I confirm that even here in Italy we have the same problem, my boss feels that he often complains about the poor durability of the pcdu of this series, I state that that band of machines generally follows them my colleague, I generally follow bigger machines, as soon as I get a replacement / consumed pcdu, I will give it a look to deepen the discussion
"loneliness is an invention of the white man, when we are alone we talk to everything around us, we are never alone" (Ojibwa)
We fefurb the motors usually Slim so we have a fair few sitting here we can "quickly" replace if need be.
The new pcdu that I fitted to the machine didn't actually sit properly...it wouldn't latch in place and you feel it trying to push forward.
a drum from a working machine went straight in but this particular new drum wouldn't sit right and made a squeal.
Ordered a replacement and it went right in no problem.
The PCDU's for these machines were junk from day one and it doesn't matter if you use the D1272110 or the 411844 number. I use the 411844 PCDU when I can because it is cheaper than the D1272110. I have a ton of these machines I have to deal with on a daily basis.
Part of the issue is the machine has a lower threshold of pain tolerance when it comes to volume. The machine is rated for 2k normal and 5k max a month. I have some running as much as 10k a month. I don't see the machines that run low volume much at all (say 500 a month). Drum yields for me have been higher in those models, but not close to 45k.
So here are some time saving tips I have developed over the years in dealing with these machines.
Unless you were just at a given machine, take a PCDU in with you because most likely, you are going to need it. It would not hurt to take in a hot roller with you either. Although the yield is supposed to be 90k on those, they don't come close to that either. We joke locally about a 301 PM being a PCDU and a hot roller.
If a machine is squealing, that is a sure sign a PCDU has either just been replaced recently or is on the verge of going out. The issue is the transfer roller bushings have gotten an excess amount of toner in them and are squealing. Pull the transfer roller off, clean the shafts and bushings, lightly lube, put it back on. Chances are the rest of the machine is in the process of "pigging out" in toner. If the PCDU was just replaced and this comes up, likely the tech before you didn't clean and lube the transfer roller.
Pull the PCDU out and look under it. If you see a puddle of developer, the PCDU is on the verge of failure (or has already failed). Replace it if you don't want to return in the very near future.
If the customer reports the machine is asking for toner and they replaced it, but it is still asking for toner, then you need a new PCDU. On rare occasion, you might have an issue with the toner hopper, but the money bet is the PCDU is bad.
When replacing a PCDU on a machine in the toner end condition, make sure you do SP 2-929 (toner end condition clear). If you do not, the first thing the machine is going to do when you close everything up is try to add toner because it thinks it is out of toner. That is the last thing you want to have happen with a new PCDU in the machine. Basically do 2-929 then close the doors up, then do developer initialization.
Good luck and it won't be too soon for these suckers to finally die out although I have to admit I am not sure what my day would be like without a pile of 301 calls to deal with.
Oh I get to deal with those too. Just not as many of them thankfully.
For those that have not had to replace a broken linkage to the LED array, you have no idea of the fun you are missing and I have been involved with 3 of them.
I have high hopes for the new IM series printers coming out (IM 350), but we shall see. They really have not been out long enough for me to form an opinion on at this point. T
he IM550 looks like a follow on to the MP501-601 and those are a PITA to work on from a tech standpoint of view. Not tech friendly at all and you can tell 501/601 are not a Ricoh manufactured box.
That is true, the MP 501 type is just a Kyocera with a Ricoh badge on it.
As for the MP 401/402's I made a 'how to' cleaning guide for customers when shit gets on the led strip. So far each person I sent it to has successfully done it without any damage and the call was closed. You have to look out for the bit on the part number that shows the month and year of production, I think there was a rtb about it something like any pcu up to february 2019 (0219) was garbage and ones produced after that didn't spray out toner on the left hand side. Don't forget firmware too.
I have put out three IM 350 machines. No faults yet but they are all under 5k mileage so time will tell.
I interviewed a guy from Ricoh a couple of weeks ago and while asking about machine familiarity I mentioned the MP 301 and his reply was 'yep I know them, the ones you always have to take your hoover for' haha my man... hired him.
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