PS - ISS: Ink Supply Station / Industry Standard Server
Just further information on what I have done: I used the service manual to check out the 21:20 error which said it was a problem with the Service Station and/or Aerosal Fan. I followed instruction and went into the right side of the HP 800ps and did a quick look at the P5 and P9 cables - there was no P9 cable or plug. Does it sound right that there would not be an Aerosol Fan on this model? hmmm
I'm further west in KY about 40 west of Ft Knox. I assumed you were servicing plotters and were familiar with the nomenclature. The ISS or ink supply station, is in the right side cover and the ink goes into the top of it and the ink supply feed tubes connect to it - basically a pumping station to get the ink to the heads in the carriage. It also has hidden on it a printed circuit board that has an electrically erasable read only memory, or EEROM that contains usage, model and serial as a backup of the same EEROM that is in the electronics unit. The electronics unit is the metal box above the power supply in the left cover that the EIO cards (one being that hard drive card known as a formatter on the 800PS and the other usually a jetdirect network card) and it also has the USB and parallel connectors as input to it. The main EEROM is in the electronics unit, the backup in the ISS. *IF* the system sees a difference between the contents of the electronics EEROM and the ISS EEROM, it comes up asking which, if any, part was replaced. Well if you go into service mode and clear EEROM it clears both and leaves you unable to set the model despite what HP says. When that happens you need to either restore the model info on the ISS from your plotter on anotherm or put the ISS from another plotter of the same model temporarily into yours. Lets say you borrow an ISS from another C7780C 800PS that is working fine and connect it in place of the ISS in your machine. Once you turn on power it will see a difference and ask which part was changed, or none. Since you have good information in the borrowed ISS, you need to back that up to the EEROM in the electronics. So to do so you tell it you replaced the electronics unit, the data from the borrowed ISS gets backed up to your electronics unit and the machine now says Hey I'm a C7780C dude! Ok well you have to return the borrowed ISS to the plotter you got it from. Disconnect it, reconnect the original ISS for the broken plotter. Well guess what - the electronics unit now has good model info but the original ISS is cleared. When you power up it sees a difference again, asks you which was replaced and this time you actually tell it the ISS since you need the info in the electronics unit backed up to the original ISS. Once it does that, it should error out for a bad or missing formatter since you needed to take it out to do things right. Turn the machine off again, and come up into service mode. Correct the unit serial number then save and turn off. Turn off ,install the formatter, turn it on and the machine should cycle normally and come to ready, or load media. That's back to normal now. Ok to prevent this hopefully you need to upgrade the firmware, or embedded operating instructions that allow the machine to function by itself. Go to HP support, download the firmware from Feb 2009 (or newer if there is one) that comes with an installer. Connect your laptop or PC to the plotter by USB, network or parallel like it would be. If you havent already installed the driver do that first since the firmware installer only looks for installed printers and plotters. Run the firmware installer after you read the readme file then once it has a smiley face wait till the plotter dispplay shows a logo to unplug it. Actually remove the plug from the back of the machine or from the wall outlet. Give it a count of 5 then plug it in and wait for it to come to ready. Either print a configuration plot or look in the service menu for the unit info. Should show formatter, hard drive and engine all the same version as what you just installed.
I know what you mean about missing KY even though I was born and raised in Chicago till 19 when I enlisted in the AF. We had been coming down here for summers and in 72 bought property so during high school and while in the military I missed the state. We moved here in 95 when I retired and I spent 3 months at my sister-in-law's in northeast Nebraska doing a Motorola Canopy installation - couldnt wait to get back here. 12 below zero with a high wind and snow there, got here and everything was in bloom and the grass was 8 inches deep.
I have yet to see one with those. Yep it screws with your head. Remember the manual covers both 500 and 800 model plotters so there may be some differences. You can clean the service station and try to get rid of the 21:20 - I have quite a few times. The firmware I mentioned above is supposed to help correct that as one of the fixes so be sure to upgrade the firmware once you are done.Originally Posted by BECandCALL
Am going to work on the 800 now. Thank you so much for the information, now it makes more sense :-) Since I do not have a secondary plotter I won't be able to do old switch a roo. Since the model #, etc. seem to be okay I don't want to clear the EEROM. I'm hoping the plotter will let me load firmware even though it won't get past Initializing ... I'll let you know what happens :-)
So, I was able to get the firmware (Feb 2009) onto the plotter while it was in service mode. (I think). I unplugged the plotter when prompted and plugged it back in.
Still sticks in Initializing....
Hmmmm. Not sure how to proceed at this point. Any thoughts?
Oh, btw, I used to live in Ft. Knox - way back in the day. What was the year of the big tornadoes? 1973? Well, I was a Brownie and was supposed to go on a big trip but it got cancelled due to the tornado. Ah, memories ;-)
Yep 73 was the tornados that started near my parent's place near Hardinsburg and rolled along the Ohio through Brandenburg, Louisville, etc all the way up to Zenia Oh. I helped clean up a lot of that. I'm down the Western Ky Parkway from Elizabethtown which is just south of Ft Knox so I'm actually slightly SW. Well so much for anonymity, the fact you were a Brownie tells us you arent a boy ;-)
Sounds like the EEROM is corrupt, just like the one I had which means doing an EEROM clear. If you have another C7780C around you're ok but otherwise you're going to need to either find a working C7780C or send it off to someone that has one like I did, to have it loaded then go through my previous post.
The plotter is saveable, just going to take a little manipulation and patience to clear the EEROM and get the EEROM set to the proper serial and model.
Thanks for cleaning that all up. Was it your job or did you work with family, friends or a community group?
Yep, that's what I was afraid of :-( I have no idea, at the moment, where to locate another plotter and person willing/able to do this since both you and Duct tape have since sold yours. Any chance your buyers might be up for it? Just a thought.
Guess I'll start a new thread like you did. Wish me luck and thank you soooo much for all your advice. You've been a blessing.
Bec
Doh! Forgot one last question: would you recommend buying a new ISS from HP as you did or just sending this one to get loaded? I'm seeing $150 from a parts supplier but am hesitant to buy if this is not the fix.
thx
Since the resale value of the plotter and scanner combo is so high and there is a chance of the EEROM being screwed up it might just be easier and more reliable to get a new one. Besides you can always correct the load in the old one once the machine is up again and keep it as a backup, or just sell it as a used working ISS.
If the one you get looks different it should be ok. The one I sent out was taller and larger than the one I got back (I had the person that loaded it keep the brand new one and send me their older one so they got that for the hassle of doing this for me since he wouldnt take money for the trouble). I thought at first it was only partial but the newer style ISS is smaller than the old style with the lower catch. EEROM is visible on the older, hidden up inside on the newer smaller one.
Cross your fingers that the EEROM is good on your electronics unit but since it took an emergency firmware load its likely good. Mine wouldnt take the firmware but was still ok once I got the model info corrected. You might check with designjetpartsfast.com and see if tom bush has any working pulls for less. I think he told me $100 shipped when I asked.
You could have updated the firmware and saved yourself alot of time, buddy.
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