C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

[dparksfl]

I've got an Altalink C8045 that suddenly started printing and copying very blurry. ~10-pt text is almost unreadable now.
This has been confirmed in both printing and copying activities. Scanning to PDF produces the normal/crisp image it always has.
I've performed a color and print calibration with no change. I've tried changing drivers (PCL & PS) from different computers with no change. I've tried the print quality options (Standard, Enhanced, High-resolution) with no change. Also tried different paper in different trays with no change.
Also, pulled the LPH cleaners out and in twice, with no change.

I upgraded firmware from 101. to 103. No change.
I Printed several test pages from the service menu, utilizing different paper trays/sizes. A couple of the pages that print the CMYK carrots "^" along the page edge appeared to be crisp. All other pages had the same blurry appearance.
All internally generated pages (i.e. consumables report, configuration report) are completely unreadable.

I pulled the IBT in the middle of a print and it looks blurry on the belt. So, I swapped the HVPS (105E20504) from a 7845 we have in the shop. Still no change.


The unit has less than 50k impressions and given that it suddenly changed from crisp prints one day to blurry the next makes me think this is a software issue.

Below is an image of two pages printed on this machine, just one day apart. Bottom half is what I used to get, top half is blurry/unreadable and represents what I'm getting now. (Yes, I'm aware these are two different files - Trust me, the file is fine! )
C8045-blurry-BeforeAfter.jpg
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!
-David

[JR2ALTA]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

Hey pal, there are two positioning pins on the inboard side of the LPH, visible with drums out. They were originally made of plastic and break easily. Updated LPH units, the pins are metal.

[Jack79]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

Have you tried changing bk drum?

[xcopytech]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

First print some diagnostic prints to see is your problem related only to black color.
If you have problem only with black, first step i drum unit, after that, black LPH and black developer assy

[dparksfl]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

I guess I forgot to mention - the blurriness is on all CMYK colors. I picked a dumb example to upload, as it was only K. Sorry!

[xcopytech]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

Print single colors from diagnostic.
If you print 4 colors picture you can not see does every color have problem

[dparksfl]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

Ugh, no power where they've got it sitting. But there were two prints left from that machine that show the issue is across all colors.. They're not diagnostic prints, but they demonstrate that the blurry printing is across all colors. They're both CK heavy, but here's the first...

LEI_20240422204915001.jpg

And here's the supplies usage page from the last time it was powered up...

LEI_20240422204915000.jpg

Even in the colors, they're blurry and weak.

Thanks for your thoughts!
-David

[shinchan]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

Ugh, no power where they've got it sitting. But there were two prints left from that machine that show the issue is across all colors.. They're not diagnostic prints, but they demonstrate that the blurry printing is across all colors. They're both CK heavy, but here's the first...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]62367[/ATTACH]

And here's the supplies usage page from the last time it was powered up...

[ATTACH=CONFIG]62368[/ATTACH]

Even in the colors, they're blurry and weak.

Thanks for your thoughts!
-David

looks like
1. drum yellow / developer yellow is finished. the yellow is so light

try printing the image in black and white mode.... If it is crisp, then the issue is not in black drum / black developer.

[xcopytech]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

Try ibt assy from another machine, maybe IBT tension lever sliping

[adriansto]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

Try ibt assy from another machine, maybe IBT tension lever sliping

Before that print the FRENCH Verbs page in yellow then cyan then magenta and black. Stop printer while printing and check image on drums. If these are ok next guilty part can be 2nd BTR. You can check how the image look on belt. On yellow and cyan colors you can observe quite well how the image looks on belt.

[Murv]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

I've got an Altalink C8045 that suddenly started printing and copying very blurry. ~10-pt text is almost unreadable now.
This has been confirmed in both printing and copying activities. Scanning to PDF produces the normal/crisp image it always has.
I've performed a color and print calibration with no change. I've tried changing drivers (PCL & PS) from different computers with no change. I've tried the print quality options (Standard, Enhanced, High-resolution) with no change. Also tried different paper in different trays with no change.
Also, pulled the LPH cleaners out and in twice, with no change.

I upgraded firmware from 101. to 103. No change.
I Printed several test pages from the service menu, utilizing different paper trays/sizes. A couple of the pages that print the CMYK carrots "^" along the page edge appeared to be crisp. All other pages had the same blurry appearance.
All internally generated pages (i.e. consumables report, configuration report) are completely unreadable.

I pulled the IBT in the middle of a print and it looks blurry on the belt. So, I swapped the HVPS (105E20504) from a 7845 we have in the shop. Still no change.


The unit has less than 50k impressions and given that it suddenly changed from crisp prints one day to blurry the next makes me think this is a software issue.

Below is an image of two pages printed on this machine, just one day apart. Bottom half is what I used to get, top half is blurry/unreadable and represents what I'm getting now. (Yes, I'm aware these are two different files - Trust me, the file is fine! )
[ATTACH=CONFIG]62350[/ATTACH]
Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!
-David

Was anything done to the device before the failure (supply change, part change...) or did it just wake up one day and do this? (Sorry, just trying to get a handle on this since you have already outlined some troubleshooting...)

[dparksfl]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

Hey pal, there are two positioning pins on the inboard side of the LPH, visible with drums out. They were originally made of plastic and break easily. Updated LPH units, the pins are metal.

Finally got back to the machine to check. Looks like I have the metal pins...
Pins.jpg

Let me know if I'm seeing that right.

Thanks!

[dparksfl]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

Before that print the FRENCH Verbs page in yellow then cyan then magenta and black. Stop printer while printing and check image on drums. If these are ok next guilty part can be 2nd BTR. You can check how the image look on belt. On yellow and cyan colors you can observe quite well how the image looks on belt.

I made up a CMYK test page and first scanned it on the machine in question to a JPG...

I then copied that page and got the blurriness on all colors...


On a multi-page copy, I stopped it mid copy and saw blurriness on the drums. Here's an example from the Magenta and Yellow...



To me, it looks like the issue manifests at the time the image is put onto the drum. I can't imagine all LPH's failed simultaneously.
As noted earlier, I did change the HVPS board (MPH3364) from a 7845 that's in the shop, thinking that I wasn't charging the drums enough. That made no difference.

Someone asked previously if anything had changed. Other than that HVPS, nothing else has changed; and I didn't change that until this issue started.

Thanks for any other thoughts you may have. It's a nice machine and I figure I must be overlooking something simple.

[JR2ALTA]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

Finally got back to the machine to check. Looks like I have the metal pins...
[ATTACH=CONFIG]62463[/ATTACH]

Let me know if I'm seeing that right.

Thanks!

Yep those are metal and in tact. Were all 4 LPHs the same?

[adriansto]

Re: C8045 - Blurry / low resolution / low contrast

I made up a CMYK test page and first scanned it on the machine in question to a JPG...
[ATTACH=CONFIG]62466[/ATTACH]
I then copied that page and got the blurriness on all colors...
[ATTACH=CONFIG]62467[/ATTACH]

On a multi-page copy, I stopped it mid copy and saw blurriness on the drums. Here's an example from the Magenta and Yellow...
[ATTACH=CONFIG]62464[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]62465[/ATTACH]


To me, it looks like the issue manifests at the time the image is put onto the drum. I can't imagine all LPH's failed simultaneously.
As noted earlier, I did change the HVPS board (MPH3364) from a 7845 that's in the shop, thinking that I wasn't charging the drums enough. That made no difference.

Someone asked previously if anything had changed. Other than that HVPS, nothing else has changed; and I didn't change that until this issue started.

Thanks for any other thoughts you may have. It's a nice machine and I figure I must be overlooking something simple.

Who drives LPHs? Probably there you'll find defect source.