MAY 2005, VOL.

14, NUMBER 4

LEARN
PRINTER
REPAIR
ONLINE
HP LASERJET 4200/4300 TRAINING COURSE RELEASED

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

• Cleaning Hewlett-Packard’s Digital Copy Accessory

• Part Spotlight: HP LaserJet 2200 Maintenance Kit

• Tech Tip: HP Color LaserJet 3500/3550/3700: A New Concept in Laser/Scanners

 COMPANY
HP LASERJET 4200/4300
ONLINE TRAINING COURSE RELEASED
The list of Parts Now! Online Training
courses—which includes the HP LaserJet
4000/4050/4100 and the HP LaserJet
5Si/8000/8100/8150—continues to grow with the
announcement of the new HP LaserJet 4200/4300
course!
Online Training from Parts Now! is the same qual-
ity instruction that our Director of Training Steve
Geishirt gives in his hands-on classes, but from the
comfort of your computer.
There's no risk in trying out online training,
because our intro course doesn't cost anything! You
SALES SPOTLIGHT:
TIM RITSCHARD
Tim, a Parts Now! account representative
for five and a half years, sat down with
Service Today to talk about his sales phi-
losophy, what Parts Now! has to offer, and
why he could never star in an infomercial.
Service Today: What makes working at Parts Now! unique?
Tim Ritschard: We’re working in a niche market with the
laser printer parts industry. I’m able to have a direct impact on
what happens with our customers, and in turn what they can
provide for their customers. When they have success, we have
success, so I’m a firm believer in making my customer’s life
as easy as possible.
ST: What is your sales philosophy?
TR: I’m not one of those “it slices, it dices” salespeople that
will sell you something you don’t need. I want to make sure
my customers need and can use what I’m selling.
ST: What is your favorite part of coming to work every day?
2
can take the first section of our basic course, Image
Formation for HP Printers, for free. If you like that,
we'll let you take the other four sections for free
also—all you have to do is contact your account rep-
resentative. We’ll take it from there!
Ready to take advantage of your free trial? Then
visit http://videotraining.partsnow.com and click on
the 'Free Trial' link. You'll also find more information,
including pricing and course descriptions.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call
your account representative at (800) 886-6688 or
email us at training@partsnow.com. ■
TR: Definitely building relationships with customers, being
able to talk to them to see how their businesses are run and
solving problems that they have.
ST: Why should your customers buy printer parts from you?
TR: My customers know they are getting a reliable and hard-
working account rep who is always going to do his best for
them. They are going to get a fair shake on price and great ser-
vice. They know they can utilize our online website and our
tech support, which I’ve got a lot of compliments on. Some
techs run into issues they’ve never run into before, and our
tech support has, so they can help them out.
ST: Outside of work, what is something that most people don’t
know about you?
TR: I guess some people don’t know that my wife and I hiked
the Grand Canyon. We have a Boxer. I also enjoy playing bas-
ketball and golf, and I must like running since I’ve run several
marathons (editor’s note – Tim is being humble, as he finished
his first marathon in an impressive three hours and eighteen
minutes).
 PRODUCT

PART SPOTLIGHT:
HP LASERJET 2200 MAINTENANCE KIT
If you’re repairing printers, you have
to have the ability to adapt with this
ever-changing industry. New models
seem to be introduced monthly, increas-
ing the amount of knowledge you need
just to survive. Sometimes even simple
things like the contents of maintenance
kits change—something that recently
happened with the HP LaserJet 2200
maintenance kit (part number H3978- Figure 1 - The contents of the HP
60001). LaserJet 2200 maintenance kit (H3978-
60001):
This kit, whose new contents are
shown in Figure 1, has always included • Fusing Assembly, RG5-5559
a tray 1 pickup roller and separation pad. • Transfer Roller Assembly, RG5-5581
In addition, it has historically included • Tray 1 Pickup Roller, RB2-2900
two pickup rollers and two separation • Tray 1 Separation Pad, RF5-3272 HEADQUARTERS:
pads intended for tray 2, as well as 3517 W. Beltline Hwy.
• Tray 2 Pickup Roller, RB2-6304
optional tray 3. However, HP is now Madison, WI 53713
including only one roller and one separa- • Tray 2 Separation Pad, RB2-6349
(608) 276-8688
tion pad, meant for tray 2. (800) 886-6688

Fortunately, most of the time you will picking up paper. FAX (608) 276-9593

not have to replace the roller and pad in
both tray 2 and tray 3. First of all, not all
LJ 2200 printers will have optional tray
3, and for those that do, it is unlikely
that tray 2 and 3 are used equally. For
the tray that is used least often, you can
The moral of the story? Don’t get FLORIDA OFFICE:
caught off guard when ordering this pop- 1901 W. Cypress Creek Road
ular maintenance kit. Make sure you Suite 404
have some extra pickup rollers and sepa- Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33309
ration pads on hand, in case you need to (800) 886-6688
replace them in both trays. You might FAX (954) 983-7256

simply replace the pickup roller (part just save yourself another trip to your
URL
number RB2-6304) and the separation customer! ■ www.partsnow.com
pad (RB2-6349) if the tray has problems INTERNET KEYWORD
Parts Now

Parts Now! will be closed Monday, May 30th in

observance of Memorial Day

3
 TECHNICAL

Want to get CLEANING HEWLETT-PACKARD’S

the Service
Today via DIGITAL COPY ACCESSORY
email?
New questions continue to arise con-
cerning print quality issues with HP’s
digital copy accessory for their LaserJet
8100 series of printers. Many printer
technicians get a little nervous about ser-
vicing this unit because they are used to
servicing printers and not what they are
calling “copy machines.” First of all, this
is not a “copy machine.” It is, however,
a “copy attachment accessory,” and their
nervousness is somewhat justified.
However, with a little knowledge and
Go to
thought—and the service manual—there
www.partsnow.com truly is nothing to be nervous about.
and click on the A Clean Mirror Leads to Clean
“Free Newsletters” Copies
button. One of the biggest problems that we
have seen to date isn’t component fail-
ure, but is simply the cleaning of these
units and their mirrors. An example of
this problem was with the first one I had
to deal with. I took it apart and cleaned
everything, including the
mirrors, but it still pro-
duced poor copy quality.
Upon further examination
and disassembly, I realized
that not only had I missed
a mirror, but also didn’t
clean the lens that was full
of dust. This was easy to
overlook, which com- Figure 1
pelled me to write this article about the
disassembly and cleaning of these
items—an article that will hopefully save
you time when dealing with this unit. We
will also talk about the do’s and don’ts
with disassembling this unit, which
should not be attempted without the ser-
vice manual.
First, we must understand how impor-
tant having clean mirrors and lenses is.
If the mirrors are dust covered, the
machine may transfer dust particles that
have accumulated on the various mirrors
to the paper, resulting in a grey back-
ground or spots of grey on the copies.
This image defect can be avoided by
cleaning the mirrors, but be careful, as
the mirrors are not available for pur-
chase. If you happen to break one during
disassembly, the whole upper or lower
optical units would have to be
replaced—and these units are not inex-
pensive!

4
Disassembly Tips
As important as knowing what to do during disassem-
bly is what not to do during disassembly. It is extremely
important to use caution while removing and then rein-
stalling mirrors, as they are mounted and aimed specifi-
cally at the lens that focuses light into the CCD (charge
coupled device). The CCD analyzes the light and con-
verts it into electrical impulses, and should not be
removed (Figure 1).
Another thing to look out for is the PCA (printed cir- Figure 2
cuit assembly), which is mounted on the optical unit with
concentric cams that are set at the factory. If it is removed, it
will be virtually impossible to realign. Instead, clean the lens
behind the PCA with a cotton swab. This is a good rule to fol-
low in general: if you can clean a mirror with a cotton swab
instead of removing it, the swab is always preferred. Only
remove the necessary mirrors—two of them will have to be
removed to access the others. Prior to removing any of the mir-
rors, make note of any bevels cut along the edges that any of the
mirrors may have. These bevels are there to allow the mirrors to
fit correctly. The last item to be removed is the focusing frame
(Figure 2), which is adjustable—so mark its placement before
removing it. Figure 3
Disassembly Procedure
The following is step-by-step instructions for disassembling
the copy module. It is recommended that the unit be removed
from its home to a more suitable location for disassembly, such
as the repair shop.
1. Remove the top flatbed lid by removing one screw (red
arrow, Figure 3) and sliding it to the right, out of the hold-
down pins (blue arrow).
2. Remove the upper ADF cover by removing one screw
from the latch button, and two mount screws (Figure 4).
3. Remove the control panel by removing two screws from
the bottom (Figure 5a). Figure 4

5
 4. Lift the control panel up and disconnect the cable
(Figure 5b).
5. Remove the top cover by removing the following:
a. Three screws and one cable holder under the control
panel (Figure 6).
b. Two screws under the ADF cover on the left side of
the unit.
c. Two screws on the right side.
d. Lift off the top cover.
6. Remove the ADF (automatic document feeder) by fol-
lowing these steps: Figure 5a

a. Remove two screws in the rear (Figure 7a) and par-

tially pull out the main board.
b. With the board partially removed, disconnect the
ADF cables (figure 7b) and then remove the board
with its cage.
c. Remove four screws in the front and rear of the ADF
(Figure 7c) and lift off.
7. Remove the front side or lower scanner glass assembly
by removing two remaining screws on the right side
(Figure 8), then lift off the glass with the metal frame.
8. Remove the lower optical unit by following these steps: Figure 5b
a. Remove one
screw on the
right side of
the metal
guide rod and
slide out from
the left side to
remove.
b. Lift lower
optical unit up
from the front
and slide drive
belt out of
holder, then Figure 6 Figure 7a
slide optical

6
 unit out of rear guide.
c. Disconnect ribbon cable.
9. Remove the lower lamp assembly
Customer quote
from the optical unit. Do not touch of the month:
it with your fingers. If the lamp
“I am very pleased
has been touched, clean it with
with the quality of
alcohol.
service that Michael
10. There are five mirrors. Only Davidsaver delivers to
remove the necessary mirrors. To my company. He
Figure 7b
remove, gently pry each retaining always treats me as if
clip at its lock tab to release. I am the only cus-
11. Clean the projection lens and each tomer he has. Even
mirror with a cotton swab and a though I work for a
suitable glass cleaner. Reinstall in very small company, I
reverse order. am never made to
feel inferior or like I
12. Prior to installing the optical unit am wasting his time
back into the base, lubricate the when I place an order.
shaft and rear guide with light oil,
making sure not to over-lube. He’s friendly, courte-
Once the lower optical unit is ous, knowledgeable
reassembled and replaced, turn your and quick to respond
attention to the ADF and the backside, or to my needs. These
top optical unit. The following is a list of attributes, coupled
Figure 7c steps to separate the ADF and the top with the great tech
optical unit. support I receive are
what has kept me
1. Remove the screw and bracket on
coming back time and
the front side of the optical unit
time again.”
(Figure 9a).
2. Disconnect two cables to the opti- - Steve Martin
cal unit (Figure 9b). Columbus, OH
3. Pivot the optical unit on the hinges
(Figure 9c) and remove.
4. Once the optical unit is removed,
Figure 8 turn over and remove lamp by

7

Figure 9a Figure 9b
Figure 9c
removing two screws and disconnecting one
cable. Do not touch the lamp itself. If the lamp
has been touched, clean it with alcohol.
5. There are five mirrors. Only remove the neces-
sary mirrors. To remove, gently pry each retain-
ing clip at its lock tab to release.
6. Clean the projection lens and each mirror with a
cotton swab and a suitable glass cleaner.
Reinstall in reverse order.
Following reassembly, the unit must be calibrated
with a target calibration sheet (part number PA03002-
C261FJ). If this item is not available, it can be made.
It is basically an A3 size sheet of white paper with a
.4 inch (10mm) black border around the edge. A3 size
is 16.5 inches by 11.7 inches (420mm x 297mm). The
calibrations that must be done are in the “Service
8
Mode” of the unit,
which can be accessed
by holding down the
“Reset,” “1,” and “0”
keys while turning the
copy module on.
Release the keys when
the first check comes
up on the display. The
“Offset Adjustment
Calibration” should be
performed using the
target calibration sheet on all three scanners: flatbed,
ADF front and ADF rear. Then the “Density
Calibration” should also be performed on all three
using the target calibration sheet.
If the PCA boards were not removed and the unit
displays an “Optical error” after reassembly, check to
see if the lamps—upper or lower—are lighting. If the
applicable lamp lights and then the error displays, it
means that the CCD does not see the light. Unless the
CCD PCA is bad—which would be rare—one of the
mirrors is out of position. Recheck the mirror installa-
tion. A bad CCD PCA would require replacement of
the applicable optical unit.
Maintaining the copy attachment can be tricky, but
nonetheless important. Do you clean your eyeglasses
when they are dirty? Yes you do! So, if the copy
attachment can’t see documents very well when its
glasses are dirty, they need to be cleaned as well. If
the precautions are used as mentioned, this mainte-
nance can be done without a problem. ■
—Bill Voelker
Mr. Voelker has been a Parts Now! trainer for over five
years, training both Parts Now! customers and internal
staff on the latest in printer repair techniques and tech-
nologies.
TECH TIP OF THE MONTH
HP COLOR LASERJET 3500/3550/3700:
A NEW CONCEPT IN LASER/SCANNERS

All laser printers use the same general method of putting print on the page: after a photo-sensitive drum is
uniformly charged with high voltage, portions of the charge on the drum’s surface are altered by a laser
beam. Toner is deposited on the altered areas, and a transfer element pulls the toner off the drum and onto
the paper. Finally, the paper goes through a fuser or fixing unit, which uses a combination of heat and
pressure to fuse the toner to the paper.

This process is fairly straightforward in a monochrome printer.

In a color printer, it gets more complicated since there are four
colors of toner—typically black, cyan, magenta, and yellow.
This allows for several variations in the basic process, two of
which HP has used in most of their color laser printers:

Method 1 – The Toner Carousel: There are four toner car-

tridges, but only one PC drum, which is separate from the car-
tridges, as well as one laser/scanner. The four cartridges are
mounted in a carousel, which rotates them past the single
drum, one at a time. This method is used in the CLJ Figure 1 - Rear view of laser/scanner unit
4500/4550, 8500/8550, and 1500/2500/2550 printers. The dis- with cover removed.
advantage of this method, aside from mechanical complexity,
is that there are basically four print cycles for each printed
page, as the drum has to go through a complete cycle for each
of the four colors. This slows down the printing process and
shortens the life of the drum.

Method 2 – In-Line Printing: In this method, each toner car-

tridge has its own built-in drum, similar to most monochrome
printers. The cartridges are mounted in-line—all in a row—
instead of in a carousel, and the paper moves past each car-
tridge in one pass. This is faster and mechanically simpler, but
has the disadvantage that four separate laser/scanners are
Figure 2 - Close-up of one half of
needed. This system is used in the CLJ 4600/4650, 5500/5550, laser/scanner unit showing paths of laser
and 9500 printer models. beams (red arrows).
CLJ 3500 LASER SCANNER, continued on page 10

9
 CLJ 3500 LASER SCANNER, continued from page 9

The CLJ 3500/3550/3700 models basically use Method 2, but you will look in
vain for the four laser/scanners. In these models, there is only one laser/scanner
unit (part number RM1-1480), but if you look inside of it, you will see that it’s
almost four scanners in one. Though it has four laser diodes and four sets of
optics, in some ways it is simpler—as it has only two motors (Figures 1 and 2).

The same square rotating mirror simultaneously scans two different laser beams
Jason Jensen through two different sets of optics. The optics further route the beams to the
VP of Marketing & appropriate toner cartridges. The same process happens in the other half of the
Strategy scanner unit, so you still get four laser beams—one for each color—but it’s done
more economically.
Matt Barnum
Editor
The practical application of all this is that when you get a 41 or 51 error in one
of these printers, you no longer have to worry about which laser/scanner is bad.
Steve Geishirt You simply replace the laser/scanner unit—just like in the old monochrome
Dennis Kosterman printers—and all possibilities are covered. Replacement and alignment of the
Bill Voelker laser/scanner is also much simpler, and if you’ve ever worked on a CLJ 4600 or
Contributing Writers
5500, you know that the same procedure on those printers was anything but sim-
ple! This laser/scanner unit is more complex than any single scanner from the
SERVICE TODAY is a 4600 or 5500, but the advantages of combining the four scanners into one pack-
Parts Now! publication
age are worth it.
with a mission to serve
as a technical resource
for printer repair
—Denny Kosterman
technicians.

Please direct all correspondence The following students successfully

concerning content, submissions, completed Parts Now! hands!on training courses in April:
or circulation of Service Today or
any comments to
mbarnum@partsnow.com. Glenn Good Scott Hays Heather Hudson Jim Stinebaugh
HP LJ 4000/4050/4100 HP LJ 5Si/8000/81xx HP LJ 5Si/8000/81xx HP LJ 5Si/8000/81xx
©2005 Parts Now! LLC HP LJ 42xx/43xx HP LJ 4000/4050/4100 HP LJ 4000/4050/4100 HP LJ 4000/4050/4100
HP LJ 42xx/43xx HP LJ 42xx/43xx HP LJ 42xx/43xx
HP CLJ 4600/5500 HP CLJ 4600/5500 HP CLJ 4600/5500

The following students students successfully

completed Parts Now! Online Training courses in April:

Image Formation for HP Printers HP LJ HP LJ

Joel Bernabe Rick Holm 4000/4050/4100 5Si/8000/81xx
Alex Carstens Jeff Redding Pete Morgan Travis Lansdowne
Michael Clark Ron Rickett
Rolita Galyen

10
 SALES STAFF

ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVES
MANAGEMENT

Thad Bainbridge Bill Bohne Jim Breedlove Noah Canas Dan Cassidy Alex Colton Doug Damon Michael Davidsaver Tom DePrey Roy Divine
Ext. 1269 Ext. 1223 Ext. 1179 Ext. 1302 Ext. 1113 Ext. 1257 Ext. 1140 Ext. 1272 Ext. 1256 Ext. 1166

Jay Spaanem
President & CEO

James Evans John Feldman Barney Gugel Darrel Hayner Brad Janusiak Christopher Kearney Tim Kohl Julie Krauth Joe Lalley Aaron Le Hew
Ext. 1262 Ext. 1237 Ext. 1180 Ext. 1304 Ext. 1248 Ext. 1105 Ext. 1117 Ext. 1122 Ext. 1162 Ext. 1173

Kevin D. Guy
VP of Sales and
Marketing

Rick Maharajh Dave Martin Brent Molldrem Randy Motl Larry Riedl Tim Ritschard Leo Rodriguez Kyle Rudolph Randy Rueth Fabian Ruiz
Ext. 1309 Ext. 1322 Ext. 1268 Ext. 1116 Ext. 1288 Ext. 1147 Ext. 1315 Ext. 1170 Ext. 1130 Ext. 1314

Wayne Tougas
Director-Southeast Branch
Andy Schuth Paul Seibold Matt Sickler Terry Sipple Mike Tilley Ken Wagner Dan Wilson
Ext. 1236 Ext. 1145 Ext. 1218 Ext. 1305 Ext. 1142 Ext. 1134 Ext. 1127

CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT REPRESENTATIVES

Michael Cox
Donna Banfield Virgil Grenia Vito Griseta, Jr. Jason Kilgore Colleen Longseth Robert Sipple Sarah Yahn
Strategic Accounts
Ext. 1158 Ext. 1182 Ext. 1290 Ext. 1245 Ext. 1149 Ext. 1178 Ext. 1292
Manager

CUSTOMER
SERVICE
MANAGER CUSTOMER SERVICE

Clark Wilson
Lori Porterfield Clarissa Georgeson Vito Griseta III Heidi Satterthwaite Chee Thao Dawn Vanderhoof Candice Young
Sales Manager
Ext. 1129 Ext. 1165 Ext. 1259 Ext. 1283 Ext. 1227 Ext. 1118 Ext. 1188

11
 CURRENT TRAINING SCHEDULE

May 2005 June 2005

Monday, May 16th HP LaserJet 2300/2200/2100 Monday, June 6th HP LaserJet 8150/8100/8000/5Si
Tuesday, May 17th HP LaserJet 8150/8100/8000/5Si Tuesday, June 7th HP LaserJet 4000/4050/4100
Wednesday, May 18th HP LaserJet 9000 Wednesday, June 8th HP LaserJet 42xx/43xx
Thursday, May 19th HP Color LaserJet 4500/4550 Day 1 Thursday, June 9th HP Color LaserJet 4600/5500 Day 1
Friday, May 20th HP Color LaserJet 4500/4550 Day 2 Friday, June 10th HP Color LaserJet 4600/5500 Day 2

May and June training will be held at our Madison, WI training facility. Further information on course details, area hotels, and
directions to the training site can be found at www.partsnow.com in the Technical Resources section or by calling (800) 886-6688.

ONLINE TRAINING IS NOW AVAILABLE, AND FREE TO TRY!

Visit http://videotraining.partsnow.com for more details and for your free trial!

PRSRT STD

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PAID
Madison, WI
Permit No. 367

MAY 2005, VOL. 14, NUMBER 4

SERVICE TODAY
3517 W. Beltline Hwy., Madison, WI 53713
(608) 276-8688 • (800) 886-6688 • Fax: (608) 276-9593
FLORIDA OFFICE: (800) 886-6688 • Fax: (954) 938-7256
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