3245c Won't power on. Intermittent.

[tinfox]

A couple months ago I go to an account and the machine is dead, so I flick the main power and all I hear is a relay click. I plug it into a power switch on another wall...

Same problem.

I take the back cover of and flick on an off the humidity switch on the right rear bottom, and lo and behold the machine powers up. Weird. Needles to say I'm 20 minutes away and they call back, same problem. I go back and take the cover off, touch this and that, flick the humidity switch, and this time I leave the back cover off. It works for 2 months! Then, yesterday, same problem, this time it I can't get it back on.

I wound up bringing it back the the shop to start swapping boards. Plugged it in, flipped the switch, and the display turns on for about 2 seconds and then shuts off, back to no power. Good I thought, now I'll know for sure its fixed because now its just plain old dead. For some reason I decided to try a different power cord that was laying on the ground next to it and the damn thing powered up. Its been up ever since. WTH?

[Iowatech]

Re: 3245c Won't power on. Intermittent.

What is the condition of the tray heaters?
(At least that's something I would have checked if the position of that switch made such a difference.)

[tinfox]

Delivered this morning, worked fine. The paper was wet from the humidity. I changed the paper in the top tray, then printed out the smc report. While it was printing I pulled out the lower tray and off it goes. Obviously I'm like wtf? I found the problem. can you guess what it was?

[sandmanmac]

Re: 3245c Won't power on. Intermittent.

I found the problem. can you guess what it was?

Generally the order of protocol is:
Have problem / ask for help / get suggestions / resolve problem / post solution(s) to help others in the future.

I'm not really sure what the benefits of your little guessing game would be?

[Tonerbomb]

Re: 3245c Won't power on. Intermittent.

A couple months ago I go to an account and the machine is dead, so I flick the main power and all I hear is a relay click. I plug it into a power switch on another wall...

Same problem.

I take the back cover of and flick on an off the humidity switch on the right rear bottom, and lo and behold the machine powers up. Weird. Needles to say I'm 20 minutes away and they call back, same problem. I go back and take the cover off, touch this and that, flick the humidity switch, and this time I leave the back cover off. It works for 2 months! Then, yesterday, same problem, this time it I can't get it back on.

I wound up bringing it back the the shop to start swapping boards. Plugged it in, flipped the switch, and the display turns on for about 2 seconds and then shuts off, back to no power. Good I thought, now I'll know for sure its fixed because now its just plain old dead. For some reason I decided to try a different power cord that was laying on the ground next to it and the damn thing powered up. Its been up ever since. WTH?

This so called humidity switch doesn't ring a bell for me, but sounds a lot like the circuit breaker switch though...............

[Iowatech]

Re: 3245c Won't power on. Intermittent.

Sounds a little like a 5VDC supply short in drawer 2, maybe a broken wire from one of the sensors? I've seen 5VDC shorted to ground a few times on the B/W 35/45 CPM machines back in the day, and that caused weird problems.
OK, I'm really bad at this, sorry.

[tinfox]

Re: 3245c Won't power on. Intermittent.

Sounds a little like a 5VDC supply short in drawer 2, maybe a broken wire from one of the sensors? Saw 5VDC shorted to ground a few times on the B/W 35/45 CPM machines back in the day.
OK, I'm really bad at this, sorry.

Winner winner chicken dinner! The tray lift sensors were hanging loose and shorting to the frame. One of them was a bit mangled.

[Tonerbomb]

Re: 3245c Won't power on. Intermittent.

dead short could should and would trip the breaker...............

[tinfox]

dead short could should and would trip the breaker...............

It didn't trip any breakers, at least none I had to reset. Just on and off with the main power. I think that machine has a breaker you can reset on the left side of the machine. That didn't blow though.

[Iowatech]

Re: 3245c Won't power on. Intermittent.

dead short could should and would trip the breaker...............

24V dead short? I don't know about tripped breakers, but there should be blown fuses on the power supply, and even on some older machines a driver chip on the IOB might release its magic smoke! (Stupid dead toner feed motor.) A 5V dead short tripping breakers? Not so much, that doesn't even blow any fuses from what I've seen, it is more likely to simulate the power button on the control board being pressed to turn the machine off.

[Tonerbomb]

Re: 3245c Won't power on. Intermittent.

24V dead short? I don't know about tripped breakers, but there should be blown fuses on the power supply, and even on some older machines a driver chip on the IOB might release its magic smoke! (Stupid dead toner feed motor.) A 5V dead short tripping breakers? Not so much, that doesn't even blow any fuses from what I've seen, it is more likely to simulate the power button on the control board being pressed to turn the machine off.

Iowatech , I just don't recall a humidity switch, but there is a breaker...... Tripped breaker kills everything , +5v usually wouldn't trip it.... It's ancient history on this box....................

Love the Magic Smoke too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!