Toner Feed Not Working

[Frankie4Fingers]

Hi guys,

I have a Minolta Dialta Di152 photocopier that has been making very pale copies and I discovered that the toner feed doesn't seem to be working.

There's no toner in the hopper going to the imaging unit, and the toner bottle never spins. I've watched it with the door open while it was making a copy and it never even attempts to spin. I even did a few copies with no toner bottle at all in the machine and it didn't seem to mind, it just did the copies anyhow.

The funny thing is that it doesn't indicate a low toner warning at any stage, it thinks everything is fine.

I'd really appreciate it if someone could guide me as to what might be causing this. I originally thought maybe the motor that spins the toner bottle is faulty but then considering that no low toner warning comes up, maybe some sensor somewhere has a problem.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much guys.

Regards,

Frankie.

[mo0651]

Take the drum unit and dev unit apart. remove the top cover of the dev unit. Spint the gears and see if one of the developer augers are broke. Happens on this model. especially older versions. The dev unit can't mix toner correctly nor can it move the recycled toner from the chute.

[Frankie4Fingers]

Hi mo0651, the developer unit I take it is the bottom half of the Imaging Unit? Would a broken auger cause it to think it doesn't need more toner and the prevent the toner bottle from spinning?

[mo0651]

Yep. It has some toner in the dev unit. it is just not getting to the mag roller to get on the drum.

[Frankie4Fingers]

Hi mo0651,

I checked the augers in the developer unit and they were fine and turning. I think I may have made a mistake though. I added some toner in the developer unit to see what effect it would have, hoping it would give me a clue as to what to do next. Then when I turned the machine on I got an error code C0F32.

The manual says this means ATDC sensor not working, but one possibility for the cause is uneven toner in the developer tank. It recommended shaking the IU around a bit horizontally, which I did, but no luck. I even re-opened it and evened the toner out with my finger, but still the code persists. The code doesn't show immediately when you power on, but a few seconds later when the motor starts up.

Can you or anyone else give me any ideas please?

I called a tech today and it seems he knew even less than I did (and I'm not a tech), just kept insisting the developer unit was shot based on that code alone. He had to ring someone to find out what the code even meant, which I told him what the manual said, and he and the guy on the phone were trying to clear the error code using some special code and couldn't do it. Then he just told me how much a new developer unit would cost. Sigh.

Frankie.

[mo0651]

Well now you've done it! LOL the toner ratio is giving you that code. It would be best to put in new developer. But because you are not a tech. Going into tech rep mode and everything and then adjusting the setting. You should be able to get a full pm done for around $500.

[Frankie4Fingers]

I see, is there any way of taking out some toner? I imagine once it's roughly correct it will then fine-tune itself for the correct amount?

[Frankie4Fingers]

Never mind mo0651, I had a look at it and there's no way to remove toner, it's too mixed in with the developer.

Do you think if I dumped it all out and got some new developer it would be OK? I have the manual so I can do the ATDC adjustment afterwards, F8 on this machine, it seems pretty straightforward.

The other thing is, I learned today that the owner of the machine actually put in some toner powder from an older Minolta - an EP1080, when the dialta ran out recently. Do you think that would have caused the copies to go very pale (almost white)? You originally suggested it might be a broken auger in the developing tank but they are fine. Do you think the toner he used may have caused the problem then? Or anything else you think it might be?

Thanks very much mo0651, I really appreciate your help.

Cheers,

Frankie.

[Hansoon]

Good Lord...

You have to clean out completely all of the toner from the hopper and auger. Than remove all developer and any toner from the "developer tank" (lower half of the Image Unit) as well as the toner recycling system of the drumunit (upper half of the Image unit). Recharge with new developer and the right toner and preferably also replace the cleaning blade. Its practically almost impossible for a non-tech to clean the cleaning blade without getting in problems with the drum later on.

Analog EP-1080 toner is completely different and will not function in this digital machine. Even the slightest contamination will cause problems.

To my opinion, given the age of the machine, its a near total loss....

Hans

[Frankie4Fingers]

Hi Hansoon, thanks for your advice. I'd like to give it a go to clean out the unit. What kind of things do I need to look out for with cleaning the cleaning blade? Do you think it should be replaced because it will be damaged by the wrong toner or because it's too hard to clean successfully?

Thanks very much.

Frankie.

[Hansoon]

it's too hard to clean successfully?

That's the concern.

After cleaning the edge which touches the drum (wiping off dry only!) must the edge be primed with toner otherwise the cleaningblade will bind to the surface of the drum causing damage to the drumsurface. Also a new cleaning blade must be treated this way.

Hans

[Frankie4Fingers]

Thanks Hans,

The manual explains the procedure for how and where to put toner on the drum before use in the case of a new drum and/or cleaning blade. I'll be sure to follow that procedure closely and maybe also brush a little toner on the cleaning blade edge as well just in case.

Cheers,

Frankie.

[Stirton.M]

Just a note of caution....been a long time since I touched one of these machines....

When cleaning the developer unit itself, remove the ATDC sensor. That sensor is a small rectangular device with a single connector on the bottom side of the unit. The sensor is extremely sensitive to static, and cleaning the unit will produce copious amounts of static, especially if you use a vacuum. And of course, it goes without saying that when you replace the starter, be sure to put the sensor back in first...unless you like a mess on the table.

And another caution, remove all the sponges before you vacuum....

And as for the vacuum, use a decent quality bagged type....if you can get one, a vacuum that is designed for toner is ideal. Cyclone or bagless, you are looking at a potential major dust storm. Some vacuum bags will allow some dust, but those are far better than no bag at all.

[Hansoon]

remove all the sponges before you vacuum....

Sponges? Are there Sponges???



Hans

[Frankie4Fingers]

Thanks Stirton, I did remove the ADTC sensor before vacuuming, fortunately the manual had that warning in it as well. My vacuum is a good bag vacuum and it seemed to handle the job just fine.

Hans, yes there is a long sponge seal around the top of the developing chamber that seals against the lid. And sure enough, I didn't notice it and it got sucked up! Fortunately though it was still in the top of the vacuum cleaner hose when I recovered it and it was totally undamaged. It was also very clean, ha ha!

Thanks guys!

Frankie.