[Misc] spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

[Guest]

Good day to all.. I am from Manila and a newbie here. I have a (reconditioned) Ricoh Aficio MP161F which i bought late September 2012 and used this unit for business. Last year Dec 2 i changed the drum and then also on January 20 this year. I changed the drum lately because of the spots, dots (on same intervals) and then lines which then appear on each copies. Lines appear more when i adjust the copy to Darker. This was incidentally advised by the technicians from where i bought this machine. They even mentioned that I accidentally damaged (scratches) the drum while replacing..

From any of your knowledgeable opinion, do u think this is the appropriate duration of shelf life of a drum subject for changing.. Note that i am not copying too much (daily or even on week basis). Is there any technique or ways of troubleshooting or cleaning (whatever) to minimize this problem, or to lengthen the use of copier drum in efficient way..

I truly appreciate your kind assistance or anything you can share with.. in particular of knowing the exact spare parts to pay attention and be cleaned..

Knowell

[rthonpm]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

A lot of things can play into the life of a PCU. Are you using OEM Ricoh toner, or aftermarket? Toner can often be the most likely suspect in copy quality.

[Shadow1]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

Exactly what is the copy volume you got out of the PCU units? OEM drums typically run 30k, but can fail much earlier under certain conditions. Temperature and Humidity play a big role. Turning the Air Conditioner off at night can cause massive moisture problems inside the machine when humid air hits a cold machine... same deal if the paper is allowed to absorb humidity - it evaporates out in the fuser and recondenses inside the machine...

...but the normal mode of failure for these drums is spots of toner adhering to the surface. You can try cleaning it with alcohol, but don't bet in it working.

[knowell77]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

A lot of things can play into the life of a PCU. Are you using OEM Ricoh toner, or aftermarket? Toner can often be the most likely suspect in copy quality.

i am using a 'generic' toner for the particular Aficio MP161.. in any case, what can i do if the toner is the culprit..

[knowell77]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

Exactly what is the copy volume you got out of the PCU units? OEM drums typically run 30k, but can fail much earlier under certain conditions. Temperature and Humidity play a big role. Turning the Air Conditioner off at night can cause massive moisture problems inside the machine when humid air hits a cold machine... same deal if the paper is allowed to absorb humidity - it evaporates out in the fuser and recondenses inside the machine...

...but the normal mode of failure for these drums is spots of toner adhering to the surface. You can try cleaning it with alcohol, but don't bet in it working.

what OEM means..

i believe i never exceed 200 copies each day; and never reach 30k yet..
location is sort of open-air; no airconditioning at all. during daytime wind blows quite strong and nice inside this room coming from open door outside leading to open vacant space. Even sometimes it is hot, i don't believe having a humidity, as i have said due to the wind blows coming from outside..

my guess is also due to the toner.
i inspect the drum and there is a two visible small dots.. what can i do with these..
the technicians told me not to clean it with alcohol, even mere cleaning with soft cloth was not advised. is that true..

[sandmanmac]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

You can clean it gently with alcohol, with a soft cotton cloth. Don't rotate the drum until it is completely dry, and only turn it in the proper direction of rotation - in this case "upwards". However, if the marks you see on the drum are actual defects rather than something "stuck' to the surface, there is no way to resolve it, and you'll need to replace the drum.
I would absolutely recommend switching to OEM toner at the same time- those cost saving is negligible and more often Negative when all things are taken into account. For example, lower overall yield, different composition causing premature failure of other components.

While others have stated some good facts, 2-3 months of operation at the volume you say, should not have damaged the PCU imho.
So, I'm also wondering if you know for sure if you are getting proper NEW OEM drum units? My guess is that you may have received a rebuilt unit, which again is a no-no. These units were never intended to be rebuilt, but rather replaced as an assembly.

[Iowatech]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

Are you sure the problems came from drum damage? Sorry, I've seen enough line and spot print defects due to ink or dust buildup on the optics I had to ask. I guess the easy way to tell is if the lines don't go to the very edge of the prints it is probably an optics problem.
Also, it could be a problem in the fusing assembly - if the hot roller has reached the end of it's service life (usually around 45K prints), or the hot roller's coating gets damaged some other way, the lines and spots could be from there.
Hope that helps.

[knowell77]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

You can clean it gently with alcohol, with a soft cotton cloth. Don't rotate the drum until it is completely dry, and only turn it in the proper direction of rotation - in this case "upwards". However, if the marks you see on the drum are actual defects rather than something "stuck' to the surface, there is no way to resolve it, and you'll need to replace the drum.
I would absolutely recommend switching to OEM toner at the same time- those cost saving is negligible and more often Negative when all things are taken into account. For example, lower overall yield, different composition causing premature failure of other components.

While others have stated some good facts, 2-3 months of operation at the volume you say, should not have damaged the PCU imho.
So, I'm also wondering if you know for sure if you are getting proper NEW OEM drum units? My guess is that you may have received a rebuilt unit, which again is a no-no. These units were never intended to be rebuilt, but rather replaced as an assembly.

I must reiterate that the unit i bought is a reconditioned one; and my supply for drum and toner (as mentioned by my supplier) are all 'generic'..
and before I continue what is OEM.. what is the difference of my 'generic' spares to OEM..

I never saw any spots or marks when i opened and replaced the new drum. If you follow my post on top, note that i replaced the drum twice; december 2, 2012 and january 20, 2013 (that so short span of use). and now this february i saw two new small dots..

And i never exceed 300 copies per day.. per my estimation.

Please advise..

[sandmanmac]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

I must reiterate that the unit i bought is a reconditioned one; and my supply for drum and toner (as mentioned by my supplier) are all 'generic'..
and before I continue what is OEM.. what is the difference of my 'generic' spares to OEM..

I never saw any spots or marks when i opened and replaced the new drum. If you follow my post on top, note that i replaced the drum twice; december 2, 2012 and january 20, 2013 (that so short span of use). and now this february i saw two new small dots..

And i never exceed 300 copies per day.. per my estimation.

Please advise..

Oem = "original equipment manufacturer". One would have thought since you are using the term "generic" you may have put 2 +2 together, with our use of the term 'OEM'.
You supplier is selling you JUNK, CRAP, GARBAGE! and he should be held accountable (Warranty??)
Buy original GENUINE RICOH BRAND, and your troubles are solved)

[Shadow1]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

OEM is Original Equipment Manufacturer - in other words Genuine Ricoh units. If you're using generic or remanufactured units and toner look no further than that as to the cause of your spots. Generic and rebuilt parts typically use the cheapest items available - quality is a major issue.

Having the machine in an open air environment may also shorten the components lifespan - the variations in temperature can cause humidity to condense inside the machine, or in the paper which comes in direct contact with the drum.

Other hazards come to mind, including:

Grit contaminating the machine - especially in the paper tray. A single grain of sand can put a spot on the drum that will buildup toner as you've noted.

Excessive heat or cold - drums don't like extremes of temperature.

Damaged Transfer Roller may be damaging the new drums.

[knowell77]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

OEM is Original Equipment Manufacturer - in other words Genuine Ricoh units. If you're using generic or remanufactured units and toner look no further than that as to the cause of your spots. Generic and rebuilt parts typically use the cheapest items available - quality is a major issue.

Having the machine in an open air environment may also shorten the components lifespan - the variations in temperature can cause humidity to condense inside the machine, or in the paper which comes in direct contact with the drum.

Other hazards come to mind, including:

Grit contaminating the machine - especially in the paper tray. A single grain of sand can put a spot on the drum that will buildup toner as you've noted.

Excessive heat or cold - drums don't like extremes of temperature.

Damaged Transfer Roller may be damaging the new drums.

where is transfer roller located so that i can try to clean it.. is transfer roller the same with fuser roller mentioned above.. many thanks.

btw the lines appear when i set the mode to Darker.. on the exact same location per copies probably in line with rollers.. dots also appear on same location at 2-3 intervals..

[Shadow1]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

Lines that only appear when you darken the copy are an indication the optics need cleaned.
Transfer rollers cannot be cleaned, and any damage that would cause an issue with your drum units would be extremely obvious (Like a piece of gunk or a staple stuck to it) Now, having asked that question, I'm going to advise you to call a tech - Transfer roller is easy to replace, but you don't want to mess around with the optics - you're getting into areas where you can cause more harm than good - especially to yourself

[copyaction]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

Sounds like it needs a good cleaning, new OEM drum unit and new OEM toner.
Only after that can you diagnose if there are any other issues contributing to this problem.

[JustManuals]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

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


Just Manuals, The Internet's largest selection of manuals ~ Instant Downloads


Paul@justmanuals.com

[Shadow1]

Re: spots, dots and lines on photocopies Aficio MP161f

I was waiting for that... Paul, you're slipping - this thread is days old. ;-)

If you do decide to get a manual and try it yourself (and if you're going to do any work on it, I highly recommend having the manual) PLEASE pull the plug before doing anything and read all the cautions if you're lucky enough that the manual contains a procedure for whatever you need to do. As I said, the transfer roller is very simple to replace, but cleaning the optics can be delicate - there's lots of moving parts, High Voltage on the exposure lamp, and all the mirrors are 1st surface reflectors meaning they're very easy to damage. It's not just the mirrors, the glass and white reference plate need cleaned, and on the off chance the CCD is dirty it can be a challenge for an experienced tech to clean - DO NOT DISASSEMBLE THE LENS BLOCK - even professional techs do not have the equipment to properly realign it in the field.

If in doubt, call a tech.