Aficio 270, produces partial copies

[StrayDogStrut]

Hi all,

A dog rescue organization asked if I'd take a look at their Ricoh Aficio 270, which is leaving 1/3rd of the page blank. I'm not a copier tech, but I told them I'd drive down this weekend in the hope it needed simple maintenance or configuration.

I hate to bother the forum, but the sample image they sent makes me nervous since it appears to fade towards the edge rather than clipping cleanly. I read through a copy of the operating manual and browsed the Ricoh knowledge base, but didn't see anything obvious.

If anyone has any advice or suggestions on what to look for, I'd appreciate it. They're a non-profit that operates on a shoestring budget, and it'd be nice if I could do them some good.

LunaPictureForGreg.jpg

Operating Manual: http://www.aficio.com/downloads/loca.../aficio270.pdf

[andrewdecruz]

its good to know that there are good souls like you in this world giving a helping hand to a non profit organisation.
Based on the copy of the print that you attached, it could be a problem related to the PCU (Photo conductor unit) or a tra sfer unit defective.
As such, i dont think it would be a good idea to attempt to solve it without thd help of a trained Ricoh engineer.
Good luck!

[blackcat4866]

Based on age alone, this machine is just too old to support. Like andrew, for the image quality I think there is something wrong in the PCU, and a secondary problem for the image cutting off. Make sure that the machine is correctly detecting the paper size of the copy paper in the paper tray. Also determine if the scanner is correctly identifying the typical standard paper sizes.

Regardless what you choose to do, any money spent is better spent purchasing a machine closer to 7 years old, than 17 years old. There won't be any repair parts available on the 270. =^..^=

[StrayDogStrut]

Thanks for the replies, andrew and blackcat. I got the chance to look at it last week and came to basically the same conclusion. (Looks like my post was delayed, I suppose because it was my first one).

I did give it a moderate cleaning, and made sure that toner was flowing, paper was feeding and the rollers were free. I checked to see what a replacement PCU cost, and we decided the $300 quote was prohibitive. Also, once I understood how they used it... it was clear that it was far more machine than they needed or would be able to maintain going forward.

The good news is they're setup with an HP OfficeJet Pro, which should work well for 98% of what they do. When they have to do larger print jobs, they can send out for it. Their only problem now will be figuring out what to do with the Ricoh.

Thanks again!

[sandmanmac]

I'm late to the party here too, but aside from the copies being washed out, and "yes" a PCU might be recommended. I think you're mostly concerned with getting the entire image on the page and not so much about overall quality.

The end user can do/ try this. I'm almost positive that the main problem is the laser filter glass.
Lift the green toner lever as if to replace the cartridge, and right underneath it, you/they will see a narrow piece of glass protruding out the front of the machine 1/2" or so. Gently/carefully pull it out (careful it goes nearly to the back of the machine). I bet it's all covered in toner dust. Wipe it with a tissue, and replace it.

[Debs1964]

I'm late to the party here too, but aside from the copies being washed out, and "yes" a PCU might be recommended. I think you're mostly concerned with getting the entire image on the page and not so much about overall quality>
The end user can do /try this. I'm almost positive that the main problem is the laser filter glass.
Lift the green toner lever as if to replace the cartridge, and right underneath it you/they will see a narrow piece of glass protruding out the front of the machine 1/2" or so. Gently/carefully pull it out (careful it goes nearly to the back of the machine). I bet it's all covered in toner dust. Wipe it with a tissue, and replace it.

Agreed

[seansbar]

I agree with sandmanmac and also agree with Blackcat.

I work on a 220 at a church, and they won't let go of it. Standard story, no money in the budget, can't upgrade cause it working and its under contract, so you fix it. Parts guarantee from Ricoh has expired, and next time it needs a part it may not be available.

[StrayDogStrut]

The end user can do/ try this. I'm almost positive that the main problem is the laser filter glass.
Lift the green toner lever as if to replace the cartridge, and right underneath it, you/they will see a narrow piece of glass protruding out the front of the machine 1/2" or so. Gently/carefully pull it out (careful it goes nearly to the back of the machine). I bet it's all covered in toner dust. Wipe it with a tissue, and replace it.

This is really interesting, I'll give it a try next time I can stop by.

Also, I agree with everyone's advice that it's not worth putting additional money into at this point. That being said, if cleaning the laser filter glass can get them full page (if low quality) copies, then there's a lot of things they can still do with it while it lasts. Whoever donated it left them with 3 bottles of toner.

Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes.