what is the point of toner chip?

[Alice Yang]

I know the toner chip is same like a counter,is it have connect with the version of machines?

[copyman]

One reason the chip is on toner is to make sure you are not using aftermarket or refilling toners. The machine still monitors the toner level even with the chip. Eventually the aftermarket pirates copy and sell the toners & chips. The OEM's are always trying to stay one step ahead of them.

[zoraldinho]

Of course is a connection. They were examples with the hp brand when user updated firmware and since then printer wont accept compatible cartridge any more.


Interesting article:


HP pushes third-party ink blocking printer firmware update (again) - gHacks Tech News


On some printers you can lock cartridge to work only in your printer.

[ctuinstra]

In the machines that I am familiar with, the chip is used to identify the toner container to the machine. It has an identification, or serial number if you will, that when it's first put in the machine and this is the first time the machine has ever identified it, the machines assumes you have installed a new toner. Some of the older models just assume when it sees a "new" toner that it is full. The machine's "toner gauge" will show full. Then as the machine runs, it counts the amount of toner it has used out of the container by calculating by the number of times and duration of the toner add cycle. This calculation will then adjust the "toner gauge". It doesn't actually measure the amount of toner in the container, it's just a calculation, this confuses many technicians and customers. Then when the machine can no longer get satisfied when attempting to add toner, it assumes the bottle is empty and displays to change the toner. Some machines (Ricoh) will keep track of the last five toners put in a machine and if one is reused, the machine will recognize that bottle by the chip and know if it is new or old.

Some of the newer machines may actually write a value to the chip about the calculated amount in the bottle, but not often do machines actually write to the chip. They mostly just read the information from the chip to be able to identify the toner (serial, color, etc.)

And, yes, to thwart aftermarket suppliers.

[slimslob]

Some of the newer machines may actually write a value to the chip about the calculated amount in the bottle, but not often do machines actually write to the chip. They mostly just read the information from the chip to be able to identify the toner (serial, color, etc.)

And, yes, to thwart aftermarket suppliers.

To my knowledge all Ricoh machine update the value on the chip every time they update the the value in memory.

[allan]

Konica Minolta's chips use to be down counters and required re-writing to reset them it also contained geographical/regional information to stop logistical loopholes that could be bad news for resellers getting under cut on original toners and parts if the batch is meant for Africa it would not work in Europe.

Now it seems that KM does not care about that too much at the chips are simple fuses to trigger the "new article detection" that is there for reasons to capture history and to reset values.
It is all good stuff to make sure the quality can be maintained.

What gets me is this stupid toner chips that would leave a substantial amount of toner in there that just goes to waste.
Guess that happens if the yield is worked out at 5% and the machine only use 3.5%. So it would stop sooner if the yield is low but wastes toner if the yield could be higher.
Its bad news for the environment seeing that some of these drums can be reset up to 4 times!!!

[slimslob]

What gets me is this stupid toner chips that would leave a substantial amount of toner in there that just goes to waste.
Guess that happens if the yield is worked out at 5% and the machine only use 3.5%. So it would stop sooner if the yield is low but wastes toner if the yield could be higher.
Its bad news for the environment seeing that some of these drums can be reset up to 4 times!!!

Might not be the chips. Might be the customer replacing when the toner low indication comes on instead of waiting for the replace toner now.

With Ricoh, the lower toner indication comes on at 17% remaining. The toner sensor on the back of the toner nozzle determines when there is no more toner coming out of the bottle and turns on toner near end (replace toner now). Toner end occurs 100 copies later and is also written to the chip.

[allan]

Might not be the chips. Might be the customer replacing when the toner low indication comes on instead of waiting for the replace toner now.

With Ricoh, the lower toner indication comes on at 17% remaining. The toner sensor on the back of the toner nozzle determines when there is no more toner coming out of the bottle and turns on toner near end (replace toner now). Toner end occurs 100 copies later and is also written to the chip.

That happens a lot, even asked customers to keep empties to verify that its all used.
Switched off end warnings as far as possible, still happens.