MP2851 prints are fine but scans (platen or adf) are parallelograms

[william-c]

Hi all. I got my Ricoh MP2851 used, and after 300,000 copies I noticed my copies and scans are spotty and dull. So without guidance, reading a tutorial or watching a video, stupid me I cleaned mirror #1, #2 and #3, in their places.

My scans became parallelograms. See attached pic. Platen and ADF scans are identical.

Prints are fine. See attached pic.

Guys what do I do? What do I adjust?

The MP2851 service manual instructed that I do a "Procedure A" but the manual pictures (see attached pic) don't match the machine. I don't know what [A] is.

copytechnet.jpg

[Pulsara]

Hi all. I got my Ricoh MP2851 used, and after 300,000 copies I noticed my copies and scans are spotty and dull. So without guidance, reading a tutorial or watching a video, stupid me I cleaned mirror #1, #2 and #3, in their places.

My scans became parallelograms. See attached pic. Platen and ADF scans are identical.

Prints are fine. See attached pic.

Guys what do I do? What do I adjust?

The MP2851 service manual instructed that I do a "Procedure A" but the manual pictures (see attached pic) don't match the machine. I don't know what [A] is.

copytechnet.jpg

I think you should readjust 1st & 2nd scanner with rods to check whether any alignment error in vertical direction.

[Mark Bbb]

You have 1 mirror in a wrong position, most probably the second or the third mirror.
Take off the platen glass and take the mirror between 2 fingers and gently move them from right to left, when they are in a wrong position they should click in the whright position.See that they are aligned horizontaly (not skewed).

[william-c]

from right to left

Do you mean front to back (towards the front of the machine and towards the rear), or do you mean right to left (towards the right and left of the machine)?

[copyman]

Agree you must of knocked a mirror out of place. Hopefully you didn't take them out. FYI they are "first surface mirrors" which means the silver is on the front side not behind glass. This surface is unlike a conventional mirror where the silver in on the rear. First surface mirrors can be scratched very easily with even a paper towel, use a soft cloth to clean. You can tell which sides are front of mirrors by touching surface and you shouldn't see any space between finger and mirror.

[Mark Bbb]

Do you mean front to back (towards the front of the machine and towards the rear), or do you mean right to left (towards the right and left of the machine)?

Just move it - gently and a little - back and forth...
Mostely the mirror is not properly aligned horizontaly, so that means that the rear site of the mirror is lower or higher than the front side.

[slimslob]

Sounds to me like your customer might have an employee who likes to lean on the front of the machine. This warps the scanner frame by deflecting the unsupported front corner slightly downward.

[Mark Bbb]

Sounds to me like your customer might have an employee who likes to lean on the front of the machine. This warps the scanner frame by deflecting the unsupported front corner slightly downward.

Slim, correct.
But if the trouble begun after cleaning the mirrors, than the mirrors are not correctly positioned in there frame.