MP5054 - Light copies / Prints

[sandmanmac]

Hi all.

I found a few threads related to this topic but they all seemed to be a different issue.

I recently delivered an MP5054 with only 20K on the meter.
It had no SC history and was making perfect copies / prints.
My refurbish process was fairly quick as the unit was in perfect overall condition.
Today I was called in for light copies/ prints, and they weren't kidding, they were very washed out all over.
I did a forced toner a couple of times and the density came back to perfect, but while I was there I checked a couple of SP's and saw some interesting #'s that I'm wondering if anyone can shed some light on?

SP3031 (TD Sensor Init OK) = 0 (no execution)


SP3072 (T sensor Check) = Failed

SP3073-001 = 0 (Normal is 6000-6200)

Again, there are no SC codes (yet). Is this all due to a faulty TD Sensor? But at the same time I feel like it would be erroring out?
I'm planning to go back and install a newly rebuilt PCDU and do the proper setup, and hopefully that will take care of it.
Just looking for a little input from those with much more experience.

Thanks in advance!!

[slimslob]

Re: MP5054 - Light copies / Prints

Call me the suspicious type but I wonder how a machine from a model line that was introduced in May 2016 was replaced probably about 2 to 3 years ago can have only 20K on it and no service code history unless the NVram was replaced and that is the count since the replacement. The reported error may have been before the replacement.

SP3031 = 0 tells me that the toner density sensors have not been initiated and that is where the error might be detected. Try running Init DT sensor SP 3030. Set SP 3030-001 to 1 and click execute. During the initialization it might throw an error and stop. Check to see what SC is generated.

If it is just black that is light then it will most likely be the black TD sensor. If I remember K is the last sensor to be initialized so if it errors on K, the color sensors are good. Just for the hell of it you may to check the ID sensor as well.

[sandmanmac]

Re: MP5054 - Light copies / Prints

Call me the suspicious type but I wonder how a machine from a model line that was introduced in May 2016 was replaced probably about 2 to 3 years ago can have only 20K on it and no service code history unless the NVram was replaced and that is the count since the replacement. The reported error may have been before the replacement.

Off lease unit, and lots of leases were extended due to covid.
Not that unusual to find these low meter units in my situation. I get them all the time- particularly from government offices that have to 'use up that budget, so they don't lose it' .
I've bought machines over the years that didn't even have the protective covering removed from the Op panel or the packing tape removed from the side covers, etc.
My wholesaler gets hundreds and hundreds of machines/ month so it's not that unusual, and that's why I've seldom ever bought a machine with over 50K.
The inside condition of a machine makes it pretty easy to tell that it's an accurate meter.

I did figure I'd go back with another PCDU, but try to initialize theirs fist before I replace it and see what happens, and I'm not sure why I didn't do that while I was on site
BTW....I checked the meter from when I bought it and it was actually just under 13K, and now has about 21K after about a month, so maybe it is possible that it was never setup properly when it was originally installed, and just never had an issue due to the VERY low usage ???

BTW...it's a B&W machine so no colour TD sensors

[slimslob]

Re: MP5054 - Light copies / Prints

Off lease unit, and lots of leases were extended due to covid.
Not that unusual to find these low meter units in my situation. I get them all the time- particularly from government offices that have to 'use up that budget, so they don't lose it' .
I've bought machines over the years that didn't even have the protective covering removed from the Op panel or the packing tape removed from the side covers, etc.
My wholesaler gets hundreds and hundreds of machines/ month so it's not that unusual, and that's why I've seldom ever bought a machine with over 50K.
The inside condition of a machine makes it pretty easy to tell that it's an accurate meter.

I did figure I'd go back with another PCDU, but try to initialize theirs fist before I replace it and see what happens, and I'm not sure why I didn't do that while I was on site
BTW....I checked the meter from when I bought it and it was actually just under 13K, and now has about 21K after about a month, so maybe it is possible that it was never setup properly when it was originally installed, and just never had an issue due to the VERY low usage ???

BTW...it's a B&W machine so no colour TD sensors

I had just been replying the the C6004 thread that was start a couple of hours before yours and still had that model on my mind.

[sandmanmac]

Re: MP5054 - Light copies / Prints

I had just been replying the the C6004 thread that was start a couple of hours before yours and still had that model on my mind.

Haha..... I've been there, Tim

[JonManchester]

Re: MP5054 - Light copies / Prints

I had this problem on a MP2554 where the toner bottle wouldn't spin to add toner and the prints got real light. I cleaned the id sensor behind the ptr and ran forced toner till the pages looked like new dv was installed. I ran a manual process control then and ran a bunch of checker patterns with the front door cheated and the bottle spun just fine after that. I think the machine process gets buggy and needs redone if this happens.

[Gift]

Re: MP5054 - Light copies / Prints

If the TD sensor is faulty I think the unit can do a fallback and "pixel count" + software will decide how much toner is added.

Toner supply mode can be changed @SP3-400-001 and should be set to "2" if everything is OK.

[slimslob]

Re: MP5054 - Light copies / Prints

If the TD sensor is faulty I think the unit can do a fallback and "pixel count" + software will decide how much toner is added.

Toner supply mode can be changed @SP3-400-001 and should be set to "2" if everything is OK.

SP 3400 Toner Supply Type. Change to 0 for Fixed supply. SP 3440 can be used to adjust the fixed supply rate. Should only be used as a temporary solution while waiting for parts.

[sandmanmac]

Re: MP5054 - Light copies / Prints

I went back at the and of last week and ran a manual dev initialization. It completed without issue. Afterwards, SP3031 displayed 1 instead of 0 as it had before, however, the other SP's listed remained the same. BTW, copies and prints were still good before and after.
I decided to go ahead and install another PCDU and initialize the drum and dev units and once again the other 2 noted SP's were the same.
Afterwards, I decided to go and check the readings on another machine and they too were the same, so maybe I'm not understanding the procedure or what the readings mean .
I'll wait and see if the new PCDU holds up. I still feel that there's a chance that it was never initialized properly during the initial installation and maybe that's why the density dropped.
Time will tell......

Thanks for the input!

[Gift]

Re: MP5054 - Light copies / Prints

Hard to tell what happened, I think it wouldn't last 20k if the initial setup was bad. perhaps the "outtime" was leading to some cloggage in the toner supply path and your "force toner" runs already helped.
Ricoh B&W systems of that series usually have pretty weak solids - I'd say it's "okay+ish" for office purposes but not great. I also noticed that they can become pretty weak around the toner near-end phase.

[sandmanmac]

Re: MP5054 - Light copies / Prints

Hard to tell what happened, I think it wouldn't last 20k if the initial setup was bad. perhaps the "outtime" was leading to some cloggage in the toner supply path and your "force toner" runs already helped.

This theory makes sense.
Thanks