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06-06-2020, 12:13 PM
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#1
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LQ Guru
Registered: Mar 2016
Location: Harrow, UK
Distribution: LFS, AntiX, Slackware
Posts: 8,147
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Intermittent cartridge error in Brother HL100 laser printer
I would like to know what is going on here. My printer is normally good tempered, but a few weeks ago, it started flashing the error light and refusing to print. These printers have a flash code: regular red flashes indicate low toner, whereas groups of flashes have other meanings. These flashes came in groups of four, which apparently means a badly seated cartridge. Why that should occur suddenly in a previously working printer, I have no idea
I was nervous of doing anything, given how clumsy I am, so I waited for a couple of days. Surprise, surprise! The printer worked normally again.
Today it happened for the second time. This time, I went to the Brother site and looked at their FAQ. The instructions for dealing with this sort of problem are simply to take the drum assembly out and put it back in again. With great trepidation, I did this. It didn't solve the problem. So I switched off the printer and went away and did a crossword.
A couple of hours later, I switched the printer on and tried again. No problem at all. It printed.
Can anyone explain why this happens and what the solution is?
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06-06-2020, 01:07 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Registered: Jan 2012
Distribution: Slackware
Posts: 3,348
Rep: 
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Could be a switch or a contact that's dirty, oxidized or bent.
Inside the printer there are a number of connectors and/or switches that detect whether or not the drum, toner cartridge, and other parts of the mechanism are installed and properly seated. Sometimes microswitches or leaf switches are used, sometimes it's optocouplers, and sometimes it's just gold-plated connectors that connect some electronics inside the part with the rest of the printer.
Laser and LED printers contain two major sources of fine-powdered dust: the toner cartridge and the paper itself. This tends to get in everywhere, and can easily cause a poor connection. It could also partially block the light from an optocoupler. Also, the high voltage from the corona wire produces ozone, which means any imperfectly plated connector is likely to oxidize.
You could try removing the toner cartridge(s) and use pressurized air to blow out any dust. Also, any exposed connectors or leaf switches may be cleaned using a cotton swab and alcohol/isopropanol.
If that doesn't solve the problem, there may be a partially broken wire or a poor solder joint somewhere.
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06-06-2020, 01:32 PM
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#3
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LQ Guru
Registered: Mar 2016
Location: Harrow, UK
Distribution: LFS, AntiX, Slackware
Posts: 8,147
Original Poster
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So it's most likely to be accumulated dirt. That sounds reasonable. I've had the printer for about a year but I have never cleaned the inside.
I don't have compressed air, but the manual says:
Quote:
Clean the outside and inside of the machine regularly with a dry, lint-free cloth. When you replace the toner cartridge or the drum unit, make sure that you clean the inside of the machine. If printed pages are stained with toner, clean the inside of the machine with a dry, lint-free cloth.
DO NOT use flammable substances, any type of spray, or an organic solvent/liquid containing alcohol or ammonia to clean the inside or outside of the machine. Doing so could cause a fire or electrical shock. Instead, use only a dry, lint-free cloth.
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06-11-2020, 07:12 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Registered: Aug 2010
Location: Near Edinburgh, Scotland
Distribution: Cinnamon Mint 20.1 (Laptop) and 20.2 (Desktop)
Posts: 1,707
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Hi hazel,
As Ser Olmy says, the problem is very likely to be caused by dirt especially toner spill within the printer. I'd use a soft brush to clean the inside toner cavity after removing the toner/PC drum assembly. You can wipe this down with a dry cloth as suggested but toner is transferred to the paper by being statically charged so I'd wear surgical gloves or something similar.
(I used to maintain HP desktop printers and IBM industrial billing printers which had to be filled with bottles of toner dust. Some problems involved bailing about 10 litres of toner from a hopper to replace worn parts... It took about a week before your hands were any sort of clean again!) Be careful if blowing the toner out of the printer as you don't want to breath it in! Wear a mask!
Lastly, The toner cartridge has a shutter which covers a selenium PC (Photo conductive) drum, take care not to touch the surface of the drum, there's no need to anyway, the drum surface is carcinogenic so not advisable. Plus a fingerprint on the drum would end up being stamped on every print you made.
Reading this back it looks like I made this a job something you'd need to wear a hazmat suit to do. 
Sorry for that but the mental image is intriguing!
The cause of most problems in laser printers is spilt toner dust, cleaning it up will fix most of them. Print quality problems are usually a damaged/marked PC drum where a toner cartridge change is needed.
Enough! My
Play Bonny and stay safe!

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