MX-5141N 100lb Image Quality Issues

[Daniel_Gundell]

100lb coverstock

Source: Bypass Tray

Media type: Heavy 1

Paper passing through the machine in 8-1/2" x 11" orientation (portrait).

Dark band running vertically down internal prints with 95%+ coverage and heavy cyan coverage only. Can run 95% coverage prints with no/low cyan coverage and there is no noticeable issue. The band runs parallel with the drums/developers/fuser rollers, not perpendicular (therefor not a charge issue).

Can run 60lb coverstock on Heavy 1 setting with no problems.

Heavy 2/Heavy 3 setting does not change anything.

[ZOOTECH]

Re: MX-5141N 100lb Image Quality Issues

100lb coverstock

Source: Bypass Tray

Media type: Heavy 1

Paper passing through the machine in 8-1/2" x 11" orientation (portrait).

Dark band running vertically down internal prints with 95%+ coverage and heavy cyan coverage only. Can run 95% coverage prints with no/low cyan coverage and there is no noticeable issue. The band runs parallel with the drums/developers/fuser rollers, not perpendicular (therefor not a charge issue).

Can run 60lb coverstock on Heavy 1 setting with no problems.

Heavy 2/Heavy 3 setting does not change anything.

Try running the page through in the reduction mode, legal or ledger; this might give a repeating band that should indicate where the trouble is.
Is the band always at the same location from lead edge?

[Daniel_Gundell]

Re: MX-5141N 100lb Image Quality Issues

Try running the page through in the reduction mode, legal or ledger; this might give a repeating band that should indicate where the trouble is.
Is the band always at the same location from lead edge?

The band does not repeat when running it through in reduction mode. Unfortunately, I do not have any 100lb legal or ledger to test with, and the banding is specific to the 100lb coverstock.

[blackcat4866]

Re: MX-5141N 100lb Image Quality Issues

100# cover is 270.9 gsm or Heavy 3 media type, that can only be fed through the bypass tray. Not Heavy 1, and not fed from the paper trays.

I think that I would start with the machine specifications: section 2-1 of your service manual.

[mojorolla]

Re: MX-5141N 100lb Image Quality Issues

I had a similar issue on a Polaris machine with 100lbs stock. The page was stalling / slipping in the fuser causing a very similar issue, also regardless of type setting. Bumping up the fuser temp +10 and heavy3 as type resolved the issue. SIM 43-1 to tweak fuser.

[Daniel_Gundell]

Re: MX-5141N 100lb Image Quality Issues

100# cover is 270.9 gsm or Heavy 3 media type, that can only be fed through the bypass tray. Not Heavy 1, and not fed from the paper trays.

I think that I would start with the machine specifications: section 2-1 of your service manual.

Yes, I verified the specifications before doing any troubleshooting. Section 2-4 shows that the machine can run "Heavy Paper 257-300g/m^2, ,140lb. index - 110 lb. cover" through the bypass tray, and only the bypass tray. I have set the media type to Heavy 2 and also Heavy 3, however it did not make a difference.

[Daniel_Gundell]

Re: MX-5141N 100lb Image Quality Issues

I had a similar issue on a Polaris machine with 100lbs stock. The page was stalling / slipping in the fuser causing a very similar issue, also regardless of type setting. Bumping up the fuser temp +10 and heavy3 as type resolved the issue. SIM 43-1 to tweak fuser.

Just adjusted the fuser temp, and selected Heavy 3; no change.

I was able to adjust the velocity of the motors for the registration roller, primary transfer belt, and fuser using SIM 48-6. After slowing the transfer belt down by a value of 1, and increasing the other two, I was able to cure the target symptoms. While this cured the issue at hand, it caused issues with other documents. The colors were no longer in proper registration, causing a blurry effect on the lead edge half of the second page. The first page would come out beautiful, however any page after that had the issue. To resolve this, I had to adjust all motor velocities back to their defaults, putting me back at square one with the banding.

[DAKOTADAN]

Re: MX-5141N 100lb Image Quality Issues

Just adjusted the fuser temp, and selected Heavy 3; no change.

I was able to adjust the velocity of the motors for the registration roller, primary transfer belt, and fuser using SIM 48-6. After slowing the transfer belt down by a value of 1, and increasing the other two, I was able to cure the target symptoms. While this cured the issue at hand, it caused issues with other documents. The colors were no longer in proper registration, causing a blurry effect on the lead edge half of the second page. The first page would come out beautiful, however any page after that had the issue. To resolve this, I had to adjust all motor velocities back to their defaults, putting me back at square one with the banding.

After making all the changes listed above, did you run a sim 50-22?
Any time I make changes to fuser, belts, drums, settings, I run this sim, helps with alot of quality issues. Good Luck. Dan

[Daniel_Gundell]

Re: MX-5141N 100lb Image Quality Issues

After making all the changes listed above, did you run a sim 50-22?
Any time I make changes to fuser, belts, drums, settings, I run this sim, helps with alot of quality issues. Good Luck. Dan

Yessir, I did run a 50-22. I have also flashed the firmware that just came out 1/10/2014 for this model.

[faxman28]

Re: MX-5141N 100lb Image Quality Issues

The band does not repeat when running it through in reduction mode. Unfortunately, I do not have any 100lb legal or ledger to test with, and the banding is specific to the 100lb coverstock.

by the above statement, i'm getting you put the letter coverstock in the R direction(landscape) on the bypass tray and the original band was on the copy/print but not repeating band ?
if this is correct was the band the same distance from lead edge as letter(portrait) ? is it about 90mm +- to 100mm +-. could be the lead edge hitting fuser roller before going into the nip of the roller. try adjusting the fuser inlet guide (towards the nip of the rollers) if the band is always around the same distance from lead edge. If the distance is always the same ,try holding the paper with the band even with the area of transfer on the primary transfer belt and check were the lead edge is in the machine, could give you an idea what the coverstock is hitting to cause it to stall.

[Horologydoc]

Re: MX-5141N 100lb Image Quality Issues

Had a very similar issue on a MX5001 a few years back. Had to do basically the same thing you did and this Tech Tip helped me.