Ricoh MPC3003 4503 5503 white lines all colours

**Blizzoo** · 03-04-2016

Originally Posted by Iowatech

Well, in the really old days I used to carry a flour sifter in case developer material got wrecked in the hot car during summertime, but I haven't done that in years so I don't know if that still works. Still, if you can find a cheap sifter at a garage sale or something, and you don't think it would look weird, it might be something to try.

I used this method using a CD case and a piece of hosiery, put developer in the cd case, cover it with the hosiery material and start to sift

**BLADE** · 03-04-2016

Originally Posted by Blizzoo

I used this method using a CD case and a piece of hosiery, put developer in the cd case, cover it with the hosiery material and start to sift

think I,ll take the $70 option thanks

**Lagonda** · 03-04-2016

Originally Posted by slimslob

But when the customer wants something done now.

OK, you win with that one, but I'll be back tomorrow with a new dev tank.

And as for using stockings to sift dev I can see myself getting in a whole lot of trouble asking the office girls if I could borrow their lingerie for a while!

**TCA TECH** · 03-08-2016

Originally Posted by Lagonda

Sorry guys, but don't agree with you. A new dev unit with dev is around $70 so its false economy to try to fix a faulty one. Just clean the doctor blade and you'll be back again when the lump resurfaces, open the dev unit and you risk damaging the seals and upsetting the TD sensor if you chuck away some dev to get rid of the lumps.

And if anyone can explain how Ricoh can sell you a dev unit for $70 but want over $1300 for a PCDU and a $1000 for a PCU? The only explanation we can come up with is sheer greed.
We've just sourced a non-OEM PCU rebuild kit, will get back to you with results after we've given it a test run.
In the mean time I'll get back to putting in warranty claims for dev units that have failed within 3 months, there's 3 of them beside my desk at the moment.

Lagonda, could you let me know the part number you are using for $70 dev unit. If that is the case I too would just advise replacement. At $1500 for a PCU, interested in OEM

Just check latest price lise and yes $70 for a colour dev unit. :-(
Thanks in advance

**blackcat4866** · 03-08-2016

Originally Posted by qbert69

....just use a piece of fairly stiff mylar to clean the doctor blade!...if the toner/dev mix is clumped, then sift!

I'll second that. On the high volume Toshibas it's common to get "foreign matter" under the doctor blade. A quick swipe with my mylar cleaner tool, while rolling the mag roller forward pulls out the objects, without even removing the developing unit.

I've tried the sifting with a Kyocera developing unit that had collected toner rocks in the developer overflow. The sifting itself was successful, but the developing unit died. These units were never intended to be disassembled, and the delicate little snaps are just dying to break when you look at them wrong. I did not discover that the drive gear had spun, until the developing unit was nearly re-filled of developer. It was educational ... and a complete waste of time. =^..^=

**Lagonda** · 03-08-2016

We're using;
D186 3052 Cyan
D186 3072 Magenta
D186 3082 Yellow

K is D186 3052 but being a 600k unit that costs twice as much, we're getting them for around $150.
And remember that we are a major dealer so we get a good discount, you may not be able to get the same pricing from RA.

**mynameis** · 03-09-2016

Originally Posted by blackcat4866

I'll second that. On the high volume Toshibas it's common to get "foreign matter" under the doctor blade. A quick swipe with my mylar cleaner tool, while rolling the mag roller forward pulls out the objects, without even removing the developing unit.

I've tried the sifting with a Kyocera developing unit that had collected toner rocks in the developer overflow. The sifting itself was successful, but the developing unit died. These units were never intended to be disassembled, and the delicate little snaps are just dying to break when you look at them wrong. I did not discover that the drive gear had spun, until the developing unit was nearly re-filled of developer. It was educational ... and a complete waste of time. =^..^=

Dear blackcat,

could you drop a link to where to get such a tool?

Thanks!

**blackcat4866** · 03-10-2016

Originally Posted by mynameis

Dear blackcat,

could you drop a link to where to get such a tool?

Thanks!

A Christmas ornament came in a clear mylar box, which I have been cutting up for the last decade or so. The result looks like this:

Mylar Doctor Blade Cleaner.JPG

=^..^=

**Counsel** · 03-11-2016

I don't if the dev unit costs more or less then just a bag of developer but I have only replaced a handful of developer units on the 03's and 02's models largly because the mag roller stopped holding developer and was pretty much cause half the page to be white.

if its just small white lines I usually try to clear it with a piece of paper and turning the mag roller, if that does not clear it i just dump the developer and vacuum out the unit and clean it really well and refill it with new developer thats pretty much always solved the issue for me.

**Lagonda** · 03-11-2016

Originally Posted by Counsel

I don't if the dev unit costs more or less then just a bag of developer but I have only replaced a handful of developer units on the 03's and 02's models largly because the mag roller stopped holding developer and was pretty much cause half the page to be white.

if its just small white lines I usually try to clear it with a piece of paper and turning the mag roller, if that does not clear it i just dump the developer and vacuum out the unit and clean it really well and refill it with new developer thats pretty much always solved the issue for me.

The only problem there is you can't get OEM developer.