volatile memory): code 954-876.

Hope you all have a wonderful autumn and happy recycling, folks!

It’s time for a good two-sided adventure. When they’re working right, the duplex transports on the DCP700 and C75/J75 do a wonderful job moving paper. However, when something starts slipping and pages start jamming (often intermittently), it can lead to frustration for a technician—a major time-sink.

Having a clear understanding of all the moving parts and knowing what to replace is key to saving time when solving the problem. We’ll cover the many parts in the upper chute assembly, the pinch rolls on the lower chute and the idler pulleys and drive belt on the inner front wall of the main transport drawer.

We’ll concentrate on the DCP700/DCP700i/DCP770 and C75 / J75 models, though a lot of this information will prove similar for the Versant V80, V180.

There are several areas with parts related to duplexing:

• Duplex lower chute (six pinch rollers with their springs)
• Drive motor assembly (motor, gears and drive coupling)
• Duplex upper chute assembly (drive gears, one-way drive pulleys, and six transport rollers with their associated bearings)
• Main transport drawer (idler pulleys and drive belt)

The lower chute assembly is the metal plate that drops down, allowing you to clear jams from the duplex area. The only parts on the lower chute of significance would be the six pinch roll assemblies (hard plastic) and their retaining springs, which maintain nip pressure. If you find the paper is skewing in the duplex, you want to check these pinch rolls to make sure they all spin easily enough—clean the plastic cradle bearings, check that they’re not out of round from wear and add a drop of silicon gear grease for lubrication. Also check that the tension springs are all providing similar pressure. If these pinch rollers don’t turn easily, they add a lot more stress on the whole drive train, so checking and oiling them is an important first step.

The duplex drive motor assembly (068K59340, sells for around $85) is seldom the actual cause of drive problems. The motor itself has a part number on the label, 127K52720, although that number is not actually valid.

The drive assembly’s coupling drives a matching coupling on the rear of a shaft on the left side of the duplex upper chute assembly. The drive shaft reaches all the way to the front of the unit. There, you’ll find a 22-toothed D-shaft drive gear, which mates up with a one-way drive gear/pulley (20T/24T) on the front end of the duplex out roller. This piece drives the duplex drive belt, which moves a series of one-way pulleys, to turn the rest of the duplex rollers on the upper chute assembly.

The upper chute assembly is mounted under the main transport drawer. The drive belt gets its tension from idler pulleys (some smooth, and some 24T), which are mounted on the inner front wall of the main transport drawer.

Most of the duplex problems stem from a combination of increasing friction due to dirt and wear of the pulleys and bearings, and the subsequent failure of the one-way clutches (pin-bearings) found in the drive gear/pulley and the three one-way pulleys. Getting to the duplex drive belt and upper chute assembly takes a little bit of work.

Removing the duplex drive belt and upper chute assembly:

• Pull the main transport drawer (transfer drawer) all the way out to the service position
• Remove the drawer front covers: left cover (three screws), fuser release cover (two screws), center cover (two screws), right cover (two screws) and drawer handle (two screws)
• Lift the fuser out
• Remove the second BTR assembly: disconnect a connector and a high-voltage lead, take off second BTR front cover (one screw) and then rock the unit towards the right to lift it out
• Remove the registration module: disconnect four connectors at front, remove two screws (one front left, one rear left) and remove the spring-loaded guide pin near the front end of left rail (three screws and rotate the spring/pin assembly), but be careful, as it’s spring loaded
• Remove two metal brackets inside the front wall of main drawer: left bracket (three screws) and central bracket (two screws)
• Remove the duplex drive belt tension pulley bracket (one screw)
• Remove the duplex drive belt, taking careful note of how it is routed (see photo #1 for the layout, as viewed from the front end)

Duplex Upper Chute Assembly Orientation:

At this point, getting the upper chute assembly off is easy enough—here’s a quick anatomy.

The duplex in rollers (x2) on the right end of the assembly are driven by D-shaft pulleys, which don’t tend to wear out. The next three rollers, which we’ll call duplex transport rollers, are all driven by one-way drive pulleys. The one-way clutches in these pulleys can get weak over time and should be replaced if the duplex is slipping.

Similarly, the drive gear/pulley on the front of the duplex out roller (on the far left) also has a one-way bearing that can start slipping. All three one-way pulleys and the one-way drive gear/pulley should drive faithfully in the clockwise direction. If you suspect these are slipping, check the front ends of the shafts where these pulleys are seated. Look for signs of the metal getting worn out (discoloration and a change of texture), and replace any duplex rolls, if necessary. The wearing only tends to happen if the one-way pulley has already failed and is slipping on the shaft, so catch it early if possible.

You can replace the entire duplex upper chute assembly (054K35936, approximately $400) to keep things simple, or you might rebuild it with a duplex rebuild kit (DC700DXTRK, approximately $200). Once the upper chute is out of the machine, it’s straight-forward to rebuild (mostly a lot of e-clips). Below are some photos that show how the pieces should look when reassembled.

Duplex Upper Chute Assembly Bearing Layout:

Here’s a list of related parts, along with part numbers for the line items which are shown as spared on the OEM parts list:

Duplex parts you may need

• Duplex upper chute assembly (metal plate with six rollers, one-way pulleys and drive gears; 054K35936 or DC700DXUCA)
  Retail cost approximately $400 for new OEM
  Or, to rebuild the upper chute assembly

Duplex upper chute rebuild kit (includes all below):

• Duplex transport drive gear kit (DC700DXDGK) (one 20/24T one-way drive pulley/gear, one 22T D-shaft gear)

• Duplex in rollers (x2): (059K55960)
• Duplex transport rollers (x3): (059K54440)
• Duplex out roller (x1): (059K54430)
• Duplex roll bearing kit: (DC700DXBK) [oilite bearings (x10) (413W75959), tiny bearings for out roll (x2) and small bearings for drive shaft (x2)]
• Duplex drive pulley kit: (DC700DXPK) [one-way drive pulleys (x3) and D-shaft drive pulleys (x2) (499W14124)]
• Duplex upper chute rebuild kit: (DC700DXRK) (includes the drive gear kit, pulley kit, bearing kit, out roller and replacement tires for in rollers and transport rollers, as well as the drive belt and the idler pulleys described below)

When you replace or rebuild the duplex upper chute assembly, you’ll also want to replace the pieces on the transport drawer:

• Duplex idler pulleys (smooth) (x8): (499W17061)
• Duplex idler pulleys (24T) (x4): (499W14524)
• Duplex drive belt: (023E27010)

Note: there is also an idler pulley improvement kit, which has a set of smooth idler pulleys with a pair of ball bearings added to the centers of each. Item 655N00388 came with 7 idler pulleys, 14 flanged bearings and 14 white o-rings. There’s also item 655N00588, which only has 5 idler pulleys, 10 bearings and 10 o-rings.

That just about covers both sides of it all. Happy repairs, everyone—see you next time!

WC-5945, 5955, AL-B8090, B8075, B8065, B8055, B8045

In many ways, the WorkCentre 5945 and 5955 MFP monochrome copiers, as well as the newer AltaLink B8090 family, are good, solid machines. On the positive side, they’re relatively simple. The only major drawback is that problems can be caused by poor communication with the toner CRUM chip. So let’s take a look at this weakness and discuss some possible solutions. Then we’ll take a machine apart so you can see just how easy it is to get to virtually any part.

Probably the biggest problem with this style of machine lies in the tricky way it communicates with the toner CRUM chip on the side of the toner cartridge. In this case, the chip type is radio frequency (RF). While the CRUM is mounted on the side of the rotating toner cartridge, the machine’s RF reader is stationary, so it reads the chip as it passes by during its rotation cycles. Any hesitation of the toner cartridge rotation, or any trouble with toner dispensing, and the machine will wipe out the CRUM chip, rendering an otherwise perfectly good cartridge useless.

So far, there are no OEM replacement toner CRUMs available, and the aftermarket products still need work. The generic chips don’t work consistently enough, or they need to be perfectly positioned on the cartridge for them to work properly. It would be ideal if the toner CRUM reading could be turned off entirely.

If the toner cartridges are working for you, the rest of the machine is a dream come true for a technician. Parts which might traditionally require a lot of work to replace are easy to access, and it’s even simpler if you know how to find them in the machine. For example, one might expect to reach the toner dispense assembly from the front or from above, but you’ll see that it’s actually easy to remove from the rear.

Looking at the front of the machine (photos 1 and 2), you can see the single-pass document handler (SPDH) up top. This type of document feeder gets its name from a clever design which scans both sides of a duplex document at the same time. You can also see the user interface (UI), or control console, and below that is either a horizontal transport (for bringing the copies over to a finisher, if one is installed) or a centrally located output tray assembly.

Let’s take a look under the hood. If you open the front door (photo 2), you’ll see the toner cartridge and imaging unit (drum cartridge). To remove the drum cartridge, open the left door assembly, pivot the drum latch downward and then slide the cartridge out through the front. These machines are dual-component, but the developer station is the lower half of the imaging unit—replacing the imaging unit replaces the developer at the same time.

Next, if you go to the left side of the machine and open the left door assembly (photo 3), you can access the fuser module and transfer roll assembly (BTR). The fuser is easily removed by releasing two thumbscrews. The transfer roll is on the door itself; it comes off just as easily by pinching the two release clips. You can also see the inverter/exit transport up top, as well as the registration (timing) roller.

Removing the rear cover, you’ll see lots of goodies inside (photo 4), all relatively easy to access and remove. At the top left is the single board controller module (SBC). To the right of that is the exit drive module, which is driven by a belt extending down to a pulley on the main drive module. You can also see the IOT board (main engine control board). Below that, in the lowermost left corner, is the power supply unit (combined low-voltage and AC power supplies). The high-voltage power supply (HVPS) can also be found here, between the IOT board and single board controller module. The HVPS is easily overlooked, as it is laying flat attached to a metal plate.
Here are quick descriptions of how to remove these parts:

• Main drive module (with main, xerographic and registration drive motors):

1. Remove the fuser and the print (drum) cartridge and put the cartridge in a black bag to protect it from light.
2. Loosen the screw which holds the exit drive belt tensioner and disengage the belt.
3. Disconnect two connectors and remove six screws.
4. Release the registration roll drive belt from inside the frame.
5. Now the main drive module can come off the rear of the machine.
   

Note: When reinstalling, take care not to trap the wiring harness, which runs along the left side of the assembly beneath the module.

• High voltage power supply (HVPS):

1. Remove one connector (P/J 830) and two screws from the plate at the rear frame.
2. Slide the HVPS out along its two guide slots.

• IOT board (main engine control board):

1. Disconnect the many connectors from the board, as well as the eight screws.

Note: when reinstalling, you’ll see that P/J 758, 778, 780 are not connected, and P/J 775 will only be connected if the machine has a Tray 4 installed.

• Single board controller (SBC) module:

1. If replacing the SBC module or any of its components, always first perform memory save/restore onto a USB stick so you can restore settings later.
2. Remove the SBC module’s outer plate (four screws).
3. Disconnect the nine electrical connectors and remove the two screws from the bottom.
4. Slide the SBC module to the right to release its four locating tabs.
5. Only change one board at a time so the machine can maintain its serial number data accurately. At least two out of the three locations that maintain the serial number, market and supply-plan details must agree with each other for the machine to maintain this data successfully. The three memory locations are the hard drive (HDD), the IOT board and the scanner control board. If this data is lost or corrupted, you will need to call the OEM dealership for a code to reset the serial number.
6. Always keep the SIM card with the original machine, as it has the machine’s serial number written to it. This is critical to maintaining and restoring the machine’s configuration.

• Toner dispense assembly:

1. Remove the toner cartridge. You can get at the toner dispense assembly through the hole in the rear frame, just below the SBC module and above the HVPS (photo 5).
2. Disconnect P/J 850 from the SBC board; the large red-and-black wiring harness would be in your way, otherwise.
3. Remove the three screws that hold the black plastic of the dispenser to the rear frame, and disconnect the wiring harness connector (this connector could disappear into the machine’s inner cavity, so don’t lose track of it and don’t forget to reconnect it during reassembly).
4. Pivot the assembly gently counterclockwise a little, and it will slide to your left, then carefully extract it from the hole in the frame.
5. When positioning the new assembly in place, place the two locating holes over the locating pins on the HVPS tray assembly.
6. Because a new assembly is void of toner, you need to move some into the dispenser. Run both the print cartridge motor (component control code 093-045) and the toner cartridge motor (code 093-040) from diagnostics (eight times at five seconds each, for a total of 40 seconds, should do the trick). This will assure the toner supply is continuous and you don’t end up with toner dispense errors right away.

We’ve covered a decent amount of ground, but this machine deserves a second article to complete the picture. So next time, we’ll take a peek at the paper feed heads, the power supply unit (LVPS) and the document feeder (SPDH).

We’re going to continue our exploration of these models where we left off last month. As you saw, they’re easier to work on than one might expect, with just a few eccentricities and tricks to be aware of. We’ll take a look at how to remove the power supply unit, as well as the paper drawers and feed heads.

But first, let’s discuss a couple common problems with the document feeder and how to solve them. The feeder has a new acronym (SPDH, short for single-pass document handler), named for a nice feature new to this series. It can scan both sides of documents with one pass thanks to a scanning CCD, called the side-2 scanner, mounted to the underside of the document handler.

When copying from the SPDH, one vague message, which can be frustrating to customers and technicians alike, reads, “Due to a system error, all scanned jobs have been deleted.” This was a common problem on the 5945 and 5955, and not as frequent with the redesigned SPDH on more recent models. It occurs when the machine becomes confused about whether or not there is another document on the document feed tray. A similar symptom is fault code 305-966, when the document feed tray refuses to lift with one remaining original on the tray. Built into the feed tray is the last sheet sensor, which reads whether or not a document is still on the feed tray.

It was discovered that early build models had a sensor that was over-sensitive to light. Xerox recommended moving the machine so it wasn’t under bright lights, because the sensor could actually see through a document so it appeared that one wasn’t there. The solution was an improved version of the last sheet sensor, which was basically the same sensor with a piece of dark translucent tape over its eye.

The original sensor part number was 130E19330, while the new one is 607K04310. There is also a kit available to add the improvement to the old sensor (5945DLSIK/655N00489—document last sheet sensor improvement kit). To access the sensor, remove the document rear cover (three screws) and lift the document feed tray to reach the sensor underneath (see photo 1). Note how this sensor is seated, as it won’t be obvious how it sits when you try to put it back in place. The tape over the eye of the sensor should wrap all the way around so it adheres to itself, or else it tends to detach from the plastic of the sensor (see the example in photo 2).

Another common problem, which was solved in the field, was damage to the center lead edge of documents accompanied by document misfeeds. This turned out to be caused by the little clear Mylar sheet before the document separation tire, and a flat spot wearing into the surface of the separation tire. This was fixed by installing a longer piece of Mylar, which extends about 2mm further toward the separation tire than the original Mylar. See photo 3 for an example of a Mylar that is too short.

Next let’s explore how to remove some of the other parts.

Power Supply Unit (LVPS + AC Power Supply)

1. Remove the rear and lower-rear covers.
2. Disconnect the five connectors (see photo 4).
3. Remove the two screws (one at bottom center, one in the upper-left corner) and remove the power supply. The power supply unit can now be lifted away.
4. Disconnect the ground wire from the main ground point on the top-left corner of the power supply (one nut).
5. When you install the replacement power supply, make sure you tighten the nut on the ground point well. Also check the frame ground lug to ensure it’s tight as well; sliding out tray 2 will give you better access to it. Double check the ground circuit by measuring with an ohm meter between the ground pin on the power supply (P/J651) and the frame—it should measure less than 10 ohms.

Paper Feed Heads for Trays 1 and 2

1. Remove paper trays 1 and 2; slide them all the way out, then lift the rear end straight up on both sides to sneak by the tray stops.
2. Disconnect the feed head connector inside the paper tray cavity and remove one screw from the front end (see photo 5).
3. Lower the front end of the feed head while you slide it out. Note that it’s possible to remove the feed rollers (feed, nudger and separation) without removing feed head.

Paper Trays 3 and 4

1. Remove trays 1 and 2 so you can access the area behind trays 3 and 4 from above. Look for wadded-up paper behind the trays, which can cause problems ranging from paper lift failures to false tray home or paper size sensing.
2. Take off the front panel (two screws from the top). Note that during reassembly, you’ll want to seat the two hooks first (see photo 7).
3. Remove the tray stops from along the edge of the bottom frame (one screw for each of the three stops, see photo 6).
4. Slide the tray out and lift it out along with its rails. With the tray stops off, the stationary part of the rail is able to slide forward slightly, so you can lift the anchors at the rear end of each rail out of their anchor points in the bottom frame.
5. When you are ready to reinstall the tray, line up the metal anchors on the bottom rear of each rail, with the holes in the bottom frame of the drawer unit.
6. Slide each of the anchors toward the rear until they seat properly (see photos 9 & 10). You will need to reach your arm in from above (from the cavity where trays 1 and 2 would be, see photo 8).
7. Reinstall the tray stops so the rail anchors cannot come out again.

Tray 3 and 4 Feed Heads

1. Slide trays 3 and 4 all the way out.
2. Take off the machine’s rear and lower-ear covers.
3. Disconnect the connectors: one feed/lift motor connector, two in-line connectors and the tray home sensor connector (which is down on the bottom frame). Depending on which version of the assembly you have (with or without tag 003), there may be a fourth connector to disconnect.
4. Remove two screws (see photo 12), then slide the feed head out through the rear. Be careful not to get caught on any of the wiring harnesses; as you can see in photo 9, the wiring is rather messy in some cases.
5. When reinstalling the feed head, slide it most of the way in, then go to the front to line the metal tongue up into the hole in the frame where it should seat. You will also want to be sure the plastic slot under the tray 4 horizontal transport is riding on the metal rail as it should (see photo 13).

That should do the trick—I hope this info proves helpful! Have a good month, and I wish you all stay healthy.