MP C3500 Streaking mystery

[Guest]

First of all I'm not a copier tech, I only have the most basic experience of using printers and copiers from an end user's perspective. The reason I'm posting here is because our tech is completely stumped, I've had equipment serviced by him for 12 years and this is the first time he can't figure out what's happening. If any one has suggestions I can pass on to him it would be most appreciated.

We have had this unit for about 2 years and it has performed reasonably well until recently. We seem to be getting what I can only describe as streaking on copied/scanned documents. The streaks are running up and down while the document is being run through the document feeder side to side. I've attached a PDF of some examples.

The streaking occurs when the document feeder is used, although I can't say we have scanned enough pages conventionally on the glass to verify if it still occurs . The streaks are very random in both frequency and pattern.

Thank you for your time,

Brad

[Eric1968]

If your tech cleaned the optics, then this looks like a defective lens block assy.

[tcs04]

I'm not sure where you are so I will quote A3 ("large") and A4 ("small") paper sizes.....

load tray 1 "A4 sideways" AKA "Long Edge first"

Load tray 2 "A4 short edge first" (90 degrees to tray 1)

Load a Large "A3" original in the ADF.

Select "Auto reduce enlarge" on the touch screen.

Select tray 1 and take a copy, repeat for tray 2.

Are the lines in the same direction compared to the IMAGE?

If "Yes" the problem IS in the scanner section. If "No" it's somewhere in the print engine.

If "yes" to the above, check the mirrors are located properly (Clips on the same side)

Does the fault occur in full colour mode? If yes, what colour are the streaks?

The pattern on your PDF does look a bit like a charge cleaning roller.

[Vulkor]

I am not so sure it is the charge roller. It kinda looks like it, but the Edge Erase seems to be working exceptionally well. Charge would usually bleed over to the edge of the page. So I'm thinking Lamp, Lens Block or SBU Board. Possibly a harness somewhere.

[blackcat4866]

I thought of that too, Vulkor, but these are scans of a print issue. The scanner may have created the voids that you are seeing.

For me the real question is, do these streaks run through the edge void areas on the prints?
Are you able to print an internal report from the machine, like a counter page or a fax activity report? If yes to streaks on report, they follow the yes...

If yes, it's a print engine issue ( i.e. charge, drum cleaning, etc.).
If they do not, it's clearly an optical or image processing issue (CCD, white plate, mirrors, Image processing PWB, maybe even memory...)

=^..^=

[brad_jk]

Thanks for the input everyone. Here's what I've found so far.

The streaks are in the same direction relative to the image from both trays (one tray in portrait and other in landscape). I used the auto reduce/enlarge so the image was rotated. See attachment. The original was fed in with long edge leading and the copy came out with short edge leading. This was a stack of about 100 pages and only two were affected, the other not attached had far less streaking on it and they were not adjacent to each other. There have been times when the streaking will occur one page after another or 50% of the copy job but usually much more random.

The streaks have never occured when printing from a file or receiveing a fax (our fax volume is not high enough to truly verify though) but I usually print (sent from my computer) at least a ream of paper per day. The only time the streaks show up is when the original is scanned for copying/PDFing. We mostly use the document feeder but recently we had it happen when the original was placed on the platen glass.

BTW we have several Ricoh copiers in our office, one has count of 1.33 million pages through it and we've never seen this before <shrug>.


Just printed 12 page counter sheets (internal report) and nothing.

[jonhiker]

Based on your last reply, it is in the optics. I'm with Vulkor & Eric1968 in i would start with the lens block assembly.

[blackcat4866]

Agreed, this issue is optical. As easy things go, you might try re-seating cables to the CCD and image processing board. Some manufacturers use very tiny, delicate ribbon cables and connectors, so a damaged or loose connector is a real possibility. Or your tech can do this.

Excellent troubleshooting, by the way. I've worked with techs that couldn't have gotten this far. =^..^=

[mojorolla]

Gonna sound silly, but have you tried cleaning the scan glass? If error does not appear during printing, it MUST be an optical problem.

[brad_jk]

From what I've tried so far and what others have said I agree it's an optical issue.

The streaking is going in the wrong direction for it to be the glass, but yes it has been cleaned.

[blackcat4866]

Also it wouldn't be intermittent if there was something continuously there on the glass. =^..^=

[tcs04]

......"This was a stack of about 100 pages and only two were affected, the other not attached had far less streaking on it and they were not adjacent to each other."

Are you saying you fed 1 original, copied it 100 times and only a few copies had the problem? Or a stack of 100 originals each copied once?

[Vulkor]

Very random almost sounds like a short or grounding issue in a wire harness. Usually Memory goes bad and its done you'll see it on everything.

[slot]

I think i have had a very simular fault only on black we tried the pcu and it went away for a day or two but kept comming back if you look at the drum surface it is slightly buffed up on the areas with the fault as you stated we could run loads of copies and not get it to do the fault in the end we changed the pcu and dev unit at the same time fault never came back

[Herrmann]

Just a shot in the dark: Flickering Scanner Lamp?