Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

[femaster]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

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The last one on your list I believe might actually be a KM warehouse. I've gotten toner shipments from somewhere is NC before, but I can't recall what the city was other than it started with an "R".

[Phil B.]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

The last one on your list I believe might actually be a KM warehouse. I've gotten toner shipments from somewhere is NC before, but I can't recall what the city was other than it started with an "R".

probably them then.

how was the product/service?

[copyman]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

Not going to find many dealers that will service a model that has reached end of life status (see attached) And if a dealer does send a tech out it will be to tell you it's to old and will try and sell you a new machine.

Perhaps an independent repair person will work on it. Otherwise do repairs yourself. Not that hard of a machine to work on.

[tsbservice]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

Not going to find many dealers that will service a model that has reached end of life status (see attached) And if a dealer does send a tech out it will be to tell you it's to old and will try and sell you a new machine.

Perhaps an independent repair person will work on it. Otherwise do repairs yourself. Not that hard of a machine to work on.

Absolutely agree. Machine is EOL but otherwise solid model and you can be supported by most of techs here by advise and guidance.

[femaster]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

probably them then.

how was the product/service?

Everything was ordered through the My Konica Minolta website so I haven't had any actual interaction with anybody at that location. It's rare that I get anything shipped from NC, but as far as I can tell the few things we've received from them is the same as what is shipped from our normal warehouse in Louisville, KY. When the Kentucky warehouse is out of something I sometimes get the option to choose an alternate warehouse. The two alternates that show up for me are North Carolina and California.

[Fritzy]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

There is still plenty of life in that Bizhub! With the help of the community on this site I was able to refurbish a similar model - a Bizhub 423. At the start of the project I was in the same shoes as you - years of technical experience but none of it on MFPs. It was quite a journey as there were a few more issues that I had expected, but we got it working great again.

Your Bizhub 283 uses the same fuser as as my Bizhub 423. I rebuilt the fuser on mine with some help from the community, youtube videos and parts ordered from eBay and precisionroller.com.

Turns out I have another donor fuser that I've got all the parts to rebuild. I was planning to rebuild it as a spare unit. However, if you would like it, I'd be happy to rebuild it this week and send it out to you at no cost. Since the community helped me out so much, I'd just be happy to pay it forward.

Let me know if you'd like it.

-Fritzy

[copyman]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

There is still plenty of life in that Bizhub! With the help of the community on this site I was able to refurbish a similar model - a Bizhub 423. At the start of the project I was in the same shoes as you - years of technical experience but none of it on MFPs. It was quite a journey as there were a few more issues that I had expected, but we got it working great again.

Your Bizhub 283 uses the same fuser as as my Bizhub 423. I rebuilt the fuser on mine with some help from the community, youtube videos and parts ordered from eBay and precisionroller.com.

Turns out I have another donor fuser that I've got all the parts to rebuild. I was planning to rebuild it as a spare unit. However, if you would like it, I'd be happy to rebuild it this week and send it out to you at no cost. Since the community helped me out so much, I'd just be happy to pay it forward.

Let me know if you'd like it.

-Fritzy

Very nice of you to offer. It's great to see a recent graduate of CTN Tech school giving back

This is how it's suppose to work. You get help and you give help. Or you give help here and get it back in life another way. One way or the other you will get it back some how, some way!

Also wanted to mention not many end users receive the help that OP has. The other members here probably feel the same way but reason I wanted to help is how he worded his OP. Not your typical end user.....

[straffin]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

Turns out I have another donor fuser that I've got all the parts to rebuild. I was planning to rebuild it as a spare unit. However, if you would like it, I'd be happy to rebuild it this week and send it out to you at no cost. Since the community helped me out so much, I'd just be happy to pay it forward.

Let me know if you'd like it.

-Fritzy

Sorry for disappearing...trip to visit family, work got busy, etc., etc...

You offer is *very* kind and I'd love to accept it. I'll DM you my address.

Thank you!!

- John

[straffin]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

Also wanted to mention not many end users receive the help that OP has. The other members here probably feel the same way but reason I wanted to help is how he worded his OP. Not your typical end user.....

Thank you for the feedback, copyman. I was rather deliberate in writing my original post, knowing that I was wandering into the realm of professionals as an amateur with his empty hands out before him. I'm on plenty of forums for MY work where new folks pop in and ask for something complicated like it was simple (or ask for something simple without Googling first) without providing much (if anything) in the way of initial troubleshooting or supporting details. As I don't much appreciate it *there*, I figured few of you would appreciate it *here*.

I'm currently at the church waiting while the printer cools down to check the fuser. Hope to post follow-up pictures soon...

- John

[straffin]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

Okay... got into the fuser (with your help, the service manual's help, and a little sleuthing for the step they left out! *) and something tells even me that this doesn't look good...

20230802_200232.80.jpg 20230802_200225.80.jpg

So, new (or rebuilt from Fritzy) fuser it is! (Right?)

* (The service manual left out to "Remove the screw [1], and remove the scanner right front cover [2]." to be able to disconnect the fuser's left wiring harness. I figured it out, though, obviously. )

[straffin]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

Forgot to add that, though the fuser looks like it's been through a war, the field service manual says that it needs to be replaced every (/me checks manual again) 420,000 counts. This copier only has 148,400 on the counter. Wow.

[femaster]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

Forgot to add that, though the fuser looks like it's been through a war, the field service manual says that it needs to be replaced every (/me checks manual again) 420,000 counts. This copier only has 148,400 on the counter. Wow.

Yeah, that upper roller in there is toast! I don't think I've ever seen one where the surface of the roller was bubbled up like that. The worn stripes are typical though. These never got close to their rated service life. There were revisions made to the fusers to try and fix the wear problem from the thermistors (the worn area you see that doesn't have a pick lined up with it) but even that didn't really help. The toner builds of on the picks and thermistors and scratches the Teflon coating off the roller.

These fusers are relatively easy to rebuild, so if you wanted to explore that route, I'd hold onto that unit. Rebuild or replacement is definitely the route you need to take though.

[blackcat4866]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

Forgot to add that, though the fuser looks like it's been through a war, the field service manual says that it needs to be replaced every (/me checks manual again) 420,000 counts. This copier only has 148,400 on the counter. Wow.

No, it didn't make 420K, but they never do. Also consider that the machine sits there at full temperature for hours and hours (in your case years) not doing much but heating/cooling/heating.

One thing that you can do to improve the longevity is to shorten up the sleep timer to 5minutes or less. My personal machines are all set to 1minute. I am never in that big a hurry that I can't wait 90 seconds for a print or copy. It can double or triple the life on the components.

See page 135 of your Copy Operations User Guide:
Go to: Utility/Counter > Administrator Settings > 12345678 > System Settings > Power Save Settings > Low Power to 5minutes > Sleep Mode to 1minute > OK

Yes we definitely appreciate the approach you took in your thread. So many of the new posters can't even wait to introduce themselves. It's all " ... give it to me now!" and " ... I thought everything was free because it's a forum ... ". I like to think of it as a variation on 'Karma'. The more you give, the luckier you get.

Kudos! =^..^=

[straffin]

Re: Dirty printouts...can a technical non-pro fix? Or, how to find a tech?

I received Fritzy's rebuilt fuser, installed it, and the printouts are again a thing of beauty (or, at least, a thing of what you expected without lines, spots, or smudges). I'll also be making some of the settings changes you folks have suggested to help the copier last even longer.

Thanks again to Fritzy for the donated fuser and thank you ALL for your time, information, and assistance!

- John