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Hansoon
11-10-2017, 05:51 PM
Customer called me today to service his Minolta EP-4300.

I still had the parts in stock, Cleaning Blade, Spill Mylar, C-Wires. LOL

Machine is in use mainly for White Toner copies and is with this customer for over 22 years. The EP-4300 came on the market I think around 1989 or so...........

In the back are also an EP-4232 and a EP-4233 kept cause of the White Toner too.

Hans

srvctec
11-10-2017, 05:53 PM
Nope, don't believe it. [emoji6]

Haven't seen one of those in YEARS, thankfully. At least it was better than its cousin, the 4230.

srvctec
11-10-2017, 07:29 PM
You and others might get a kick out of this. Minolta used to put out Compatibility charts so you could compare all models side by side. I laminated this one back in '96 and still have it- just scanned it into a .pdf. I added the monthly volume amounts on the left as I thought it was nice to have that info when the customer decided to overuse their machine.

I wasn't sure where else to post this on the forums and since you mentioned the 4300 dinosaur, this thread seemed appropriate for now.

38135

copyman
11-10-2017, 10:41 PM
I had the "pleasure" of working on that model as well as the spin off's, EP4230, 4231,4232, etc. Not too bad from what I can remember. I had a fight with a few ha-ha. Like all the OEM's of that time they were trying different things to get a hold on the copier market. Some worked and some didn't. The OEM's that consistently put out better boxes are still here today. Others like these are long gone... Panasonic (should've stuck with TV's & toothbrushes), Olivetti (should've stuck with typewriters), TA Adler, Gestetner, Etc
All gone, well at least in the USA?

xring1958
11-10-2017, 10:56 PM
Others like these are long gone... Panasonic (should've stuck with TV's & toothbrushes), Olivetti (should've stuck with typewriters), TA Adler, Gestetner, Etc
All gone, well at least in the USA?

Panasonic had a contribution. Before Panasonic all of the machines I worked on Sharps, Canons Minoltas even some Royals and SCMs used a main motor with chains or belts and clutches. Panasonic was the first I saw to use individual motors to control different assemblies. And if you thought Olivetti should stick to typewriters you never worked on one of theirs. Panasonic did make some atrocious boxes but their last gen color units were pretty decent. Just way too heavy to carry upstairs.

Synthohol
11-11-2017, 11:32 PM
ive seen a few Panasonics that were just re branded Minoltas back in the day.

xring1958
12-04-2017, 07:00 PM
ive seen a few Panasonics that were just re branded Minoltas back in the day.

The 60 copy and 76 cop analogs were rebadged Minoltas they even had some rebadged Xerox and Toshiba units usually at the larger CPM sizes

EarthKmTech
12-05-2017, 08:59 AM
You guys are showing your age ;)

Some of us have never even worked on an analog machine, I wonder if we are missing out or dodged a bullet ?

zoraldinho
12-05-2017, 10:48 AM
I do not miss analog machines at all. Especially doc. feeder belts or a scanner lamp when it flying left to right for each document separately.;)

Tech Helpdesk
12-05-2017, 01:12 PM
Simul Color !!!!! just watch those dev clutches lol;)

blackcat4866
12-06-2017, 01:32 PM
The engine mechanics haven't changed that much, only developing units maybe. Scanners used to be much more heavy duty since 1M copies always equalled 1M scans.

Image adjustments that were mostly mechanical, are now mostly electrical. DF's of the 80's jammed a lot more than DFs today. It was a great idea to get away from white belts (some of those white belts being yellow!)

And you can take all those clamshell machines and bury them in the same hole. =^..^=

guitar9199
12-06-2017, 02:32 PM
You guys are showing your age ;)

Some of us have never even worked on an analog machine, I wonder if we are missing out or dodged a bullet ?


DEFINITELY Dodged a bullet!! Don't get me ( or any of us... ) started on the old Liquid Toner Savins!!

(..Can YOU say "Clothing Allowance"?.....LOL!) I went through more white dress shirts and ties back then. Yes...we had to wear a suit and tie while servicing copiers. It showed the customer we were "Professional".

xring1958
12-07-2017, 05:54 PM
I do not miss analog machines at all. Especially doc. feeder belts or a scanner lamp when it flying left to right for each document separately.;)

I bet the people who sell RainX miss analog ADF units.

brent
12-08-2017, 03:04 AM
ok. so since we are showing our age.. anyone remember the ep 450z the clutches in the rear of the machine? lol
I actually started working for my dad and I dodged the ep 101 liquid toner machines.. I first went to school on the ep 1080 but yes the 4100 / 01 models I learded on.. I don't miss those days.. I cant believe I have been in the industry since 1992 but my dad owned the company and we used to make copies of funny things while we were kids yep hard to believe that I own it now... and I have parts in stock if anyone needs them I have a ep 3150 drum new in box.. lol the ep 310 had a negative coificient thermistor.. how do I remember this stuff.. too funny


brent

Hansoon
12-08-2017, 04:02 AM
The engine mechanics haven't changed that much, only developing units maybe.

Are you kidding? Forgot about those fat motors driving the whole machine through a central chain? lol

Me too went those days to my customers wearing a shirt and necktie (sometimes I still do.......) not only once the tie got stuck in the running chain. Stupid me..... :o

@Brent: Do you recall the EP-550Z and 650Z with those selenium drums costing a fortune and having the need to polish them regularly by hand?

Hans

Zeldaman
12-08-2017, 08:45 AM
Hi there!
Thank god there are no more chains in the modern office-machines. Donīt know how many broken exit-rollers iīve changed since the EP 450/z. Or the broken gearboxes of the main-motor on the EP 5400. But i miss the old cadmium-sulfid-drums (the orange ones with the nice drum-cloth), they were so easy to clean and last very long, but the selenium-arsenid-drums:mad::mad:.....
Greetings...

D_L_P
12-08-2017, 04:25 PM
A working analog copier, wow. I remember walking people through closing the jam door over the phone because it was common issue with those. They were descent analog machines though. Just shocked you had parts!!

brent
12-08-2017, 05:08 PM
Are you kidding? Forgot about those fat motors driving the whole machine through a central chain? lol

Me too went those days to my customers wearing a shirt and necktie (sometimes I still do.......) not only once the tie got stuck in the running chain. Stupid me..... :o

@Brent: Do you recall the EP-550Z and 650Z with those selenium drums costing a fortune and having the need to polish them regularly by hand?

Hans
@hansoon yes I seen those before never got the pleasure of working on them.. but I remember the ep 450 z 2 things.. one is if you replaced the drum and forgot to twist the caked toner waste box. the coil would snap.. been there done that on a couple new ones. actually it was one of the last ones Minolta had in stock.. the orange type drum.. lol
also we used to have to tape 2 quarters on the transport to get better cleaning pressure lastly the c boards were located right under the fuser maybe it was the power supply.. either way..
sometimes one board would not work in a certain machine but they would work in another. man those were the days

I cant believe that was almost 25 years ago.. you really got me thinking about the old day.. thank you!!

brent

xring1958
12-27-2017, 04:22 PM
ok. so since we are showing our age.. I dodged the ep 101 liquid toner machines..

brent

I worked on both the EP-101 and 201 and the infamous SF-501 at least that is what I think it was called Blue case dry toner estat with pressure fusing. Kept breaking scanner drive cables

allan
12-27-2017, 07:17 PM
The digital age made life a lot simpler. Thinking back on what the process was to make 30 stapled sets of 30 double sided pages on a Ricoh 65 ppm analog machine. The poor original went around and around 60 times. The duplex had to stack all the odd pages. It had only 10 output bins and would need to be emptied to continue. A jam caused suicidal tendencies....

Ricoh used the same frame for the first digital machines and it still looks similar 30 years later...

darry1322
12-28-2017, 01:29 AM
ok. so since we are showing our age.. anyone remember the ep 450z the clutches in the rear of the machine? lol


brent


Remember them? We've still got one sitting in our Demo room.

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