Konica 7130

[Guest]

I made a mistake by doing business with a copier technician who was working on the side; outside of his employer's oversight. I knew that and take responsibility for my own actions. Bottom line is I'm left with a Konica 7130 in my office taking up a lot of room which, according to the guy who cheated me, "needs a new main board." It was working fine before he came in for an annual checkup. I think, but have no evidence, that he shorted the mainboard intentionally. (A separate technician from the same company told me that's what probably happened). So one question I would ask if whether I can purchase this "main board" from any source, does anyone know. I know it's an old machine but it was working like a champ for me and a new developer kit was installed, and other new parts, so I do believe that if I can replace this main board, the machine might come back to life. I purchased the service manual and rather than just wheel the unit out to the curb, I may as well try to fix it myself. It was a great network scanner and fax and printer for my small law office. I understand working on these machines can be very detailed, but I'm a patient and careful guy and know not to rush and force things together, so I'm going to try and fix it, if I can just find out where to purchase this 'mainboard'.

So the deal was the guy gave me a "refurbished" BizHub 222 for $800, and was going to take the Konica 7130 with him because of all the new parts he could resell off the 7130. But he never took the Konica 7130. He kept coming back and I gave him $600 more for the hard drive kit for the BizHub 222, and then like another $200 for extra paper trays, and then another $175 for the stapler unit. It turns out the BizHub 222 wasn't actually refurbished, it was just a used machine with 75,000 copies. Which I know is not a lot for this machine, I think, but the sheet feeder unit does not sit flush with the top platen, so I need to put a lead weight on top of the sheet feeder so the paper feeds properly. Apparently the right hinge needs needs to be replaced. Can anyone tell me where to get this part? I have so much money sunk into this machine as it is I don't want to throw good money after bad.


Rick Bryan
New York NY

[Synaux]

Re: Konica 7130

For the 7130, you need to find out which board needs to be replaced--there are a few.
What is it doing/not doing??
ebay is your best friend.
It takes little effort to destroy a circuit board even when being careful.

For the Bizhub 222 [lol], how can you tell it wasn't refurbished?

[JustManuals]

Re: Konica 7130

This Parts & Service Manual can now be purchased for $12.77 and downloaded immediately after payment from:

http://www.justmanuals.com

Paul@justmanuals.com

[RickBryan]

Re: Konica 7130

For the 7130, you need to find out which board needs to be replaced--there are a few.
What is it doing/not doing??
ebay is your best friend.

It takes little effort to destroy a circuit board even when being careful.

Well that's interesting. Of course I was only foolishly going on the guy's statement to me about the main board. When he brought the BizHub 222, he used the power cord from the Konica 7130, and so the Konica 7130 has been sitting idle now for three months. So I took the power cable from my PC and lo and behold the unit powers up! The "L detection" message came up; I searched this forum and got a result of "0006" on the L detect test. So that's the end of my ability. I have a nice Fluke multimeter but I'm just not qualified to start testing components. Right now I'm just trying to get a qualified and reputable guy to tell me whether to put the 7130 out to the curb, or spend a few hundred dollars on more service.

For the Bizhub 222 [lol], how can you tell it wasn't refurbished?

I say this due to circumstantial evidence, which is firstly all of the misstatements the tech made to me for four months. Then when he delivered the BizHub using his friend's F-150, which fortunately I'm a resourceful guy and found plywood to make a ramp to unload this unit, we were so happy in the office to have a new machine. But after he left we noticed it was really dirty. Odd. So we just took a damp rag and cleaned it up nice. No problem. Then last week when I finally admitted to myself that the guy just took my money, I looked on eBay and saw the hard drive kits were readily available. So one evening I turned the unit around and got out my tool kit and looked carefully, and saw the entire rear of the unit was covered evenly with office dust and grime. No fingerprints or palmprints. And then taking out the screws, you can hear the very distinctive crack of the screw breaking loose, obvious to me that was the first time anyone had turned that screw after it was installed at the factory.

So there's that.

And then the sheet feeder unit. It doesn't sit flush with the glass. Well that's such an obvious problem; without my lead brick or holding the sheet feeder down with my hand, the unit mis-feeds constantly. How could a repair tech refurbishing the unit not notice that? Not possible. And then the output tray sometimes gets jostled, and so that's when I noticed broken plastic on the machine; channels where the output trays sit into the copier. Someone moved this unit without being careful; that's how these got broken.

So all circumstantial evidence. My lead brick is working okay, and if I can install the hard drive kit and the fax board I'll just have learned another lesson in life. It's only money, right?

[SmellsHot]

Re: Konica 7130

This is what happens when you don't hire a true professional....
Just curious what is the error code on the 7130?
From your description, the tech sounds very untrustworthy...especially doing work on the side. For all you know he stole that Bizhub 222 from his parts room at work.....
Your top feeder prolly just needs a height adjustment. Also what is the purpose of the hard drive kit?

[RickBryan]

Re: Konica 7130

This is what happens when you don't hire a true professional....
Just curious what is the error code on the 7130?
From your description, the tech sounds very untrustworthy...especially doing work on the side. For all you know he stole that Bizhub 222 from his parts room at work.....
Your top feeder prolly just needs a height adjustment. Also what is the purpose of the hard drive kit?

Well I'm getting now a result of 0006 on the L Adjustment screen test screen, which a thread on this forum says should be between 60 to 70, if I recall. I don't know if that's a critical failure or not.

Yes I finally called the company he worked for and they were furious. Their idea of helping to right the situation was to pay another $2800 for a slightly used Sharp unit, plus give them back the Konia 7130 and the BizHub 222. I didn't think that was a fair resolution.

The hard drive kit lets the user scan documents onto the copier into different folders. And then you go back to your desk and retrieve those documents using this PageScope software, I think it's called. We can scan several hundred pages a day in my shop sometimes.
The tech did come back to make the height adjustment on the hinge, which was one reason even as he was telling me the 'parts didn't come in yet', I kept giving him money, because he didn't totally blow me off until the very end. He would return my texts saying "I'll be there tomorrow," and he would just not show up. And then one day I'd be sitting at my office and he would walk in. So he made the height adjustment with a shim, but said that shim was not enough so the hinge needed to be replaced. So I'm using the lead brick for now.

I'll search around more for an authorized Konica Minolta repair shop. Perhaps the "L Adjustment" problem is not a main board issue after all.

[Albonline]

Re: Konica 7130

the 222 if repaired properly is a good unit for a small office. the 7130 is going into obsolescence,don't waste much more of your resources on it.

[RickBryan]

Re: Konica 7130

the 222 if repaired properly is a good unit for a small office. the 7130 is going into obsolescence,don't waste much more of your resources on it.

I hear you. For sure. The 7130 was such a champion for so many years it will be painful to just wheel it out to the sidewalk. I mean we still use the B-52 bombers for god sakes. I suppose I can put an ad on Craigslist and someone could take it for free for parts. If it was just a few hundred dollars to repair I could donate that to a community center who would be grateful for a few years. The 7130 is just such a solid machine, obsolete or not.

I'm sure eventually I'll find someone in Manhattan to service the BizHub 222.

Thanks for your time.

Rick Bryan
New York NY

[pepper38_cnd]

Re: Konica 7130

Hey Rick

I am a copier tech and I would never attempt to practice Law.

Having said that, lets do the math:

Around here a reputable service company charges about $100/per hour and a reasonably good service tech can normally complete most repairs on that class of copier in 1.5 hours or less. So service costs if not under a contract average about $150

Now from what I know about Lawyers is around here, a reasonably good Lawyer charges about $300/per hour. The copier in most law offices in an essential tool and a revenue generator as all copies are billed to the customer at what sometime seams like ridiculous prices.

So my question is why would a Lawyer choose to nickel and dime his way with old or used office equipment? Instead of Leasing new equipment for about the price one service call and far less than one hour of his own time each month? Not to mention the entire cost is a tax write off?

[RickBryan]

Re: Konica 7130

Hey Rick

I am a copier tech and I would never attempt to practice Law.

Having said that, lets do the math:

Around here a reputable service company charges about $100/per hour and a reasonably good service tech can normally complete most repairs on that class of copier in 1.5 hours or less. So service costs if not under a contract average about $150

Now from what I know about Lawyers is around here, a reasonably good Lawyer charges about $300/per hour. The copier in most law offices in an essential tool and a revenue generator as all copies are billed to the customer at what sometime seams like ridiculous prices.

So my question is why would a Lawyer choose to nickel and dime his way with old or used office equipment? Instead of Leasing new equipment for about the price one service call and far less than one hour of his own time each month? Not to mention the entire cost is a tax write off?

I guess I was not clear on some of my questions or background information. Of course I originally reached out to a professional repair tech in June 2013. After six months of them coming back every three weeks to replace part by part of my Konica 7130, it was in worse shape than when the guys came in the first place. So in November 2013, after I paid these fellows about $500 for service calls and parts, one of the tech guys told me he had a side business, and he would bring me a refurbished Bizhub 222 for $800 and my 7130. So he brought the machine, and soon I realized it didn't have the hard drive kit, which is essential for scanning operations. So he asked for $300 for that part which he would install. Then two weeks later he told me he underestimated the cost, and he needed another $150. (Those numbers are from my memory, probably not exact). Then I asked for the extra two paper tray part, which I paid him for. Over the next three weeks he came back a few times to check out various error codes, which he fixed. Then he said a saddle stapler unit came into the shop which he would install for $150. So I kept writing checks to this guy; he never installed the extra components, and he didn't repair the right hinge of the top sheet feeder unit which caused me to buy on ebay a lead brick to hold down the top of the unit so the paper sitting in the feeder would track properly.
Finally right about the time of my first post to this thread, i acknowledged to myself that the guy was just dishonest and i was a fool to keep writing him checks and letting it get so far, so I called the original company. they were furious at the repair tech's actions, but there was nothing they could do for what happened, and if I did business with their guy who was working outside their oversight I shouldn't have done that, and they are absolutely right. But they were going to try and keep me as a customer and do right. How? I was to pay them another $2800 for a slightly used Sharp, and they would take back the Bizhub 222 and the Konica 7130 (which the guy never came back to get).
So I don't really think that's an offer which is reasonable under the circumstances.
So I have so much money sunk into these machines I'm not really sure how to proceed, especially considering there doesn't seem to be a way to find Konica repair shops with customer reviews. If I had a personal referral to a reputable guy, I will call tomorrow. But the consensus is the Konica 7130 is worthless and just throw it out and don't spend more money on that unit. I understand that, but at the same time I know the unit was running soundly before these fellows started messing with it, and throwing stuff out which with just a small effort can be put back into service rubs me the wrong way.
I don't know if any of this ramble has answered your query, but most certainly I don't nickel and dime over stuff, which is why I called a repair tech for the 7130 in the first place. So your remarks about me not wanting to spend the money I don't feel is justified. All I've doing for eight months now is writing checks to copier repair guys. And now the answer is to write more checks. Okay, yes I guess that's what I'll have to do. But I build my own PC's and repair ball joints on my truck and I purchased the repair manuals for both copiers, and I see I can buy the hard drive kit on ebay and can't see how that could possibly be so difficult to instal. I put in the fax kit in the 7130 myself. Your hourly rate comparison is absolutely correct, but that's assuming I can fill all day with my hourly rate. I have downtime like every other business.
Do you have a referral to a Konica repair guy in Manhattan?

[HuronMan]

Re: Konica 7130

Well I'm getting now a result of 0006 on the L Adjustment screen test screen, which a thread on this forum says should be between 60 to 70, if I recall. I don't know if that's a critical failure or not.

I can't remember which one it's either the tcsb, a sm. board on drum unit, being dirty or bad or the tds sensor in the developer unit. Try cleaning it and the connector on the back of the unit and in the machine. He could have caught the wire on the dev rail and sorted it out.
Either way, Albonline is right, it's obsolete. Having worked on a ton of both of these things, the 222 is money.

[RickBryan]

Re: Konica 7130

I can't remember which one it's either the tcsb, a sm. board on drum unit, being dirty or bad or the tds sensor in the developer unit. Try cleaning it and the connector on the back of the unit and in the machine. He could have caught the wire on the dev rail and sorted it out.
Either way, Albonline is right, it's obsolete. Having worked on a ton of both of these things, the 222 is money.

Thank you. One day soon I'll get pissed off enough to roll the 7130 unit onto the curb. It's against the recycling laws but I know for a fact in 20 minutes someone will pick it up.
Thanks again.
Rick Bryan
New York NY

[Konicoz]

Re: Konica 7130

As a manager I advise all trainees and techs ...... don't do jobs on the side - you might make a few $ on the sly - no matter how good you think you are - one day something will go wrong and regardless of how much money you have saved them, they will hang you out to dry and it will cost you your job and reputation. If someone asks you to do them a favour and help them out under the table- walk away.........

happened to me many years ago - lady was my friend and it was just a small machine at my sons day care, one of her staff said something to a sales guy and before you know it I was in the office getting my ass handed to me and booted out the door ----- it was hard to recover from that...Lesson learned....Don't do it.

[RickBryan]

Re: Konica 7130

As a manager I advise all trainees and techs ...... don't do jobs on the side - you might make a few $ on the sly - no matter how good you think you are - one day something will go wrong and regardless of how much money you have saved them, they will hang you out to dry and it will cost you your job and reputation. If someone asks you to do them a favour and help them out under the table- walk away.........

happened to me many years ago - lady was my friend and it was just a small machine at my sons day care, one of her staff said something to a sales guy and before you know it I was in the office getting my ass handed to me and booted out the door ----- it was hard to recover from that...Lesson learned....Don't do it.

For better or worse one of the reasons I put off calling the technician's employer for so long, to my ultimate detriment, was because I knew the tech (a guy in his 60's with heart issues) was having a hard time personally and financially and if I called his employer he'd be ruined. This is what ultimately happened. So I feel badly about that. I got hurt monetarily, but that can be replaced. This fellow's reputation is hurt badly and that's hard to recover from.