Bizhub 364e (FK-511) intermittent fax image rotating 90 degrees

**TheBlueOrleans** · 07-07-2016

Okay. (calm...)

I've got a 364e with FK-511 intermittently rotating fax images 90 degrees, as in a full page in portrait suddenly becomes rotated to landscape and shrunk 50% but printed on portrait orientation.
Paper size is letter across the board, portrait orientation in all trays.
The reduction is causing the images to be illegible and these faxes are going to physicians, patients, insurance companies, and if they're illegible that will cause problems.
So I've upgraded the firmware to G00-K6, opened a ticket with SSD, they've had me clean the photosensors in the ADF, run a fax initialization and fax file format. I have also replaced the fax board entirely, and now the images are rotating 180 degrees with the header on the long edge rather than the lead edge. This is a problem that isn't going to go away without a fight.

I'm going to call SSD and update the ticket shortly, but I thought I would bring the issue up here in case anyone else had seen this and might have a fix.

Annnnnnd... GO!

**MVPunisher** · 07-07-2016

I had this issue about 3 times. It obviously can be the customer sending faxes from the A4 position rather than letter, confirm the guides are tight. My case it was not. My case it was that sensor when you lift up the feeder and look up in that hole to the left (PS6 Document read sensor). What i think happens is the dust on the sensor causes it to unflag a little slower and think the document is a tad bit longer than 11 inches. Really doesn't make sense as it shouldn't do this. Being said I cleaned it on two of them to resolve issue. Replaced it on the 3rd as the cleaning didn't do it. Replacing it did though.

**TheBlueOrleans** · 07-07-2016

Thank you for that. I will mention the potential replacement of photosensors in ADF to SSD when I call.

**TheBlueOrleans** · 07-07-2016

SSD recommends replacing registration sensor (PS3) as well as DF control board.
So we'll go from there.

**TheBlueOrleans** · 07-07-2016

Replaced PS3, PS10 and DFCB, and thoroughly cleaned PS4 and the black plate it looks at.
One of those things fixed it, not really sure which. I wasn't about to take the time to test each individual part to see if it worked or not and then keep going if one didn't.
Completed call, got the hero's thanks, closed the SSD ticket and I feel better about life in general now.

**blackcat4866** · 07-08-2016

Sorry I saw this late. This is a very common problem on the Sharp AR-M450N. The DF length sensor was gravity operated, and if the flag was not balanced just right, a LTR (LEF) original was misread as a LGR (SEF) original. The machine automatically reduces the image 64% and rotates the image 90 degrees to fit upon LTR, giving you the results you describe, mainly on fax Tx. On the Sharp the plastic flag might be deformed, or it might not have enough ballast. It comes equipped with a 4mm x 8mm plastic thread screw to counterweight the flag. Usually I would insert two 4mm x 8mm plastic thread screws, end to end, doubling the counterweight. There are other ways to achieve the same result but that's the simplest. Sometimes the flag shaft gets damaged or just knocked out of it's holder. The test is to use your finger to carefully press the length sensor flag. Carefully lift off your finger and watch how it returns. It might return slow, or stick down.

Since the Konica uses a reflective original length sensor, I would have cleaned, replaced or calibrated the length sensor. Also make sure you don't have a fluorescent light directly overhead faking out the reflective sensor. =^..^=

**B0265** · 07-08-2016

Check the levers in the DF tray.

**TheBlueOrleans** · 07-11-2016

Originally Posted by blackcat4866

Sorry I saw this late. This is a very common problem on the Sharp AR-M450N. The DF length sensor was gravity operated, and if the flag was not balanced just right, a LTR (LEF) original was misread as a LGR (SEF) original. The machine automatically reduces the image 64% and rotates the image 90 degrees to fit upon LTR, giving you the results you describe, mainly on fax Tx. On the Sharp the plastic flag might be deformed, or it might not have enough ballast. It comes equipped with a 4mm x 8mm plastic thread screw to counterweight the flag. Usually I would insert two 4mm x 8mm plastic thread screws, end to end, doubling the counterweight. There are other ways to achieve the same result but that's the simplest. Sometimes the flag shaft gets damaged or just knocked out of it's holder. The test is to use your finger to carefully press the length sensor flag. Carefully lift off your finger and watch how it returns. It might return slow, or stick down.

Since the Konica uses a reflective original length sensor, I would have cleaned, replaced or calibrated the length sensor. Also make sure you don't have a fluorescent light directly overhead faking out the reflective sensor. =^..^=

Never touched a Sharp (I'm told it's dangerous... [rimshot]), so I can't speak for other brands' issues.

There is no overhead fluorescent light, and the user recently called to state the issue has returned and is now appearing in another machine that they receive faxes from.
I am starting to think it may not be just a hardware issue.
Ticket open with onsite IT "voice team", so let's see what they say.
I really don't know what else to do to the machine at this point. All the sensors tested accurately in State Confirmation > Sensor Check, even just barely manipulating the flags caused the sensor to trip. Worst case scenario, I can call SSD back and throw parts at it until they run out of ideas, then escalate the problem to the senior tech.

**blackcat4866** · 07-11-2016

Have you actually caused it to happen yourself?

On that same Sharp, the same result might happen if an enduser stacked a LTR size pile of originals on the end of the original tray (atop the length sensor), while removing pages from the top of the stack to feed through the DF. Another enduser taped a convenient little note about paper orientation right on top of the paper length sensor. =^..^=

**tekhed** · 07-12-2016

I had this on a non e 4 series colour once. When faxing there doesn't seem to be any edge erase and if the adf read positions are out it seems it tries to send an image the next biggest size. I didn't have the special ADF sheet with the box to adjust so I just manually adjusted. I think I marked the corners for a reference and checked on the Tx report page to see how much image I was getting. You don't have to actually send a fax while adjusting, just start it so it scans the page then cancel it. Then test properly after.