[CQ] Ricoh MP C2500 heavy cyan overlay -- digital/electrical noise

[mntech]

Hello,
I have an MP C2500 that is making copies/prints with almost the entire page covered in cyan toner. It seems to be digital/electrical noise or interference or arcing of some sort. ( take a look at the pictures, you will see very sharp lines of cyan where the cyan meets the white areas.

This seems to be a bit intermittent, first service call I went there, saw the samples, ran a bunch of color copies and could not reproduce.They said it was when printing, I tested prints from their computers with no problems. I noticed they were using powerline networking, so I told them it was electrical interference from powerline networking and they should run a long cat5 cable to the router. Two days later they call back. This time I get onsite and all my copies are coming out cyan, figured the drum or charge was leaking/arcing, replaced the drum with no change, put their drum back in and everything was fine. I inspected the cyan dev housing, drum ground, pcu contacts at frame, couldn't find any problems.

Has anybody ever seen this before? I'm stomped and the customer is getting frustrated.

INFO:
B&W Meter: 139,535
Color Meter: 75,113
Cyan drum is at around 32k
Test prints/copies run in Long Edge Feed
New drum didn't correct problem
Secondary transfer roller gets caked with cyan
Only happens on Cyan
Intermittent
Copies and Prints
I've worked on a lot of these machines over the last 6-7 years and never ran into this type of issue.

THANKS!!!

[Eric1968]

Re: Ricoh MP C2500 heavy cyan overlay -- digital/electrical noise

Never saw this one. Cyan is missing in the color patterns. It isn't a charging problem because then the whole page would be covered with Cyan. I'm thinking of a bad BICU-Board. Is the logging data showing you any (hidden) SC-codes?

[kannuki2]

Re: Ricoh MP C2500 heavy cyan overlay -- digital/electrical noise

Are you getting cyan smudges when you run in Black and white Mode?

[mntech]

Re: Ricoh MP C2500 heavy cyan overlay -- digital/electrical noise

Never saw this one. Cyan is missing in the color patterns. It isn't a charging problem because then the whole page would be covered with Cyan. I'm thinking of a bad BICU-Board. Is the logging data showing you any (hidden) SC-codes?

I agree that charge problem would cause entire page to turn cyan.

Actually cyan isn't missing the from color pattern, the cyan density was just weak on the internal pattern i printed. Odd thing is that the cyan overlay would be white directly above where the cyan should in the same shape of the cyan. (notice the "white" swatches above the cyan swatches, and no cyan overlay directly above the cyan squares in each corner) Also keep in mind these were run Long Edge Feed. Also I didn't upload customer prints but they were printing pictures, and there was no cyan overlay in the picture, and there would be white areas above the pictures.

No service codes in logging data

No problems with black and white

Could a laser cause this? Ive only seen lasers have mirror motor failures, nothing like this. I think I have a parts machine I can steal boards out of, might try BICU next unless somebody has any other ideas.

Thanks

[Eric1968]

Re: Ricoh MP C2500 heavy cyan overlay -- digital/electrical noise

Most Laser Units throw SC-codes when they're malfunctioning. I would first try a new BICU.

[Iowatech]

Re: Ricoh MP C2500 heavy cyan overlay -- digital/electrical noise

Most Laser Units throw SC-codes when they're malfunctioning. I would first try a new BICU.

I agree, if this was a problem with the laser unit it would be unlikely the secondary transfer roller would get coated with toner, as unless something else is involved the laser is only active when it is actually forming the latent image on the drum for prints or a color alignment pattern.

[slimslob]

Re: Ricoh MP C2500 heavy cyan overlay -- digital/electrical noise

I agree that charge problem would cause entire page to turn cyan.

Actually cyan isn't missing the from color pattern, the cyan density was just weak on the internal pattern i printed. Odd thing is that the cyan overlay would be white directly above where the cyan should in the same shape of the cyan. (notice the "white" swatches above the cyan swatches, and no cyan overlay directly above the cyan squares in each corner) Also keep in mind these were run Long Edge Feed. Also I didn't upload customer prints but they were printing pictures, and there was no cyan overlay in the picture, and there would be white areas above the pictures.

No service codes in logging data

No problems with black and white

Could a laser cause this? Ive only seen lasers have mirror motor failures, nothing like this. I think I have a parts machine I can steal boards out of, might try BICU next unless somebody has any other ideas.

Thanks

Are you certain that after market toner has not been used in his machine. It appears to me to be an inversion of the charge properties of the cyan toner, i.e. instead of write to no charge, it is writing to charge. Full charge area, background, gets cyan. No charge area, laser exposed area, no cyan. One other thing could be an inversion of the laser image.

[NeoMatrix]

Re: Ricoh MP C2500 heavy cyan overlay -- digital/electrical noise

There's a periodic interference pattern going down the1st test copy.
First impression it's like a gear fault. Maybe gunk or broken tooth on the Cyan charge roller ?

I've seen something similar when the charge roller is not in it's home position. Not as bad as what you have though.

[Tonerbomb]

Re: Ricoh MP C2500 heavy cyan overlay -- digital/electrical noise

Knowing this machine a bit, Does it still have the Laser shutter attached?? I know it's off the beating path of thoughts, but I would remove the shutter anyway.............................