LaserJet Printer Repair Tips

Link: http://www.computercare.cc/osc/catalog/laserjet-9000-series-c-74_146.html

Among the most common problems that you'll see in the HP LaserJet 9000 is the false 13.20 error. It will come up during or immediately after the power-up sequence, before you even try to print anything, and you won't find paper anywhere in the paper path. As in any printer, this can be caused by a stuck sensor flag, but in the 9000, there are some other potential causes: a defective fuser or DC Controller board, or bad high voltage connections.

Follow up:

Because this error often comes up after installing a fuser, it's easy to assume that the fuser is the cause. But it turns out that the 13.20 error is much more often caused by the DC Controller, even when you get the error with one fuser but not with another. Here's why: the 9000 detects "wrapping jams" (paper wrapped around a fuser roller) by making an electrical connection to the conductive coatings on the fuser rollers. Early versions of the DC Controller board had a very narrow tolerance for this measurement, and natural variances in fuser conductivity put many fusers outside the acceptable range - even though there was nothing wrong with these fusers.

HP corrected this problem on later versions of the DC Controller, but many printers still have the older versions, and on these printers, it's hard to find a fuser that the printer will accept. To check the DC Controller version, print a configuration page and look at the "printer number" (a two-digit code ranging from 15 to 1C). If the second character is a number (5-9), the printer has an older DC Controller, which will be more likely to cause false 13.20 errors. On newer versions, the second character will be a letter (A, B, or C). All DC Controllers sold by Computer Care are the newer versions.

The bottom line is that by making sure that the DC Controllers are up-to-date in all of the HP LaserJet 9000 printers that you service, you can greatly reduce 13.20 errors and fuser warranties.

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