My brother brought me a still functioning 1980's laser printer. It's a 100+ pound beast. His office was going to throw it away and he knows what a fan of junk I am so he gave it to me 🙂 I'm going to disassemble it in a day or two, anything particulary special in a laser printer besides the normal wire/motors I should keep an eye out for?
Transformers
possibly capacitors, and If it's got a schematic in it -take that in case you need to refer to it to ascertain values.
Don't know what a laser printer has -
These are what I would look for in a salvage scavenge operation
Ken
possibly capacitors, and If it's got a schematic in it -take that in case you need to refer to it to ascertain values.
Don't know what a laser printer has -
These are what I would look for in a salvage scavenge operation
Ken
HP Laserjet 2's are the most reliable thing I ever saw. Mine
is still going strong after 12+ years of daily use, and we
recently picked up a used one and had it worked on, with
very good results.
I hired my architect because she had an office full of brand-new
state of the art everything and several old Laserjet 2's.
I knew at that moment that she was the right one for the job.
😉
is still going strong after 12+ years of daily use, and we
recently picked up a used one and had it worked on, with
very good results.
I hired my architect because she had an office full of brand-new
state of the art everything and several old Laserjet 2's.
I knew at that moment that she was the right one for the job.
😉
Member
Joined 2002
I have a hp lazer jet 4 and well it i still alive i wouldent sell it for a brand new one at all. even though the brand new one is faster. Ill keep my lazer 4 : O )
my father's office has one of the oldest laserjets in the nation. its over 20 years old and still going. its a laserjet 1. i forgot how many prints its done, but he's got a badge for it.
Keep the rotating mirror and drive motor thingy in case you ever want to some speed-of-light measurements. DIYer's love physics. 😎
Another possibility, if it isn't too beat up, is to have it serviced then sell it and use the money to get something really useful- like more junk!
Over the last few years my addiction to electronics has become fully self sustaining. I took a lesson from other types of addicts- if you're going to be really successful at any addiction, you must SELL to other addicts. Pick up junk when you get an opportunity, and either use it yourself, or sell it to others. I find that with even the relatively small volume of stuff I deal in, I am able to skim off the really cool stuff for myself and sell off the stuff that is less interesting or not useful to me.
Cool stuff I've picked up in the last couple years include a working 3 chip DLP video projector, an impedance bridge, a parts cabinet full of useful components, power supplies, huge heatsinks, and numerous other goodies.
MR
Over the last few years my addiction to electronics has become fully self sustaining. I took a lesson from other types of addicts- if you're going to be really successful at any addiction, you must SELL to other addicts. Pick up junk when you get an opportunity, and either use it yourself, or sell it to others. I find that with even the relatively small volume of stuff I deal in, I am able to skim off the really cool stuff for myself and sell off the stuff that is less interesting or not useful to me.
Cool stuff I've picked up in the last couple years include a working 3 chip DLP video projector, an impedance bridge, a parts cabinet full of useful components, power supplies, huge heatsinks, and numerous other goodies.
MR
MREhorst
if you don't sell, you eventually become consumed by that which you have aquired.
anyone want the carcase from a dead Tektronix R7704?
jack
if you don't sell, you eventually become consumed by that which you have aquired.
anyone want the carcase from a dead Tektronix R7704?
jack
Heh, heh, I know what you mean. I have a few things gathering dust that haven't been useful, but sure are heard to part with.
Every now and then I just give stuff away to get the space back. If I can't give something away, I trash it.
She don't lie... junque!
MR
Every now and then I just give stuff away to get the space back. If I can't give something away, I trash it.
She don't lie... junque!
MR
Some printer have power suply wich are not part of the main pcb. It then become easy to remove and use(burn) it after.
Nelson, you are right. Just maintain the fans as the bearings will become dry and things can go wrong. I am used to see 2's or 3's ( is mechanically the same ) with these small problems.
Some tips, please remove the mains wire before maintaining the machine:
Particularly the fan at the rear/ right-side of the machine breaks down and doesn't turn around anymore because of dirt on the axles. You have to remove all the plastic covers to access it.
In the metal bottom cover there is one too. Vacuum the fins of the fan with a vacuum cleaner on a distance of a centimeter from the fan to avoid damage and use a soft-haired brush. Remove the bearings from their rubber hoses.Clean axles and the bearings with some alcohol. Be careful not to crack the rubber of the bearing when you use to much force in case of a really tough one.Put a tiny drop of teflon oil on the axle.
The various mirrors are to be cleaned once in a while too. Too difficult to describe here. Best is to try to find them yourself. There is one behind the black metal in the flip up cover. This fantastic machine is designed by some true copy machine technicians and they love simple and reliable mechanisms I can assure you 😉 You don't have to be an expert to do simple service on this one.
Also have a look once in a while at the ozone filter at the rear right side in front of the described fan. When you open the cover you can see it's label. Gently pull the filter out and inspect it. Mostly it is full of dust and filtering of ozone is not done properly. Vacuum clean it very very gently with a vacuum cleaner. This material is carbon and breaks very easy. Best is to order a new filter.
Check the screws in the machine as a lot of them will have become loose. Especially the ones at the rear inside of the flip up cover ! Also check the bearings of the axles there and lubricate them very lightly. Clean the corona wires with a soft brush or one of those felt sticks (!?!). DO NOT BREAK THEM 😡 Clean the rubber feedwheels at the paper input with a soft cloth and water, not alcohol.
Heater section is a weak spot of these machines and various mods are possible. This is the terrain of the professional so I won't give information on that. You can see it's state when you remove the felt that's user changeable. If you see that the teflon is worn and black stripes appear on paper it is best to have a technician look at it. He will probably change the whole unit and charge you an arm and a leg 😀
Another 500.000 prints to go !
I'd have to agree with some people here. The HP laserjet and even some of it's variations is one of the best laser printers in the world, possibly THE best. I have two of them right now and they work beautifully. They use them at a few schools I've seen because they are so reliable. If that one still works I think it'd be good to keep it in that condition. You'll never find a newer type of printer that's as good.😉
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