e-Studio 311C

[Guest]

Heya Everyone,

I've got a 311C which is having a few issues. It is an ex-rental machine (128k on the clock - regularly serviced). It still has a few problems that I just can't shake but I'm hoping someone on here can point me in the right direction.

Backgrounding:
When I got the machine it had a cyan backgrounding issue - appeared strong on leading edge stronger at the top which faded to a light backgrounding away from the leading edge.
After a complete overhaul of the EPU (numerous overhauls actually) the problem moved to yellow. It seemed to be associated with the endblock as shifting the drum, blade, charge unit didn't shift the problem.
Since then I have been unable to shift the y backgrounding despite changing the dums, blades, main charge units and even the end block with a spare end block and its still there.
Ohh just to be extra annoying in the last set of prints a black ground appeared faintly on the leading edge
After each EPU clean I ran the Forced Image Quality, Image registration, Gamma tests.

So anyone know a way to test from here. It is possible when it was owned by Toshiba a tech has adjusted the machine settings which could cause this problem.

At the moment I am noticing a very high level of toner adding which is usually Y so I'm wondering if the auto-toner sensor is malfunctioning and adding way too much toner - not that the backgrounding should be associated with too much toner.

All the dev in the machine seems good (Solid colours) - after the clean the gradients are coming up well.

The backgrounding has seemed to vary on number of copies with the first copy often having less background and the further copies having more.

The problem seems to be Voltage/Charge but with different Marin Charger units, cleaned terminals (EPU and main 311 body) I'm stumpted.

[Wez]

Few more updates on this printers problem.

Still having a constant Y toner adding. Just checked the waste toner then and its yellow tinted so something is wrong there. It finally ran out of Yellow toner so I had a bit more tinkering with it....

Removed the EPU, checking the Y dev unit. I had a thought one of the Y toner mixing blades may hae been damaged not causing the toner to mix through the dev, causing the auto toner sensor to get a lower value and insist on more toner. After a check however the Dev unit seemed in fine condition.

After replacing the EPU the first print was nearly perfect!! I had a bit of a head scratch. It seems each time I remove and return the EPU it gives me a different result. I thought byt some fluke it may have solved a bad connection or something. as more copies were run through it the yellow is coming back.

I've been recommended to apply someconductive grease to contacts in the transfer belt which I'll try over the weekend.

Apart from that I'm still stumpted.

I'm going to attempt to swap out the auto toner sensor with one of the other colours.

Any suggestings or ideas are greatly appreciated. I will start another post about self-diagnosis as I've run some of the 03 tests as well

[Wez]

After another Round of Tinkering the background is Finally gone. After 6 months of trying in my spare time. The story so far .....


Ripped out the Dev unit and stuck in a Y Dev unit from a 210C. Test print contains Y backgrounding.... At this stage I have changed, Drum, Blade, Drum Pin, Both end Blocks, Main Charge, Cleaned all contacts and now the Dev unit. So after being left with a frame that hasn't been changed I simply couldn't be the EPU. Didn't make sense to me..

So the advice from the local Toshiba dealer was look at the Transfer Belt. So ripped that apart, Cleaned the contacts I could find. I was recommended to use Conductive Grease but started with a good clean. Put it back together and text print was perfect. After 5 prints its still not background so fingers crossed thats all gone..

Anyway worth keeping that in mind as the transfer belt was never a place I would have expected backgrounding to be a problem with.

The other question from this is the Toshiba dealer said there was a note about this on some Toshiba site. Where on earth is this site. I have never seen Toshiba directly provide online support for these machines.

Anyway now I need to fix some registration issues and the machine should be printing pretty damn fine