Ricoh sp C840dn

[FullColorPorcelainSigns]

Hi Folks,

New member to the forum. Just wanted to send out a quick introduction and hopefully gain some information on Ricoh printers.

I work in a manufacturing plant and I am my own 'copy' technician. We have a several Ricoh C840dn (european model) color printers. They had been "converted" by a german company to print with a special ceramic toner that outputs to a specially made paper that then gets applied and fired to a porcelain sign blank. The end result is a stunning porcelain sign that we sell with a 50 years warranty.

Anyhow, as my own technician, I am often left in the breeze trying to figure things out. For example, after swapping in a new photoconductor drum (just the drum), I encountered a "SC491-00" error code I can't make go-away. I know this is related the black channel because of the 00 but I'm a bit perplexed as to why I'm getting this error. I checked all my connections, etc. and can't get the machine to reset. I know it's directly related to the new drum as the issues arose after I put the PCDU back into the machine.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

That said, if anyone has any suggestions as to where I can find more information on these printers, I would also greatly appreciate that. I'm not new to tinkering around and figuring things out but I am new to this forum and doing my own research. I do have some technical support from the german company we bought the machines from however they're in Germany so I often miss their timeframe and have to wait a few days for a response.

Thanks for your help and I look forward to any information you can provide me. Hopefully as time goes on, I can be here to help any newbies like myself.

[luca72]

Hi Folks,

New member to the forum. Just wanted to send out a quick introduction and hopefully gain some information on Ricoh printers.

I work in a manufacturing plant and I am my own 'copy' technician. We have a several Ricoh C840dn (european model) color printers. They had been "converted" by a german company to print with a special ceramic toner that outputs to a specially made paper that then gets applied and fired to a porcelain sign blank. The end result is a stunning porcelain sign that we sell with a 50 years warranty.

Anyhow, as my own technician, I am often left in the breeze trying to figure things out. For example, after swapping in a new photoconductor drum (just the drum), I encountered a "SC491-00" error code I can't make go-away. I know this is related the black channel because of the 00 but I'm a bit perplexed as to why I'm getting this error. I checked all my connections, etc. and can't get the machine to reset. I know it's directly related to the new drum as the issues arose after I put the PCDU back into the machine.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

That said, if anyone has any suggestions as to where I can find more information on these printers, I would also greatly appreciate that. I'm not new to tinkering around and figuring things out but I am new to this forum and doing my own research. I do have some technical support from the german company we bought the machines from however they're in Germany so I often miss their timeframe and have to wait a few days for a response.

Thanks for your help and I look forward to any information you can provide me. Hopefully as time goes on, I can be here to help any newbies like myself.

if you put the old drum does it still do it? ... it's like the charge unit is missing (?) ... I think about pcu contacts or HVT power pack, even if I've only changed one in my life on those models
try changing the charge unit from another pcu, and see if the 00 changes to something else

[GIUBOSS]

Hi Folks,

New member to the forum. Just wanted to send out a quick introduction and hopefully gain some information on Ricoh printers.

I work in a manufacturing plant and I am my own 'copy' technician. We have a several Ricoh C840dn (european model) color printers. They had been "converted" by a german company to print with a special ceramic toner that outputs to a specially made paper that then gets applied and fired to a porcelain sign blank. The end result is a stunning porcelain sign that we sell with a 50 years warranty.

Anyhow, as my own technician, I am often left in the breeze trying to figure things out. For example, after swapping in a new photoconductor drum (just the drum), I encountered a "SC491-00" error code I can't make go-away. I know this is related the black channel because of the 00 but I'm a bit perplexed as to why I'm getting this error. I checked all my connections, etc. and can't get the machine to reset. I know it's directly related to the new drum as the issues arose after I put the PCDU back into the machine.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

That said, if anyone has any suggestions as to where I can find more information on these printers, I would also greatly appreciate that. I'm not new to tinkering around and figuring things out but I am new to this forum and doing my own research. I do have some technical support from the german company we bought the machines from however they're in Germany so I often miss their timeframe and have to wait a few days for a response.

Thanks for your help and I look forward to any information you can provide me. Hopefully as time goes on, I can be here to help any newbies like myself.

What operations have you tried?
Do you have the service manual?

High voltage power source: charge/develop: error
output
SC (charge/develop) detection signal is L (abnormal) for 200
ms consecutively during high voltage output (charge/develop).
H/W error
• Output contact setting incorrect
• Controller connector setting incorrect
• High voltage output grounding or path error
• Insufficient surface/air (air exhaust)
• Controller wiring disconnection, short circuit
• PCU setting incorrect
• Control board IOB_ error (signal connected error)
• HVP_CB error
Load error
• Grounding or charge output error, short circuit with other
outputs
• Insufficient surface/air in charge output path
(including distance from other outputs)
• Abnormal drum deterioration and overcurrent due to holes
• Drum vs. charging roller gap error (PCU error).
• Overcurrent caused by condensation on the surface of the
drum
• Ground fault or development output, short circuit with other
outputs
• Insufficient surface/air in the development output path
(including distance from other outputs)
• Other
• Turn the power off and on again.
• Repair or replace the wiring of the high-voltage power supply
path
• Repair or replace the wiring between IOB-HVP_CB
• Repair or replace the PCU
• Check the operation of the contact mechanism

[FullColorPorcelainSigns]

thank you all for your support. I replaced the old photoconductor back into the drum unit and it worked fine (minus the part about the old drum being scratched up....this is from the ceramic toner...) which tells me it was the new drum. Upon further investigation, there is a 'rod' that is part of the drum unit and that rod has to make electrical contact with the photodrum. the electrical contacts were spread too far apart and it wasn't making contact. as soon as I tightened up the contacts on the brand new photodrum, it worked!

Is there somewhere I can get some in-depth training on these machines? This forum is great thus far but I'd like to learn everything I can. I have done a lot of my own troubleshooting and repairs and proud of my accomplishments but it would be nice to have a known solution rather than poke around / wait for answers.

thanks again for all your help!
-albert