Taking on some old unfamiliar equipment opinions needed please

[mastshak]

Hey everyone, I'm looking to move into a company where I will be almost a one person show. I'm looking for any opinions on any models listed below, some models like the 1515 they only have 1 the 201 301 they have about 75.
I'm about 20 years experienced but with many other brands not Ricoh, I've only really touched a few, most were Standard Duplicators (which are Ricoh boxes) which I am trained on as well so I do know a couple of SP modes. Thanks.

MODEL
Aficio 1515F
Aficio MP 201 SPF
Aficio MP 301 SPF
AFICIO MP C305
Aficio MP2851
Aficio MP4002
AFICIO SP 5210SF
Aficio SP C242SF

[slimslob]

Hey everyone, I'm looking to move into a company where I will be almost a one person show. I'm looking for any opinions on any models listed below, some models like the 1515 they only have 1 the 201 301 they have about 75.
I'm about 20 years experienced but with many other brands not Ricoh, I've only really touched a few, most were Standard Duplicators (which are Ricoh boxes) which I am trained on as well so I do know a couple of SP modes. Thanks.

MODEL
Aficio 1515F
Aficio MP 201 SPF
Aficio MP 301 SPF
AFICIO MP C305
Aficio MP2851
Aficio MP4002
AFICIO SP 5210SF
Aficio SP C242SF

The 1515, 201 and 301 are all entry level machines intended for an average monthly volume of 2K with a maximum of 5K. Rated PCU life is only 45K but expect them to seldom last more than 30K, especially in light usage machines, opening between the toner mixing auger and the auger under the development roller tends to clog and causes the gears to strip and main motor lock errors.

1515 and 201 both use the same toner with expected yield of 7K. 301 is slight higher at 8K.

2851 and all other using the same PCU can suffer the same clogged opening as the entry level machines if you try to push PM interval too far and strip gears. I have also had them take out gears in the main drive gear box. Main cause was developer working it way through bushing at the back of the mixing auger and building up in the cavity around the gears. The 2 gears on the development roller assembly are the main ones to fail and the drive coupler can also round out and turn on the shaft. Have all 3 with you when you go to do as PM. If you see worn teeth on the gears, replace them. After dumping the developer and before putting new in, use a paper clip to clean out the opening between the two chambers. I recommend having a pair of gardening gloves when you go to load the new developer. You will most likely have to turn the augers back and forth a number of times to get all the developer in and level. The gears can get a bit rough on the thumb.

[mastshak]

The 1515, 201 and 301 are all entry level machines intended for an average monthly volume of 2K with a maximum of 5K. Rated PCU life is only 45K but expect them to seldom last more than 30K, especially in light usage machines, opening between the toner mixing auger and the auger under the development roller tends to clog and causes the gears to strip and main motor lock errors.

1515 and 201 both use the same toner with expected yield of 7K. 301 is slight higher at 8K.

2851 and all other using the same PCU can suffer the same clogged opening as the entry level machines if you try to push PM interval too far and strip gears. I have also had them take out gears in the main drive gear box. Main cause was developer working it way through bushing at the back of the mixing auger and building up in the cavity around the gears. The 2 gears on the development roller assembly are the main ones to fail and the drive coupler can also round out and turn on the shaft. Have all 3 with you when you go to do as PM. If you see worn teeth on the gears, replace them. After dumping the developer and before putting new in, use a paper clip to clean out the opening between the two chambers. I recommend having a pair of gardening gloves when you go to load the new developer. You will most likely have to turn the augers back and forth a number of times to get all the developer in and level. The gears can get a bit rough on the thumb.

Great info appreciate it. yes my thumbs at one point were very callous from turning various fuser release gears manually lol good stuff thanks

[slimslob]

Great info appreciate it. yes my thumbs at one point were very callous from turning various fuser release gears manually lol good stuff thanks

If you need any manuals, put a request in the service manual forum.

[KeviM]

Excellent advice from Slimslob.

If I may also add,
1515, 161, 171 and 201 are all decent machines. 301 is similar in certain ways. Made for workgroups. Main things to keep an eye on especially if you taking over 2nd hand equipment is :
Imaging units-like Slimslob said last about 30-45k. Main reason for failure is the developer gears. The best advice I can give here is change the unit before failure.
Also the paper feed clutch can go faulty. Generally around 160k and above. Best to change that. Those are the main things on those machines.

2852 / 2352 / 3352 / 2553/ 2851all have similar or the same imaging unit (depending on whats installed in the machine) like Slimslob said the developer gears have a tendency of breaking and failing. I recommend changing your imaging unit every 45-60k in these machines.
Also the 2852 / 2553 paper feed tyre sets need to be changed at the right intervals otherwise you'll experience alot of unnecessary paper jams. Change those and they run well.
Keep an eye on the hot roller and thermistors to avoid error codes and fuser issues

All the best friend

[Codex]

Hello

i think the same as Slimslob.....

But the only "problem" IMO is the MP4002, we have 10 of these boxes around and they are all possesed by the devil....Overtoning, dusting or other strange issues are normal....you habe to check the Id sensor on every visit, sometimes the Oil from the web roller stucks on the ID sensor, causing heavy overtoning.NEVER...i say NEVER try to make a "Forced toner supply" on these machines.

[KeviM]

Hello

i think the same as Slimslob.....

But the only "problem" IMO is the MP4002, we have 10 of these boxes around and they are all possesed by the devil....Overtoning, dusting or other strange issues are normal....you habe to check the Id sensor on every visit, sometimes the Oil from the web roller stucks on the ID sensor, causing heavy overtoning.NEVER...i say NEVER try to make a "Forced toner supply" on these machines.

Your machines really does sound like it's possessed. I've had 1 or 2 of these on the field but they weren't possessed just haunted by poltergeist

[slimslob]

Hello

i think the same as Slimslob.....

But the only "problem" IMO is the MP4002, we have 10 of these boxes around and they are all possesed by the devil....Overtoning, dusting or other strange issues are normal....you habe to check the Id sensor on every visit, sometimes the Oil from the web roller stucks on the ID sensor, causing heavy overtoning.NEVER...i say NEVER try to make a "Forced toner supply" on these machines.

Your machines really does sound like it's possessed. I've had 1 or 2 of these on the field but they weren't possessed just haunted by poltergeist

They really have been possessed, by toner contamination. If you check you will most likely find that the development roller is covered with a black film that does not wipe off with a clean rag. That film is the result of bad toner and causes the machine to go from under toned to over toned or the over toned to under toned in a matter of hours. Ricoh has toner toner formulation and supplier at least once for all 35/45 and 30/40 ppm models because of it. Ricoh put out a bulletin years ago on it and on how to clean the development roller. There are also a number of threads on cleaning the roller. Aftermarket supplies could be the source as they might be using the OEM specs of the original toner.

[rthonpm]

The 1515 is a very old model, and if you're looking to use modern features like scanning I'd stay away from this model. For just copies and printing it's not a bad machine. The MP 201 and 301 are much more modern versions, though you'll want to check the bulletins for them as they are a little too fast for the engine. I used to call the 1515, MP 161 and 171 of this family the set and forget group since they generally just worked as long as they were a decent environment. My office still uses an MP 171 as its main MFP.

For the 52 series machines, along with the development gears, keep a toner hopper or two on hand. I generally replace them whenever the toner bottle starts showing signs of being coated in toner. Some last longer than others. Keep as close to the PM cycle as possible: you can enable a PM alert in service mode just to nudge customers to call for one. Pay close attention to the tension arms of the fuser: they can get bent causing issues closing the side door of the machine, and even breaking the duplex junction on the side door.



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