HP 4700dn - start up problem

[ssgdoug112]

Let me preface this by saying I am not a repair tech but a soldier deployed in Iraq trying to fix a printer that no one works on here. It is a HP 4700dn that begins to power up, cycles through the memory screen and then gets stuck with the display showing 256mb and goes no further. I went to the HP web site and it is useless for this problem. Any help would be appreciated. I have a few other items to trouble shoot but this is my major project so far. Thanks to anyone with some insight.

SFC Tony Douglass
Camp Echo, Iraq

[fixthecopier]

Sgt., I will not be able to follow up until Mon, but if I have to take a blind guess, I would say you have a bad formatter. That would be the circut board that your network cable is plugged into. It will slide out after removing a few screws at the end. The formatter cost is about half or more of the cost of the printer. Try using some canned air and clean the dust out and reseat the board. Try this and reboot the machine without the network cable plugged in. If you have another 4700dn, swap the formatters to see if it solves the problem. I will help out all I can, I work on a lot of HP and you can email me if you need to.

[prntrfxr]

HP 4700dn - start up problem

first:

Power down printer
remove the network card
power printer back on

if it goes to ready then the network card is bad - replace
if it gets stuck again, its the formatter - follow fixthecopier's advise and swap out the formatter to verify.

NOTE: always power off printer before removing and/or installing networks cards or formatters. Hope this helps you

[ssgdoug112]

Roger, I have tested it multiple times and assume that like you say it is the formatter. Can you please tell me which part or parts are the formatter. I found a local Iraqi that has an old one that is willing to barter parts but I just need to know what part is the formatter to try on mine from his. I appreciate your help.

SFC tony Douglass

[fixthecopier]

Tony, the formatter is on the back. On the rear, where you plug the network connection in is the back of the formatter. It is a large circut board that slides into the back of the machine. Take the screws out around the edge of the metal plate on the back and pull on the 2 black nubs that act as handles. There are no wires to unplug, it just slides in and out. The new formatter needs to be from a 4700dn. A new formatter cost $1000 and up. It is a real easy swap, Good luck!

[PEPELEMU]

4700 power up

You might want to check the memory chip or rom chip first before you replace the formatter.

[ssgdoug112]

Thanks. I have taken the Formater out and reseated it. I thought it was just the main circuit board but really that is the Formatter. I tried removing the memory, reseating it as well but same problem. I will have the local guy bring in the formatter and try his formatter. Then just try maybe the memory only to deduce if the whole piece needs replacing. I really appreciate your help and will post more if that is the problem or not. Thanks a million from thousands of miles away.

SFC Douglass

[PsychoPod]

On the back of the printer, and i mean the back(cause formatter is on the right side of the printer). Find a little hole, you also have a small plastic you can take out with a little screwdriver.
Through that little hole is a little plastic lever that presses an engine test button on the dc controller. If u have a pointy thing that can go all through you dont need to take out that plastic cover(around 3cm x 1,5cm) and press to start the engine test. If it prints out a page that is full of horizontal lines, then engine is fine and its formatter or the flash firmware. Flash firmware is a little cartridge or plate plugged on the formatter board(u have 3 spaces for them).