C454e Background problem

[copier addict]

Its pretty funny whenever you call Konica Minolta and make a ticket (request). The first question is which firmware and regardless of the problem the first "solution" is always update firmware and usually they won't give any other advice unless you say the firmware is the latest. When you go to Konica Minolta training though, most of the trainers who have experience on the field, and are not just stuck in the classroom all the time. Always say only upgrade for a very good reason. We service a local hospital and their IT dept always wants firmware updated for a program they can't figure out how to get to work with our copiers. I've had to upgrade and downgrade firmwares in order to get certain programs to print correctly. They even want to request a copier come shipped with a certain firmware from Konica Minolta, which I can't control. Anytime I hear an "IT dept/guy" mention firmware to me, usually they are looking for something to blame because they gave up or can't figure out the issue with their program.

The way I was taught in classroom training at KonMin was always update the base firmware and if necessary update the special firmware.

[giddyupngo]

Swap the transfer roller, I know it seems crazy, but I have had transfer rollers cause ghosting on the print side. My only logical explanation is that the toner is not being pulled onto the paper completely, and the buildup on the belt overwhelms the cleaning blade. Let me know if it works.

[Synaux]

Only other thing I can think of are the static-connections are not making a good connection on the transfer belt and perhaps the transfer roller.
Also, what temp is the fuser running at? (Although if it was the fuser, you would probably have toner build-up clumps on prints too.)

Its pretty funny whenever you call Konica Minolta and make a ticket (request). The first question is which firmware and regardless of the problem the first "solution" is always update firmware and usually they won't give any other advice unless you say the firmware is the latest. When you go to Konica Minolta training though, most of the trainers who have experience on the field, and are not just stuck in the classroom all the time. Always say only upgrade for a very good reason. We service a local hospital and their IT dept always wants firmware updated for a program they can't figure out how to get to work with our copiers. I've had to upgrade and downgrade firmwares in order to get certain programs to print correctly. They even want to request a copier come shipped with a certain firmware from Konica Minolta, which I can't control. Anytime I hear an "IT dept/guy" mention firmware to me, usually they are looking for something to blame because they gave up or can't figure out the issue with their program.

Side-rant time!!

Being an IT guy myself, I have read the release notes of many updates not just for firmware, but patches, updates, et cetera not necessarily copy machine-related.

But it is all the same.

Having done this so many times, it has been pounded into my mind that the coders are typically adding, deleting or adapting very small portions of a vast code (hell sometimes as simple as a single character needs to be changed/deleted within the code).
When you think about in that light--they are improving upon something that has already been proven to [mostly] work.
So why not update the firmware?
You guys seem to be quasi-complaining about something that is fundamental to IT; which I would argue digital duplication devices that have actual computer(s) (yes, sometimes more than one) inside them are certainly part of the IT rubric.

If you are worth your salt at all you should already have all the latest firmware preloaded on CF cards, USB drives, a laptop, and so on ready to go for all the models you service (for a multitude of reasons). It is a relatively simple solution to fix known issues.

The only counter to this are the unfortunate and absurd examples where one must "downgrade" in which whomever "updated" the code goofed so bad, they most likely are no longer employed. Or, I guess, if you need the potential extra work...

[Synthohol]

ok, konica FW upgrades/changes are also taking into account the changing environments and security standards.
SMB 1/2/3 for example. and the whole gmail debacle with the non e series. these problems are usually remedied by changes in the firmware.
if everything works 100% at the customer, I dont just arbitrarily upgrade the firmware, there are other factors you need to take into account first.
best example i can think of is the 3 series and AS400 databases or other server based things that may print to it or receive a scan. i had one that the machines used account track for everything. AS400 databases dont know how to enter in a password to enable that print job. there was special FW that allowed a IP filter to only allow no password prints but you had to enable it, enter the server IP and then disable it and it worked as needed. if i just stuck the usb in without research i would have made my life (and the IT guy's) a living hell.
but outside of that, and the SMB/gmail stuff, if it aint broke dont fix it unless you have a reason to and you did your research to make sure nothing else will be affected.

ricoh FW is another story, there are way too many updates, i dont know how those guys deal with all of that.

[AjitN]

Dear all
Sorry to open Pandora Box.
Most common problems we face are paper jamming, white / black lines, patches on prints, toner not fixing properly or image offsetting etc, etc, etc.

Firmware is what - its a specialise software integrated to particular hardware so it commands & controls components.
New as I mentioned above, most of these problems are purely due to hardware problems ( Almost 98% hardware & very few cases it could be firmware corruption) .
So if machine was working perfectly OK with older firmware version (whatever on machine) and developed some fault, why we should upgrade firmware in machine during fault condition? It can lead to something else & we get confused.

I think we should reload existing firmware version if needed, but first make sure that we have resolved problem by working on hardware part of printer ( PH, Fuser, Beld, Drum Dev etc.).

ONCE IF EVERYTHING IS SET RIGHT, THEN SOMEBODY MAY UPGRADE THE FIRMWARE TO ENHANCE THE CAPABILITY & PERFORMANCE OF PRINTER.

Hope many tech will agree with me on this.

[Synaux]

ok, konica FW upgrades/changes are also taking into account the changing environments and security standards.
SMB 1/2/3 for example. and the whole gmail debacle with the non e series. these problems are usually remedied by changes in the firmware.
if everything works 100% at the customer, I dont just arbitrarily upgrade the firmware, there are other factors you need to take into account first.
best example i can think of is the 3 series and AS400 databases or other server based things that may print to it or receive a scan. i had one that the machines used account track for everything. AS400 databases dont know how to enter in a password to enable that print job. there was special FW that allowed a IP filter to only allow no password prints but you had to enable it, enter the server IP and then disable it and it worked as needed. if i just stuck the usb in without research i would have made my life (and the IT guy's) a living hell.
but outside of that, and the SMB/gmail stuff, if it aint broke dont fix it unless you have a reason to and you did your research to make sure nothing else will be affected.


ricoh FW is another story, there are way too many updates, i dont know how those guys deal with all of that.

I didn't think about the special FM that is an excellent point which is compounded by KM's terrible mess of things--unless they fixed it within the past couple years, you had to basically download the PDF for each and every special FW just to TRY and figure out what its function is.


Also, I agree with the if it ain't broke don't fix it mentality, but in the OP and the scenarios discussed the machines are not functioning correctly.

Dear all
Sorry to open Pandora Box.
Most common problems we face are paper jamming, white / black lines, patches on prints, toner not fixing properly or image offsetting etc, etc, etc.


Firmware is what - its a specialise software integrated to particular hardware so it commands & controls components.
New as I mentioned above, most of these problems are purely due to hardware problems ( Almost 98% hardware & very few cases it could be firmware corruption) .
So if machine was working perfectly OK with older firmware version (whatever on machine) and developed some fault, why we should upgrade firmware in machine during fault condition? It can lead to something else & we get confused.


I think we should reload existing firmware version if needed, but first make sure that we have resolved problem by working on hardware part of printer ( PH, Fuser, Beld, Drum Dev etc.).


ONCE IF EVERYTHING IS SET RIGHT, THEN SOMEBODY MAY UPGRADE THE FIRMWARE TO ENHANCE THE CAPABILITY & PERFORMANCE OF PRINTER.


Hope many tech will agree with me on this.

You opened the Tech Wars lol...

But yeah I pretty much agree.

However, mocking IT and KM for suggesting (or even insisting) that the FW/software be up to date in circumstances that things are not working as intended (what everyone is discussing until now) is in my mind absurd, boarding on gross complacency. FW is one of the essential components any machine, but the general discussion here seems to treat FW as the ghost in the machine instead of a component. This leads to the notion that code does not get corrupted and is generally written flawlessly upon the first release and therefore not the issue so F those incompetent IT guys for defaulting to the basics and suggesting that the "tech" complete a fairly easy task.

Maybe I am the crazy one in all this but

UPDATE ALL THE THINGS!!

-=End Rant=-